iM 4,1-14,4 2011 iMac Graphics Card Upgrade

[Fooze]

Feeling defeated...I've been struggling with a new to me 870m for the last two nights. I'm getting a blank screen on the iMac but screen sharing works. I've tried everything I can think of. I read through all these posts multiple times. I should have gone with the verified 780m choice. I've been holding out for a $300 deal or so on one of those. In the meantime a 870m showed up locally on Craigslist. I talked the guy way down and figured it was worth a shot. The thing that's strange is that OSX recognizes the card as an nvidia card and the ram (3GB) is shown correctly but the model is snown as the chip NVIDIA N15E-GT 3072 MB and not the 870M I would anticipate seeing. Am I overlooking something major here? Is it possible that I need to install a new firmware on the card? I don't have bootcamp set up on this iMac. Is it possible to install a new firmware (possible an unlocked version) via OSX? I'm out of ideas so I'd appreciate any ideas from the other members who have upgraded their GPUs to non-Apple cards.

I can only get into the Mac via screen sharing when the OSX drivers are enabled. If I restart with the nvidia drivers enabled screen sharing no longer works, the caps lock key doesn't light, but I can hear the fans spinning inside the iMac. The only way to get back in via screen sharing is is to do a pram reset which conveniently switches back to the OSX drivers.

After multiple trips to Best Buy I can also verify that the thunderbolt connectors do not support external monitors or TVs. I tried 4 different means to get in via the thunderbolt outputs. 1)Thunderbolt to thunderbolt via two Macs 2)Genuine Apple mini displayport to VGA cables to two different old school VGA monitors 3)Genuine Apple mini displayport to DVI to an old LCD monitor and 4)a Best Buy Insignia house brand mini displayport to HDMI. I tried all 4 converters with both OSX and nvidia drivers on both thunderbolt ports restarting every single time. I was very meticulous to try and exhaust every single combination I could think of.

After all that, the only thing that works is screen sharing with OSX drivers. Please advise.

 

[tom3008]

hey
i got a imac 27“ mid 2011 with a defect graphic card and the free changing program is over...
i read much in this amazing thread and want do replace my graphic card on my own
i have an gaming notebook with thunderbolt
and i want to use the imac mainly as an further display over thunderbolt (as it should be possible, can report about that at weekend after i got her thunderbolt cable). but i need it working when i have visitors.

so my questions
i prefer a gtx780m for the mac or a 680m (should worke too?), but where do i get them? i m from germany and ebay does not has much and the few it has are pretty expensive. further more, i could not buy a mobile graphic card directly from nivedia, only the desktop models.
second question ist: some problems with a second display, beside the imac, were mentioned here. can i still use the imac as a second display for a windows computer with tunderbolt, after i updated the graphic card?

thanks for ur help at this point

 

[flopticalcube]

Look into buying on taobao.com and use Chrome to auto-translate.

 

[havokalien]

Doesnt look like that card works or the cable that plugs into the monitor is connected. Sometimes if taken apart too harshly the connector on the motherboard seperates. If you do a search on the internet they have pages and pages of repair parts on ebay for that very connector.

Have you tried the oven bake trick for the old card? I have been able to get months of use out of my 2010 imac doing that and using a fan control to keep it cooler.

 

[Schprecher]

There is a firmware that tells it its a mac and how to work. All the apple cards will basically work across different years of the imacs and just work. Thats because they have correct firmware for the hardware. The OS has drivers built in for all the cards. The reason some PC cards work but lose function is the driver is in the OS but you lose brightness control and boot apple since the firmware is not there to load like in the apple version. Apples firmware chip is larger. If you search the internet some you can get more specific answers. This topic is years old for the imacs.

Who do u think know some information about Grapchics card EFI, here on this Formum?
let say for us, what tools need for first steps to thinking about EFI unpacking or
disassembly roms.

or we don't looking for help here?

 

[havokalien]

need whole new chips as the roms on the cards are not big enough on the PC cards. Like I said do an internet search. You cannot just flash a PC card and make it work here.

 

[Schprecher]

need whole new chips as the roms on the cards are not big enough on the PC cards. Like I said do an internet search. You cannot just flash a PC card and make it work here.

