GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS Gaming 3 | Intel Core i5 8400 | 32GB RAM | AMD RX 580 | OpenCore

[EliteMacx86]

GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS Gaming 3 | Intel Core i5 8400 | 32GB RAM | AMD RX 580 | OpenCore

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Overview

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GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS Gaming 3 Guide featuring Intel Core i5-8400 and AMD RX 580 GPU using OpenCore. This guide can be used as a reference for any 300 Motherboard chipset with very few changes.


Components

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GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS Gaming 3

Already Owned

Sapphire AMD RX 580 8GB

ADATA - 250GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V6E250BW)

LG 32" Full HD IPS Monitor with HDMI, and Display Port (LG 22MP58VQ-P)

Dell KM636 Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Combo


Comments

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The Build
As the new 500 series Motherboard are out, with Thunderbolt 4 so i decided to test Thunderbolt 4. The idea of this build is to use Built-In Thunderbolt. The idea of this build is compact, paired with an i9 10900F running @ 2.9GHz stock speed, having a AMD RX 5700XT 8GB from Sapphire, good power supply with 600W, normal power consumption and a solid performance packed in ITX Build.

Already have a build with MSI Z490I UNIFY and same amount of PCIe slots were needed so the ultimate choice was Z590I UNIFY. It's an ITX motherboard offering support for 10th and 11th Gen. CPUs along with the Thunderbolt 4 support. The motherboard offers built-in Type-C Display. A solid audio codec (Realtek ALC4080), 2.5Gb/s LAN, PCIe 4.0 support for faster data transfer rate. Along with all these, the motherboard supports various features.

Summary

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Features	Status
Graphics	YES
Built-in Audio	YES
DP/HDMI	YES
DP/HDMI Audio	YES
Ethernet	YES
WiFi/BT	YES
AirDrop	YES
Handoff	YES
Power Management	YES
App Store	YES
iMessage	YES
FaceTime	YES
iCloud	YES
USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1 and USB Type-C Ports	YES

Not working

Everything works like a charm.

Bootable Media Creation

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To create Bootable USB for macOS Big Sur, follow the steps below.

1. Download macOS Big Sur from App Store.
2. Plug USB to your system.
3. Open Disk Utility and erase the USB Flash Drive with following parameters
4. Close Disk Utility.
5. Open Terminal and type:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB

6. Enter your password
7. Press (Y) to confirm and then press enter key and it will start to erase the disk and will create macOS Bootable USB.

Once the process completes, close the terminal. The USB Flash Drive will be renamed as Install macOS Big Sur

Note :

• At this point, the bootable USB can be only used to boot Mac only. In order to boot the computer using the USB, follow the steps below.

Preparing OpenCore Bootloader

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To prepare OpenCore boot loader, you need to download OpenCore.
Download the Release folder followed by the release version.
When extracting, you'll get 4 folders which has been listed below.

Directories	Description
Docs	Contains documentation, change log, a sample config.plist, and ACPI Samples for OpenCore.
IA32	Contains OpenCore EFI, 32-bit OpenCore Boot Loader.
Utilities	Contains several utilities.
X64	Contains OpenCore EFI, 64-bit OpenCore Boot Loader.

1. Copy X64 to your working directory and follow the steps below

Adding Required SSDTs
SSDTs are mandatory which allows several important fixes and is required to boot the system.

SSDT Name	Notes
SSDT-EC-USBX	This SSDT fixes EC and USB Power. This SSDT is required for proper USB Power.
SSDT-PLUG	This SSDT enables Power Management function. This SSDT is required for a proper CPU and GPU Power Management.

2. From the Docs/Acpi Samples/Binaries directory, copy the above SSDTs to EFI/OC/ACPI.

Adding Required Drivers
Drivers are mandatory which allows several important function and is required to boot the system.

