New Hackintosh / PT7 monster HD PCI Rig

[headsup]

Originally Posted by James Drake

Hi all,

Just want to put a quick note that I tested Pro Tools 10.2 HD4 Accel on the jetway with OS 10.7.4 (64 bit kernel). No probs so far.

How did you get 10.7.4 working? Can you please post some instructions..

Does SDD HD work on this system?

[jeremyroberts]

Originally Posted by headsup

How did you get 10.7.4 working? Can you please post some instructions..

Does SDD HD work on this system?

You mean, SSD? Oh yes...

10.7.4 is the BEST choice for a new build, ever since the TonyMacx86 team did the "UniBeast" USB bootloader tool.

I am a day away from completing my first track with my new machine - 90 tracks @ 88.2 + dozens of VSL (and many other) au instruments in VEPro5 on PT 10.2 -- all running on my 32gb ram i7 2600k on the Jetway mobo. I have been overdubbing musicians and vocals for the past 3 days 10+ hrs a day, and the machine doesn't blink.

I will be writing a "you can do this too" post by the weekend. I'll link to it here. In the mean time, if you want to learn more, read about UniBeast from TonyMacx86

[headsup]

Yes SSD I meant,

"you can do this too" sounds good. Share please.

Thanks.

[fatcode]

Yes please - a "You can do this too " guide would be very very useful !

I'm building my system right now - I'll share anything useful here

Thanks

[freddarr]

Originally Posted by headsup

How did you get 10.7.4 working? Can you please post some instructions..

Does SDD HD work on this system?

Hi Protoolers!!! This is my guide for 10.7.4 In'm not using the internal graphics, I believe Jim is.
Im using a Zotac 8400GS 512 Ddr2.
The internal one gave me a headache. I had a backup disk with 10.7.4, the one I'm using now, to work with the Zotac gpu
Im using a Pci HD2


Update Bios
For the bios update you need a windows machine and format your pen drive MS Dos (fat 32)
You can find the win 98 boot system files here
http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=196
Copy COMMAND.COM, IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS to a new folder on desktop and name it boot then open the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool - v2.1.8
(get it from here http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197 )

Select your pen drive
file system FAt 32
Quick format
Create a DOS startup disk
using DOS system files loaded at
browse for boot folder on desktop and hit start.
After the boot flash is done
Extract the BA92AA06.zip http://www.jetway.com.tw/jw/download...&downtype=BIOS
Copy those files to the pendrive
Now got to your Hack and boot from the USB Flash drive

Thanks to Jimdrake
Type: AFU234 BA92AA06.BIN /P /B /N

Bios settings
Advanced Menu
ACPI Settings ----> ACPI Sleep State S3
All Com ports, Parallel port, CIR Controller Disable
SATA Mode---> AHCI Mode
CPU Configuration ---> HT Enable

Chipset Menu ---> North Bridge
LOW MMIO Align 1024M
VT-d Enable
Initiate Graphics Adapter PGE/IGD
IGD Memory Disable
IGD Multi-Monitor Disable

Boot Unibeast, Install Lion
Update 10.7.4 (I’ve notice the top Ethernet card works before installing Multibeast. Didn’t test the low one.)

Create your DSDT
Thanks to Schnabelmann

DSDT Fixer, get DSDT, Lets add some hack, select IQR, DTGP, Gigabyte Hpet and Speedstep fix, patch it, and compile. Move the DSDT.aml to Desktop.
Install Multibeast 4.5.2 UserDSDT, System Utilities, FakeSMC, NullCPUPowerManagement, PCI Root ID Fix, 64-bit Graphics Enabler = No, Mac mini, Chimera.
Reboot.

If you have a boot0 error like I did.
Skip this step if boot normally.

There is and easy way to fix it. Download chimera standalone. Open Pacifist and drag and drop Chimera to it. Extract the usr folder to a flash drive.
Boot Unibeast, remember to have connected the flash drive with the usr folder.
In the Lion Installation window open Disk Utility (Write down your Macintosh HD Disk identifier, right click information, in my case disk0s2)
Unmount your Macintosh HD.

Thanks to MacMan

Open Terminal and type
dd if=/Volumes/(name of flash drive)/usr/standalone/i386/boot1h of=/dev/disk0s2
hit Enter, close terminal and reboot normally.

