I've had this machine basically running for a week or so now, but it was only today that I really felt that it came together. I wanted to actually use it more than I wanted to fuss with configuration, which means to me that it's complete enough to call a success, even if there's quite a bit more tweaking I could do if/when I feel like it.
I bought the parts for the build with the main intention of putting Mojave on it:
- Gigabyte Z390 Designare MB
- i7-8700 CPU
- 32GB (2x16) HyperX Predator DDR4 3600MHz RAM
- Sapphire Nitro+ RX 580 8GB GPU
- Samsung 500GB 960 Evo M.2 NVMe (for macOS)
- Samsung 500GB 860 Evo SSD (for Linux)
- Samsung 1TB 860 Evo SSD (for Windows)
- a couple of HDDs I had lying around, for extra storage -- one ExFAT, one NTFS/Ext4
- Corsair Carbide 270R case (non-windowed)
- EVGA Supernova 750watt Gold PSU
- Corsair H150i Pro 360mm CPU water cooler
I think that all the parts work very well. I don't need a very fast machine — I mostly use Macs for text-based things such as writing and book creation. Still, this is a pretty solid machine. I didn't go for the uber speed/power options, but it's not at all slow, either.
I'm pretty much a Linux guy (I've been using Linux since 1995). I use Windows sometimes to play old games like UO, but it's my least-loved OS. I usually run Linux in a VM on both macOS and Windows, which is really the only time I care about decent performance overall. I wanted this machine to run everything well, and it does.
Vanilla install
I used the vanilla install from the sidebar (Mojave variation). I followed the config.plist instructions very carefully — I used a SMBIOS of 18,3 as best-suited for my hardware, generated my own serials, etc. I think vanilla is really the best way to go, and I'm pleased that I chose this install method. Thank you u/corpnewt for your excellent work. You are dearly appreciated by an old geek.
NVRAM issues
This MB (possibly the entire Z390 chipset) has problems with NVRAM, and to reboot/shutdown, I needed to do a custom memory fix as described on this page:
https://github.com/cmer/gigabyte-z390-aorus-master-hackintosh/blob/master/STEP_BY_STEP.md
(scroll down to Fixing Kernel Panics at Reboot/Shutdown) I tried this basic idea with other memory fixes first, and they didn't work. The custom memory fix mentioned here did work. This would be nice to get sorted before running the install, because then the reboots that naturally occur during install wouldn't cause kernel panics. However, you can still install without fixing this if you manually reboot as necessary. (I had problems understanding this at first, and asked for help here in order to understand what was going on.)
Sound, etc.
I got sound (not HDMI audio) working by following this guide:
https://hackintosher.com/guides/get-hackintosh-audio-working/
The audio ID number for ALC1220 that worked for me was 11. HDMI audio is a separate problem that I don't care about, so I haven't tried to fix it yet. (This machine just uses headphones, since it's in a room where a TV/stereo is mostly already running various media.) Same with USB3.0 — so far I haven't cared about it, because I hardly ever use it. I connect to 18TB on NFS through my own server. I think I will eventually fix it, though. Also I have native Thunderbolt 3 on this MB that I've never even tried to use. I'll save this kind of config stuff for rainy days, or even next winter.
Summary
This is a very nice, solid, vanilla Hackintosh. I'm very glad I made it. It certainly isn't the cheapest you can go, and if you need more power, you can go for the i9, more RAM, and a better GPU. I should mention that the Designare easily allows the full rated speed of my RAM (3600MHz) to run under XMP. I don't overclock as a rule, but I don't mind running full speed if it doesn't heat things up.
Speaking of heat, I've been monitoring the sensors closely (in Linux), and it stays in the low 30s. At boot it might spike to 46C or so before dropping back. My next config trick for the Hackintosh would be to get the sensors working here — I already have the kexts.
This case was cheaper than I usually build with, but I like Corsair cases, and I liked what others said about this particular case, and so I took a chance on it. It's really not bad. It's not fancy, and it doesn't have a window, but the quality is good, and as it happens, every spot in my house to put a tower puts the window side to the wall anyway. This case has an interesting design with no HDD cage. On the back side you can mount two SSDs and two HDDs, which is what I did. Needless to say, the Corsair 360mm water cooler fits in this case just fine. It's a nice combo, with nice airflow.
The MB has three M.2 connectors. Two are for drives, and one (shortie, populated) is for the wifi/BT card (this won't work in macOS; you need to get a Broadcomm card). One shortfall of this MB is that the M.2s suck SATA bandwidth, so that each M.2 drive takes two SATA slots. For that reason, I used only one M.2 drive to allow for my four other SATA drives.
Anyway, I'm very happy with my new Hackintosh. Long may she reign.
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