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

[Ausdauersportler]

If anyone experienced a similar issue and found a solution I would appreciate for advice.

This is a little bit digging in the dark:
Which firmware do you have installed? I saw exactly this error yesterday helping a friend remotely who has never updated his firmware to the latest version on a 2011 running High Sierra. Just apply the latest apple update from 2020 and the boot again the OpenCore...

 

[Ausdauersportler]

In regards to OC... Great job @Nick [D]vB and @highvoltage12v and @Ausdauersportler for helping with the tests.
If it is not, then I was struggling to find a way to progress with the native Catalina installation, even if the installer was booted from the OC Catalina loader. So the ultimate question I am arriving at is: Should I just continue to use dosdude's installer or rely on the OC Catalina loader for the Catalina install, knowing that I will eventually need to utilise OC for boots and brightness control?

You have to use Dosdude's installer to get Catalina or Mojave on your iMac(s). I made the same assumption but currently this OpenCore Loader is made for getting brightness control and boot screens and some hardware acceleration, only. It is not configured to fool the Apple Installer and let it think you have a supported machine.
There is no gain to boot this OpenCore with a card not yet supported or even better with an old ATI graphics adapter, which provides everything you try to get.

 

[smgutierrezsb]

Teamviewer has been installed, and the NVtools folder is on the desktop with the flash rom files ready to go. Also the Page file and Hibernate file have been pared down to 2GB each to avoid running out of space at 15gb. No bootcamp drivers were loaded to maximize portability.

Windows 7 Bootcamp pkg installer iMac

Thank you for this. Install worked perfectly after disabling SIP.
Question: How does one get teamviewer working without network drivers?

 

[Aesthetica]

Absolutely love this thread, a lot of work going in to making these old iMacs even better.

I've got a few questions before I choose which GPU to buy... I'm looking for the lightest touch solution ideally, with as little modification as possible, so might go with an MXM Type A card... but I also want the performance of an MXM type B card.

1)Is anyone playing any games on any of the Quadro series? Do they stack up at all to any of the GTXs or are they in a different league? (ofc now a Quadro card + Geforce Now would be a decent option if I decide I want to fill this social distancing time with video games lol)

2) Also, I've seen a few videos where people are installing GTX series cards (so type B) in both 21.5 and 27 inch iMacs without any kind of modification to the heatsink or X bracket, what card do I need to get for that to be the case for me? Or is it a case of getting lucky? I'm happy to by a Dremel if I have to, but ideally I'd like to avoid it!

edit: I think this to do with what card you had in originally? I have a 6770M 512MB which is Type A, does this make modification inevitable if I want to use a Type B card?

3) Does the manufacturer of the card no longer matter when flashed with Nicks vBios? I remember reading a lot about it having to be a Dell / Alienware card in the past but there are a lot of HP / Clevo cards on eBay, will these work too?

 

[baller status]

Absolutely love this thread, a lot of work going in to making these old iMacs even better.

I've got a few questions before I choose which GPU to buy... I'm looking for the lightest touch solution ideally, with as little modification as possible, so might go with an MXM Type A card... but I also want the performance of an MXM type B card.

1)Is anyone playing any games on any of the Quadro series? Do they stack up at all to any of the GTXs or are they in a different league? (ofc now a Quadro card + Geforce Now would be a decent option if I decide I want to fill this social distancing time with video games lol)

2) Also, I've seen a few videos where people are installing GTX series cards (so type B) in both 21.5 and 27 inch iMacs without any kind of modification to the heatsink or X bracket, what card do I need to get for that to be the case for me? Or is it a case of getting lucky? I'm happy to by a Dremel if I have to, but ideally I'd like to avoid it!

3) Does the manufacturer of the card no longer matter when flashed with Nicks vBios? I remember reading a lot about it having to be a Dell / Alienware card in the past but there are a lot of HP / Clevo cards on eBay, will these work too?

I attempted to put a 765M into my 2011 21.5" as a few have reported success. However, even after attempting extensive modifications over the course of a month and failing, I am just happy to have it back to stock again.

I swapped to a SSD, got a GPU heatsink from a 27", removed some plastic brackets that were glued to the inside of the case, spaced the GPU off the heatsink with a copper spacer, got longer screws to account for the spacer, ground two spots down on the heatsink to clear the other components, used squishy pads so the RAM chips could cool on the heatsink, chopped the heat exchanger fins down to make space for the cd drive (was still unsuccessful, I'd likely have to remove the CD drive altogether and further cut the fins to fit inside the case to make this work.)

