macOS 11 Big Sur | GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Hackintosh

macOS BIG SUR INSTALLATION on the GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3

Follow these steps to perform a clean installation of macOS Big Sur on your Ivy Bridge GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 system.

A Time Machine backup of your current installation will allow you to easily restore files with Migration Assistant after a clean installation.

A discrete graphics card compatible with Metal will be necessary to install macOS Big Sur using this guide. It should also be possible to use Intel HD Graphics 4000, however it will be necessary to make adjustments to the default configuration provided here. Those adjustments are detailed in the Ivy Bridge section of the OpenCore guide here.

If you have a Sandy Bridge CPU it will be necessary to make adjustments to the config.plist included in this guide. Those adjustments are detailed in the Sandy Bridge section of the OpenCore guide here. On Sandy Bridge systems it may also be necessary to replace HfsPlus.efi in /EFI/OC/Drivers with HfsPlusLegacy.efi available here.

PART 1 OF 4: ADJUST BIOS SETTINGS

Update the BIOS to the latest UEFI version
- See the guide here if you are updating from a legacy version of the BIOS (version F12 or earlier)
- See the modified BIOS here if you want to use an NVMe SSD
Press F12 at startup to enter BIOS setup and select the following:
• Save & Exit → Load Optimized Defaults
• M.I.T. → Advanced Frequency Settings → Advanced CPU Core Features → CPU EIST Function = Disabled
• M.I.T. → Advanced Memory Settings → Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.) = Profile1 (or set to Disabled if your RAM modules do not support Intel XMP)
• BIOS Features → Intel Virtualization Technology = Enabled
• BIOS Features → OS Type = Windows 8
• BIOS Features → CSM Support = Never
• BIOS Features → Boot Mode Selection = UEFI Only
• Peripherals → SATA Mode Selection = AHCI

PART 2 OF 4: CREATE USB INSTALLER
Download the Install macOS Big Sur app from the App Store.
- If you are using your Z68X with a previous version of macOS to download this installer, first change the SMBIOS in your Clover config.plist to iMacPro1,1 with Clover Configurator
Insert a 16GB or larger USB drive
Open Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility
- Select the USB disk in the left pane (select the physical disk, not a volume on the disk)
- Click the Erase button
- Under Name: type USB
- Under Format: select Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
- Under Scheme: select GUID Partition Map (If the Scheme option is not visible, go to the View menu and select Show All Devices)
- Click Erase
Open Applications → Utilities → Terminal and enter the following command:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --nointeraction
Enter your password when prompted
After approximately 25-35 minutes the process will finish and the USB will be renamed Install macOS Big Sur (wait for the “Install media now available” message in the Terminal before continuing)
Download the GA-Z68X-UDH3-B3 macOS 11 Utility and Kext Pack and place a copy on your installation USB
Launch OpenCore Configurator from the Utility and Kext Pack and select Mount EFI from the Tools menu
Click the Mount Partition button to the right of the EFI partition of your USB. It will appear as EFI on Install macOS Big Sur
Quit OpenCore Configurator and copy the entire EFI folder from the Utility and Kext Pack to the EFI partition of your USB, replacing the existing folder if present.

The EFI partition on your USB should now contain a single folder named EFI that contains two folders: BOOT and OC. It should look like the image here (click to enlarge) →
Eject your USB drive

PART 3 OF 4: INSTALL macOS BIG SUR

Note that if you have an AMD graphics card it may be necessary to connect the monitor to a DisplayPort output during the installation process. All graphics ports should be fully functional once the installation is complete, however DisplayPort should be used if possible.
Disconnect all drives from your computer except the drive you will be installing macOS on
Insert the USB installer and press F12 at startup to select the USB as your boot disk
Use the arrow keys to select Install macOS Big Sur at the bootloader menu and press Enter
From the macOS Recovery screen, launch Disk Utility
- In Disk Utility, click the View menu and select Show All Devices
- Select your target disk (select the physical disk, not a volume on the disk) and click Erase
Name the target disk Macintosh HD, select APFS format and GUID Partition Map scheme, then click Erase
After the erase process finishes, quit Disk Utility, select Install macOS and follow the prompts to do a standard macOS installation on Macintosh HD
The first stage of the install process should take about 5 to 10 minutes (if the screen dims you can press a key to wake it)
The computer will restart at least once during the next stage. When it does, press F12 to ensure that it boots from the USB (OpenCore). At the bootloader menu, select the option labeled macOS Installer and press Enter to continue.

