I have macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 installed on my Z370 ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero hackintosh and I’m really liking it so far.
I needed something that could serve reliably as my main system and could be an absolute beast of a machine, without having to shell out $5000 for an iMac Pro. I also wanted WiFi + Bluetooth so that I could use my iPhone & iPad with macOS, which I was able to do with a this hackintosh compatible WLAN card The monitor featured in this build is the Dell Ultrawide U3417W
Fully Working
- Sound
- Ethernet
- Sound
- UHD 630 iGPU Acceleration
- UHD 630 iGPU Sleep/Wake
- AMD Graphics Card, Nvidia Graphics Card
- AMD/Nvidia Sleep/Wake
- Hardware Encoding, HEVC
- Ethernet + WiFi
- Bluetooth
- iMessage, iBooks, App Store
- Continuity: Handoff, Universal Clipboard, etc
The only thing I didn’t bother to look into is Thunderbolt as I don’t have any TB3 devices, other than that this is a fully working hackintosh.
The Package
| Part | Name | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $1641.25 | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-8700K Hex-Core Processor | $379.99 |
| Cooler | NZXT Kraken X62 AIO | $156.20 |
| Motherboard | ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC) Z370 | $279.99 |
| Memory | G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 | $211.47 |
| Storage | SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 250GB | $124.40 |
| Video Card | XFX GTS RX 580 8GB | $269.99 |
| Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G3 | $89.99 |
| Case | NZXT S340 Elite White | $96.43 |
| WiFi Card | Dell DW1560 WLAN BCM94352Z | $32.99 |
CPU: Intel i7-8700k 6C/12T Cooler: NZXT Kraken 62
Of course for my main system that I was going to run everything on I wanted to go with the best of the best this Intel i7-8700k 12 thread CPU is an absolute beast I also didn’t think it was appropriate to pair a almost $300 motherboard with any other CPU. For my cooler I originally went with the NZXT Kraken 62, despite reading about all the people who have had their pump stop working on them. I bought it anyways because I wanted to go with the whole NZXT look to match my case. I didn’t think it would happen to me, but it did. The pump died on me as I was writing this so I can’t recommend it. If I had known about the Corsair H115i PRO that just came out in Jan. 2018, right after I bought the X62 I would have definitely gotten that instead for something newer and from the reviews seems less prone to failure.
ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
The ASUS ROG Maximus X HERO makes a great motherboard for a hackintosh. I was very happy with my ASUS Z270i SFF hackintosh so I decided to go with ASUS again for my main build.
The ASUS ROG Maximus X Code is also another good ASUS motherboard to turn into a hackintosh and to which this guide can also be used for as it’s so similar to the HERO. I’ve would have gotten it myself, but when I at the time I bought the HERO the CODE wasn’t out yet. What I like about the HERO and especially the CODE is that they actually come with a decent amount of USB ports something that is severely lacking on most Z370 motherboards.
ASUS Motherboard Quirks
- Audio: ASUS uses there own version of ALC1220 called S1220 or S1200A, which can be gotten working quite easily with Lilu.kext + AppleALC.kext + CodecCommander.kext. I used layout-id: 1 for S1220 chipset found on this motherboard. However there is one quirk with the audio chipset and ASUS where if you sleep the hackintosh and try to wake it as it’s preparing to sleep, audio will be broken when the screen wakes. To fix this, sleep it again, this time allowing it sleep fully before waking it. To prevent this issue from happening, don’t interrupt sleep with wake events until after sleep starts (i.e. fans stop spinning).
- Using darkwake=0 or darkwake=1 + disabling Power Nap can help prevent audio breaking after sleeping. Doing this and not interrupting sleep S1200 works reliably and hasn’t broken for me at all. It’s also recommended to use darkwake=0,1 because leaving darkwake as default on ASUS motherboards can cause restarts in sleep every now and then.
- FixShutdown is needed so that the ASUS hackintosh doesn’t start back up after shutting down.
- All USB ports and USB 3 speeds work, however if you plug a flash drive into either the ASMedia USB 3.1 Gen2 Red port or USB-C port and sleep the hackintosh the flash drives will throw an eject error on wake. Updating the BIOS didn’t solve this issue for me, like it did with my ASROCK build.
