Could my computer run Snow leopard?

[hibbijo]

I've been looking at compatibility lists and it seems like I have a pretty good chance at running snow leopard on my computer, I built it a few years back and feel like putting some new life into it.

My specs are:

Mobo:

Gigabyte EP35-DS3L

CPU:

Intel Core 2 DUO E8400 3GHz

Graphics:

GeForce 8800 GS with 1138 approx total memory

2Gigs of ram

a Pioneer sata DVD drive

 

With this set up what problems would I have? And what would be the quickest and easiest way to getting Snow leopard installed on this build.

Any help is appreciated

EDIT: Also how well does boot camp work with hackintosh builds?

[LogicalUser]

Chameleon is our boot camp (only real macs get apple's boot camp)

 

All your parts seem perfect for OSX

I have a machine using that exact same motherboard upstairs, which up until last month was using a e8400 as well.

 

your 8800GS will either work flawlessly with graphicsenabler=yes or require an EFI string depending on how close to reference it is

1138 memory seems suspect, the 8800GS should come with 384MB or 768MB of RAM

if your running windows grab GPU-Z, it'll provide detailed card details

 

look around the site, I'm positive I've seen EP35-DS3L specific guides before

I'd go for a retail 10.6.2 install with chameleon or PC-EFI

[hibbijo]

Chameleon is our boot camp (only real macs get apple's boot camp)

 

All your parts seem perfect for OSX

I have a machine using that exact same motherboard upstairs, which up until last month was using a e8400 as well.

 

your 8800GS will either work flawlessly with graphicsenabler=yes or require an EFI string depending on how close to reference it is

1138 memory seems suspect, the 8800GS should come with 384MB or 768MB of RAM

if your running windows grab GPU-Z, it'll provide detailed card details

 

look around the site, I'm positive I've seen EP35-DS3L specific guides before

I'd go for a retail 10.6.2 install with chameleon or PC-EFI

Hey cool, the memory on the graphics card is just what dxdiag said, i'll go get the box for it I still have it in my closet...

EDIT: it's an e-GeForce 8800 GS 384MB Superclocked edition made by EVGA

Questions...

I can't find a straight forward guide that uses this mobo, all of them just give a bunch of links with things used and it's hard for me to understand with no prior knowledge on how to do this... really they aren't guides but more of a resource list for somebody who already knows how to install SL.

However I will be doing this:

I'm gonna follow this guide

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=183751

and than use the kext's in this topic:

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=183911

[zarac]

Chameleon is our boot camp (only real macs get apple's boot camp)

actually, this isn't entirely true.

 

modbin has patched "Boot Camp Assistant" application so it can run on hackintoshes. (infoHERE, you can download it from my signature)

it prepares your one-partition GPT osx disk so you can install windows onto it (by creating a hybrid MBR partition on a GPT partitioned disk)

 

you can do this with third-party utilities like gptsync as well, but this method is so much easier and doable from osx environment.

 

complete install method:

 

1. install snow leo on a GPT partitioned drive (preferably via Empire EFI) - create one partition across the whole drive.

2. boot into your snow partition via Empire EFI CD

3. identify the necessary patches for your machine - dsdt and "extra" kexts

4. install Chameleon and include your patches - you can find installers for the newest Chameleon forks HERE

5. boot into your snow partition via Chameleon

6. Prepare your disk for windows using modbin's Boot Camp Assistant.

7. boot into windows install DVD and install it onto the Boot Camp partition.

 

if you're unable to boot into snow after installing windows, use Empire EFI CD to boot it and install Chameleon once again.

 

the hardest part is finding your patches and creating dsdt file.

 

if you're not familiar with dsdt patching, i would recommend some reading:

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=177497

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=192518

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=142434

 

good luck.

 

*EDIT:

@hibbijo - if you're uncertain about dsdt patching, you can send me your BIOS img file and i can create a dsdt.aml for you. i have almost the same motherboard (P35-DS3L) and the patching for both is identical, only using different BIOS images.

