Urgo Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Hi guys, I consider myself as a tech enthousiast, I enjoy building computers. I've only used Windows and occasionally Linux, I have no interest in any Apple products and their operating system. That being said I'm pretty curious about Hackintosh and would enjoy building one, just for the sake of it, but never really considered it seriously since I wouldn't have the use for it. Though at new year's eve where I met the friend of a friend who, when he heard me talking about the two PC I build during the christmas vacations for my family, told me he bought some computer parts like one year ago in order to build a Hackintosh, but never managed to make it work. He told me he made it run on Windows but it doesn't even work anymore. So that's quite the perfect occasion for me to get my hands on a Hackintosh. I'll have to check what's not working first though. I don't know if it's the right place to post this but if it's not, I'll delete this one and recreate a thread in the right section. From what I've heard in this video there's 2 ways to install a Hackintosh: the vanilla install or the more begginers friendly but also more shady solution, and after reading some stuff on reddit and what's written here, I would prefer to opt for the vanilla install (as you would probably have guessed since I'm posting here) So apparently the parts he chose are compatible with a Hackintosh : Motherboard : Z170X-Ultra Gaming CPU : Intel i7-6700K RAM : Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 2133Mhz XMP 2.0 (CMK32GX4M2A2133C13). GPU : MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X, 11 Go Ventirad : be Quiet! Pure Rock SSD : Crucial MX300 525 Go (CT525MX300SSD1) HDD : Seagate 4 To (ST4000DM005) PSU : Corsair VS650 Case : Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 After some googling I've found some people who managed to install MacOS on a build with the same MB, CPU and GPU, which I guess are the most critical parts to check for compatibility for a Hackintosh install. I've found a post on tonymacx86 (which I won't link), another one on a french message board, and also this one on 9to5mac. Obviously the one on tonymacx86 is not a Vanilla install (or at least I guess so) but I don't know if the one I linked is. It seems to me to be pretty straight forward but I would like to be sure. If it is, what do you think of it ? Is it a good tutorial ? I would also like to understand a bit more of what he's not explaining but that'll come in a second time. I have some other small questions : will I be able to install the last version of MacOS with a Nvidia GPU ? Will everything work ? I understand that pretty often on a Hackintosh, imessage or other stuff don't work. Thank you for your help, and sorry if it's not the right section. Ugo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urgo Posted January 14, 2020 Author Share Posted January 14, 2020 Thank you for the answer. So some more questions : are the GPU, CPU and RAM the only 3 parts of a computer you have to check for compatibility or is there anything else ? (expect the Wifi and Bluetooth part) Is the 9to5mac article/video I linked a vanilla install ? What are the main common features that are most likely not to work on a Hackintosh ? I've read about imessage, handoff, watching movies on itunes, audio. I think the first two are mainly caused by the lack of wifi/bluetooth support but I could be mistaken. Is there more ? What about updating to a newer version of MacOS in the case of a vanilla install (considering the GPU would be compatible) ? Would it require a full new install ? About TMX, if I read the rules correctly, it's not forbiden to mention it if you're trying to understand things which is exactly what I'm doing, but if an admin tells me I misundertood the rules, I'll hapilly edit my message : Quote Discussion of commercial spin-offs of the OSx86 scene is allowed if it’s to understand their existence, but no discussion of how to use them, nor any support for these commercial spin-offs are allowed as they are not in the spirit of the OSx86 scene. Example of commercial spin-off: tonymacx86. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urgo Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 Oh ok, so the RAM isn't critical, I would have think so. What about my other questions ? Should I make a thread in an other section ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfesq Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 (edited) I am responding because I liked your original post and your willingness to try the more difficult procedure in order to create a more genuine vanilla installation. Does the computer you are working with boot up? Does it currently have an operating system? If not, (and it's no big deal really), you will likely need to create your initial system files on a USB flash drive. The flash drive will need to have 2 partitions: an EFI partition formatted in FAT32 and a partition for your macOS installer, which will be formatted in HFS+. In your EFI partition, you will need to install a boot loader. I am familiar only with Clover although OpenCore seems to be just as functional and is preferred by many on this forum. Installing Clover is easy. Configuring it to your system much less so. At a minimum, you need to add custom kexts (drivers) to make macOS work. The two options are FakeSMC or VirtualSMC. You absolutely need one of these, but never both or macOS will never boot. You will likely need the Lilu.kext, Whatevergreen.kext and USBInjectAll.kext. You will need a custom kext for your network card. Many use the RealtekRTL8111.kext successfully. I can't help you with your video card but there are threads on this forum that discuss what is needed to make Nvidia graphics work with macOS. You will need custom drivers and/or patches for this. I really can't say. There are custom kexts for wifi, bluetooth and audio as well. You will need to see what works with your system. Once you have your Clover or OpenCore boot loader configured, you should be able to boot to the boot loader start page. For your other partition, you need to acquire a macOS installer. The macOS operating system is free but one typically needs a Mac computer to access the Apple App Store. You will find, if you search, direct links that will allow you to download the macOS installer from a Windows computer. You might want to check the downloads section of the diskmakerx website. BTW, if you have access to a Mac, the diskmakerx app is a good way to build your flash drive installer. This installer needs to be placed in your main partition on your USB Flash Drive. As for the formatting of that partition, I'm not really sure how you can format it in HFS+ without a Mac but I suspect you can find a formatting tool such as Acronis Disk Director that will give you the capability to format for Mac using a PC. If you have done everything necessary, you should have the option to install macOS on your boot loader start page. After you install macOS and can get it to boot up from the flash drive, you will need to copy your EFI folder on the flash drive to the drive on which you have installed macOS. This is not intended as a tutorial. Rather, it is a conceptual roadmap for