Driver Name	Required	Notes
OpenRuntime.efi	YES	Runtime driver including several other drivers merged such as ApfsDriverLoader. OpenRuntime.efi is a replacement for AptioMemoryFix.efi driver.
OpenHfsPlus.efi	YES	Provides reading of HFS+ Volumes/drives in OpenCore Boot Picker.
OpenCanopy.efi	Optional	Provides GUI functionality for OpenCore Boot screen. This driver is required if you need GUI or theme for OpenCore.
AudioDxe.efi	Optional	Provides Boot Chime support. Only required if you want to use Boot Chime

3. From the EFI/OC directory, just keep the above drivers and delete rest of the drivers.

Notes :

• All the drivers can be found at: X64/EFI/OC/Drivers

Adding Required Kexts
In order to boot into the installation, you need to add the necessary kexts. Follow the steps below to place the necessary kexts.

Kext Name	Required	Notes
Lilu	YES	Provides arbitrary patching.
VirtualSMC	YES	Emulates Apple hardware. VirtualSMC is a successor of FakeSMC. This kext requires "Lilu.kext" to function.
WhateverGreen	YES	Provides GPU patching on macOS. This kext requires "Lilu.kext" to function.
AppleALC	YES	Provides Audio support on macOS. This kext requires "Lilu.kext" to function.
NVMeFix	YES	Provides NVMe Power Management. This kext requires "Lilu.kext" to function.
USBInjectAll	YES	Enables USB ports for mapping USB ports further. It's advised to map the USB ports during the post-install for a better USB speed, improved sleep/wake and hotplug.
XHCI-unsupported	YES	Enables Unsupported USB ports.
AtherosE200Ethernet	YES	Provides support for Atheros Ethernet Controller.

1. Download the above kexts.
2. Extract the kexts from the RELEASE folder.
3. Copy the kexts to: /EFI/OC/Kexts

Notes:

• Do not download the project files. The pre-built binaries/downloads are available in the README.md section. Make sure you read it carefully.
• Download the latest version for better support.
• Use the kext from RELEASE folder and RELEASE.zip file.
• Do not place unnecessary kexts here. It might prevent booting the installer.
• Only use basic kexts which is required to boot off the installer. You can install the rest required kexts at the time of post-installation.
• The VirtualSMC package includes Battery and Sensors plugins (SMCBatteryManager.kext, SMCDellSensors.kext, SMCLightSensor.kext, SMCProcessor.kext, and SMCSuperIO.kext). You do not need these kexts for booting the installer.

Creating OpenCore config.plist

To create config.plist, follow the steps below.
Copy sample.plist from Docs to your working directory and rename it to config.plist. The only changes to the config.plist has been described below. The rest will remain completely untouched.

ACPI>Add

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This section is for adding the DSDT and SSDT files for your system. The following changes are needed.

SSDT Name	Notes
SSDT-EC-USBX	This SSDT fixes EC and USB Power. This SSDT is required for proper USB Power.
SSDT-PLUG	This SSDT enables Power Management function. This SSDT is required for a proper CPU and GPU Power Management.

ACPI>Patch

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This section is used for device renames such as USB, Graphics and Audio. The following changes are needed.

Table Signature*	Find	Replace	Comment	Enabled	Notes
DSDT	50454750	47465830	Rename PEGP to GFX0 (Graphics)	YES	Renames PEGP to GFX0 for a better power management. This rename is required for implementing discrete GPU Power Management.
DSDT	48454349	494D4549	Rename HECI to IMEI (PAVP)*	YES	Renames HECI to IMEI for PAVP services. This rename is required for implementing PAVP services. This rename fixes iTunes/App Store Content Access problems and also enables Content playback.
DSDT	4D45495F	494D4549	Rename MEI to IMEI (PAVP)*	YES	Renames MEI to IMEI for PAVP services. This rename is required for implementing PAVP services. This rename fixes iTunes/App Store Content Access problems and also enables Content playback.
DSDT	48444153	48444546	Rename HDAS to HDEF (Audio)	YES	Renames HDAS to HDEF for Audio. This rename is required for implementing Audio Function.

