MP 1,1-5,1 Considering the Open Core Upgrade

[pwillis]

Hey Folks!

I'm considering an Open Core upgrade but first I wanna ensure that my machine is ready for one.

The "disk0s4" (untitled) is currently being used as a Windows boot drive in order to use a Gigabyte "Titan" Thunderbolt PCi Card with my Apollo 8xP audio interface.

I have two objectives in mind that I'm hoping to achieve by upgrading to Open Core:
1) Not have to soft boot into Windows every time I startup.
2) Be able to upgrade to more recent versions of Mac OS's.

I've read through some of the posts written by folks who seem to have great knowledge about this process. I realize that this is not a quick, no-brainer installation.

So, based upon the info I've provided, does it seem as though this is a doable installation?

Many thanks in advance!!

P

 

[tsialex]

Hey Folks!

I'm considering an Open Core upgrade but first I wanna ensure that my machine is ready for one.

The "disk0s4" (untitled) is currently being used as a Windows boot drive in order to use a Gigabyte "Titan" Thunderbolt PCi Card with my Apollo 8xP audio interface.

I have two objectives in mind that I'm hoping to achieve by upgrading to Open Core:
1) Not have to soft boot into Windows every time I startup.
2) Be able to upgrade to more recent versions of Mac OS's.

I've read through some of the posts written by folks who seem to have great knowledge about this process. I realize that this is not a quick, no-brainer installation.

So, based upon the info I've provided, does it seem as though this is a doable installation?

Many thanks in advance!!

P

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First thing, you have to upgrade your GPU for a METAL supported one, preferably AMD starting with RX 460 since NVIDIA GPUs are not supported anymore with Monterey and you will need root patching to get it working, a big no on my book.

You probably gonna need another small SSD for a Mojave rescue disk.

 

[Dayo]

While I wrote the tool, meaning you must therefore think twice about my recomendation, I would suggest you implement the MyBootMgr in my signature.

• Follow the instructions on the page to get RefindPlus/OpenCore up and running
  • The MyBootMgr setup includes OpenCore settings that cover HiSierra (most of the available OpenCore setups target current MacOS versions ... not that you can't run older, just that they focus on the current)
  • You presumably have a Legacy Windows setup which this is geared to work with
• Anyway, once you have this setup and OpenCore is working, you should upgrade your GPU before moving forward as suggested.
  • Although there are options to patch stuff to make your HD 5770 work on current Mac OS, you will need to keep patching with every update.
    • While not a disaster, you may want to avoid this until you better understand OpenCore.
  • One other thing is to avoid Monterey as it is still in flux and it is best to go no higher than Big Sur.
    • Basically, you will be generally better off resisting the temptation to run the latest and so called greatest on your unsupported Mac ... applies to the next bleeding edge release and so on.
• Run OpenCore with HiSierra for one or two update cycles and then implement the update to Mojave (with the new Metal GPU) to get the latest BootROM the repeat the wait while on Mojave before moving to Big Sur.
  • You can of course accelerate but taking things slow and steady tends to work best
  • A good short cut is to get @tsialex to build you a reconstructed BootROM which you can flash directly
• Not to forget that you need a backup and recovery strategy.
  • Invest in Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) and always create a bootable clone before any Mac OS update.
  • Always run a 4-Chime NVRAM Reset before every Mac OS update
  • Keep the HD 5770 in a cupboard just in case ... I still have mine!
  • Keep your working HiSierra disk with it for the same reason

In summary, get OpenCore going on HiSierra, chill there for a bit and move from there. MyBootMgr setup is a quick no brainer process. You can lug your cMP to the nearest kindergarten and get any of the kids there to set it up for you if you are unsure ... assuming they have already learnt how to read and can follow the instructions that is!