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Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
There have been many reports about successful hackintosh builds, and I want to share my story, hoping it will help the community, just as others have helped me. This is going to be a VERY long post, as there is lots to share.
My story begins with an HD3 system in a G5/2.7DP with 8GB ram. The G5 was stuck at PT 8.01cs2 (HD). To survive, I enlisted (2) slave computers - both underpowered, and both were running VEPro, and hosting VST and AU virtual instruments. Each slave had 3GB ram. I was able to work, but it required some thought -- multiple slaves. I also had Gigastudio running on the WinXP slave -- and that machine was tired. BUT everything worked, my library was well organized and productive, and I made some pretty impressive sounding records. But I was jumping through hoops and any failure of any machine would be catastrophic for my productivity. I passed on the "opportunity" to buy all new (or trade up) PCI(x) HD cards for PCIe at every opportunity. Why spend $6000 for a card exchange just to have to buy a new $5000 computer? Yeah, I know many of you did just that. Or some put their PCI(x) cards into a $2000 magma chassis. And then bought a $5000 macPro. I can buy a Macpro for less you say? Not configured how I would want it... I was going to wait for the next-gen protools hardware from Avid. That was a choice I made 4 years ago. Didn't expect to have to wait 4 years. AES 2011 --- Avid announces HDX!!! Yeah. And then I learned that my TDM plugin investment was at least a year away from working in DSP -- "so run in native" -- so I will pay $7000 for a crossgrade to HDX + a new MacPro (by this point we are looking at $6k for a 12-core mac) and I still am a year from really using my system. It didn't taste right. WHY can't I simply build a PC and use PT10HD on a Win7 machine? Others have done this? But I am a mac guy, and I want integration. I want iCloud and iTunes and Appstore and besides, as a guy who has both Win and Mac, if something breaks in macOS, I can usually fix it. I do not have those skills in Windows world. So why not build a hackinotsh with PCI slots? There are very few motherboards (mobo) that will work with Protools HD PCI cards note: everyone calls them PCI-X -- they are NOT PCI-X cards -- they are long, very long (more on that later) but electronically, they are "simply" PCI. The last section of pins are unused -- there for support or to look pretty, but not connected to anything. You CAN use HD cards in standard PCI slots. HOWEVER -- this is the big however, the Protools community discovered that PCI must be "native" to the chipset of the mobo. So that means you MUST use a mobo from a very short list. Hackintosh sounds terribly scary! I'm not a hacker. And I don't want to be caught in a pants-down situation -- I'm a professional! But how tricky is it, really? The hackintosh community appears to have thousands and thousands of people. It must be working for these guys. The deciding factor was a bunch of issues all coming together at about the same time: 1. UniBeast/Multibeast from the Tonymacx86.com community. This is a tool to install OSX 10.7.4 installer (latest build) onto a USB flash drive, with the "bootlaoder" called Chimera (which you really don't need to know anything about to do this). The ability to "simply" install 10.7.4 directly, without updates or command line was the most important element; 2. ProTools HD 10.2 was officially supported in 10.7.4; 3. Many users were reporting success with the JetWay JNAF92-Q67 -- a mobo with 4 PCI slots that were NATIVE (not bridged), accepts an i7 2600k CPU, up to 32 gb ram, and most importantly, the HD cards fit on the mobo without having to destroy/modify the cards or the heatsinks. The moment people speak of pulling out the Dremel, I run. I wasn't gonna have any of that. So I made the decision to build this "beast". There are many threads and many posts from some key players -- but most of the builders assume you can spec and build a PC! Mac guys have been spoiled since day one. Apple decides which case, power supply, and every other element in the box. Unless you know why you want to spec a specific part, how do you know? Speccing the parts was as much a challenge as putting it together - and to some degree, the MOST IMPORTANT step in the process. "Measure twice, cut once", right? I knew I wanted the JetWay JNAF92-Q67. Easy. i7 2600k. Easy. Now what? A hackintosh build for protools HD cards will have the following: 1. case 2. power supply 3. mobo/processor 4. cooler for the CPU 5. GPU (video card) 6. RAM 7. System drive 8. Optical drive 9. Recording