Booter>Quirks

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This section allows to apply certain Booter quirks. The following changes are needed.

Quirks	Value	Notes
AvoidRunTimeDefrag	YES	Fixes certain UEFI runtime services such as date time, NVRAM, power control, etc.
DevirtualiseMmio	YES	Remove runtime attribute from select MMIO regions. This option reduces stolen memory footprint from the memory map by removing runtime bit for known memory regions.
EnableSafeModeSlide	YES	Patch bootloader to have KASLR enabled in safe mode. This quirk requires ProvideCustomSlide to be enabled.
EnableWriteUnprotector	YES	Allows write access to UEFI runtime services code.
ProvideCustomSlide	YES	Provide custom KASLR slide on low memory. This option forces macOS to use a pseudo random value among the available ones.
RebuildAppleMemoryMap	YES	Generates Memory Map which is compatible with macOS.
SetupVirtualMap	YES	Setup virtual memory at SetVirtualAddresses. Fixes several virtual address issues and tends to fix early Kernel Panics.
SyncRuntimePermissions	YES	Update memory permissions for runtime environment.

Note:

• The values which have been not discussed above, that will remain disabled.

Kernel>Add

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This section is for adding and blocking kexts. This also defines the order of the kexts and the architecture of each kext. The following changes are needed.

Arch	BundlePath*	ExecutablePath	PlistPath	Enabled	Notes
Any	Lilu.kext**	Contents/MacOS/Lilu	Contents/Info.plist	YES	Provides arbitrary patching.
Any	VirtualSMC.kext**	Contents/MacOS/VirtualSMC	Contents/Info.plist	YES	Emulates Apple hardware. VirtualSMC is a successor of FakeSMC. This kext requires Lilu.kext to function.
Any	WhateverGreen.kext**	Contents/MacOS/WhateverGreen	Contents/Info.plist	YES	Provides GPU patching on macOS. This kext requires Lilu.kext to function.
Any	AppleALC.kext**	Contents/MacOS/AppleALC	Contents/Info.plist	YES	Enables onboard/built-in Audio. This kext requires Lilu.kext to function.
Any	USBInjectAll.kext	Contents/MacOS/USBInjectAll	Contents/Info.plist	YES	Enables USB ports. It's advised to map the USB ports during the post-install for a better USB speed, improved and sleep/wake.
Any	XHCI-unsupported.kext		Contents/Info.plist	YES	Enables Unsupported USB ports.
Any	AtherosE2200Ethernet.kext	Contents/MacOS/AtherosE2200Ethernet	Contents/Info.plist	YES	Required for Atheros Killer E2500 Onboard Ethernet Chip

Notes:

• All the plugins must load after loading it's dependencies otherwise the kext will no longer function even when loaded in OS X/macOS.
• The mandatory kexts must be loaded in sorted order as shown in the above table.
• *Indicates BundlePath i.e. Name of the Kext
• **Indicates mandatory kexts.
• All the added kexts must exists in the EFI/OC/Kexts directory.
• The options which have been not discussed above, that will remain untouched.

Kernel>Scheme
This section allows settings related to Kernel. The following changes are needed.

Options	Value	Notes
FuzzyMatch	YES	Enables checksum ignore with kernel cache instead of using latest cache available. This setting allows matching the latest kernel cache with a suitable architecture when the kernel cache without suffix is unavailable, improving macOS 10.6 boot performance on several platforms.
KernelArch	Auto	Determines Kernel Architecture.
KernelCache	Auto	Determines Kernel Cache.

Kernel>Quirks
This section allows to apply certain Kernel quirks. It provides settings related to Kernel and several other options related to BIOS/UEFI and USB ports. The following changes are needed.

