Ventura on Gigabyte Z490I AORUS ULTRA (rev. 1.x)

Finally, everything works for me. So I'll share.
OpenCore 9.0
Gigabyte Z490I AORUS ULTRA (rev. 1.x)
Intel i9 10900K
Kingston FURY 64GB KIT DDR4 3600MHz CL18 Renegade Black
Samsung SSD 970 EVO 1TB
AMD Radeon RX 6900 TX 16GB
Fractal Design Core 500

Works with everything including Wi-Fi Bluetooth on the motherboard.
Works with falling asleep and waking up.
Works AirPlay.
Works Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and Mighty mouse.
AirDrop doesn't work - never mind.

Case...

SOLUTIONS:

**Guide to Installing Hackintosh on Gigabyte Z490I AORUS ULTRA using OpenCore 9.0**

**Preparation:**

1. A 16GB or larger USB stick

2. A copy of macOS (obtainable from the Mac App Store)

3. Proper EFI Folder for OpenCore (specifically for Z490I)

**Step-by-Step Guide:**

1. **BIOS Settings**:

   - **Save & Exit → Load Optimized Defaults**.

   - **Tweaker → Advanced CPU Settings**:

     - Disable **VT-d**.

   - **Settings → IO Ports → Internal Graphics → Disabled**.

   - **Settings → IO Ports → USB Configuration → Legacy USB Support → Disabled**.

   - **Settings → IO Ports → USB Configuration → XHCI Hand-off → Enabled**.

   - **Settings → Miscellaneous → Software Guard Extensions (SGX) → Disabled**.

   - **Boot → CSM Support → Disabled**.

   - **Save & Exit**.

2. **Create Bootable USB Drive**:

   - Using a Mac or an existing Hackintosh, open the Mac App Store and download macOS.

   - Once downloaded, format the USB drive with the following settings:

     - Name: **MyVolume**

     - Format: **Mac OS Extended (Journaled)**

     - Scheme: **GUID Partition Map**

   - Then, create a bootable USB using the `createinstallmedia` command.

   

   ```bash

   sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ [macOS Version].app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

   ```

3. **OpenCore EFI Setup**:

   - Download the OpenCore 9.0 release from the official OpenCore repository.

   - Copy the EFI folder to the EFI partition of your USB drive.

   - Based on your hardware (Gigabyte Z490I AORUS ULTRA), search for the specific EFI configuration provided by the community (like on tonymacx86 forums, GitHub, etc.).

   - Replace the default `config.plist` with the specific one for your motherboard.

4. **Install kexts** (Kernel Extensions):

   - Essential kexts like Lilu.kext, WhateverGreen.kext, VirtualSMC.kext, AppleALC.kext, etc. should be in the EFI/OC/Kexts directory.

   - Use ProperTree or any plist editor to ensure these kexts are listed under `Kernel -> Add` in your `config.plist`.

5. **Boot from USB and Install macOS**:

   - Insert the USB drive into your Hackintosh.

   - Boot up and select the USB drive from the boot menu.

   - Format the destination drive using Disk Utility.

   - Install macOS.

6. **Post-install**:

   - Mount the EFI partition of both your USB and the drive where macOS is installed.

   - Copy the EFI folder from the USB drive to the system drive.

   - Download and install additional drivers and kexts if necessary.

7. **Fixing Functionality**:

   - For **Wi-Fi and Bluetooth**: You may need specific kexts like BrcmPatchRAM or IntelBluetooth kexts depending on the chipset.

   - **Sleep/Wake**: If not working out of the box, you might need to adjust your USB configurations or update your BIOS.

   - **Audio**: AppleALC.kext with the proper layout-id should handle audio.

   - **Graphics**: WhateverGreen.kext should handle the AMD GPU, but ensure you have the correct boot-args.

**Notes**:

- Always keep a backup of your working EFI.

- For troubleshooting, tonymacx86 and r/hackintosh communities can be invaluable resources.

- Stay updated with OpenCore releases and macOS updates, but always backup before updating.

This is a basic guide, and specific issues might arise based on individual setups and newer updates to software or hardware configurations. Always consult the community forums for the most up-to-date guides and troubleshooting tips.

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