drive(s) 10. Sample library drives (if you use VI) 11. backup drive(s) 12. Firewire card 13. eSATA - SATA ports (PCIe card?) and all necessary wire to connect the dots. 1. The Case. My first big mistake. I failed to consider the HD cards were 12.375 inches long. VERY few mid-tower cases have room for ProTools HD cards. So I originally bought a well reviewed case: Fractal Design Define R3 http://www.silentpcreview.com/fractal-r3 -- but the HD cards simply will not fit. Removing the drive bays was NOT going to be an option for me. read this: http://www.silentpcreview.com/Case_B...ecommendations The MacPro aluminum case is a BRILLIANT design. Quiet. Cool. Sturdy. Clean look. But it does have it's limitations... so the bar is set high. I decided that my build was NOT going to be silent, rather, very, very quiet -- and that opened up many alternatives. I chose the Antec P280 Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case. $120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129179 I couldn't be happier!!! Huge case. Lots of room for everything. 13"+ from card rail to the hard drive bay. And it's quiet. As in MacPro quiet. I have the fans at the slow speed. 2. Power Supply. I wanted a power supply with a modular design. I was always annoyed with extra wire that was simply not connected anywhere. I also wanted a relatively quiet model form a reliable manufacturer - and at least 600w. There are "silent" PSUs, and you can spend much more... I think I found a reasonable balance with the SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W $90 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151095 Here's an article worth reading: http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_PSUs 3. Motherboard. If you want up to 4 PCI slots, this is the one. JetWay JNAF92-Q67 LGA 1155 Intel Q67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel Motherboard $200 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813153216 There is a NEW mobo from Jetway that supports the IvyBridge chip and has USB 3, but until the TonyMac UniBeast and MultiBeast support it, it's not on my radar. The CPU that works with this mobo is the Intel 2600k. i7, 3.4 ghz. $300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115070 4. CPU cooler. Yeah, you need it. Not to keep the CPU cool, but more to replace the NOISY fan that comes stock from Intel. I didn't do enough research here, but the little research I did pointed me to a very good and almost silent cooler that is quite difficult to install. I bought the ZALMAN CNPS8900 Quiet 110mm Ultra Quiet Slim CPU Cooler $45 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118126 But it is a challenge to install... 5. Video Card (GPU). This is the most difficult part to spec, since there are VERY few quiet cards that are compatible with the Jetway and 10.7. -- the problem is many GPUs use the space in the next PCIe slot for the GPU heatsink and fan to live. That is, the card is a double-wide. If you have no intention of using the x4 PCIe card, then you have many options -- but I am using all the slots. So I needed a card that could drive 2 DVI monitors at 2560x1600, and only use 1 slot. And not have a loud fan. I chose: EVGA GeForce GT 520 1024MB DDR3 $50 http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0366484 PLEASE READ this very important post at TonyMac about compatible GPUs: http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2012/...x-and-5xx.html 6. RAM -- it's so freaking cheap now. $200 for 32GB. Just get 32gb. I bought a "low profile" chip that allows the CPU cooler to clear. I would avoid the ram with "memory cooling heatsinks" since it will probably get in the way of your CPU cooler. I bought GeIL Black Dragon 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660) $200 - and it came with a free 32GB USB flash as well. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820144565 7. System Drive. RUN, do not walk, and get this mSATA SSD. 120gb. If you haven't done an SSD system drive yet, now is your opportunity. I am booting to Lion in about 4 seconds. mSATA is incredibly cool - it mounts on the motherboard UNDER your PCI cards. I chose the latest and greatest mSATA - and I would get this part again in a heartbeat! Mushkin Enhanced Atlas Series MKNSSDAT120GB-DX mSATA 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $145 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226320 8. Optical drive. CDs are not dead yet. I bought a PLEXTOR Internal DVD Super Multi 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model PX-L890SA LightScribe Support. You can get a less expensive part -- but I have been using Plextor for 20 years. Habit. $38 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827249071 9. Recording drives. This is your business... but you now have SATA II and SATA III ports -- but come back to this after we go over the SATA ports... 