Quirks	Value	Notes
AppleCpuPmCfgLock	YES	Disables PKG_CST_CONFIG_CONTROL (0xE2) MSR modification in AppleIntelCPUPowerManage- ment.kext, commonly causing early kernel panic, when it is locked from writing. Enable this quirk if you cannot disable CFG-Lock in BIOS/UEFI.
AppleXcpmCfgLock	YES	Disables PKG_CST_CONFIG_CONTROL (0xE2) MSR modification in XNU kernel, commonly causing early kernel panic, when it is locked from writing (XCPM power management). Enable this quirk if you cannot disable CFG-Lock in BIOS/UEFI.
DisableIoMapper	YES	Disables IOMapper support in XNU (VT-d), which may conflict with the firmware implementation. This option is a preferred alternative to deleting DMAR ACPI table and disabling VT-d in firmware preferences, which does not break VT-d support in other systems in case they need it. Enable this quirk if you cannot disable VT-d in BIOS/UEFI.
PanicKNoextDump	YES	Prevent kernel from printing kext dump in the panic log preventing from observing panic details.
PowerTimeoutKernelPanic	YES	Disables kernel panic on setPowerState timeout. Fixes kernel panics related to power changes with Apple drivers in macOS Catalina, most notably with digital audio.
XhciPortLimit	YES	Enables 15 port limit patch. This quirk is a temporary solution and is advised to map your USB ports during post-installation.
DisableLinkeditJettison	YES	Disables __LINKEDIT jettison code. Provides more reliable performance without keepsyms=1 This quirk is required for macOS Big Sur.

Note:

• The values which have been not discussed above, that will remain disabled.

NVRAM>Add

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This section is for adding NVRAM properties, boot args and configuring SIP. The following changes are needed.

UUID	Key	Value	Type	Notes
7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82	boot-args	-v debug=0x100 keepsyms=1 alcid=11	STRING	Adds boot args which provides several functions. -v Enables verbose mode. Helpful to track the installation progress or when booting. debug=0x100 This disables macOS's watchdog which helps prevents a reboot on a kernel panic. keepsyms=1 This is a companion setting to debug=0x100 that tells the OS to also print the symbols on a kernel panic. This can give some more helpful insight as to what's causing the panic itself. alcid=11 Sets Layout ID = 11 for Onboard/Built-In Audio.
	csr-active-config	00000000	DATA	Defines SIP type. 00000000 Enables SIP completely. (0x0) It's advised to configure SIP via recovery using "csrutil." For more information on SIP, check the SIP disabling guide.
	prev-lang:kbd	en-US:0	STRING	Sets Keyboard language.

PlatformInfo

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This section allows to set SMBIOS. It's an important section and has various impact on your system. The following changes are needed.

Suggested SMBIOS

SMBIOS	CPU
iMac 19,2	Intel Coffee Lake for i5

Using OpenCore Configurator, generate a SMBIOS under PlatformInfo section and configure the options as outlined below.

Platform Info>DatHub - Generic - PlatformNVRAM

DataHub

Option	Value	Notes
Add this section in config.plist	YES	Adds DataHub field

Generic

Options	Value	Notes
Add this section in config.plist	YES	Adds Generic field
from SMBIOS	YES
ProcessorType	0	Sets SMBIOS Processor Type. This will override your actual CPU type. It's recommended to set this option to "0" to detect the original CPU by macOS instead of using SMBIOS CPU Type.
SystemMemoryStatus	Auto	Indicates whether system memory is upgradable in PlatformFeature. This controls the visibility of the Memory tab in About This Mac. Auto Use the original PlatformFeature value. It's recommended to set this option to "Auto." Upgradable Explicitly unset PT_FEATURE_HAS_SOLDERED_SYSTEM_MEMORY (0x2) in PlatformFeature. Soldered explicitly set PT_FEATURE_HAS_SOLDERED_SYSTEM_MEMORY (0x2) in PlatformFeature.
SpoofVendor	YES	Sets SMBIOS vendor fields to Acidanthera

PlatformNVRAM

Option	Value	Note
Add this section in config.plist	YES	Adds PlatformNVRAM field

For more information on Comet Lake config.plist, check the post linked below.

