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1. Before you start
You must have the following stuff to make this project successful:
- a Dell Optiplex 3020 computer, ( Obviously :D ) I have the SFF form factor, this is the machine I've tested the EFI on. This guide and EFI should also work on the 3020 M, and 3020 MT too, without any modifications. To indentify your 3020, check this link.
- Access to a working Mac/Linux/Windows machine.
- A 16 GB pendrive. Keep in mind, during the preperation we will format the disk to create the install media, so back up your valuable files.
- Peripherals to interact with your Hackintosh computer.
- Displayport cable, since the VGA port will not work.
- 1-2 hours of free time, and patience.
You should consider some hardware upgrades to this machine, to archive the best results possible. In this section, we'll going through all the possible upgrades you might want to consider for the machine. If you're not interested in hardware upgrades, you can skip this section, but I strongly recommend to use a CPU with Intel HD4600 at least.
By default, my machine came with an Intel i3-4150 CPU, which is fine, but not ideal for a Hackintosh machine. This may vary between machines, so check your configuration.
The problem with the i3-4150 CPU is that it has Intel HD4400 graphics, which will work, but it will have some small issues, which I explain in this guide later. No Mac computer was shipped with this iGPU, so it is not suprising that it has issues. Consider upgrading to a CPU, that has Intel HD4600 graphics instead, LGA1150 Haswell CPUs are pretty cheap on the used market. Ideally, I would install an i5-4590S, since we're going to fake our machine as an iMac 15,1 and this machine was shipped with this exact CPU. Keep in mind, the cooling solution included in the machine is rated to 65W in case of the 3020 MT and SFF, and 35W in case of the 3020M. Please check the TDP rating of your new CPU. Also, keep in mind the capabilities of the power supply.
By default, my machine came with 4 GB of memory, which is fine, but far from perfect. Althrough Mac will run and work, you will experience some applications closing in the background, and some browser tabs will reload when you switching between them. I recommend using at least 8 GB RAM for optimal multi-tasking experience, and using 16 GB will hurt nobody. :) DDR3 1600MHz RAM sticks are pretty cheap too these days. The SFF computer I use has 2 RAM slots, one was populated with a 4 GB Hynix HMT451U6AFR8C-PB 1600MHz stick.
I highly recommend to install a SATA 3 SSD, to make things more speedy. My computer came with a Seagate SSHD, with 500GB of capacity. Since optical drives pretty much dead at this point, I've decided to keep disconnected mine, and install an SSD instead. On the drive tray, you have space for two 2,5" drives, so no need to remove the ODD. I've installed the main system on the SSD, and I use the SSHD for backups. I would recommend using Samsung SSDs.
The onboard Gigabit Ethernet is working perfectly, so no need to install an ethernet card, unless you want to use some fancy 10Gb cards. I would recommend to install a Wifi+Bluetooth card, with the Broadcomm BCM94360CD chipset. Althrough it is not required for a functioning system, it is needed to have Continuity, AirDrop, Handoff etc. The best part is, that no workarounds needed if you use this chipset, it's plug'n'play. They're pretty inexpensive on EBay, but always read the description, because some chinese dudes want to rip you off, as they will send you a card with a compatible, but not the exactly same, and slower chipset. Compatible chipsets will not work out-of-the box, so they will need some "kext magic" to be able to make them work. I see no reason to get a random card for slightly cheaper price, and it will casue more headaches for sure. If the description contains text like "maximum chipset", do not buy from that seller. I recommend this exact chipset, because it was included in the iMac15,1, and has WIFI+BT on the same PCIe card. Some other chipsets may work too, for more information, please read OpenCore's Wifi Buyers guide.
I've installed a Fenvi T919 Wifi+BT card. MacOS recognizes it as an AirportExtreme card, and works perfectly. Keep in mind, you may need to log out and log back into your Apple ID, becasue continuity services and handoff will not work. Of course, if you install the card before you install macOS, no such problem will exist. If you install the card later, this should fix this issue. I had to do this on my iPhone too, but it was my fault, as I've removed the card that I made work before, and reinstalled macOS later.
You can freely use any decicated GPU that supports by MacOS. Keep in mind, this machine's PSU don't have any PCIe power headers, so use a GPU that will work with power coming from just the PCIe socket. (Under 75 watts.) Upgrading PSU may be an option, but getting one for the SFF and M form factors are pretty difficult. I'm using the iGPU, since don't need any graphics intensive applications. It will work just fine for everything, other than video rendering/CAD/3D modeling/gaming.
Note on the PSU upgrade: as the computer uses ATX12VO standard PSU, it will be extremely difficult to find a proper replacement for it, so I cannot recommend to upgrade the PSU.
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