You wrong sir, a PC card its a same sh**.
maybe pps like u drop dust in eyes to hide something?

u think am idiot? and can't read datasheet for like the 6970M cads?
what about dell, they tricked they sh** for apple? no.. they can't.

Goddamn, let @MacVidCards something say about that.

 

[havokalien]

the efi chip is supposedly bigger than the non apple cards and no one has flashed them yet. Im not trying to hide anything. Im just telling you what the data sheets and other sites have said.

Dont believe me fine do your own thing.

@MacVidCards is one of the posts I read from so believe what you want. He already posted he would try and work with these if someone send him some.
[doublepost=1458259210][/doublepost]I will say that the cards are not physically the same as the heat sinks I have had to modify with a dremel to make fit and put on thermal paste and thermal tape/mat to shim up areas to get the cards to be cooled correctly.

But go ahead Schprecher and think your way and throw attitude my way for no reason.

Dont like my answer then ignore it.

 

[tom3008]

Look into buying on taobao.com and use Chrome to auto-translate.

yes, thank you
i even read here about taobao.com but did not took the google chrome translater to understand it, now it works

have some people experience with taobao.com?
it it save to by there and let them ship the graphic cards to a country far away? and do they have an english support / contact?

 

[FaelCarvalhoo]

Hi folks, i bought last week another iMac, a late 2009 27"with AMD serie 4 with 512mb.
I would to know if its possible put a non official Apple card in iMac without lost a boot screen?
if anyone know one card works in this way please send me de link

 

[havokalien]

no , non apple card = no apple boot screen

 

[madeirabhoy]

hey
i got a imac 27“ mid 2011 with a defect graphic card and the free changing program is over...
i read much in this amazing thread and want do replace my graphic card on my own
i have an gaming notebook with thunderbolt
and i want to use the imac mainly as an further display over thunderbolt (as it should be possible, can report about that at weekend after i got her thunderbolt cable). but i need it working when i have visitors.

so my questions
i prefer a gtx780m for the mac or a 680m (should worke too?), but where do i get them? i m from germany and ebay does not has much and the few it has are pretty expensive. further more, i could not buy a mobile graphic card directly from nivedia, only the desktop models.
second question ist: some problems with a second display, beside the imac, were mentioned here. can i still use the imac as a second display for a windows computer with tunderbolt, after i updated the graphic card?

thanks for ur help at this point

are you sure the free changing program is definitely over? mine was replaced by apple 4 months ago, i thought they just kept extending the date every year, so it is worth checking.
[doublepost=1458395261][/doublepost]is lack of brightness control a major issue? i was thinking id never even used mine but then looked and realised its on an auto setting, do people find this a major problem?

 

[havokalien]

At fully bright in a dark room its a little bright for sure.

 

[sheldontung]

GTX 780m works fine with the new El Capitan 10.11.4. But you have to be patient because this upgrading process takes a longer time than the previous and the screen will keep dark until you hear the startup sound again. So just leave it be.
[doublepost=1458650825][/doublepost]

Look into buying on taobao.com and use Chrome to auto-translate.

Try alibaba.com. It is the global version of taobao.

 

[FaelCarvalhoo]

no , non apple card = no apple boot screen

I read some articles about flash de video card in Mac Pro, do you know if is possible to flash iMac video card with the same process?

 

[havokalien]

no
[doublepost=1458785957][/doublepost]the rom on a pc card is not the same size.

 

[luke9511]

Does it matter if I get a 6770 for a Dell or hp to replace my dead card?

 

[GrafCoks]

Hello you.
After hooving around here for some time and allways following it ...its now about time that I sign up.
I also decided to upgrade my Imac 2011 with an "new" GPU. I have done all upgrades whats in my possibility.
CPU, Memory, SSD. Now only remains the GPU.
Since this is also a wish of mine and I admire the work of @MacVidCards. I want to offer my support too.
MacVidCards tell me what exactly you need !? I prepared materials, provide workplace, and also donate.
I believe that is an incredibly important issue for many iMac User.
Unfortunately, I have the Problem to live on the other Side of the World (Germany, Greece)
Nevertheless, I offer space, donations, material and if needed also my distribution channels in Germany (if you intend to distribute that professional)

Currently I have an iMac 27 Late 2011 - Intel i7 3.4 GHz and a Radeon HD 6970 2GB.
I try to get my Hands on a GTX 780m.