GUIDE - How to Create OpenCore Config.plist file for booting macOS on Intel Desktops

How to Create OpenCore Config.plist file for booting macOS on Intel Desktops An EliteMacx86 Exclusive Guide - This guide covers creation of config.plist for booting macOS on Intel Desktops for OpenCore as a bootloader. Overview The config.plist is a system configuration file for the...

elitemacx86.com

SMBIOS

Option	Value	Note
Add this section in config.plist	YES	Add SMBIOS field.

Installing OpenCore EFI

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Now, as the EFI is completely prepared, it's time for the installation of OpenCore on the Bootable USB Flash Drive.

1. Mount the EFI partition of your Bootable USB Flash Drive.
2. Copy the EFI from your working directory to EFI partition of your Bootable USB Flash Drive.

Now you’ve successfully installed OpenCore, the required drivers, kexts and config.plist and the USB Flash drive is ready to boot off your computer.

UEFI Settings

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The next step is to configure the BIOS. To access your BIOS/UEFI, press and hold Delete key on your Keyboard and then set the following.

• Set Optimized Defaults.
• Set X.M.P. Memory Profile to Profile 1.
• Set Fast Boot to Disabled.
• Set Windows 8/10 Features to Other OS.
• Set Initial Display Output to IGFX.
• Set Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT) to Disabled.
• Set Network Stack to Disabled.
• Set XHCI Hand-Off to Enabled.
• Set SATA Mode to AHCI.
• Set VT-d option to Disabled.
• Set Internal Graphics to Auto.
• Save & Exit Setup.

Installation

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The installation step is simple.
Plug your Bootable USB Flash Drive to the target system.
Turn on your system.
3. Boot to Boot Menu using F12
4. Select your USB Flash Drive with the UEFI prefix and press enter to boot.
5. When at OpenCore menu, select ResetNVRAM and boot from it.
6. Repeat step no. 5.
7. When at OpenCore menu, boot using Install macOS Big Sur. It will take couple of minutes to boot into installer screen. Once you reach the installer, select your preferred language and continue.
8. On top, click on Utilities and then select Disk Utility.
9. When at Disk Utility, click on View and select Show all Devices.
10. Select your target SSD. Do not select the partition
11. Click on Erase button and erase the drive with following parameters.

Name	Macintosh HD
Format	APFS
Scheme	GUID Partition Map

12. Close Disk Utility.
13. Select Install macOS and continue with the options.
14. Select Macintosh HD and click on Install.

This will take couple of minutes and will restart at "Less than a minute is remaining". Upon completion, the system will automatically restart. The System will restart to complete the installation. Here it ends the first phase of the installation.

After installation, boot it using USB, but this time select Macintosh HD.
The first boot maybe slower as the caches are not build yet. Once the caches are built, it will boot normally.
When you're at the welcome screen, continue with the basics options such as Keyboard setup, Network, Computer Account and Privacy settings.

Now the installation is complete, but the drive isn't bootable yet. You need to complete the Post Installation

Post Installation

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Now, configuring the Post Installation. There is not much to do for the postinstallation except configuring Thunderbolt 4 Hotplug and the boot from system drive. Everything rest is fully functional.

Boot from System Drive
This is one of the most important part as it allows to boot it using the system drive without any need of installation USB.

1. Mount the EFI Partition of your System drive and the Bootable USB. Both the EFI partition of your Hard Drive and USB Flash Drive will be mounted on your Desktop.
2. Assuming that you’ve mounted your EFI Partition, continue the following.
3. Open your EFI Partition of your Hard Drive.
4. Select EFI folder and then move to Trash.
5. Open your EFI Partition of your macOS Bootable USB.
6. Copy the EFI folder from your macOS Bootable USB to your EFI Partition of your Hard Drive.

By using this method, you’ll be easily able to install OpenCore Boot loader on your System Drive.

Restart your System
After completing the post installation, restart your System.