The Merged Hackintosh Thread

[thunderclap]

My experience with FCP and video in general with my Hackintosh has, sadly, been a little lackluster. My custom built system is a Core i7 2.66GHz with 6GB RAM and the nVidia 9800GT. Let me explain what I see in FCP6 and Quicktime Player.

When the clip starts the video speeds ahead faster than the audio, which plays at normal speed. The video then sputters and stalls until the audio catches up and then starts playing fine. This is really sort of a pain when trying to edit! This happens with HD and SD footage.

When I try playing a DVD the video is very choppy while the audio plays fine.

I've tried repairing permissions, deleting the AppleUpstreamUserClient.kext from /System/Library/Extensions/ folder and I've also tried deleting the Extensions cache file.

I know when the 8800GT GFX card came out people bought PC versions and flashed the BIOS with a Mac version. I haven't done this with the 9800GT card I have. Could this be the issue? I did some searching but couldn't find anyone who recommends this.

Any other ideas what could be wrong?

 

[kasakka]

Just out of interest: would it be more beneficial to have a quad core 2.4GHz CPU running at 3GHz (Intel Q6600) or a Dual core 2.5GHz CPU running at 3.4GHz (Intel E5200)?

I'll be using the system for Web Development.

For that it wouldn't make any difference. In other cases I'd pick the quad at 3 GHz.

 

[kasakka]

I know when the 8800GT GFX card came out people bought PC versions and flashed the BIOS with a Mac version. I haven't done this with the 9800GT card I have. Could this be the issue? I did some searching but couldn't find anyone who recommends this.

I see no need for this. I used to use a 8800GT in my Hackintosh and it worked fine, even for video editing though I used Premiere Pro.

Are you running your graphics card with an enabler kext or with EFI strings? I find EFI string method is generally a bit faster and more trouble-free.

 

[thunderclap]

Are you running your graphics card with an enabler kext or with EFI strings? I find EFI string method is generally a bit faster and more trouble-free.

I'm not. I enabled Quartz with OSX86Tools but that's about it. Can you point me someplace where I can read up on kext enablers or EFI strings and how to do it? I'm novice when it gets to the nitty gritty of hacking. I use EFI-X to simplify the process.

I've also tried installing the nVidia 9000 Series 2 drivers, and using EFIStudio to re-write the boot kernel with the 8800GT 512MB GFX string. Neither helped.

 

[Softy]

Newbie info wanted on using P5LD2-VM, etc.

I know this is a total newbie question. But I've spent days reading various posts on this forum, insanelymac.com, etc., and it looks likely that I could just keep on looking at such things for a long time.

What I'd like to do is get my feet wet building hackintoshes by assembling one using spare stuff that I already have around here. In that category, I have a working (running XP) Asus P5LD2-VM based system that has an Intel Core 2 Duo (E6600) CPU in it and uses the embedded graphics controller, etc. It has no cards plugged into it at all. That would seem to be a good candidate, especially since I have a bunch of stuff like that around, left over from a client's project.

Is there anyone on here that would be willing to handhold me through the process of bringing this thing up? I'd especially like to do it in a way that would allow for me to learn how to do things like make a hard disk-based setup that would allow me to make configurations for other part combinations, make Live DVDs, and update completed systems using Apples Software Update. I'd be happy to be of service in some way, if there's any way I can reciprocate.

 

[Cave Man]

What is the gpu of your board?

 

[Donar]

What is the gpu of your board?

Should be GMA950.
There is an older guide on insanelymac for this board.

 

[Donar]

My experience with FCP and video in general with my Hackintosh has, sadly, been a little lackluster.
...
When the clip starts the video speeds ahead faster than the audio, which plays at normal speed. The video then sputters and stalls until the audio catches up and then starts playing fine. This is really sort of a pain when trying to edit! This happens with HD and SD footage.
...
When I try playing a DVD the video is very choppy while the audio plays fine.
...
Any other ideas what could be wrong?

