Thread: Gigabyte GA-EX58A-UD7 Support Files

Hi guys -

I've been reading through the forums here for a while. I wrote several articles about the EFIX module when it first came out and interviewed Davide Rutigliano over at Tom's Hardware during the ASEM's earlier days. Rutigliano is no longer at ASEM for obvious reasons.

I thought I'd chime in to help out a bit for those who are considering Gigabyte's latest X58 boards for Core i# platforms.

I have a Gigabyte GA-EX58A-UD7 motherboard here from Gigabyte that I've been testing. I've managed to get everything working with some research. All features of the boards save for USB 3.0 and SATA 6 gb/s. work properly, both in 32-bit and 64-bit kernel modes.

I have attached all the necessary support files for your Chameleon RC3 boot stick. I am using netkas' PC EFI 10.5.

• There are no system modifications necessary. All files go into your boot stick except for the RealtekR1000SL.kext file, which goes into /S/L/E. You may install it using Kext Helper or Kext Utility.
• The Extensions.zip file contains the entire /Extra/Extensions folder on my boot stick.
• The com.apple.Boot.plist file goes into /Extra.
• The smbios.plist file goes into /Extra.
• The DSDT.aml file goes into /Extra.

I have also included the original, unmodified DSDT.aml file extracted for my board using an Ubuntu 9 Live CD.

The files I have included are also suitable for booting a 10.6.0 setup.

You may modify the smbios.plist file in the way that is suitable for your setup.

The following are my system specifications:

• 10.6.2
• Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition, engineering sample
• Gigabyte GA-EX58A-UD7 rev. 1.0, BIOS rev. F2 (initial release)
• Corsair Dominator DDR3, 24 GB
• Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 4890 reference (dual dual-link DVI)
• Intel X25-M 80 GB SSD

You may see a photo of the system by clicking here.

Feel free to add to this thread. I will help out wherever I can. I have also updated the OSx86 HCL 10.6.2 wiki page with information on this motherboard here.

Enjoy / Tuan

Tuan Nguyen
Director of News Operations
Bestofmedia Group / Tom's Hardware
Email: tuannguyen at bestofmedia dot com

You may contact me via email, but posting here will probably yield better results for those who may need help.

Update Jan. 06, 2010: Updated bootstick files for BIOS revision F3
I've updated the bootstick to the latest F3 BIOS revision that Gigabyte has released.
Notable changes include:
- DSDT updated to support SATA on-board indication instead of Removable Device
- EvOreboot.kext replaces OpenHaltRestart.kext
- Removal of IOAHCIBlockStorageInjector.kext (care of DSDT update)
Note: I'm using AsereBLN's 1.1.8 Bootloader for PCEFI 10.5/Chameleon RC4 (follow his guide here)
Files are inside GA-EX58A-UD7_Files_for_BIOS_F3.zip below.

Update Feb. 11, 2010: The DSDT file I created works perfectly for BIOS revision F4

Update Feb. 23, 2010: Several tips for posts I've seen about people having trouble on various things:
- ATI video: Those who are having trouble getting their 4890 to work, you need Netkas' QE_CI_Exotic package from here: http://netkas.org/?p=212.
- Sound: Several people are trying to use my files on different Gigabyte boards even though they are based on X58. Gigabyte is known to use different versions of the ALC chipset. There's some difference between ALC888, ALC889 and ALC889A. I have not really played around with those variants, so I can only say that sound works definitely with the X58A-UD7 but cannot guarantee it working with other models.

However, if you want, check this resource out: http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/ind...owtopic=140941. I have also made a file for the X58A-UD5.
- Reboot/Sleep: If you have trouble with rebooting, try using EvOreboot.kext. For sleep, use SleepEnabler.kext. Both go into your /Extra/Extensions folder. Both can be found on www.kexts.com.

Update Mar. 30, 2010: Update for 10.6.3:
- ATI video: Please use Netkas' new QE_CI_Exotics package from here: http://netkas.org/?p=382.
- Use a new SleepEnabler.kext for 10.6.3 from here: http://xnu-sleep-enabler.googlecode....ler.10.6.x.zip
- Backup your AppleHDA.kext and restore it after performing the update.

Great! Appreciate the posts -- this is for future use for me.

I tried everything on a UD5 and it all works well....except....for the life of me I can't get sound to work. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Rick

Originally Posted by PoisonApple666

I tried everything on a UD5 and it all works well....except....for the life of me I can't get sound to work. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Rick

You probably just need a different set of kext files.
I've attached the files that should work for your board. Give them a shot and let me know!

/ Tuan

many thanks!!! I'll give 'em a shot.

Thanks again,
Rick

I gotz sound!!!
Thanks a million!!!

Originally Posted by PoisonApple666

I gotz sound!!!
Thanks a million!!!

Np! Glad it worked!

/ Tuan

out of curiosity, does your time machine work?
mine doesn't...but it doesn't really fail either...it goes through the motions of making a back-up but never really backs up anything. I tried resetting the network.plist as well as repartitioning and reselecting the time machine disk, but to no avail. Just curious if yours is operational.

Thanks,
Rick

Yep, mine works, but you need to modify something. It's related to an incorrect UUID. Don't worry--it's easy.

I've attached the appropriate file for 10.6.x installs. Drop this kexts into your boot stick at /Extra/Extensions and remove the existing UUID.kext.

Then, go into:

System Preferences > Network > en0 interface > Ethernet > [make note of your "Ethernet ID" (MAC address)].

For example, if it's: 00:AA:11:BB:22:CC

Then open the PlatformUUID.kext you dropped into your boot stick by:

Right Click on PlatformUUID.kext > Show Package Contents > Contents > Open "Info.plist"

There will be an area with:

<key>PlatformUUID</key>
<string>00000000-1008-1000-8000-00XXXXXXXXXX</string>

Where 00XXXXXXXXXX is the MAC address of en0 network interface. Replace what was there with yours, in the same format (remove the colons).

The result should look like:

<key>PlatformUUID</key>
<string>00000000-1008-1000-8000-00AA11BB22CC</string>

Save the file. Then go back into /Extra and remove the Extensions.mkext, empty your Trash bin and use Kext Utility to make a new Extensions.mkext by dragging the Extensions folder onto Kext Utility.

Then go into /Library/Preferences/ and delete com.apple.TimeMachine.plist.

Reboot, re-setup and enjoy TimeMachine.

/ Tuan

Many many thanks. That is the clearest most concise explanation I have ever heard on how to fix something on a hackintosh. I will try it tonite!!!

Thanks again,

Rick