For tips and help I would be very grateful.

 

[tom3008]

are you sure the free changing program is definitely over? mine was replaced by apple 4 months ago, i thought they just kept extending the date every year, so it is worth checking.

yeah, i checked it
it is not complete over, becaus it is 4 years long after the first sell
they are still reparing imacs from mid / late 2012, becaust they are in the 4 years
the apple store told me, i can try it and come to a meeting into the apple store with my imac but the chance are really low but he cant say it defenitely to me...
thats a pretty bad answer, if i have to drive 2 * over 100 km to the next store for a really low chance...

i m actually still looking for a cheap good gtx over ebay, heard bad things about taobao and alibaba...
i maybe try a gtx 870m or 670 / 660m because i m not getting a 780m here

 

[off_piste]

I got my hopes up reading this thread title because my wife has a mid-2011 27" iMac in which I'd love to upgrade the video card. From scanning this thread it looks like a royal pain in the ass, will lack some functionality from OEM, would be overly expensive, and won't even be close to plug and play like GPUs in a normal computer.

I just ordered a 500gb Samsung 850 SSD and an excessive amount of RAM so that will likely be the extent of the upgrades. I don't think there would be much improvement upgrading the 3.1 ghz i5.

 

[Gonzalofv]

Hi to all
First at all i want to clarified that the extension repair program is 4 years from the day of purchased
Second and the most important is that apple won't fix any more your iMac , it use to be £192(around $250) but now it

went all the way to £394 that is over $600 ,so is almost impossible to fix it

I run a independent apple repair shop and I've been trying to get the chips to fix the 6970 (ic 216-0811000) but they is no longer available on the market , the only places i can find is alliexpress or any chines web , even if that say is new it mean is new stock no brand new , i did ask to so many of them and the answer always is the same NO NEW CHIP IS AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET so I'm stuck

I do have the skills, equitment and the time to do any soldering at any level if is necessary to made the gtx 780m work correctly changing whatever is needed

I'm more than happy to help with $$ to sort this issue or donate some parts or even a iMac

I am not prepared to pay £394 or $600 for a machine worth almost same money as the card
if a y have a suggestion please PM at gonzalo@apple-bay.co.uk

 

[madeirabhoy]

yeah, i checked it
it is not complete over, becaus it is 4 years long after the first sell
they are still reparing imacs from mid / late 2012, becaust they are in the 4 years
the apple store told me, i can try it and come to a meeting into the apple store with my imac but the chance are really low but he cant say it defenitely to me...
thats a pretty bad answer, if i have to drive 2 * over 100 km to the next store for a really low chance...

i m actually still looking for a cheap good gtx over ebay, heard bad things about taobao and alibaba...
i maybe try a gtx 870m or 670 / 660m because i m not getting a 780m here

have you spoken to apple directly? not saying they will do anything but its worth a phone call.

i took mine in in october, as the screen was flickering, assumed it was the graphics card and was happy as i was within the 4 years. the apple authorised repair tested and it was the screen not the card. since i was out of guarantee, i was out of luck. i was quoted 600 euro for a new screen, and the guy was honest enough to say i was better spending 300 euro on a new monitor and hooking it up than spending silly money on a machine that was out of guarantee.


out of hope rather than expectation i phoned apple portugal, or rather put my number into their customer services webpage and they called me. since my portuguese is crap they transferred me to ireland, and a helpful and pleasant guy had a chat and said he thought i should speak to a supervisor. the supervisor asked me what id been quoted and i said about 600 for the screen and about 70 for new cables, and he said how about apple paid for the screen and i paid for the cables. happy with that, he'd make notes in the booking and to take the iMac back to the shop. when i took it to the shop though the notes said apple would pay for everything as goodwill. just as well as when i got it back a week later they'd replaced the screen and the graphics card and the cabling, at a cost of about the original purchase price.

 

[Schprecher]

Sorry for my English, but.