These are the things i would look after if i had these problems:
Does Core Image / Quartz extreme work (not the software implementation)? Have you ever watched CPU usage when your build stutters or A/V is out of sync, is your CPU or one core at 100%? Do you have enough free Ram? What about data transfer rates of the drive your footage is on? Do you have a retail or distro (Kalyway...) install? Maybe run geekbench/xbench to see where your Hack could have a bottleneck. Do you have the latest .kext installed? I once had terribly slow ethernet and disk write speeds due to "crappy" drivers.

That's all i can think of for now.

 

[Softy]

Should be GMA950.
There is an older guide on insanelymac for this board.

Yep, a GMA 950, which is why I was thinking that it's a good prospect. I have other stuff too, naturally, having just quit the computer business after about 30 years. Eventually, I want to have my few remaining Windows systems be board compatible with OSX86, using different drives in removable caddy trays for each OS. I've been in the process of switching over to the Mac over the past year or two. I have a couple of Windows things left, like Nuendo/Cubase that perform better on Windows systems than on Mac hardware. I may be able to narrow that gap somewhat by using hackintoshes.

I have found the hackintosh threads on the forums to be cryptic, but expect to have it slap me upside the head with a "Eureka!" moment after going through the process once or twice. After I have a better handle on this, I want to build some hackintoshes based on P5W DH motherboards and on a new i7 configuration.

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

I have found the hackintosh threads on the forums to be cryptic, but expect to have it slap me upside the head with a "Eureka!" moment after going through the process once or twice.

Thats pretty much it. Its something you have to jump into and not expect to get anything right the first few times. Once you figure out how everything works it makes a lot more sense. The thing is that people dont often spend much time mucking around the /System folder in OSX so its really foreign.

 

[kasakka]

I'm not. I enabled Quartz with OSX86Tools but that's about it. Can you point me someplace where I can read up on kext enablers or EFI strings and how to do it? I'm novice when it gets to the nitty gritty of hacking. I use EFI-X to simplify the process.

I've also tried installing the nVidia 9000 Series 2 drivers, and using EFIStudio to re-write the boot kernel with the 8800GT 512MB GFX string. Neither helped.

Does System Profiler say that Quartz Extreme and CoreImage are working? Does it also show your SATA controllers right? What are you using for audio?

 

[kasakka]

I have found the hackintosh threads on the forums to be cryptic, but expect to have it slap me upside the head with a "Eureka!" moment after going through the process once or twice.

It's close to a dark art at times. It seems many of the good folks who develop enablers/decrypters/kernel/driver hacks etc aren't that great at English and even worse when it comes to documentation.

The boot-132 and Chameleon v2 boot loaders have really made everything a lot easier because you can store most extra kernel extensions into a different directory, essentially leaving the System/Library/Extensions folder untouched. If I need to add extra kexts there I use labels to mark them.

 

[thunderclap]

Does System Profiler say that Quartz Extreme and CoreImage are working? Does it also show your SATA controllers right? What are you using for audio?

The System Profiler says that Core Image is Hardware Accelerated and that Quartz Extreme is Supported. I enabled the latter in OSX86Tools. As for the SATA controller everything appears to be right. I've attached two pictures, one for the GFX card and one for the SATA controller.

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

The boot-132 and Chameleon v2 boot loaders have really made everything a lot easier because you can store most extra kernel extensions into a different directory, essentially leaving the System/Library/Extensions folder untouched. If I need to add extra kexts there I use labels to mark them.

Even better is installing the kexts to a different partition. Makes re-installing a breeze if you ever need to.

 

[thunderclap]

Does Core Image / Quartz extreme work (not the software implementation)?

See my post above with snapshots from System Profiler. They appear to be working properly.

Have you ever watched CPU usage when your build stutters or A/V is out of sync, is your CPU or one core at 100%? Do you have enough free Ram?

It appears that only 5%-10% of the CPU is being used during the stutter. As for memory, I have 6GB RAM and during playback 4.59GB is still free. Both according to Activity Monitor.

What about data transfer rates of the drive your footage is on?