- Depending on which motherboard you use, out of the box there may be some sensors you can see in HWMonitor like voltages. Thankfully this isn’t an issue with the Hero X here’s what I can see in HWMonitor:
Notice the absence of any graphic card temperatures this is because I’m using an AMD RX 580, which isn’t supported with FakeSMC_GPUSensors.kext
RAM: G.Skill TridentZ 16GB DRR4 3000Mhz
The TridentZ RGB RAM by G.skill is perfectly compatible with a hackintosh running macOS if anyones wondering. I’ve haven’t experienced any RAM related issues or kernel panics so I can definitely a good buy if you are looking to add some RGB.
For this build I only needed 16GB over 32GB or 64GB. I would have got more, but didn’t want to spend the extra $200-$600 for something that would have cost me half last year. Supposedly RAM prices are going to stay high until the second half of 2018 when Samsung ramps up production.
SSD: Samsung 960 EVO NVME M.2
Samsung NVME drives are natively supported in macOS High Sierra so if you want the fastest storage access on macOS, without a Mac you’ll want an NVME drive. I went with Samsung over the others because of it’s reliability.
Getting an NVME drive doesn’t really improve the boot speed over a normal SSD on a hackintosh the boot time is still around ~20 seconds for me, but it does of course does drastically improve the read write speed in macOS.
GPU: XFX GTS RX 580 8GB
For my RX 580 I choose the XFX GTS RX 580 8GB as they along side Sapphire and PowerColer were the least troublesome to get working macOS before Polaris graphics cards were given native support in Sierra 10.12.6, so I thought easier of them should work without any issue and that’s true with the XFX GTS RX 580
When using ASUS motherboards I’ve prefer AMD graphic cards because from my experience with Z170/Z270 theirs been times when sleep wouldn’t work properly with Nvidia. For example in my old ASUS Z170 build there were times when the hackintosh would wake immediately after sleeping or wake immediately and then finally go to sleep. I will say did briefly slide GTX 1050 Ti in this HERO build for a couple days and didn’t experience that same issue I did a year ago.
Luckily I was able to snag an RX 580 right before the crypto mining craze came back. If you want an AMD graphics card you can still get an RX 560 now and then sell it later for most of what you bought it for if you want to upgrade to something more powerful. I’ve also been using a Gigabyte RX 560 in this build and it works without any problems as I’ve been thinking of flipping the RX 580, while there still selling for $500 used.
PSU: EVGA G3 650W
When looking around for a new power supply with most people it usually comes down to EVGA vs Corsair. This time around I decided to go with the EVGA G3 since I already have a Corsair RMx PSU
The EVGA G3 has an ‘ECO’ switch on the back that will only turn the fan on under load and is very quiet even when the fan is spinning. This is the exact opposite of the EVGA EVGA G2 power supply I used to have, which made a repervetating/humming sound that I could hear over all the other fans in my case, likely due to it’s stamped steel design, unlike the G3. So if anyone’s power supply choice come down to the G3 vs G2, I would definitely recommend getting the quieter G3.
Case: NZXT S340 Elite
The NZXT S340 Elite has to be the best ATX case I’ve ever build in hands down. I can see now why it’s so popular by what your getting for $99. Whatever the white coating is on the case it’s really nice to touch and the tempered glass is so clear sometimes I can’t even tell that there’s a glass panel especially at night.
I was originally going to get the NZXT H700i, but then I saw the S340 Elite at only half the price for two cases that look almost identical I was leaning towards the S340 Elite, then I saw the reviews on the H700i side panel blowing up like this guy, which made the choice a lot easier.
Wifi + Bluetooth: Broadcom BCM94352Z / DW1560
There are two models of the BCM94352Z a Dell (DW1560) and a Lenovo (04X6020). I personally purchased the DW1560. Having a WiFi card will enabled in addition to WiFi, Bluetooth and all of the macOS Continuity features
The Hero motherboard comes in two variants one with AC and one without. I wanted WIFI and Bluetooth without having to add another PCIE card or dongle and that is the reason I got the AC version for the included antenna and WLAN slot so that I could replace the incompatible WiFi card included with the motherboard with the Broadcom BCM94352Z
ASUS WiFi Replacement
ASUS ROG Maximus HERO X Hackintosh Build Guide
I made a guide can be used for pretty much any ASUS Z370 motherboard. You can find instructions by heading over to the forums where it’s posted:
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66 Comments on "ASUS ROG Maximus X HERO Hackintosh Build Guide"
Hi,
you made my day. This is exactly what I needed. I have a question: do you think any issue could happen if I switch the CPU to a i5 8600k, i5 8400 or a i3 8xxx serie?