[hibbijo]

actually, this isn't entirely true.

 

modbin has patched "Boot Camp Assistant" application so it can run on hackintoshes. (infoHERE, you can download it from my signature)

it prepares your one-partition GPT osx disk so you can install windows onto it (by creating a hybrid MBR partition on a GPT partitioned disk)

 

you can do this with third-party utilities like gptsync as well, but this method is so much easier and doable from osx environment.

 

complete install method:

 

1. install snow leo on a GPT partitioned drive (preferably via Empire EFI) - create one partition across the whole drive.

2. boot into your snow partition via Empire EFI CD

3. identify the necessary patches for your machine - dsdt and "extra" kexts

4. install Chameleon and include your patches - you can find installers for the newest Chameleon forks HERE

5. boot into your snow partition via Chameleon

6. Prepare your disk for windows using modbin's Boot Camp Assistant.

7. boot into windows install DVD and install it onto the Boot Camp partition.

 

if you're unable to boot into snow after installing windows, use Empire EFI CD to boot it and install Chameleon once again.

 

the hardest part is finding your patches and creating dsdt file.

 

if you're not familiar with dsdt patching, i would recommend some reading:

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=177497

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=192518

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=142434

 

good luck.

 

*EDIT:

@hibbijo - if you're uncertain about dsdt patching, you can send me your BIOS img file and i can create a dsdt.aml for you. i have almost the same motherboard (P35-DS3L) and the patching for both is identical, only using different BIOS images.

How can I get my BIOS img for you?

And really before you do any work making a DSDT maybe you should check this one in this topic on page 2:

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php...83911&st=20

agrajag has an almost identical build, only difference is who made our graphics cards. And he provided a DSDT file, aml file and the kexts he used.

[LogicalUser]

actually, this isn't entirely true.

 

modbin has patched "Boot Camp Assistant" application so it can run on hackintoshes. (infoHERE, you can download it from my signature)

it prepares your one-partition GPT osx disk so you can install windows onto it (by creating a hybrid MBR partition on a GPT partitioned disk)

 

Not entirely true, but when most users think of Boot Camp they think of the OS selector at startup, not the boot camp assistant needed to set it up. Hell, the Boot Camp Assistant isn't even needed on real Macs, it just makes it easier.

 

 

 

Hey cool, the memory on the graphics card is just what dxdiag said, i'll go get the box for it I still have it in my closet...

EDIT: it's an e-GeForce 8800 GS 384MB Superclocked edition made by EVGA

 

your card will work well. It'll either work off the bat with graphicsenabler=yes in your com.apple.boot.plist or require manually entering an EFI string.

 

Questions...

I can't find a straight forward guide that uses this mobo, all of them just give a bunch of links with things used and it's hard for me to understand with no prior knowledge on how to do this... really they aren't guides but more of a resource list for somebody who already knows how to install SL.

 

You are right, it seems none of the P35-DS3L guides were updated for SL. With that said, its not a big deal.

Gigabyte P35 and P45 boards are all amazingly similar. All use the same ethernet, and very similar audio chipsets.

 

Other than the DSDT, audio fixes and choice of AHCI patch one should be able use a guide from ANY gigabyte P35/P45 board.

 

The AHCI/drive (orange icon) fix is specific to the intel controller (ICH9 for P35, ICH10 for P45), the DSDT is board (& BIOS revision) specific, and the audio fix needs to be for the ALC888 (shared with EP45-DS3L/UD3L/etc...)

 

That means the bulk of Blackosx's EP45-DS3L 10.6.2 guide would work fine, just with an EP35-DS3L DSDT & ICH9 AHCI controller fix which you should be able to scrounge up without too much trouble

 

 

How can I get my BIOS img for you?

And really before you do any work making a DSDT maybe you should check this one in this topic on page 2:

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php...83911&st=20

agrajag has an almost identical build, only difference is who made our graphics cards. And he provided a DSDT file, aml file and the kexts he used.