I can see no way to use the stock GPU heatsink. The MXM B card hits the coolant tubes. I'm not experienced with copper but I feel like if you try to bend those tubes, they'll pinch, crack or rip. And then the new angle in the heatsink will probably cause it to hit the case.

I broke one of the antenna cables, I think for the bluetooth, but was successful repairing it by buying an adapter and chopping the adaption off, soldering it to the cable.

I didn't get to the point of making a custom fan shroud to direct the HDD fan over the new GPU. The original GPU is 55w and the GTX cards are 75w, so a custom shroud and some finger crossing is required of anyone who finds a way to fit this GPU where I failed.

I drilled a hole in the HDD metal bracket and used it to mount the SSD. I had used a SSD USB adapter to copy the HDD onto the SSD. This is the only upgrade that remains after putting everything back to stock.

I took pics and videos of this entire failure :[


Your safest bet is to put a Quadro card in a 27". Its far inferior to the GTX card, and you'll lose the original backlight adjustment. Don't expect a drop in install with no side effects, that just doesn't exist here.

 

[inck243]

Does anyone know which AMD card is newer? WX7100 or WZ4170? And how to find them? And are these Radeon Pro cards? I find Radeon Pro WX7100 but it doesn't look like a card that would fit in the mac. Thanks!

 

[NOTNlCE]

Does anyone know which AMD card is newer? WX7100 or WZ4170? And how to find them? And are these Radeon Pro cards? I find Radeon Pro WX7100 but it doesn't look like a card that would fit in the mac. Thanks!

They are from the same series. They are effectively MXM "RX 580" and MXM "RX 560" equivalents, but the reason most people are not using them is because they are scarce, especially with most of the exports from China shut down right now. The WX7100 you likely found is a full PC card, the one you want is an HP variant as an MXM-B form factor. For everyone debating features vs. performance, these AMD cards are likely the answer, if only they were as abundant as the older ones.

EDIT: A quick ebay search gave me just 2 results for the WX 4170, but the photos on the listing show a missing EEPROM as we expect - another caveat. And as many have seen, the WX 7100 MXMs are often improper listings, and are VERY expensive compared to something like a K1100M/K2100M. (Ebay showing me a listing for just under $400 US, yikes!)

 

[inck243]

They are from the same series. They are effectively MXM "RX 580" and MXM "RX 560" equivalents, but the reason most people are not using them is because they are scarce, especially with most of the exports from China shut down right now. The WX7100 you likely found is a full PC card, the one you want is an HP variant as an MXM-B form factor. For everyone debating features vs. performance, these AMD cards are likely the answer, if only they were as abundant as the older ones.

EDIT: A quick ebay search gave me just 2 results for the WX 4170, but the photos on the listing show a missing EEPROM as we expect - another caveat. And as many have seen, the WX 7100 MXMs are often improper listings, and are VERY expensive compared to something like a K1100M/K2100M. (Ebay showing me a listing for just under $400 US, yikes!)

thank you! so an nvidia one might be easiest and cheaper to get. is a 2100m the best one? are the AMDs way better than the 2100M? & compared to the stock 6750m think the 2100m is worth updating to?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Absolutely love this thread, a lot of work going in to making these old iMacs even better.

Most of you questions will be answered while reading the very first post of this thread.
I would recommend a K2100M, no heat sink mods, performance nearly on the level of the original. And do not do experiments like putting big cards in small machines when you are a beginner.
The more performance you need the more expensive and bigger the cards become and heat sink mode will become necessary, too.
If you start with an 21,5“ model and want something by far more powerful buy a defective 2011 27“ (cheaper than a used GTX card) and do the mods there. This machine has the proper heat sink, power supply, etc.
Using the Dremel was the most easy part when working on the 2011...

 

[Aesthetica]

Most of you questions will be answered while reading the very first post of this thread.
I would recommend a K2100M, no heat sink mods, performance nearly on the level of the original. And do not do experiments like putting big cards in small machines when you are a beginner.
The more performance you need the more expensive and bigger the cards become and heat sink mode will become necessary, too.
If you start with an 21,5“ model and want something by far more powerful buy a defective 2011 27“ (cheaper than a used GTX card) and do the mods there. This machine has the proper heat sink, power supply, etc.
Using the Dremel was the most easy part when working on the 2011...

Thanks for the info - I should have mentioned that I have the 27 inch - the reason I ask is because I've seen videos (Macintoshmen and Greg Hrutkay on Youtube) where the don't do any modification, they just drop it in there (on both a 21.5 and a 27) which contradicts what the first post tells me.

