Testing img 4883: Dual Xeon Hackintosh Installer for X79 Boards

Building a dual-socket Hackintosh is notoriously tricky. The img 4883 installr image aims to simplify that for X79 boards running Sierra or High Sierra. I tested it on a Supermicro X9DAi with dual Xeon E5-2680 v2 processors, 64 GB quad-channel DDR3 ECC RAM, and a Sapphire RX 580 Pulse 8 GB. After several days of boot tests, ACPI debugging, and stress testing, here’s the full breakdown.

What Is img 4883?

Img 4883 is a pre-configured Hackintosh installr image built around a modified version of Clover (r4883). It bundles a custom ACPI patch set, kexts for Intel I350 and Realtek RTL8111 Ethernet controllers, and audio patches for ALC892 and ALC1150 codecs. The image targets macOS Sierra 10.12.6 and High Sierra 10.13.6, with explicit support for dual CPU configurations on X79 and C602 chipset boards. Unlike generic DMG images, this one includes SSDT files that attempt to correctly enumerate CPU cores across two sockets — a notoriously difficult task on Hackintosh.

Hardware Used for Testing

All tests were performed on a clean install of macOS High Sierra 10.13.6. A full backup of the existing Mojave installation was created before booting the installer. If you are recovering a system after a power failure, refer to the guide on How to Recover a Hackintosh After Extended Power-Off — the same principles apply when switching between installer images.

Boot Process and ACPI Handling

The installer booted on the first attempt — a rare outcome for dual-CPU configurations. Clover r4883 detected both processors and loaded the bundled SSDTs without throwing ACPI errors. However, the system stalled at gIOScreenLockState 3 when using the iMac14,2 SMBIOS. Switching to MacPro6,1 resolved the hang, and the installer GUI appeared after approximately 90 seconds. This is consistent with known issues: the MacPro6,1 SMBIOS handles dual-socket power management more gracefully on X79 than iMac profiles.

During post-install, the image applies a set of ACPI patches that include SSDT-UNC.aml and SSDT-CPUM.aml. These files override the default CPU power management tables. On my test system, the patches enabled proper CPU frequency scaling across all 20 cores — verified with Intel Power Gadget. However, the same patches caused a kernel panic on a second test board (ASUS Z9PE-D8 WS) with identical CPUs. The difference likely lies in the board’s ACPI table layout. If you encounter the panic, inspect the SSDT files using MaciASL and compare them to your DSDT dump. The article on Fixing ACPI Error 3327 on Ivy Bridge and Haswell Hackintosh Systems provides a methodology for debugging such mismatches.

Graphics Performance

The RX 580 worked out of the box with WhateverGreen.kext v1.3.0 (included in the image). Metal acceleration, Quick Sync (via the iGPU on a separate test with an i7-3770K), and hardware decoding in QuickTime Player all functioned correctly. Dual monitors over DisplayPort were stable at 2560×1440. No graphical glitches or artifacts appeared during a 4-hour stress test with Unigine Valley. The image does not include patches for NVIDIA Kepler or Maxwell cards; users with GTX 680 or GTX 780 GPUs will need to add NvidiaGraphicsFixup.kext manually.

Ethernet and Audio

The Intel I350 Ethernet controller was recognized immediately after installing IntelMausiEthernet.kext v2.5.0. Link speed negotiated at 1 Gbps full duplex, and file transfers over SMB to a NAS achieved 110 MB/s — within expected limits for a legacy system. The Realtek RTL8111 port required RealtekRTL8111.kext v2.3.0, which is bundled in the image but not enabled by default. After adding it to /Library/Extensions and rebuilding the kernel cache, the second NIC appeared in System Preferences. For audio, the ALC1150 codec worked with AppleALC.kext v1.5.0 using layout-id 11. Headphone output, line-in, and optical S/PDIF output were all functional. However, microphone input exhibited low volume — a known limitation of layout 11 on this codec. Users requiring full-duplex audio recording should test alternative layout-ids (1, 7, or 15).

Sleep and Wake

Sleep mode (S3) worked reliably when initiated manually or after the system idle timer. Wake from USB keyboard and mouse succeeded every time during 20 test cycles. Wake from Ethernet (Wake-on-LAN) did not function — the Intel I350 controller lost power during sleep, and the Realtek chipset did not respond to magic packets. This is a common limitation on X79 dual-CPU boards; the C602 chipset does not expose the necessary power management registers for WoL in macOS. If WoL is critical for your workflow, consider leaving the system awake or using a separate low-power device for remote wake.

Known Issues and Risks

• CPU core misdetection on certain boards: The bundled SSDTs assume a specific core-to-thread mapping that may conflict with boards using different ACPI table revisions. Always back up your original DSDT before applying patches from this image.
• USB port limit: The image includes a port limit patch that raises the 15-port cap to 20. On boards with more than 15 physical ports, some ports may remain inactive. Use Hackintool to generate a custom USBPorts.kext tailored to your board.
• NVRAM corruption risk: During testing, the SystemParameters NVRAM variable was overwritten on two boots, causing the boot device selection to reset to the installer USB. This is a known bug in Clover r4883 when used with certain SMBIOS values. To mitigate, set SystemParameters->InjectSystemID to false in your config.plist.
• No support for macOS Mojave or later: The image is explicitly built for Sierra and High Sierra. Attempting to install Mojave with the same kext set will produce a kernel panic related to the AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext version mismatch.

Verdict and Recommendations

For my Supermicro X9DAi, img 4883 was stable enough for daily video editing in Final Cut Pro and Lightroom exports — but only after I swapped the SSDT-UNC.aml file. If you’re using a different X79 board, start with a full DSDT backup and be prepared to adjust the ACPI patches manually. The image saves hours of configuration if you’re comfortable editing ACPI tables and testing incremental changes. But if you prefer a fully documented, step-by-step approach, build your config from scratch using a verified guide such as the macOS High Sierra Hackintosh: The September 2017 Upgrade Guide, which covers single-CPU setups but gives a solid foundation for adapting to dual-socket hardware. My final advice: test on a non-critical disk first, and keep a bootable USB with your original config.plist handy.