I would definitely get an i5 over an i3 since the i5 iGPU is natively supported while the i3 isn’t.
Thanks you. Do you recommend a particular model of i5?
Both work it depends on what you want to do they both work.
If you are going to get an expensive Z370 motherboard that can overclock well might as well as get:
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BX80684I58600K-Core-i5-8600K-Processor/dp/B0759FKH8K/
If you are going for a small ITX build or HTPC or a budget motherboard that isn’t overclocking then get the cheaper CPU:
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BX80684I58400-Core-i5-8400-Processor/dp/B0759FGJ3Q/
Can you set nzxt fan profiles somehow on hackintosh? Or RGB settings are there guide somewhere what to use or not?
hi,
this is a great help,for me to understand to build one hopefully
so if you have the code mobo,you don’t need to switch the wifi +bluetooth card,is this correct?
could it be possible to do a custom water-cooling system because trough the high ambient °c35 a 40°celsius on this hardware
thanks
Our builds are very similar. I have the same motherboard and I am having some trouble getting the audio to work. I installed the 3 kexts that you suggested, but to no avail… Any suggestions on how to get it to work? No audio devices are showing
Hye. Can you suggest if i want to use nvidia gc, which 1 is compatible
EVGA & Gigabyte is my preferred brands. GTX 1050, GTX 1070, GTX 1080. I’ve seen a lot of people having issues with GTX 1060’s so I would stay away form that. I did use a EVGA GTX 1050 briefly in this build. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=GTX+1050+graphics+card&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3AGTX+1050+graphics+card
Very nice!
I will be attempting a Strix Z370-I build, I think I should be able to follow this guide, all the way down to the Wifi card replacement.
Yes, definitely
Hi,
I have the same kind of setup as you have.
I only have a 1080ti in it.
I connected my setup to 2 4k monitors and I noticed that I can not watch youtube at 4k. do you also suffer from that? I use the latest nvidia web driver that is best buggie. I also had this problem in 10.13.2
can you also use airdrop?
Thanks
Yes I can use airdrop, because of this WiFi card https://www.amazon.com/BCM94352Z-NGFF-WiFi-Bluetooth-802-11ac/dp/B00JGFA50U/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1518114082&sr=8-4&keywords=dw1560 and guide https://hackintosher.com/forums/thread/enabling-third-party-broadcom-wlan-802-11a-b-g-n-wifi-bluetooth-cards-on-a-hackintosh-bcm94352z-bcm94322.6/ I’m testing something on the iGPU right now and 4k is running perfectly fine in Youtube. I’ll try plug in a card later today and let you know. If you are using an Nvidia GPU you need to use one of the older web drivers for 10.13.3 as the web driver built for 10.13.3 has all sorts of issues https://hackintosher.com/forums/thread/nvidia-web-drivers-make-older-versions-work-in-high-sierra.21/
i cant use the default wifi card of the asus maximus hero x?
You might be able to get basic bluetotoh working, but you need a Hackintosh compatible WiFi card as in a card that apple has used in there Mac’s before inorder to get Continuity working.
I got the Bluetooth working. I can connect my airpods with the hackintosh. I just opend my config list and saw everything was empty xD i wil fix this tomorrow. I wil let you now if the Bluetooth dongel helpt after i fixed my config list. Hope you can fix the YouTube 4K issue with a Nvidia pascal card 🙂
I just tested 4k60 with this GTX 1050 Ti and it’s smooth as butter.
Your problem is likely happening because you are using the 10.13.3 web drivers which are causing all sort of lag issues. I recommend you uninstall the web drivers and follow this guide: https://hackintosher.com/forums/thread/how-to-install-nvidia-web-drivers-with-webdriver-sh-on-a-hackintosh.48/
thanks 🙂 i wil try that later this day.
i also test my bluetooth dongel with airdrop, but it didn’t work.
i will buy the wifi card u used.
when i unstall the webdriver i dont have any internet…
I really like that wallpaper ….. Can you give a link pls ??
Retro Waves: https://imgur.com/gallery/KGu0j
thank you
do you have windows 10 support on the wifi – bluetooth card?
I’m having sleep issues with ASUS GTX 1070 with ASUS Z370-I motherboard. It was kind of working at the start (but would randomly wake itself up), now it won’t sleep at all(displays go black but system still on).. Also, my displayport audio randomly stops working after restarts. I have the HDMIaudio.kext and the SSDT from your guide here: https://hackintosher.com/guides/hackintosh-hdmi-audio-displayport-sound/
To fix it, I remove those files from the EFI, restart, add them back, restart again and it works. Until the next restart.