Via Audio
Thanks JimmyCypherz for the link

With Kext Wizard install the ViaHDA.kext
get it from here http://www.osx86.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=599

Top Ethernet
Thanks to Jimdrake

Go to S/L/E look for IONetworkingFamily.Kext,Show Package Contents, Contents/Plugins/Intel82574L, Show Package Contents, Contents/Info.Plist open with Text

Find this line <string>0x104b8086 0x10f68086</string>
and replace it with this <string>0x10D38086 0x104b8086 0x10f68086</string>
Save

Repair Permissions and rebuild cache with Kext Wizard
Open Multibeast, select system Utilities & 3rd Party Sata (to get rid of the yellow color hard drive)
Reboot

Install Protools HD
Copy from S/L/E Digidal.kext to Desktop and then trash the Digidal from S/L/E
Repair Permissions and rebuild cache
Reboot

Thanks to Genzai

Install your Digidal.kext to S/L/E
and add to your org.chameleon.Boot, add the following kernel flag: UseKernelCache=Yes

<key>UseKernelCache</key>
<string>Yes</string>

I’ve notice the new Multibeast 4.5.2 comes with this feature in Boot Options

Repair Permissions and rebuild cache

Reboot
And Start Recording and Mixing

No Ilok problem so far, RTAS and TDM plugs works great.
Good luck!!!

[James Drake]

I am using an mSATA SSD for the system drive, it sits right on the motherboard under the Pro Tools cards.

I use the unibeast method with a lion USB stick, direct onto the mSATA drive. Then I run the combo updater from apple to get up to 10.7.4.

Then I run the standalone chimera installer. Then I use multibeast and tick the following:

Fakesmc (required)
Nullcpu (required until we can edit the jetway dsdt better)
E1000 networking (required for the second Ethernet which isn't native to mac os)
Macmini definition (recommended for sandy bridge and hd3000 graphics)
Graphics enabler yes (with 64 bit kernel)
Kernelcache YES (this is the key to solve kernel panic with digidal.kext)

Then I just manually drop my custom dsdt file into the extras folder which has been automatically created.

Then I just go about the normal business of installing pro tools and plugins etc.

I have been working with pro tools 10.2, avid virtual instruments installer, all the Massey plugins, waves mercury TDM.

[James Drake]

Oh and you can optionally enable trim for SSD drives, the same way that everyone else does for a mac pro etc.

[jeremyroberts]

Hi James,

A few notes and questions for you...

Then I run the combo updater from apple to get up to 10.7.4

But this is not ideal as you can simply download a complete 10.7.4 installer fresh from the app store, right?

Then I run the standalone chimera installer.

Ah, but that's what UniBeast eliminates... it makes Chimera for us, but doesn't require the user to know what he's doing... UniBeast just does it. This was a big point of confusion for me -- then I figured out that UniBeast is a combination of many of the older tools, all-in-one.

Then I use multibeast and tick the following:

Again, I just used EasyBeast settings, and with the exception fo the E1000 ethernet, very few changes... I think I added the nvidia 4xx/5xx support.

Done. Easy.

I know you have been doing this longer than I have and your learning curve is well documented (and appreciated!) - wondering why you did the custom DSDT when EasyBeast eliminates this need? What am I missing by using EasyBeast?

you can optionally enable trim for SSD drives,

Can you elaborate? What is TRIM and why do we need it?

Although my rig is performing at 100% of my expectations - I want to get a 2nd video [edit: port working] and I need to deal with more SATA ports... and I'll treat each issue separately... but for a noob, DSDT is intimidating, and I think UniBeast/EasyBeast GREATLY simplifies things. Am I missing something important?

Thanks for sharing your results!

J

[jeremyroberts]

You Can Do It Too!

[James Drake]

Originally Posted by jeremyroberts

Hi James,

A few notes and questions for you...



But this is not ideal as you can simply download a complete 10.7.4 installer fresh from the app store, right?

Ah, but that's what UniBeast eliminates... it makes Chimera for us, but doesn't require the user to know what he's doing... UniBeast just does it. This was a big point of confusion for me -- then I figured out that UniBeast is a combination of many of the older tools, all-in-one.



Again, I just used EasyBeast settings, and with the exception fo the E1000 ethernet, very few changes... I think I added the nvidia 4xx/5xx support.

Done. Easy.

I know you have been doing this longer than I have and your learning curve is well documented (and appreciated!) - wondering why you did the custom DSDT when EasyBeast eliminates this need? What am I missing by using EasyBeast?



Can you elaborate? What is TRIM and why do we need it?

Although my rig is performing at 100% of my expectations - I want to get a 2nd video [edit: port working] and I need to deal with more SATA ports... and I'll treat each issue separately... but for a noob, DSDT is intimidating, and I think UniBeast/EasyBeast GREATLY simplifies things. Am I missing something important?

Thanks for sharing your results!

J

I think you are confusing multibeast and unibeast.

I start with the lion USB stick, then use the combo updater.

Using custom dsdt is the preferred method.