the process since you seem to understand enough about computers to look at the big picture before delving into the details. MaLd0n has some great tutorials for installing macOS on many different types of systems. He is a valuable resource on this forum. One last thing, building a Hackintosh is and should be first and foremost an educational experience. Those who are doing so to avoid the expense of purchasing a Mac will find that they will put way more time into the process than it's worth from a purely economic perspective. There is so much to learn and to experiment with for those who enjoy the process. Good luck. Edited January 16, 2020 by mnfesq 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slice Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I have to notice that this videocard will work up to 10.13.6. Forget about newest macOS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urgo Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 (edited) Hey, thank you for the answers ! On 1/16/2020 at 8:30 PM, mnfesq said: Does the computer you are working with boot up? Does it currently have an operating system? Does the computer you are working with boot up? Does it currently have an operating system? I don't have the computer yet (the guy who owns it is in vacation at the moment and didn't have time to bring it to me before leaving). So apparently Windows is (or were) installed on the SSD, but it doesn't boot anymore. That being said, the point is to format it and install MacOS. I'll just have to check why it's not booting before hand, but I'll manage that by my own. Why do you use Clover over Opencore if it's hard to configure ? What are the main advantages ? On 1/16/2020 at 8:30 PM, mnfesq said: In your EFI partition, you will need to install a boot loader. I am familiar only with Clover although OpenCore seems to be just as functional and is preferred by many on this forum. Installing Clover is easy. Configuring it to your system much less so. At a minimum, you need to add custom kexts (drivers) to make macOS work. The two options are FakeSMC or VirtualSMC. You absolutely need one of these, but never both or macOS will never boot. You will likely need the Lilu.kext, Whatevergreen.kext and USBInjectAll.kext. You will need a custom kext for your network card. Many use the RealtekRTL8111.kext successfully. On 1/16/2020 at 8:30 PM, mnfesq said: There are custom kexts for wifi, bluetooth and audio as well. You will need to see what works with your system. So FakeSMC and VirtualSMC are kexts which are drivers ? Is that right ? I assume to chose the right kexts, I'll have to check what's compatible with my motherboard ? On 1/16/2020 at 8:30 PM, mnfesq said: I can't help you with your video card but there are threads on this forum that discuss what is needed to make Nvidia graphics work with macOS. You will need custom drivers and/or patches for this. I really can't say. I've heard in a podcast that Nvidia are/were developping their own drivers for MacOS, but I guess it was before Mojave, am I correct ? On 1/16/2020 at 8:30 PM, mnfesq said: This is not intended as a tutorial. Rather, it is a conceptual roadmap for the process since you seem to understand enough about computers to look at the big picture before delving into the details. That's exactly what I was looking for, so thank you very much for that ! ^^ On 1/17/2020 at 1:32 PM, Slice said: I have to notice that this videocard will work up to 10.13.6. Forget about newest macOS. I was told so in the first answer that was deleted yes, thank you. As I asked before, what about updating to a newer version of MacOS in the case of a compatible GPU ? I'm aware that's quite a lot of questions, thank you for your help ! Edited January 18, 2020 by Urgo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfesq Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 @Urgo -Let's see if I can answer your questions. 1. Cover v. OpenCore? I couldn't tell you which one is better. I only know Clover because it was developed first. OpenCore is still something I will need to learn about at some point in the future. Feel free to read the section of the forum about OpenCore at your convenience. 2. FakeSMC/VirtualSMC. Both are kexts (i.e., drivers) and both have the same function - to spoof the settings of your PC so that Apple's restrictions in its operating system that prevent it from being installed on non-Apple hardware are bypassed. The other custom kexts I mentioned are to provide functionality to your hardware devices. BTW, both FakeSMC and VirtualSMC have accompanying sensor kexts (plugins) that allow you to determine CPU, GPU and HDD/SSD temperatures, voltages, etc. Similar to Speedfan for Windows. 3. If your Nvidia GPU is not compatible for Catalina, you should be able to get started using the integrated GPU that comes with your motherboard. It will be compatible with Catalina. I personally think you would be better off starting with Catalina and an IGPU until you get a compatible DGPU (discreet GPU) rather than starting with an earlier version of macOS just because you have an outdated DGPU. This way, you can stay on the cutting edge of macOS without having to buy a new video card. 4. Using a flash drive to boot up your system will allow you to test which kexts work best for your system. But it still will come down to how you can configure your flash drive with only a Windows computer. I use Clover on my main Windows computer because it allows me to use an NVMe drive that is not compatible with my motherboard. I can do most of the editing of the config.plist using Notepad, but it's not easy getting the binary kexts because they typically come in .dmg or .pkg files which are Apple image files. Your task will be much easier if you can obtain access to an Apple computer but we all had to start somewhere, and my first installation was done without an Apple computer. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urgo Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 Perfect, thank you for all those answers, that's a great help. I'll read everything you told me about. For accessing an Apple computer, the guy already have one/some, so that won't be a problem. I'll still check about how to do it on Windows out of curiosity. About the GPU, the guy is a graphic artist in video and motion design so he needs the horse-power of the 1080 Ti, but I'll tell him he would better buy an AMD GPU. That might not be the case at first though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfesq Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 6 hours ago, Urgo said: About the GPU, the guy is a graphic artist in video and motion design so he needs the horse-power of the 1080 Ti, but I'll tell him he would better buy an AMD GPU. That might not be the case at first though. You'd be surprised just how well the IGPU performs with graphics and video when you have 32GB of RAM and an i7 processor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urgo Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 Well I'm pretty sure, even if it's pretty powerfull, that for heavy workload, a strong GPU would improve the performances by a huge amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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