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Vanilla Speedstep on EVGA X58 SLI

Geenz

By Geenz,
in Intel SpeedStep

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Geenz
Geenz
Posted
Posted

EVGA recently released a BIOS update (Revision SZ2Z) that enables HPET support in the system's BIOS.

What does this mean? It's quite simple, it means that people with EVGA's X58 motherboards can now have vanilla speedstep.

 

WARNING: This guide involves flashing your system's BIOS with a newer revision. ALWAYS Follow the onscreen instructions during the process. DO NOT remove the floppy or CD-ROM until it says it is safe to do so.

 

First, visit this thread to grab the update, and for flashing instructions.

 

After you've completed the process, follow these steps to enable speedstep:

 

First, your BIOS settings will be wiped out during the update. The first things you will want to do is:

1. Go to the Integrated Peripherals menu

1a. Go to Onboard PATA/SATA Devices

1b. Set the SATA Mode to AHCI

1c. (optional) Set the JMB363 mode to AHCI + IDE (this will allow OS X to natively detect one of the two JMicron controllers)

 

2. Go back to the main menu, and go into Power Management Setup

2a. Enable HPET support

2b. Set HPET Mode to 64-bit

 

3. Go back to the main menu once again, and this time go into Frequency/Voltage Control

3a. Go into CPU Feature

3b. Enable Intel Speedstep

3c. Set the CxE Function to C1E

 

After doing this, save your changes and reboot to OS X.

 

Go into your Extras/Extensions folder and remove Disabler.kext and NullCPUPowerManagement.kext (and any equivalents), and reboot using verbose mode (optional, but always useful for watching for any issues).

 

After the system has rebooted, you should now be using Apple's native SpeedStep drivers with no issues!

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jplee4907
jplee4907
Posted
Posted

Thanks for the great info!!

 

Just one question from a noobo!

 

If you update or refresh a new bios, do we have to reset or reconfigure DSDT patch?

 

I'm on the snow, everything works beautifully except the wakeup from the deep sleep.

Does your info get it right?

 

Thanks

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Bigfat
Bigfat
Posted
Posted

In theory this should get us one step closer to Sleep/Wake support, are you still getting the C-state errors?

 

PS: This appears to be working, but still getting some P-State errors regarding turbo mode. I still have no sleep, but I'm not getting C-state errors anymore...

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Geenz
Geenz
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In theory this should get us one step closer to Sleep/Wake support, are you still getting the C-state errors?

 

PS: This appears to be working, but still getting some P-State errors regarding turbo mode. I still have no sleep, but I'm not getting C-state errors anymore...

DSDT updates may be needed to get SpeedStep 100% working on EVGA's X58 boards. This method at least will allow people to enable speedstep and change their C-State without worrying about the system becoming unresponsive.

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  • 8 months later...
airwalk776
airwalk776
Posted
Posted

Hello Everyone

 

I have an EVGA x58 SLI board and I would like to enable native speedstep. however anytime I remove nullcpupower.....kext I get a KP.

 

I am running 10.6.4

chameleon rc5

BIOS is set up as listed in post # 1 with the diff. that its verion 73 of the bios

 

Any thoughts on how I can remove nullcpupower without causing KP?

 

thanks

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kerr
kerr
Posted
Posted

geenz, you missed one important thing - enabling HPET in Mac OS. The HPET section in DSDT should be modified for HPET to work. So if your section looks like this

 

Device (HPET)
			{
				Name (_HID, EisaId ("PNP0103"))
				Name (ATT3, ResourceTemplate ()
				{
					IRQNoFlags ()
						{0}
					IRQNoFlags ()
						{8}
					Memory32Fixed (ReadWrite,
						0xFED00000,		 // Address Base
						0x00000400,		 // Address Length
						)
				})
				Name (ATT4, ResourceTemplate ()
				{
				})
				Method (_STA, 0, NotSerialized)
				{
					If (LGreaterEqual (OSFX, 0x03))
					{
						If (HPTF)
						{
							Return (0x0F)
						}
						Else
						{
							Return (0x00)
						}
					}
					Else
					{
						Return (0x00)
					}
				}

				Method (_CRS, 0, NotSerialized)
				{
					If (LGreaterEqual (OSFX, 0x03))
					{
						If (HPTF)
						{
							Return (ATT3)
						}
						Else
						{
							Return (ATT4)
						}
					}
					Else
					{
						Return (ATT4)
					}
				}
			}

 

change it with this

 

Device (HPET)
			{
				Name (_HID, EisaId ("PNP0103"))
				Name (ATT3, ResourceTemplate ()
				{
					IRQNoFlags ()
						{0}
					IRQNoFlags ()
						{8}
					Memory32Fixed (ReadWrite,
						0xFED00000,		 // Address Base
						0x00000400,		 // Address Length
						)
				})
				Name (ATT4, ResourceTemplate ()
				{
				})
				Method (_STA, 0, NotSerialized)
				{
					Return (0x0F)
				}

				Method (_CRS, 0, NotSerialized)
				{
					Return (ATT3)
				}
			}

 

this fix is from gigabyte boards, it works for my DFI (both HPET sections are the same) and may work for eVga, because AFAIK, our DSDTs are almost the same.