We are stuck here, this thread doesn't help anyone,
we have last chance to help together, its just write official document to the Apple.

I think we need post our message in the apple area on the main forum,
and making not bored life for Apple technical genius.

We stuck because, we don't have knowledge, about of EFI and
how try help ourselves in this problem.

So, on market we can't find a new card for iMac 27, A1312 6970M
or 6770. Apple

We need write to apple, together.

let Nvidia, or Apple, write custom EFI, for Nvidia Card based on MXM 3.0
for GTX 680M or GTX780M, 2Gb, And 4Gb include, Custom ROM
and this rom make in BINARY, for only soldering upgrade.
Okay, if they want for it money, let putting this rom to Apple Store and we are glad to buy it
at once.

We need to collect all vote for this message to apple.
let anyone who need second life for IMac 27 mid 2011
write post on apple site.

only that, we can solved this.
netkas or forum like that, can't help us.

 

[yifuhood]

Sorry for my English, but.

We are stuck here, this thread doesn't help anyone,
we have last chance to help together, its just write official document to the Apple.

I think we need post our message in the apple area on the main forum,
and making not bored life for Apple technical genius.

We stuck because, we don't have knowledge, about of EFI and
how try help ourselves in this problem.

So, on market we can't find a new card for iMac 27, A1312 6970M
or 6770. Apple

We need write to apple, together.

let Nvidia, or Apple, write custom EFI, for Nvidia Card based on MXM 3.0
for GTX 680M or GTX780M, 2Gb, And 4Gb include, Custom ROM
and this rom make in BINARY, for only soldering upgrade.
Okay, if they want for it money, let putting this rom to Apple Store and we are glad to buy it
at once.

We need to collect all vote for this message to apple.
let anyone who need second life for IMac 27 mid 2011
write post on apple site.

only that, we can solved this.
netkas or forum like that, can't help us.

I think apple will Never do that! Never! they want you to buy a new mac , that's it. it is a business.
I just hope there will be a very skilled software guy show up. if there is a Piano sonata only has a recording but not music score , if i have enough time and will , I can write if on paper with my 20 years of skills. Firmware maybe the same thing I guess.

 

[Schprecher]

I think apple will Never do that! Never! they want you to buy a new mac , that's it. it is a business.
I just hope there will be a very skilled software guy show up. if there is a Piano sonata only has a recording but not music score , if i have enough time and will , I can write if on paper with my 20 years of skills. Firmware maybe the same thing I guess.

u know, if they won't do that. !!think.!!
they lost half their users, and buyers.
i don't want pay for sh&& like Retina 5k.
how about if we are asking this in Youtube?
and anytime we says: "they won't help us. they leave us with nothing."
i know if that problem was be in only in upgrade target, but this problem mean,
no card in store, anyway no parts to reestablish old.
a lot of people here stuck in finding solve, for GTX.
goddamn, let do it only for one card, GTX680m or 780m.
let apple sale new card for old iMac 2011 year,
we are glad to buy it.

no card in store for replacement old.
no parts to reestablish old card.
goddamn, china sending resoldered cards with non apple chip, not with Blackcomb. changed it for BARTS PRO
from radeon hd 68xx series. its desktop graphics.
[doublepost=1459274421][/doublepost]Symptoms resoldered 6970m with BARTS PRO chip - is black screen on start with chime sound, and when osx loading, screen is up, system working ok. and about this mac tell "AMD Radeon HD 6xxxM"

goddamn, 6850 chip barts pro working fine, but goddamn efi don't know he's id.
maybe some one help us for solve this problem.
if we solve this problem we have some little change to reestablish old 6970m
[doublepost=1459274900][/doublepost]or i have some little apple trick with reference card. it mean, no full bios reading from 6970m card.
a some half part stay in main efi. some like id, or simple just efi shell driver for 6970m where i think
write id's card.

So, it like a use 4850m or 5750m from old iMac 2009 card in higher model, like iMac mid 2011. good card from iMac 27 2009-2010
not working in iMac 27 mid 2011. what happen? if native apple card from early model not working in late model,
and if we put late card 6970m in early model 2009-2010 it working good. i don't know what a F&&& is it!