Any ideas? Thanks
Ok, I may have fixed the sleep issue by disabling ‘Enable PowerNap’ in OS Settings. I missed this step the first time around. Currently using darkwake=0 too. I’ll test sleep overnight and report back.
That’s good to hear, I’ll be here!
So.. my baby had a full night’s sleep! 😀
Also, I’m just using the SSDT patch, not the HDMIaudio.kext and display audio is still working.
Hmm, after restart my display audio stopped appearing in devices again 🙁
Okay, so I removed the HDMIaudio.kext and the SSDT. Shutdown and turned back on, expecting there to be no display audio devices.. and it worked! they are back! WTF?? haha I have no idea why :/
Restarted and it’s gone again.. FML
Very good built ! I like your monitor, can you tell me your monitor make and model number ? Thanks!
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-FR3PK-34-Inch-Led-Lit-Monitor/dp/B01IOO4TIM/
one more question…. How do you control the water cooling ..??
Really nice build! I’m just waiting for the parts to come to build a very similar to yours, thanks for sharing!
What keyboard is that in your picture? It seems to be a somewhat compact mechanical keyboard.
Did the same build but with a Corsair H115i Pro and works AMAZING!!! Thanks for an awesome guide!
Does your Optical/Digital out work correctly? I can’t seem to get it to work to pass DTS/Dolby Digital, when AC3 is played and DTS/Dolby is set, no sound is played.
I’m assuming the only way forward from here is to use AppleHDA kext. I tried using https://github.com/toleda/audio_CloverALC?files=1 but I think I need to uninstall the existing AppleALC and Lilu first. When I tried removing those two kexts and restarted, the login screen went blank. Had to replace those two back again. Anyone have a solution for full audio and surround to work correctly?
Which video card should I go with if I use After Effects and Final Cut Pro X mostly?
AMD and it depends how much you want to spend. An RX 560 will render significantly faster than a GTX 1050 in FCPX https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Radeon-GAMING-REv2-0-GV-RX560GAMING/dp/B0762PP97W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519757051&sr=8-2&keywords=Gigabyte+RX+560
I would stick with Sapphire or Gigabyte if getting a RX 560.
Great build! I’m on the verge of buying all of the parts, but just curious if you happen to run any Adobe CC apps on it? I’m currently running an older ASUS RIVBE with the XFX RX 580 and Sierra but having freeze issues every time I open up Illustrator or Photoshop. Thanks in advance.
I was just editing 4k photos in Photoshop and have used Illustrator for icon design there hasn’t been any freezing whatsoever.
Thanks for the reply. Interesting. I’m guessing it’s something in my config. Everything is running fine, until I start opening Adobe CC apps. Wanted to see if I can salvage this build (Rampage R4BE, i7-4960X, 64GB RAM, XFX RX 580) before pulling the trigger on the Maximus Hero X and i7-8700K. Again… much appreciated.
Hi, I have the same board and the same processor guides me from this guide and the truth is that everything works except the USB-C thunderbolt port, I need to connect a blackmagic ultrastudio mini recorder with a converter that I bought startech from usb-c to thunderbolt 2 but I do not get it, I do not know what to do, help please
The onboard thunderbolt wont work. You need a Thunder Bolt 3 PCIe card. Like this one if ASUS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HDUVJ54 or this one if gigabyte: http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx?TSID=30782&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGigabyte-Thunderbolt-Components-GC-ALPINE-RIDGE%2Fdp%2FB0722SV69N&dtb=1
thanks alot
just one thing, why is there such a difference in price if gigabyte has more ports?
what difference there are?
Hi, i bought the asus card and I can’t connect it to the motherboard does not have TB HEADER, how do I connect it? Thank you
Oh I totally overlooked that sorry. Yes you need a motherboard that has a TB3 header on it to use any TB3 card. The ASUS Rog Maximus does not have one, but this cheaper one does https://www.amazon.com/PRIME-LGA1151-Motherboard-Generation-Processors/dp/B075RJHN2D/ If I was in your situation I would get that other motherboard and try out and see if it works, which it should as someone else on the site had reported that it does indeed work and then sell the Maximus on eBay or return it if you still can.
Just to be clear.. This will be my first hackintosh build.. Thank you for the write up..