The installation process will then continue very slowly and it may appear to hang at times - just wait and it will eventually continue. When the computer restarts again, press F12 to ensure that it boots from the USB.
When Macintosh HD (or Preboot) appears on the bootloader menu, select this entry and complete the guided macOS setup

PART 4 OF 4: POST INSTALL
Copy the Utility and Kext Pack to your Desktop and eject the USB installer
Open Applications → Utilities → Terminal and enter the following command to allow apps downloaded from unidentified developers:

sudo spctl --master-disable
Launch OpenCore Configurator from the Utility and Kext Pack and select Mount EFI from the Tools menu
Click the Mount Partition button to the right of the EFI partition of your hard drive. It will probably appear as EFI on APFS Container
The EFI partition for Macintosh HD should now be mounted and show in the sidebar under Devices when you open a Finder window
Quit OpenCore Configurator and copy the entire EFI folder from the Utility and Kext Pack to the EFI partition of Macintosh HD, replacing the existing folder if present (just as you did in step 12 for the installation USB)
Install any system updates available through Software Update and the App Store
Consider generating a unique serial number for your system to avoid potential issues with Apple applications and services such as FaceTime and iCloud by following these steps:
1. Launch OpenCore Configurator, mount your EFI partition and then open your config.plist
2. Select the PlatformInfo tab, then click the profile next to the Check Coverage button shown here and select iMacPro1,1
3. Click the Check Coverage button and confirm that you receive the "We’re unable to check coverage for this serial number" message from Apple (that's right, you want a serial number that has not been assigned to an actual computer produced by Apple)
4. Select File → Save in OpenCore Configurator and restart the computer

Notes and Suggestions

If using Migration Assistant to restore files, do not select the System & Network option when selecting information to transfer
USB 2.0 devices may not function properly when connected to a USB 3.0 port. For more consistent USB 3.0 performance, install a macOS-compatible PCIe USB.3.0 card
To prevent attached optical drives from polling every few minutes, enter the following command in Terminal: sudo pmset -a disksleep 0
Install Intel Power Gadget to monitor CPU power, frequency, temperature and utilization
A simple method for custom key remapping is available here
OpenCore updates can be installed following the steps explained here
The configuration in this guide does not include SSDT patches because our testing indicates these patches are not necessary for CPU power management, embedded controller, USB and IMEI device features to function suitably with this motherboard. Please let us know if your testing suggests otherwise.

RECOMMENDED macOS COMPONENTS

Graphics Card (AMD): SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon RX 580

No configuration necessary
Automatically recognized by macOS with full Metal compatibility for Big Sur
Up to 12.5x better performance than integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000
Monitors should be connected to DisplayPort outputs on the card rather than DVI or HDMI, if possible.

Graphics Card (Nvidia): ZOTAC GeForce GT 730 Zone Edition

No configuration necessary
Automatically recognized by macOS with full Metal compatibility for Big Sur
Up to 3x better performance than integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000

Wireless + Bluetooth Adapter: Fenvi T919 Broadcom BCM94360CD Adapter

No configuration necessary
Automatically recognized by macOS as built-in AirPort and Bluetooth
Supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Airdrop, Handoff, and Bluetooth 4.0 in BIOS/UEFI and Bootloader
Install in PCIe x1 slot

USB 3.0 Adapter: Inateck KT4006 2-Port PCIe USB 3.0 Express Card

No configuration necessary
Automatically recognized by macOS as built-in USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus/SuperSpeed Bus

Keyboards: Apple Wireless Keyboard or Apple Wireless Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Any standard USB keyboard will work with this system, but Apple keyboards provide the functionality of various macOS-specific key mappings

MODIFICATIONS and TROUBLESHOOTING

Modified BIOS for NVMe Drive Booting

The modified U1n BIOS available here will enable booting from NVMe drives
Follow the included instructions to flash using the Q-Flash utility
Recommended NVMe drive: Western Digital Black SN750 NVMe SSD
Recommended NVMe PCIe adapter: NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 Adapter Host Controller Expansion Card

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BIOS Boot Loop

If the computer does not boot and continually restarts, the BIOS may have become corrupt. To restore the backup BIOS and resolve this issue:

Unplug the computer
Press and hold the computer's power button
While holding the power button, plug the computer in again
As the computer turns on (in one or two seconds) unplug the computer again
Wait a few seconds, plug in the computer and then start the computer

A dialog box will open up and show the progress of the backup BIOS overwriting the primary BIOS. This should resolve the boot loop and allow the computer to start normally.

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Copy Main BIOS to Backup BIOS

Press Alt + F10 at startup to copy the main BIOS to the backup BIOS. This will keep the same BIOS version on both BIOS chips rather than the version that shipped with the motherboard.

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Ethernet Port Not Working

If the onboard Ethernet port is not being detected by the operating system the Realtek RTL8111E chip can be reset by following these steps:

Shut down and unplug the computer
Remove the CMOS battery shown here
Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds
Insert the CMOS battery and plug in the computer
Power on the computer and adjust the BIOS settings as necessary (they will be reset to default values)