It happens with two different drives, one an HD project and the other is SD.

Do you have a retail or distro (Kalyway...) install?

I installed a retail version from the Mac Box Set. It was 10.5.6 which I have since upgraded to 10.5.8.

Maybe run geekbench/xbench to see where your Hack could have a bottleneck.

I can only run Geekbench in 32-bit mode since I don't have a registered copy, but it's giving me a score of 6169.

Do you have the latest .kext installed? I once had terribly slow ethernet and disk write speeds due to "crappy" drivers.

I downloaded nvInstaller v52 (which appears to be the latest. I tried installing that but it didn't help.

 

[Mac7]

You can build for a lot less than Cave Man's if you just want a simple machine.

Case/PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.215892
500gb WD HDD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136040
GA-EP45T-UD3LR:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128371
4gb Crucial DDR3:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148227
LG dvd burnerhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167
E7600 (3.06ghz core2)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115059
eVGA 9400gthttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130471

Total is $566.84 + shipping - $15 Mail-in-rebate

According to the Wiki all those parts will work. Should be plenty fast enough for you, and you have quite a bit left over in your budget. You could go with a high-end core2quad and a gtx275 for $1k. At the moment im using a E6750 with 4gb DDR2 and an 8600gt and it runs Leo nice and quick for web browsing a photoshop, so the E7600 and 9400gt (though slightly slower than the 8600gt) should be just what you need.

Thanks for the list, I appreciate it. But before I seek and buy those parts, I was wondering if I could already hackintosh my current pc. Its a eMachines T6216

 

[kasakka]

I downloaded nvInstaller v52 (which appears to be the latest. I tried installing that but it didn't help.

The drivers in that might be old. I don't remember it being updated in a long time. I'd probably try restoring the drivers from the 10.5.6 disc, though I don't think that will make any difference.

Are you using an integrated soundcard for audio or do you have an external USB or Firewire audio interface?

 

[thunderclap]

The drivers in that might be old. I don't remember it being updated in a long time. I'd probably try restoring the drivers from the 10.5.6 disc, though I don't think that will make any difference.

How do you best recommend doing this? And can I get it from the 10.5.8 update instead since that might be newer?

Are you using an integrated soundcard for audio or do you have an external USB or Firewire audio interface?

I'm using the integrated soundcard.

 

[MacUser2525]

See my post above with snapshots from System Profiler. They appear to be working properly.

They do.

It appears that only 5%-10% of the CPU is being used during the stutter. As for memory, I have 6GB RAM and during playback 4.59GB is still free. Both according to Activity Monitor.

You may want to try installing the Disabler.kext if you don't already have it installed, I used to get the odd stutter/mouse lag without it.

I downloaded nvInstaller v52 (which appears to be the latest. I tried installing that but it didn't help.

You should do a graphics string for the com.apple.Boot.plist or a DSDT.aml with the string for the card included if your BIOS is supported that will eliminate any need for a driver, that card should work with the native OS X drivers using either of these methods.

 

[thunderclap]

You may want to try installing the Disabler.kext if you don't already have it installed, I used to get the odd stutter/mouse lag without it.

Good suggestion but it didn't help.

You should do a graphics string for the com.apple.Boot.plist or a DSDT.aml with the string for the card included if your BIOS is supported that will eliminate any need for a driver, that card should work with the native OS X drivers using either of these methods.

Where do I get the graphics string? The only thing I've found is if you have v8 of the EFI firmware. I don't know what version I have and am leery of doing anything that might make the OS not boot.

 

[Softy]

Thats pretty much it. Its something you have to jump into and not expect to get anything right the first few times. Once you figure out how everything works it makes a lot more sense. The thing is that people dont often spend much time mucking around the /System folder in OSX so its really foreign.