The main reason I don't want to Dremel is because its a (largely unused) family computer and I don't want to scare anyone. lol - not completely adverse to doing it if I have to

 

[DamianK]

This is a little bit digging in the dark:
Which firmware do you have installed? I saw exactly this error yesterday helping a friend remotely who has never updated his firmware to the latest version on a 2011 running High Sierra. Just apply the latest apple update from 2020 and the boot again the OpenCore...

Hooray, update machine to the latest firmware did the job, everything works now.

Thank You!

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Thanks for the info - I should have mentioned that I have the 27 inch - the reason I ask is because I've seen videos (Macintoshmen and Greg Hrutkay on Youtube) where the don't do any modification, they just drop it in there (on both a 21.5 and a 27) which contradicts what the first post tells me.

The main reason I don't want to Dremel is because its a (largely unused) family computer and I don't want to scare anyone. lol - not completely adverse to doing it if I have to

I can get a new card running just hanging in the system without a heat sink at all. So why we need a heat sink? Why somebody should care about a proper seating of the card and the correct usage of K5, MX-2, etc.
I do not comment on “YouTube videos”. This thread is more than 7 years old, has caused probably more than 1000 successful upgrades, I can confirm myself that big cards do not fit on unchanged heat sinks, too.
[automerge]1585130679[/automerge]

I attempted to put a 765M into my 2011 21.5" as a few have reported success. However, even after attempting extensive modifications over the course of a month and failing, I am just happy to have it back to stock again....

...Your safest bet is to put a Quadro card in a 27". Its far inferior to the GTX card, and you'll lose the original backlight adjustment. Don't expect a drop in install with no side effects, that just doesn't exist here.

No, choosing a K1100M or K2100M gives you brightness control and boot selection with the latest OpenCore boot image, when properly configured

 

[Aesthetica]

I can get a new card running just hanging in the system without a heat sink at all. So why we need a heat sink? Why somebody should care about a proper seating of the card and the correct usage of K5, MX-2, etc.
I do not comment on “YouTube videos”. This thread is more than 7 years old, has caused probably more than 1000 successful upgrades, I can confirm myself that big cards do not fit on unchanged heat sinks, too.

Yeah no doubt this is an amazing thread! - its just a shame that there doesn't seem to be any video content following best practice from the main post as its always more useful than a FAQ format. Anyway if I do end up buying a GTX card, I'll film it or take a bunch of pics for the visual learners like myself!

Can anyone comment as to whether this Alienware GTX 770m 3gb would be a good choice?

 

[periergos]

Hi! I have a question! if I install in my mid 2010 iMac mojave or catalina, which I have upgraded the GPU (k2000m) and flashed with nicks costum bios rom can I install with bootcamp win10 then?

 

[marmo]

Hi!
i have imac 21,5 mid 2010 High Sierra + Bootcamp 6 Windows 10 pro with i7 860s + nvidia 765m + 2 ssd, everything working.
I would like to enable boot screen to get into mac os if I need it.
Just load the GPU rom with nvflash? or I have to do something else?

Thanks

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Hi! I have a question! if I install in my mid 2010 iMac mojave or catalina, which I have upgraded the GPU (k2000m) and flashed with nicks costum bios rom can I install with bootcamp win10 then?

Apple blacklisted some old models to install Win10 on these machines. There is a hack available, instructions to modify the bootcamp software to make this happen you will find in this link or in another forum thread, too. The card will run with Windows. At least my 780M and K2100M do this. If you have a bootable Windows DVD you may go this way, I did the boot stick method, which breaks the Audio in Windows...
[automerge]1585138776[/automerge]

Hi!
i have imac 21,5 mid 2010 High Sierra + Bootcamp 6 Windows 10 pro with i7 860s + nvidia 765m + 2 ssd, everything working.
I would like to enable boot screen to get into mac os if I need it.
Just load the GPU rom with nvflash? or I have to do something else?

Thanks

Please, read the first page of this forum thread and follow the links and instructions regarding the BIOS and flash methods listed or linked there. Since you are already running Windows you may just use the Windows nvflash version.

 

[marmo]

Apple blacklisted some old models to install Win10 on these machines. There is a hack available, instructions to modify the bootcamp software to make this happen you will find in this link or in another forum thread, too. The card will run with Windows. At least my 780M and K2100M do this. If you have a bootable Windows DVD you may go this way, I did the boot stick method, which breaks the Audio in Windows...
[automerge]1585138776[/automerge]

Please, read the first page of this forum thread and follow the links and instructions regarding the BIOS and flash methods listed or linked there. Since you are already running Windows you may just use the Windows nvflash version.