10. Sample library drives. You want SSDs and you want the newest, fastest, SATA III (6gbs). 11. Backup drives. Don't not put these in. 12. FireWire card. NOT for production - but for file transfer. I found the SYBA Low Profile PCI-Express 1394B/A Firewire Card Model SD-PEX30009 works great "OOB" - out of the box. An important distinction for hackintosh builders. If you can get an OOB vs. not, et the OOB. $28 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815124072 13. eSATA and SATA card. I have yet to spec this for my rig, but that's my project for next week. OK -- I have my parts. Now What? You need a few more things: 1. You must OWN your copy of mac OSX Lion. Buy it from the App store, and download the LATEST version (10.7.4) as a new installer file. Just because you already have a lion 10.7.1 installer - that's not going to help you. Download 10.7.4 fresh, but don't allow it to launch. Just download it. 2. You need (2) USB flash drives. Get 8gb or larger. They cost $6 each at Microcenter. 3. Prepare your "UniBeast" - this is the magic tool to install Lion on your build. http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2011/...ion-using.html Just RTFM and do what it says. 4. Download MultiBeast and put it on the same USB as the Lion install http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewforum.php?f=125 At this point, you should watch a few videos: http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/...ibeast-20.html 5. You probably should download and prepare a DOS boot USB with the flash utility for your mobo BIOS. Ah -- the scary part! I'ma mac guy - what do I know about BIOS? Well, you need to know that you have to change a few settings to make this work. And you need the latest firmware on your mobo -- so download the BIOS from Jetway and a boot USB from a dozen places on the net and flash your mobo. http://www.jetway.com.tw/jw/ipcboard...name=NAF92-Q67 NOW -- Put Humpty together. GO SLOW. Be careful. RTFM. DO NOT put your protools cards in yet. But it's ok to install the ram. Don't install your mechanical drives. Do this slowly and systematically. When you are ready to power-up, you will need to adjust your BIOS at first boot -- now is probably the time to verify the BIOS version, flash it if needed, and then adjust some BIOS settings... Bios settings Advanced Menu PCI PME Wakeup S3 CPU Configuration, Hyper Threading---> Disable All Com ports, Parallel port, CIR Controller---> Disable SATA Mode---> AHCI Mode (SUPER important!) Chipset Menu Initiate Graphics Adapter PEG/IGD You can't really mess this up, since you can always RESET BIOS to default. Time to load Lion onto your mSATA system drive? BOOT from the USB flash (UniBeast) Follow the guide... http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2011/...ion-using.html Did I say RTFM and do EXACTLY what UniBeast instructions say? Then run MultiBeast and install network tools kext. Choose the hnak's AppleIntelE1000e Ethernet. Install it. You're now good to go. There are a few details that you will quickly pick up. BUT ------ When you are done, you will spend less than $1200 for a box that will run PT HD 10.2 in Lion 10.7.4 and you can use your HD cards. The $1200 does not include recording drives or sample storage -- for me, this was about preserving value in the HD cards while waiting for AAX dsp plugs. Would I build a hackintosh for PCIe cards? Not sure. And obviously, a new 12-core is a much faster machine. Can we hackintosh a dual-CPU mobo? Maybe. But it would not be nearly the cost benefit of the single CPU i7 PCI - built to use the HD cards we already own. I delivered a track today that would have been suicidal on the older rig. 90+ voices @ 88.2k. 20+ VSL instruments (VEPRo 5). Used about 20gb of ram. And the machine never went past 50% CPU. ProTools OTOH was complaining all the way. PTHD is not built for 90 voices at 88.2k. But HDX is, right? OK, bring on PT11 and I'll turn this box into a server. But for now, I have a STABLE, rock solid and quiet box. And I feel like I received VALUE for my investment. I would do this again. Yes, you can do it too! next post: eSATA/SATA and SSD drives - coming soon (but I need input speccing the right card). |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Excellent post. Not something I need to undertake at this point, but I have squirreled away these instructions should the circumstances arise. I'm sure your guide will buy someone much needed breathing space while they figure which way to go.
