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infinitewarp / hackintosh-opencore-msi-z490

Hackintosh using OpenCore on MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus (UHD 640)

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Hackintosh OpenCore on MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus

I've successfully installed macOS Catalina and updated to the latest 10.15.7 (19H1519) on my i7-10700K (Comet Lake) running on a MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS (no Wifi) motherboard. I plan to update to Big Sur and Monterey, but starting with Catalina tends to be much easier and more stable while working out hardware details like USB mapping.

You can find my config.plist in this repository and many notes about current results and my setup process in this document. I carefully followed Dortania's OpenCore Install Guide, Getting started with ACPI, Multiboot with OpenCore, and OpenCore Post-Install, and I also had to look up some details in OpenCore Reference Manual. If you're going to build a system like this, you should also read these documents carefully before starting and keep them nearby during the setup process.

At the time of this writing, the config.plist in this repository is identical to what's in my working EFI partition except for the fake MLB, ROM, SystemSerialNumber, and SystemUUID values here. I have substituted appropriate real or generated values for each of those in my local version.

Hardware

Benchmarks

During high-load benchmark runs, system temperature consistently plateaued around 63C. Normal idle operating temperature is 30C. At idle, the system is virutally silent. I have fan curves configured to scale with CPU temerature.

Blender (macOS, CPU-only)

Not good, but serviceable. There are no Nvidia drivers for modern GPUs for macOS 10.14+. So, all Blender rendering is CPU-bound. Linux performance is dramatically better.

Blender (Linux, RTX 3060 Ti with CUDA/Optix)

Much better! On Linux with Nvidia's drivers, Blender can use CUDA and Optix for significantly improved performance.

Cinebench R23
Geekbench 4

OpenCore required reading

Verified functionality

This is not an exhaustive list. It mostly covers use cases I personally use or care about.

  • ✅ on-board DisplayPort (iGPU, UHD 630)
    • Note: DisplayPort use was required during the initial macOS Catalina install.
  • ✅ 3D and video acceleration
    • Verified Safari, Chess, and Maps. Without acceleration, these would crash immediately upon opening.
  • ✅ Built-in stereo line-out sound
    • Available as output device "Internal Speakers".
    • I normally have wired speakers using the rear stereo line-out. Plugging headphone into my case's front line-out is not autodetected, but they will be detected and start working after a quick sleep/wake cycle.
  • ✅ Built-in line-in/microphone audio
    • Available as input device "Internal Microphone".
  • ✅ Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
    • Verified WiFI using 802.11ac with WPA2.
    • Verified Bluetooth using AirDrop to and from real nearby Macs.
    • Verified Bluetooth works perfectly with Wacom Intuos wireless tablet (CTL6100WLK0)
  • ✅ Ethernet (at least gigabit)
    • Verified by connecting directly to another over ethernet computer and testing with iperf3.
    • The computer on the other end only supports gigabit ethernet, and the test sufficiently maxed that out. I cannot confirm if the full 2.5 Gbps speed is available.
      iperf3 server-side output 
        ❯ iperf3 -s
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  Server listening on 5201 (test #1)
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  Accepted connection from 192.168.2.3, port 60656
  [  5] local 192.168.2.1 port 5201 connected to 192.168.2.3 port 60657
  [ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
  [  5]   0.00-1.00   sec   111 MBytes   928 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   1.00-2.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   2.00-3.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   3.00-4.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   4.00-5.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   5.00-6.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   6.00-7.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   7.00-8.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   8.00-9.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]   9.00-10.00  sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
  [  5]  10.00-10.02  sec  1.80 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec
  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
  [ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
  [  5]   0.00-10.02  sec  1.09 GBytes   939 Mbits/sec                  receiver
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  Server listening on 5201 (test #2)
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  • ✅ Sleep and wake from sleep via keyboard/mouse
    • System also wakes up and goes back to sleep periodically for the "Power Nap" setting.
  • ✅ Native NVRAM
    • Verified by clearing with nvram -c, setting a value with nvram, rebooting, and checking nvram -p.
  • ✅ App Store
    • Logged in, searched, downloaded apps, opened downloaded apps from within the App Store app.
  • ✅ iCloud services
    • Messages sending, receiving, and tapback all work normally.
    • Also various services that sync data like Notes, Calendar, etc.
  • ✅ macOS Software Updates
    • Installed all available updates from Apple after the clean install.
    • Automatic rebooting throughout the update install process also works.
  • ✅ Multiboot
    • Verified macOS and Linux on different partitions of the same NVMe and on a separate SATA SSD.
    • Haven't tested with Windows on another partition or drive, but that should work fine too.
  • ✅ Lots of third-party apps working
    • Firefox, mpv, VLC, Adobe Photoshop, Blender, DaVinci Resolve, Handbrake, iTerm2, and many more apps all seem stable.
    • Ditto for numerous command-line programs installed via brew.

Not working, not tested, or unknown

  • ❔ on-board HDMI
    • I switched to DisplayPort during initial install because the installer image gave only a black screen when using HDMI. I haven't bothered switching back to HDMI after completing the installation.
  • ❌ Netflix in Safari
    • Native "Fairplay" DRM requires a supported AMD graphics card; I don't have one.
    • Firefox is my primary browser, and it supports Netflix DRM via the proprietary Widevine CMI plugin perfectly fine on the iGPU, as far as I can tell.
  • ❔ Hibernate
    • Hibernate probably works since normal sleep and wake work, but I don't need it for a desktop on a UPS.
  • ❔ Facetime and Photo Booth
    • Need to get an external video camera to test these, but I suspect they'll work fine.
  • ❔ Filevault
    • Filevault probably works, but I don't have it enabled on this system (yet).
  • ❔ Apple Music, Apple TV
    • Apple Music probably works, but Apple TV probably doesn't work since it likely requires hardware Fairplay DRM decoding.
  • ❔ digital audio out and surround sound
    • Related options appear in System Preferences: Sound: Output, but I don't have the appropriate audio equipment to test.