Thanks, yes I read it but I did not understand if just have to flash the bios of the gpu or if there is something else to do

 

[periergos]

thanks Ausdauersportler for your quick reply! I read the forum but it says if you are running el capitan, my consideration is when we run the patched mojave or catalina! will it be possible then?

 

[PolyphemusNL]

FWIW: I just tried to install a fresh copy of Catalina 10.15.4 with Dosdude's installer via USB stick on my 2011 27 inch with a K1100, but I only get a blank/black screen, after installation.

 

[Kieran Roberts]

Hello just had this error message whilst trying to flash a 1000M

can someone help me in why this didnt work. The New Graphics Card was listed as a Nvidia Quadro 1000M, Is there a difference between a 1000M and a K100M?

cheers

root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash # ./nvflash_linux -6 Quadro_Beta1.2/K1000.rom

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.414.0)
Simplified Version For OEM Only
Checking for matches between display adapter(s) and image(s)...

Adapter: Quadro 1000M         (10DE,0DFA,103C,0854) H:--:NRM  S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

WARNING: None of the firmware image compatible PCI Device ID's
match the PCI Device ID of the adapter.
  Adapter PCI Device ID:        0DFA
  Firmware image PCI Device ID: 0FFC
WARNING: Firmware image PCI Subsystem ID (1028.153E)
  does not match adapter PCI Subsystem ID (103C.0854).
WARNING: None of the firmware image compatible Board ID's
match the Board ID of the adapter.
  Adapter Board ID:        CE25
  Firmware image Board ID: E00F

NOTE: Exception caught.
Nothing changed!

 

[ZenSurfeur]

I am creating a guide linked to the first page to show how to reinstall HD3000 sleep kext as well as bring back Airplay and intel Quicksync rendering. This guide is exclusive to 2011 iMacs Running Mojave or Catalina.

1. download Kext Utility from here http://cvad-mac.narod.ru/index/0-4 download Hackintool from here http://headsoft.com.au/download/mac/Hackintool.zip download and unzip my files at the bottom of this post for Mojave or Catalina.
2. Move files to the desktop, (Catalina only) Open Hackintool, move to the Tools tab and click on the GateKeeper icon, enter your password and Finder should restart, this unlocks the System Partition.View attachment 885972
3. Unzip the Mojave or Catalina files and unzip them to the Desktop. Drag Kext Utility into the same folder as the kexts. Drag the kexts onto Kext Utility, they will install but Kext utility will give a timeout error in Catalina, this is normal. You can reboot your iMac now, Sleep/Airplay should work. View attachment 885982View attachment 885983Part 2: Enabling Intel QuickSync for rendering using the IGPU.​
4. Since Mac OS Mojave, Apple changed the "AppleGVA.framework to longer be compatible with Sandybridge CPU's. To reenable QuickSync we have to reinstall a Private framework from High Sierra. The 'AppleGVA.framework' included works with both Mojave and Catalina.
5. (Catalina) Use Hackintool to unlock the System partition as shown earlier
6. navigate to /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/ take the unzipped AppleGVA.framework and drag it into a blank area of the PrivateFrameworks folder. click "Replace" from the Finder popup. View attachment 885986
7. Open terminal and enter the following:

   sudo chmod -R 755 /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/AppleGVA.framework THEN ENTER
   sudo chown -R 0:0 /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/AppleGVA.framework

View attachment 886317
You can reboot now.

Optional you can download Mac X video recorder and check to make sure intel QuickSync is enabled.
View attachment 886318

Spoiler: Original post

Okay,
I have figured out the slow boot issue in Catalina and allowing the HD3000 kexts to be installed along the "AppleIntelSNBGraphicsFB" that was mentioned earlier. Turns out you need to modify the IOSURFACE.kext file (File from @dosdude1 patcher, all I did was replace it within the kext) and install the patched iosurface.kext with the HD3000 kexts. Now I have a normal boot time and proper sleep/wake function.

I also added the AppleGraphicsPowerManagement.kext from the patcher, I have not done any testing yet if this kext has any improvement on MXM cards, but it's a newer version than the one from High Sierra 110.23.46 vs. 110.23.37

EDIT: looks like the AppleMCCSControl.kext should be added along with IOSurface.kext to prevent artifacts in Safari.

To install I use "Hackintool" to unlock the Catalina System partition to install, then drag all the files on top of Kext Utility to install. Alternatively you can open terminal and type


I also added Mojave proper sleep kexts to this post as well.