With the ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero motherboard.. i will never be able to add Thunder bolt 3 slots in the future??
aaahhhhhh …… the money does not matter I have more than enough, (jjjjjj) the case is that it works 😉
can you upload or give a link please.high sierra 10.13.3 bootable usb for hackintosh
I just completed this build and MacOS install and everything was smooth and my system is running fine. I have a different case and a Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX580 8G, but those are the only departures.
On the Motherboard BIOS, I was not able to disable Secure Boot. I deleted the installed secure boot key and I was able to boot the installer. The key can be reinstalled.
I plan to install Windows 10, will I need the secure boot key to install and run?
Thanks for this guide!
Would the wireless card work with a z370-E? Thanks.
Yes the DW1560 would work perfectly for that motherboard.
Hackintosher – have you updated to 10.13.4 with everything still working?
Working fine here on 10.13.4 with the new security patch applied. One of the least stressful builds to date. Almost identical build using the Sapphire RX 580 Pulse 8GB, Crucial Ballistix Sport LT (32GB)(2@16gb) and TP-Link Archer T9E 1900 wifi card IO Gear bluetooth and an additional USB card Sonnet Allegro USB 3.0 PCIe. Awaiting a USB C PCIe card ( AUKEY USB-C PCI Express Card with 2 USB 3.1 Type-C Ports )to complete project. Geekbench 3 @ 32450 Cinebench 1635/166fps. Not tried Facetime as I never used it yet.
I have the exact same parts but using Sapphire RX 580 Pulse card and wanted to know whether someone on here who has the same build can share the EFI folder for clover boot USB and EFI folder for Clover Hard Drive Boot?
Also can I now just download the latest 10.13.4 High Sierra from the mac store and run unibeast installer to USB and add the EFI folder and boot?
Going to start putting the machine together on Saturday after the mother board (Maximus Hero X (wifi – AC) arrives on friday and just wante dto strat getting the installation software ready. Any one help with the EFI Folders for this same build and GPU?
Thank you in advance!
The link to the Efi folder is at the bottom of the article on this page.
https://hackintosher.com/forums/thread/success-guide-asus-rog-maximus-x-hero-z370-hackintosh-build.15/
Thanks, I follow the exact same setup and successfully built my first hackintosh. The only problem is my bluetooth looks not very stable. But I can survive without it.
Has any managed to get the usc type c port (red usb 3.1 gen 2port at the back ) working at correct speeds – my ports are showing up but when I connect my Ipad Pro it says speed is 480Mb/sec which is USB 2.0 speeds. Any one help?
This is an amazing post, and very close to my own build. Unfortunately, without a lot of time on my hands these days, I just ordered my PC from NZXT using their build service, thus taking apart the motherboard to install the WiFi/BT card is off the table for me. Can I simply disable the internal Maximus Hero X card, and use the suggested WiFI/BT M.2 card you recommended, adding it to another Antenna kit, expecting similar results? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for the great guide.
Is there any help for the same build using a GTX 1080ti? Can’t get gpu to work properly neither audio.
Hi I live in Australia, I’m doing my first build! For some reason down under the WiFi version of this card is more than twice the price of the non WiFi version – could you please outline how I would get wifi and bluetooth working on the non-WiFi motherboard?
Thanks for sharing
you have updated on 10.13.5 ?
and what about USB’s on this version ?
Hello, thinking of doing a build and like that ram… Are you able to control the color at all? If you set it in Windows and boot back to macOS, does the color stick? Thanks!
Hello, i just managed to install using similar component as above
however today, i just inserted bluetooh adapter in one of the usb, and i noted my system keep on restarting.
any solutions?
Many Thanks
I can’t find XFX GTS RX 580 8GB so any alternative recommendation please?
@Hackintosher Thanks for this, I’m spec’ing out a similar build. Can anyone clear up a bit of confusion for me regarding M2 and SSD configs.
I’d like to use; a 250GB 860 M2 for the boot drive; a second 500GB
860 M2 for a work drive; then x3 250GB 860 2.5″ SSD’s for clones, tests, files, etc.
From the specs it seems using the M2’s disables some SATA ports and/or reduces bandwidth. Can anyone with experience let me know if this mobo accommodate all those 5 drives and how best to set it up?
Hello. I have exactly the same components as in your assembly just stood the video card 1080. But the problems with the release of drivers in Nvidia make me choose AMD video cards.I looked at the site( tonymacx86.com) there they recommend using the Sapphire video card AMD Radeon RX 580 PULSE OC [11265-05-20G].Tell me, this map has native support for Apple?