Nicely done!! K |
I put together my own hack. I used the "older" socket 1366. On a popular windows board. The gigabyte x58a-ud3r. Fun machine. Stable and a lot more power than my MacBook pro. Found a dual CPU ivy bridge board today. Put together the core parts (in a shopping cart, didn't buy) and had a 12-core for less than a "new" Mac Pro. May build something similar next year when prices drop even more. ;)
Asus z9pe-d8 was the board. Just in case someone is feeling adventurous. ;) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Thanks Jeremy. I'm in the same situation as you are... I've considered getting HD Native as a stopgap, but Apple didn't release significantly updated MacPro this week so that's out. I don't want to get a 2 year old system w/o modern USB3 and TB to run an (apparently) obsolete PCI slot.
I think I'll do the same thing until HDX is ready for primetime and there's a Thunderbolt HDX so that I can take it to remote recordings too. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
I was in the same boat. Old G5, HD2 PCI. I was not interested in spending a ton of money on new mac and cards. I also was interested in going native.
I myself am not a computer builder so I needed some help. I found a guy in Davis, Ca that specializes in Hackintosh builds. (PM me if you want his contact info) This is the build we went with to house my HD2 PCI i7-2600 3.4GHz Quad-Core 16GB DDR3-1333Mhz (4x4GB) ASUS P8Z68-V LX Motherboard HD6450 1GB DDR3 Video Card Dual Layer DVD/CD Burner 22x FW Ports: 2x FW800 + 1x FW400 500GB SATA II 7,200RPM HDD OS Drive 500GB SATA II 7,200RPM HDD Recording Drive Rosewill RSV-L4000 4U Chassis Mac OS 10.6.8, ProTools HD2 10.2 I have been working with it for about 4 months with no problems. Very solid. A giant step up from the old G5. Saved alot of $$$$$ as well. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
I tried this and couldn't get past a USB driver issue that wouldn't let the iLok authorize PT. I was bummed and gave in. Glad to see success stories.
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Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
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Sounds like you were trying this before UniBeast and EasyBeast and MultiBeast tools? I give 100% of the success of this project to the guys who made the UniBeast/MultiBeast/EasyBeast tools at TonyMacx86. Without these bootloaders and configuration tools, B and C-level geeks like me don't have a chance. Of course the A-geek can "simply" edit files... but I'm not at that level. I can RTFM and follow the instructions. I hate to say it, but it was very, very easy to do... the hardest part for me was attaching the heatsink/cooler fan unit to the processor -- and that was an exercise in patience. My goal was to not spend $10000 to salvage my HD cards, yet get a year or more of productivity. Mission Accomplished! |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
A few other notes:
1. I eliminated my GigaStudio WinXP slave in the process here... but I still have substantial Giga library. My solution: G-Player $149 http://www.soundlib.com/gplayer/ Works nicely in VEPro. Also has a 32-bit "solo" standalone plug for a quick and dirty instance of a single .gig (in protools or VEpro). I KNOW that Kontakt and other tools can convert .gig library, but who has time for that? And auditioning? Having to convert every patch just to audition? No thanks. $149 and an entire era of samples are preserved and brought back to full peformance. The ONLY thing missing here is reading .gsp files (performance full loads). The developer of G-player told me that .gsp was in his plans. 2. Multiple monitors. My GPU supports DVI @ 2560x1600, and has a 2nd DVI port -- not sure about the resolution though. The mobo has a DVI port and VGA. I think we can get onboard video working for a 2nd and/or 3rd display. 3. Onboard audio. I was told to forget about it. So the solution is to get a USB to optical/line out solution. Users in TonyMac forum have made this suggestion. 4. My ancient (1998?) Wacom USB tablet still works, but the driver doesn't stay loaded on restarts... I think it's time to look at a new tablet. It's given me many years of service and the drivers for the Graphire are not approved beyond OS 10.4 -- so running it on OS 10.7.4 is a bit of a stretch. 5. I'm gonna add another Accel card! |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
If anyone is ready this, one installation tip:
Get the PDF files / installation docs for the mobo, cpu, pwr supply and cooler heatsink. If you can read 4pt type, you probably can live without the PDFs -- but for the rest of us, the 4pt type is essentially unreadable. BLOWING UP the PDF to 400% or more really helps identifying the mobo headers (the connectors that you will attach case components such as fans and USB and power switches). Having a computer close by with a net connection during this process is invaluable. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for this "remarquable" article with all the informations and links. Why Lion 10.7.4 ? A personal choice ? I prefer the Snow Leo 10.6.8 configuration of Areed; I find Snow Leo more stable than Lion for Pro Tools 10 (but it's only my opinion). |
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2. compatibility with the world. PT 10.2 HD is compatible 3. i'm using Lion on all of my other machines. I wanted the features. I use iTunes match, iCloud, etc... 4. why not install the latest stable release? 5. see #1 -- with UniBeast, there is no need to install from dvd and then upgrade. If you read the installation guides for 10.6.x (for hackintosh) - it sounds like geeks designed this for themselves. As opposed to UniBeast which is as close to one-click as you're gonna get. I saw no need to install an OS that is "obsolete". But #1/#5 were the most important factors (in addition to the others). Why WOULDN'T I want to be in the latest stable OS that's compatible with my software for a new build? |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
@ Jeremy
Thx for these explanations and your time. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Great thread, thanks very much.
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Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Great stuff ! Thanks you very much !
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Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Now I moved to Mac, but in the past
I was working on hackintosh And I was working on HD 5 with magma per64and protools HD 10.2 Mac OS X 10.6.8 and Did not have any problem and the every things is working strongly and efficiently ==== Intel i7 2.93ghz MB asus 7P55D 16 DDR3 1333 Geforce 8400GS |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
hackintosh has risky support challenges
that's why i chose to buy a westmere 8 core i didn't think i need a 12 besides i found a killer deal on an 8 core with 18month left of applecare and he included a ton of plugins...too sweet of a deal for 3K now if i can find someone to take this P7R4 off my hands as now i have the P6R4 there are a lot of PT users who now want lap tops instead of towers if you can find a guy like that... you may find it a blessing. |
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What kind of support challenges would you consider "risky"? I've been a mac customer for 26+ years. We (mac users) have been brainwashed into "mac religion" -- that if the hardware is not mac, it's risky -- and that has been the way it is... but once you understand what really is inside your box, you will realize there are few risks. Yes, initial installation and configuration can be considered "risky". HOWEVER - using verified configurations and components has turned this into a no-brainer. If your mac logic board should fail out of warranty, you are looking at a costly repair. If my mobo fails, I can pop another one in ($200 or less) What is "risky" to me should also be risky to you -- OS upgrades. And I will give the same due diligence that you will before doing any OS updates. I don't see any risk. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
He means calling Avid for support I think. Any issue you have can immediately blamed on your computer.
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Don't know if people realize that once the bootloader does its thing, the machine becomes a Mac in every way. So if I run Digitest, it's the same as running it on a mac, etc... |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
I have gone ahead and ordered the same parts as in your machine today. I appreciate so much that you have shared this info as my head has been swimming with possible options for months. I have been curious about a Hackintosh but scared off even though I have built several PC's in the past before I got my current Mac. The new multi-beast plus your full parts list really has simplified things so much.