I've never spent any time with this sort of thing, at least not in the OS X or Mac worlds. In the olden days, I did a lot of hacking because that was what was required in order to have any kind of computer system at all. In the '70s, I did stuff like build a terminal out of a b&w TV set and a parallel keyboard, using a Processor Tech VDM-1 display board and a homebrewed parallel port for my S-100 bus system, and wrote the driver for the keyboard using only the front panel switches to key in the op codes from the 8080 instruction set. Of course after that I've lived through all the subsequent eras, and have been a hardware designer & manufacturer, a systems programmer, applications programmer, network designer and support guy, a manufacturing engineer for computer products company, etc., etc.

I retired from the industry in December, then managed to have a major head trauma in January (LifeFlight helicopter ride to the hospital, etc.). Nobody expected me to live through that. But I got a lucky break and survived. So now I'm hell bent on focusing on doing my own projects, and using computers only for my own purposes. I've switched primarily to the Mac. I don't have a lot of Mac experience (as a hacker). So I'm trying to figure out how to do this hackintosh thing, but have no experience with it, nor very much with Linux stuff. Consequently I find the learning curve to be somewhat frustrating. My head injury isn't helping a lot either. What would be great would be if I could have a good hackintosh guru come over here and spend a day with me, going through the process. If I could have somebody explain things like the Mac architecture, the structure of the disk image files, locations of kexts, etc., I'd become a hackintosh expert pretty fast. I don't need the kind of education that most hackintosh newbies need.

Alas, I live in the country in the Pacific Northwest. Most of the hackintosh guys are somewhere like Russia or something. So I can't tempt them out here with some grilled food and a stay in a nice B&B.

 

[MacUser2525]

Good suggestion but it didn't help.

Damn too bad.

Where do I get the graphics string? The only thing I've found is if you have v8 of the EFI firmware. I don't know what version I have and am leery of doing anything that might make the OS not boot.

I believe the EFIStudio will generate one for you or searching on netkas.org or insanelymac for what people have used they are all pretty much the same, using one will not prevent your computer from working it will just leave you with the crappy default graphics with no CI/QE enabled. Oh and you must remove the NVInject or whatever you have used in the past for the graphics before using a string.

 

[Donar]

I have found the hackintosh threads on the forums to be cryptic...

There are several good and easy to follow guides on the net - i linked to one for a P35 based system some posts above. Just read the post of the thread starter and follow it step by step - done. The next 35 pages are about how to get 1345 different GFX cards to work or problems after the last update.

After I have a better handle on this, I want to build some hackintoshes based on P5W DH motherboards and on a new i7 configuration.

The problem i see with that is that you want to start on hardware where documentation and drivers seem to be scarce. And after that (the hard part) doing the "easy" installs on P35/P45/X58. I think most of "us" only know how to get their own board working.

The main obstacle in building a Hackintosh is that people want to install OSX on their old Pentium IV Dell instead of getting compatible and well documented Hardware.

 

[thunderclap]

I believe the EFIStudio will generate one for you or searching on netkas.org or insanelymac for what people have used they are all pretty much the same, using one will not prevent your computer from working it will just leave you with the crappy default graphics with no CI/QE enabled. Oh and you must remove the NVInject or whatever you have used in the past for the graphics before using a string.

I completely removed nvInfect and cleared all caches. I then went ahead and used OSX86Tools to add the GFX string to the boot.plist. I used the 8800 GT code because the only 9800 one they had was the 9800 GTX. I think 9800 GT is closer to what I have, correct?

Still isn't working.

 

[DoFoT9]

My experience with FCP and video in general with my Hackintosh has, sadly, been a little lackluster. My custom built system is a Core i7 2.66GHz with 6GB RAM and the nVidia 9800GT. Let me explain what I see in FCP6 and Quicktime Player.

When the clip starts the video speeds ahead faster than the audio, which plays at normal speed. The video then sputters and stalls until the audio catches up and then starts playing fine. This is really sort of a pain when trying to edit! This happens with HD and SD footage.

When I try playing a DVD the video is very choppy while the audio plays fine.

Any other ideas what could be wrong?

i have had no problems with FCP what so ever on my under-par machine.. (E4600, 2GB 800MHz RAM, 8500GT). the only thing i can think of are graphics driver problems...