Success: X79 Hackintosh

It took a while to optimize. But I finally installed macOS Catalina on my desktop PC with X79/LGA 2011 motherboard, Xeon E5-2650 CPU and Radeon™ RX 580 GPU. Specs listed below.

PartModel Number
CPUXeon E5-2650
MotherboardAnt Country X79 Basic
GPURX 580 4B (AMD OEM)
MemorySamsung 8GB DDR3-1333Mhz ECC x 4
PSUEvesky 650W
CPU CoolerFrostwind (Taobao)
mATX Case钢铁侠M1-N5 (Tmall)
Storage128GB SSD (macOS), 256GB SSD (Windows 10), 1TB HDD (Shared Storage)
Keyboard赤暴Readson FH87

A word of warning; you should modify the EFI (a lot) if your system specs are different. I use an ”Ant Country X79 Basic” Chinese motherboard, very similar to Huanan X79.  The CPU type 0x0a01 I set in Clover is only applicable to 8-core CPU models. You should edit that out if your CPU config is different. Also, note that I’ve manually set my system memory info (4x 8GB) within the SMBIOS in Clover. You should edit that as well.

Nota bene

  • Proceed with caution. Don’t blame me if you didn’t back up.
  • Delete VoodooHDA from Kexts/Other, if the AppleALC Kext is working.
  • The guide is not applicable to Opencore bootloader. Go ahead though, if you know what you’re doing.
  • I haven’t tested these settings against the latest version of Clover.

Download The EFI folder for X79

My EFI folder is applicable for Vanilla approach and SSD hot-swap (just replace/paste EFI folder – not recommended though.) If things go south, use the clover settings attached in the starter-EFI folder of my repo. But then you’ve to tweak settings a bit more.

What Doesn’t Work?

  • Sleep/wake
  • Ethernet (For the time being. Catalina broke the ethernet for me. I use a WiFi adapter anyway. So no plans to fix it real soon.)
  • FaceTime/iMessage (It will work after SMBIOS edits. You should do that.)

Resources

  • Guide to create a bootable macOS Catalina USB install drive (on macOS)
  • Guide to create a bootable macOS Catalina USB install drive (on Windows)

Post USB preparation

  • Install Clover to the USB flash drive.
  • Use Clover Configurator (macOS) or DiskGenius (Windows) to mount the EFI folder within the USB flash drive.
  • Paste my /EFI folder to the EFI partition.

Good luck!

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Written by MighilMighil is an indie musician and tinkerer with diverse work experience in technology and writing. He has had the privilege of serving in various capacities, encompassing generalist and specialist roles. He is currently based in Chengdu.

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