There is quite a bit of information, both good and bad, out there about this workstation. I wanted to share some pointers I have learned (based on my knowledge base and google fu) along the way. Hopefully if you pick one of these up, some of this advice will help.
1) THIS guide is fairly correct, but avoid using other peoples DSDT's. I don't use one in my build and it works fine with SMBIOS MacPro 5,1. Also, his BIOS settings are closer to correct.
2) THIS guide has some good points, but I ended up having to combine both of the previously mentioned guides into something that works. The kexts mentioned on this guide are (some of) what I ended up using.
3) There are a few things you can disable in the BIOS (aside from things mentioned in the first guide) to speed up boot times:
*a) SAS Controller (this allows for more hard drives to be installed if you have the space.)
*b) Integrated Audio (With this on, my machine gives a code and requires me to press F1 to boot. It maybe operator error. I use Sabrent USB audio plug-ins)
*c) Network Boot (Getting rid of the ability to boot off of the network also speeds up boot time)
*d) Internal USB (yea, this thing supposedly has it. I don't use it nor do I need it)
4) Be familiar with the BIOS and all of the settings. There are many. Make sure your BIOS is 3.60 (last and latest). I even went so far as to install Windows 7 for the sole purpose of flashing the BIOS online. Have a Live OS DVD iso availible if needed.
5) Other than to fix things like SMBIOS, don't screw with the default config.plist that clover installs. Doing so may lead to another issue: Having to unplug and replug USB devices upon each boot. I have no idea what the fix for this is. I can send links for what I am using upon request. You will not find much info at all online for a proper config.plist. Through much trial and error, I have found that the kitchen sink approach works best. Following the guides for iMessage and Audio on the sidebar will help populate most of the settings needed in this list. Yes my iMessage and Facetime work.
6) Using the vanilla method works, but I have seen some people purposely put kexts in either S/L/E or L/E to make things work. I have also heard of people deleting actual system kexts. I did neither of these and my machine works ok. YMMV.
7) If you get a screen full of red text upon boot into clover, you did the clover install wrong. This is not a UEFI machine. Do yourself a favor and get on Corp's Discord Chat. Follow his BIOS clover boot settings advice (there are 3 settings to click and I forgot what they are).
8) This hack is not for the faint of heart, but with Rust-eze Ointment (and an insane amount of luck), you can look like me, Lightning McQueen. KACHOW!
9) There are a few Z800 users on here and quite a few on insanelymac. Discord is also useful. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
10) One way I have found to get around the stupid USB issue is to have a legit iMac Wired Keyboard with your wired mouse plugged into it. For some reason, it works.
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