I have a 2006 Mac Pro with HD4 PCIx in a 4 slot Magma chassis which works ok but I do run out of native power. The one option I didn't want to dive into was HDX, the transition over the next 2-3 years looks messy to me and I wanted no part of it. Plugins going/not going to AAX, Pro Tools going to 64Bit etc. Besides that I use 3 interfaces for 48 i/o so I would have needed to go HDX2 because they only have 2 ports per card. That would add another £4k to the cost which is just too much. I had set my mind on getting a 2nd hand Mac (2009 model) and going to 10.2 and staying there. That still wasn't that cheap a solution, especially as a stop gap. By building a Hackintosh I can get rid of my Magma as HD4 would fit on the Motherboard, by the time I sell that and my Mac I may nearly break even. I will get a more powerful machine and a simpler set up (no Magma), a perfect stop gap machine for 2-3 years until everything settles down and there will be decent 2nd hand deals of HDX on eBay etc. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
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but applecare is handy as well and my used box still has 18month of tech on it in a couple of years i'll see where we are...as i just made my move and i believe it was a solid one and a safe one and you guys know how long i held fast to 7.4 happy now in PT10 8core HD6 TDM plugs galore...clien st won't know the difference from my G5 in 7.4 which is so ironic the upgrade curve is what it is. |
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If you sell your 2006 mac ad the magma, you will still be cashflow positive after this build. By a considerable amount! You probably can add 2 large SSDs and more storage too. And still have cash in your pocket. Granted, this box is not a new 12-core -- it's a 3.4ghz 4-core i7, so it's more powerful than a 2009 4-core, but not as powerful as a new macpro. But that's not why we are talking about this build, is it? Please know that I have not prsonally tested an HD4, but others have. I had issues in the slot order of the core card -- but others have not. I put my core card into slot 4, then accel in the lower slots.This may have to do with core and accel card rev versions. I am warning you, the Zalman cooler is a freakling pain in the ass to install, but runs almost silent. I ignored other's warnings on this, and I paid the price in install stress. But in the end, it's fantastic. Feel free to ask any questions, any time. Don't forget that there are many hackintosh threads -- and make certain you visit TonyMacx86.com -- the real experts are over there. And they accept donations. :-) |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
More and more people are building these hack machines in Brazil too. MAc Pro is f!!!! expensive here in Brazil.
I will probably get a new machine next year ( get rid of my MAC PRO 2007 and a G4) and these hackintoshes seem to be a very good and economical solution. But a question remains: isn´t this against law, some kind of reverse engineering? |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
For myself, there was really no risk. This computer to me is like ProTools 10 ( A Transition). I really just needed to get out of the old G5 and into something current without breaking the bank. New HD cards or Mac/Magma just seemed like investing in old tech, and HDX is not really ready yet.
This way got me from PT8 to PT10 with my old PCI cards and a screaming fast intel based computer running OSX for well under 2K. Lets face it, by the time all the dust settles with HDX,AAX,MacPros and ProTools 11. We will all need new computers. So treat it for what it is = a smart way to transition to the next generation. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
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That said the legality is a bit of a wormhole. As long as you paid for the OS there's not much that can be done. There's the Eula and other things that say you're not suppose to. But that has very little legal power. However as soon as you try to make money doing it look out. Apple, and their lawyers, will be there ASAP. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Sounds like a similar journey. 6 months of stable operation and the only problem encountered due to a bad hard drive. Pretty much like building a PC for those that have undertaken that before. Likelyhood of needing a few attempts at the initial OS install is pretty high, but once configured you're golden. Using tried and true component combination recommendations is really the key to success.
For those of you concerned about support issues, I actually had a non music software related issue resolved with the Mac tech support accessing my hack via online remote access. There wasn't a single concern or question raised as they went searching through all my files and configurations. To them, they were on a Mac pro and they resolved the issue as they normally would on any Mac. I'm hanging with my hack until they gravitate to a Thunderbolt or perhaps non card based dsp solution. Any Avid purchases before that I think is going to have limited shelf life. To the OP.... I'm running OS 10.6.8. What are the chances of me upgrading to Lion without having to wipe the system drive and reinstalling everything? |
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I wouldn't dream of doing that -- but you have very little to lose -- work on an image! Please let us know if it works. :-) |
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Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Great stuff !! Thanks for posting this!