Binaries

I have not included the various binaries for AMLs, drivers, kexts, etc. in this repo. You should never simply clone someone else's EFI repo and use it without verifying all of its parts! The contents of my actual EFI file tree and their sources are:

USB Port Mapping

My custom map removes all ports I couldn't identify, the internal Mystic Light RGB controller, and the USB type C port on the case front.

Here are all the USB ports I could identify in my testing:

class port locationID where my notes
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 1 (01000000) 14100000 external USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps Type A (upper, blue)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 2 (02000000) 14200000 external USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps Type A (lower, blue)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 3 (03000000) 14300000 external USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gpbs Type A (red)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 4 (04000000) 14400000 external USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gpbs Type C
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 5 (05000000) 14500000 unknown unknown
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 6 (06000000) 14600000 unknown unknown
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 7 (07000000) 14700000 internal JUSB4 (front USB 3.0 Type A, left)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 8 (08000000) 14800000 internal JUSB4 (front USB 3.0 Type A, right)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 9 (09000000) 14900000 external USB 2.0 Type-A (lower, black)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 10 (0a000000) 14a00000 external USB 2.0 Type-A (upper, black)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 11 (0b000000) 14b00000 internal JUSB2 (Bluetooth PCIe card)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 12 (0c000000) 14c00000 internal MYSTIC LIGHT (RGB LED controller)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 13 (0d000000) 14d00000 internal JUSB5 (front USB 3.1 Type C)
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 14 (0e000000) 14e00000 unknown unknown
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 15 (0f000000) 14f00000 unknown unknown
AppleUSB20XHCIPort 16 (10000000) 14000000 unknown unknown
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 17 (11000000) 14100000 external USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps Type A (upper, blue)
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 18 (12000000) 14200000 external USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps Type A (lower, blue)
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 19 (13000000) 14300000 external USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gpbs Type C
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 20 (14000000) 14400000 external USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gpbs Type A (red)
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 21 (15000000) 14500000 unknown unknown
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 22 (16000000) 14600000 unknown unknown
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 23 (17000000) 14700000 internal JUSB4 (front USB 3.0 Type A, left)
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 24 (18000000) 14800000 internal JUSB4 (front USB 3.0 Type A, right)
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 25 (19000000) 14900000 internal JUSB5 (front USB 3.1 Type C)
AppleUSB30XHCIPort 26 (1a000000) 14a00000 unknown unknown

Issues encountered along the journey

Setting up OpenCore and getting to a working macOS desktop is not always an easy paint-by-numbers process. I did a fair bit of experimenting and digging through random forum posts and other people's EFI folders to figure out how to get my system to a reliable state. Dortania's OpenCore Install Guide and the related docs are absolutely critical reading materials. Be very familiar with the process and technologies involved. Be comfortable working with the command line, restarting many times, checking your work, tweaking configs, rinse, and repeat.

Some specific issues I encountered and resolved include:

  • Blank screen when booting the macOS Catalina installer.
    • Resolved by switching from the HDMI port to the DisplayPort one.
  • USB ports and devices randomly disconnecting or not working.
    • Resolved by temporarily using USBInjectAll.kext with XhciPortLimit enabled, following the USB port-mapping guide, building the kexts, and reconfiguring with the specific ports I want to keep.
  • macOS installer not recognizing a SSD on an internal SATA connector.
    • Resolved by adding SATA-unsupported.kext.
  • Garbled output or "no entry"/prohibited symbol during boot.
    • This seemed to happen randomly but moderately frequently during my early setup, and I never quite pinned down the exact cause.
    • Since completing the USB port-mapping guide process, though, I have not seen this problem again. macOS's USB port detection may just really really bad and unpredictable with this motherboard's ACPI/DSDT.
      Example photo of scrambled/garbled video.
  • Broken video acceleration. Many apps like Safari would immediately crash on open.
    • Resolved by setting device-id=9B3E0000.
    • Where does this magic value come from? See the OpenCore Reference Manual section 6.1. That value (and several related ones) came from ioreg output processed by gfxutil.
  • No audio working on any line-out ports.
    • Resolved by setting boot-args-alcid=7. Or maybe 11. Or maybe 69. Nice.
    • I stepped through every apparently available ID for my hardware, and these three all seem to function the same way.
    • As mentioned above, this works fine for the rear line-out, but the front line-out is not autodetected when I plug in headphones. Putting the system to sleep and waking it back up triggers whatever hardware refresh is necessary to start using the front line-out again. It's a minor inconvenience, but it's a sufficiently reliable workaround.
    • I tried the VoohooHDA.kext, but it wasn't really any better than those options, and Voodoo never seeemed to recognize my front-panel audio ports.

Current unresolved issues

  • Occasionally (not always) during shutdown after all apps have exited, after the window manager has exited, and when the text is on screen (if the verbose boot flag was set), I've seen this system kernel panic. I don't know what could be causing this, but it happens infrequently enough and at a point when nothing is really affected that it doesn't bother me too much. I just reach over and hit the hardware reset button.
    photo of panic trace during shutdown

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Hackintosh using OpenCore on MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus (UHD 640)

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License:GNU General Public License v3.0