 

A DSDT should not normally contain anything graphics card specific. Typically DSDTs are not CPU specific either, unless otherwise specified (speedstep info)

[zarac]

Not entirely true, but when most users think of Boot Camp they think of the OS selector at startup, not the boot camp assistant needed to set it up. Hell, the Boot Camp Assistant isn't even needed on real Macs, it just makes it easier.

well, my point was that Chameleon is not an equivalent of Boot Camp. it is more an equivalent of rEFIt.

Boot Camp is just a disk partitioning utility - not a bootloader.

 

@hibbijo:

if you want to use agrajag's dsdt file you need to be sure of a few things:

- he uses same bios version as you

- he didn't patch it for graphic card string injection

 

as far as i could gather, agrajag uses BIOS version F5 and didn't patch his dsdt for graphic or ethernet.

he used following patches: audio, speedstepping, bios reset fix, internal usb patch, ICH9 AHCI shown as ESB2 AHCI, probably more but its hard finding it through the file.

 

so this dsdt should be good for you IF YOU USE F5 BIOS. if not, you better download it from gigabyte site and flash it.

also, if you plan to use this dsdt, you must use AHCI SATA mode.

[LogicalUser]

well, my point was that Chameleon is not an equivalent of Boot Camp. it is more an equivalent of rEFIt.

Boot Camp is just a disk partitioning utility - not a bootloader.

 

Seems like splitting hairs to me...

 

If the default startup selector (bootloader) on Intel Macs is not part of "Boot Camp" then what is it? I've only ever seen Apple refer to it as Boot Camp / the boot manager. It also seems difficult to argue that Apple's Windows drivers package & control panel is not part of Boot Camp.

 

I'm familiar with rEFIt, and while it is closer to Chameleon than BootCamp, all three offer the same basic functionality.

[zarac]

Seems like splitting hairs to me...

not splitting hairs:

 

the OP asked about Boot Camp compatibility with hackintoshes.

you answer was misleading, so i corrected it.

 

Boot Camp works with hackintoshes and is not only for real macs - i use it.

[LogicalUser]

not splitting hairs:

 

the OP asked about Boot Camp compatibility with hackintoshes.

you answer was misleading, so i corrected it.

 

Boot Camp works with hackintoshes and is not only for real macs - i use it.

again, it all depends on what you mean by "Boot Camp"

 

Yes, the partition utility is called Boot Camp Assistant, but the Windows driver package and control panel are "Boot Camp" too. Apple describes the entire deal as boot camp, not any specific part.

 

Arguing that the boot manager one uses to select a windows volume is not part of Boot Camp certainly seems like it qualifies as splitting hairs. Nor do I know what you'd call Apple's BIOS emulation that makes running Windows OSes possible other than "Boot Camp"

 

Likewise, arguing that a Real mac is not using Boot Camp because the PC volume was created using disk utility instead of the Setup Assistant seems like splitting hairs.

 

Its clear from the context he was asking about dual boot in general on hackintoshes, not the partition helper app itself. And the only part of Apple's boot camp that can work on a hackintosh is the partition utility.

[hibbijo]

Okay guys so I'm waiting on a new 500GB hard drive to arrive from newegg(taking a hint and gonna do 2 seperate hard drives for my win7/SL installs.). After that I should be good to go, I have formatted my 8gb flash drive with my dads mac, and recovered the SL install image onto it. Installed the EP45UD3P mobo install package and replaced it with the DSDT files posted by agrajag. Tested my flash drive, it can boot, however with the AHCI bios setting I had some trouble booting my Win7 hard disk, but that was due to having AHCI turned off when I installed Win7, and was fixed with a registry tweak. Just waiting for my new hard drive and the install should be smooth!

EDIT: Oh I also added the code:

<key>EthernetBuiltIn</key>
 <string>Yes</string>
<key>GraphicsEnabler</key>
 <string>Yes</string>

to the com.apple.Boot.plist.

Hopefully all works well.

Also probably should have mentioned I upgraded my bios to the ones agrajag is using.