What Bios version do you have ? Some installation guides advise to update the bios of the Jeyway Q67 to 04 but apparently it's kind of a painfull process (DOS formatted USB drive ) Again, great work! Dan |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
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Since I have a win PC it was only slightly painful to make the DOS boot drive with the BIOS utility. I updated my BIOS to the latest and greatest from the jetway site. I didn't want to take any chances. My goal was to make an OOB experience -- a "true" geek wouldn't mind doing command line and terminal editing -- but I wanted to avoid as much as I could. SO I just RTFM and did what the guy before me did that worked. It seems like many people have done the exact thing. Good luck to you! J |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Jeremy,
Thanks for your info and time it's been very helpful in regards to the Jetway mother board build. Tonymac has been very helpful for me in regards to other builds in the past as well. This motherboard not being a Gigabyte one has its quirks and is not as easy as the other builds that I've done. (but I will say the Lion install part has been a piece of cake compared to the Snow Leopard builds in the past) After reading almost everything I could find over there on this build I am left with a few opsticals that I have not been able to overcome yet. If you don't mind I will ask you a few question? 1) You never really answered which bios you have, when asked you simple answered "the latest". Can you be more specific please and state which you have? 2) Chimera 1.1 is not working out for me like you stated over on the tonymac boards as well. What are you using as your boot loader? 3) Here you stated that you only really need the Ethernet kext but clearly there's more. (I understand that some is specific hardware dependent like the gpu's, etc) 4) I have messed with the internal gpu and only got 1024x768 resolution, have you spent anymore time with this and what were your results. (I think that the digital audio stream in the HDMI spec might be useful sometime) Thanks again for your time and dedication to share this info here. I would say that I'm a "c" level nerd as well and my other builds have had dsdt's so even though they were not Lion based many elements where easier. One last thanks. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Quote:
http://www.jetwaycomputer.com/NAF92-Q67.html Quote:
I used the previous version (1.3) since Unibeast just updated last week t 1.4 http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2011/...ion-using.html I don't know anything about Chimera except it's bundled with Unibeast and it's the magic (secret) sauce. I SIMPLY made a UniBeast usb with Lion 10.7.4 and just let it do its thing. Quote:
Quote:
I think UniBeast has confused some old-timers since it has simplified the boot loader issue and solved some "OOB" issues. And since the Jetway doesn't have a DSDT, you just skip that step and you get what you get. Clear(er) now? |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Jeremy thanks.
Yep I'm having issues with the latest unibeast then. It did not install a boot loader that works and the latest chimera makes it hang. Hmm… will redo with previous build then. Yep mines a super quiet build as well. I'm on my third CPU cooler fan because they are not as quiet as rated. Looks like I'll spend the big bucks on it like my power supply. (Seasonic X series) It makes a huge difference. |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Thanks for the details, I'm about to get started. I'll keep you posted !
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Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for sharing! Is the i7 you used the fastest/newest/best processor to build a Hackington with?? Thanks, Niels |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Quote:
you have to look at the biggest picture -- pair the compatible mobo with the matched processor. Today, it's the JetWay JNAF92-Q67 mobo - but there is a new "Ivy Bridge" Jetway mobo that's expected soon (if not already shipping)... My build was based on STABLE parts avail on May 28, 2012. Things are going to evolve... if the new Jetway mobo supports ivy bridge and the new UniBeast and MultiBeast support it, it may be worth going there... |
Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Just ordered the mobo!!
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Re: Hackintosh - Salvage your HD PCI cards - You Can Do It Too!
Hi Jeremy,
I was looking at similar guides and they talk about running the DSDT fixer and then running Multibeast with User DSDT (at least on 10.6.8..) Do I need to follow the same here ? Could you please give details at the Multibeast stage ? Thanks ! |
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