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Mr. Spoon
Mr. Spoon
Posted
Posted

Hey guys,

 

I just wanted to chime in and mention that your instructions to enable vanilla Speedstepping did not work for me either. My settings were already exactly like those posted in the first post to begin with, I have the e75864 bios (which is newer than the one mentioned) and my DSDT already has the mentioned DSDT edit for the HPET section.

 

Removing NullCPUPowerManagement.kext from /Extra still gives me kernel panics. ;)

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banini_jeque
banini_jeque
Posted
Posted

Thanks STLVNUB, but I already know that's not going to help ME. I did some research, and it looks like the issue has to do with your bios version. On InfiniteMac Airwalk posted that he uses bios version E758_SZ2Z because any of the newer ones add support for 6 and 8 core chips, and that apparently causes the AICPUPM KP. I think I'm probably screwed because I just bought the SLI 3, which just came out, and there are no new or older BIOSes for it. I guess I'll just have to wait for a fix of some kind.

 

EDIT: I've sent EVGA a request to see if I can get an experimental BIOS that doesn't support 6 cores for my SLI 3.

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banini_jeque
banini_jeque
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EVGA said they won't give me an experimental bios for my SLI 3. I wonder if I just used E758_SZ2Z. On the other hand, last night I realized that there's a possibility that since the new 6 and 12 core mac pros came out after 10.6.4, that they have a newer build which includes a newer power management kext that can handle 6 core support, and so possibly 10.6.5 will also include this. If that's the case then perhaps I'm just better off running the disabler for now, and then trying power management again when I update to 10.6.5.

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  • 1 month later...
banini_jeque
banini_jeque
Posted
Posted

So I just updated to 10.6.5, and I still get a KP if I try to do native PM. Is there anyone out there with an EVGA X58 board with a bios newer than sz2z that has native PM working?

 

On this thread on osx86.co, they claim the following:

 

First thing we found was BIOS version is very important if you want to continue any further you must be running BIOS E758_SZ2Z. If you don't know how to flash your bios don't bother reading this post any more. After flashing don't load bios setting from memory enter the settings manually. BIos settings should be similar to what you had before the flash but you should enable HPET 64bit and speedster and CxE function to C1E. Don't forget the AHCI needs to be enabled. reload to make sure it works correctly before continuing before adding anything else.

 

The reason for this version is because anything later supports the 6 core CPU and that is giving a KP when using native power management.

 

So what is Gigabyte doing differently for 6 core/32nm support that makes their bioses continue to work with native PM?

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  • 1 month later...
banini_jeque
banini_jeque
Posted
Posted

On EVGA's website, they list these differences between bios 44, which breaks AppleIntelCPUPM support, and SZ2Z, which enables it:

44 Updates:

 

Supports 32nm Desktop CPUs

Added "Turbo Performance" option (may boost performance if enabled)

Fixes 1866MHz Memory Ratio

 

SZ2Z Updates:

 

Added "Reserve RC for Bridge" - Enables resources for 5 VGA's

Added High Precision Event Timer

Disables PS2 keyboard in device manager if no PS2 keyboard present

 

To me, this suggests three possible causes.

 

1. The CPU microcode

 

2. The "Turbo Performance" option

 

3. Notice how the naming conventions of the bioses change from SZxx to just two digits. Does this mean that perhaps they did a complete rewrite and that the cause of our problem could be something unrelated to the added features in version 44?

 

I'm wondering if I replaced the CPU microcode in bios version 77 from EVGA with the microcode from a Gigabyte X58 board's bios if that would fix it, but I'm not sure if that's really the problem.

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  • 3 months later...
kdtt
kdtt
Posted
Posted
On EVGA's website, they list these differences between bios 44, which breaks AppleIntelCPUPM support, and SZ2Z, which enables it:

 

 

To me, this suggests three possible causes.

 

1. The CPU microcode

 

2. The "Turbo Performance" option

 

3. Notice how the naming conventions of the bioses change from SZxx to just two digits. Does this mean that perhaps they did a complete rewrite and that the cause of our problem could be something unrelated to the added features in version 44?

 

I'm wondering if I replaced the CPU microcode in bios version 77 from EVGA with the microcode from a Gigabyte X58 board's bios if that would fix it, but I'm not sure if that's really the problem.

I installed Lion previews and i found out something interesting. install Lion without applecpupowermanagement and save kernel cache . install applecpupowermanagement .just ignore warning saying extension that you installed is not usable.Repair permissions with terminal not with kextutility.then restart.you'll see powermanagement initialization complete and all kexts are loaded. But before restart or shut off you should change the kernel cache with your saved kernel cache.In preview2 there's a little differeces in cache file system.install lion without kext.and save kernelcache.install kext and you have to kextload powermanagement client first and then powermanagement .you'll see in initialization complete in console message.also you have to use -usecache kernelflag in prewiew 2 i have evga x58 classified e760 3 sticks not in triple mode bios 77

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kdtt
kdtt
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@kdtt

 

What boot loader did you use for Lion?

 

And is your sleep working?

xpc and [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] both work quite well. early versions needed to remove usb dongles and disable jmicron,but later versions are ok. [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] needs acpipatcher.efi though. latest versions of [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] and xpc would be fine. but there's no ehci when xpc is used. i heard that problem could be fixed by dsdt patching of ehci ownership. lion sleeps well but after sleep bios resets .if you are using bios before 44,then everything should be fine.

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