Catalina Sleep Kexts still work as of 10.15.2, if performing a software update it is necessary to reinstall AppleMCCSControl.kext. Otherwise webpages on Safari won't load right.

hello Hackingtool's link is dead
[automerge]1585143367[/automerge]

Hello just had this error message whilst trying to flash a 1000M

can someone help me in why this didnt work. The New Graphics Card was listed as a Nvidia Quadro 1000M, Is there a difference between a 1000M and a K100M?

cheers

root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash # ./nvflash_linux -6 Quadro_Beta1.2/K1000.rom

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.414.0)
Simplified Version For OEM Only
Checking for matches between display adapter(s) and image(s)...

Adapter: Quadro 1000M         (10DE,0DFA,103C,0854) H:--:NRM  S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

WARNING: None of the firmware image compatible PCI Device ID's
match the PCI Device ID of the adapter.
  Adapter PCI Device ID:        0DFA
  Firmware image PCI Device ID: 0FFC
WARNING: Firmware image PCI Subsystem ID (1028.153E)
  does not match adapter PCI Subsystem ID (103C.0854).
WARNING: None of the firmware image compatible Board ID's
match the Board ID of the adapter.
  Adapter Board ID:        CE25
  Firmware image Board ID: E00F

NOTE: Exception caught.
Nothing changed!

Graphics Card Comparison - Head 2 Head

NVIDIA Quadro K1000M vs NVIDIA Quadro M1000M vs NVIDIA Quadro K3100M - Benchmarks, Tests and Comparisons

www.notebookcheck.net

K means kepler gpu based which is needed
1000m is Maxwell gpu based
your card is not a kepler that's why you got the error during flashing

 

[Aesthetica]

Hello just had this error message whilst trying to flash a 1000M

can someone help me in why this didnt work. The New Graphics Card was listed as a Nvidia Quadro 1000M, Is there a difference between a 1000M and a K100M?

cheers

root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash # ./nvflash_linux -6 Quadro_Beta1.2/K1000.rom

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.414.0)
Simplified Version For OEM Only
Checking for matches between display adapter(s) and image(s)...

Adapter: Quadro 1000M         (10DE,0DFA,103C,0854) H:--:NRM  S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

WARNING: None of the firmware image compatible PCI Device ID's
match the PCI Device ID of the adapter.
  Adapter PCI Device ID:        0DFA
  Firmware image PCI Device ID: 0FFC
WARNING: Firmware image PCI Subsystem ID (1028.153E)
  does not match adapter PCI Subsystem ID (103C.0854).
WARNING: None of the firmware image compatible Board ID's
match the Board ID of the adapter.
  Adapter Board ID:        CE25
  Firmware image Board ID: E00F

NOTE: Exception caught.
Nothing changed!

I made the same mistake 🤦‍♂️ 1000M is a different card - I also bought one off eBay when I was in a rush.

 

[Kieran Roberts]

hello Hackingtool's link is dead
[automerge]1585143367[/automerge]

Graphics Card Comparison - Head 2 Head

NVIDIA Quadro K1000M vs NVIDIA Quadro M1000M vs NVIDIA Quadro K3100M - Benchmarks, Tests and Comparisons

www.notebookcheck.net

K means kepler gpu based which is needed
1000m is Maxwell gpu based
your card is not a kepler that's why you got the error during flashing

ah Thank You!, awh that a shame , So this 1000M is not going to work at all then!? haha
[automerge]1585143916[/automerge]

I made the same mistake 🤦‍♂️ 1000M is a different card - I also bought one off eBay when I was in a rush.

Ah bad news! Me being the newbie i didn't think there was a difference!
K1000M seem to be quite rare!. Cant find a K1000M, K1100M, K2000M, K2100 in the UK for a reasonable price on eBay.
However, i picked up a K1100M last week for my 27inch iMac for a really good price.

Ill have to keep my eyes open

 

[Ausdauersportler]

thanks Ausdauersportler for your quick reply! I read the forum but it says if you are running el capitan, my consideration is when we run the patched mojave or catalina! will it be possible then?

I have Catalina, and Mojave, and Windows 10 (what a shame) installed on my iMac 2011 using a K2100M. Started off Catalina with my BootCamp hack and USB install. So it should be possible.

 

[ZenSurfeur]

I have Catalina, and Mojave, and Windows 10 (what a shame) installed on my iMac 2011 using a K2100M. Started off Catalina with my BootCamp hack and USB install. So it should be possible.

I got imac 27 mid 2011 ( i7 3,4Ghz)and will using a K2100M

Do you have native brightless?
Can you gimme me the files you used with open core?