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

[JohnShaw55]

Thanks Ausdauersportler I take another look, although I don't have another mac to do that on?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Thanks Ausdauersportler I take another look, although I don't have another mac to do that on?

You need a second device on your local network, probably an iPad using an SSH client will do.

 

[snam11]

also a win/linux machine and putty should be enough.
you need only a way to ssh to your imac

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Thanks, yeah I realized I had a brain fart and didn’t do all the steps before putting the card in smh. Thinking about getting the CH341a and flashing the vbios and giving it a try.

Think about using the Linux memory stick. You just need another computer/iPad/iPhone/device with an SSH client to make it happen.

 

[JohnShaw55]

"Ausdauersportler, is there a simple video somewhere... I'm a visual learner.

But apologies for being dim but how do I flash a video card for an i<Mac with my iPad???

 

[JohnShaw55]

sorry got it on first post... duh...

 

[stephengrenfell]

so guys, I have a little gift for you to give back after such an incredible thread
hope you like it, the headaches to get it running were immens for me as a newb.

I couldn't stand it to use fckin windows to flash the cards and so I prepared this ~350mb drive

I created a Linux Live USB (based on grml.org) Thumb Drive with nvflash_linux and Nicks Bioses preloaded. and its booting by itself so you can work blind with a new unpatched nvidia card plugged in. Also, its starting a ssh daemon and using DHCP to get an IP so you can remote login

Steps

Download
14 days left to download, uploaded here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/cztz4xqj2sru9gj/2011_imac_usb.zip/file

mirror by NOTNICE, thnx: https://cloud.notnlce.com/index.php/s/xkJP34GD6a9WziE/download


Prepare USB Drive or SD Card
so, you take a small usb thumb drive, partition it with disk utility on a Mac: GPT + FAT32
and just unzip the files structure onto the drive, no dd or etcher or something. just copy paste it. folder structure see attached screenshot. (you can remove the .roms I downloaded and download itself if you want to be sure about the correct file size. I did not verify them at all. use/flash at your own risk please)

Test & Try
test your thumb drive with a more or less working GPU/ external Screen or just have faith in me

Swap Hardware
swap your GPU to NVIDIA and (!) disconnect every SSD/HDD, makes it easier to boot blindly from one USB or SD Card, connect the ETH Cable (!)

Find IP
let the iMac boot, everything is black, the boot loader is waiting 20s before booting, so give the whole process 1min time, then head over to your Router Page and find the right IP that the iMac got through DHCP

SSH to the iMac
now fire up your terminal on a Win/Mac/Linux Machine of your choice and ssh to your iMac with
ssh root@YOURIP
Password: flash
Confirm the ssh id with yes and you should be in your iMac

Working Directory
cd /lib/live/mount/medium/flash

read the RADME in there… I will enjoy my brand new k2000m in my 27" 2011 iMac with Catalina 10.15.3
… and because this is so easy, I rebuild it to a K1100M and flashed that also

(someone could write some fancy scripts but I thought its saver that everyone is doing it command by command and don't stop thinking and trusting some scripts)

I have an iMac 27" 2011 with a dead GPU, so I have replaced it with a GTX780M. Since the machine wounld't even boot with the old GPU I chose to go down the route of Xanderon's bootable USB key.

But when I comare the VBIOS size after flashing the contents are not the same size, so I reflashed the VBIOS and same result not the same size. See attached output from Terminal SSH.

Can anyone help, please.

5 root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash # ./nvflash_linux --verify Kepler_Beta3/780M_EG2.rom                  :(

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.414.0)
Simplified Version For OEM Only
Adapter: GeForce GTX 780M     (10DE,119F,1028,05AA) H:--:NRM  S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

Identifying EEPROM...
EEPROM ID (C2,2012) : MX MX25L2005 2.7-3.6V 2048Kx1S, page
Reading adapter firmware image...
Current      - Version:DE.AD.00.BE.EF ID:10DE:119F:1028:05AA
               GeForce GTX 780M by Nick[D]vB (Normal Board)
Compare with - Version:DE.AD.00.BE.EF ID:10DE:119F:1028:05AA
               GeForce GTX 780M by Nick[D]vB (Normal Board)

ERROR: Size difference between file(262144) and adapter firmware (227328)
2 root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash # ./nvflash_linux -6 Kepler_Beta3/780M_EG2.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: GeForce GTX 780M     (10DE,119F,1028,05AA) H:--:NRM  S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

Current      - Version:DE.AD.00.BE.EF ID:10DE:119F:1028:05AA
               GeForce GTX 780M by Nick[D]vB (Normal Board)
Replace with - Version:DE.AD.00.BE.EF ID:10DE:119F:1028:05AA
               GeForce GTX 780M by Nick[D]vB (Normal Board)

Update display adapter firmware?
Press 'y' to confirm (any other key to abort):  y
Identifying EEPROM...
EEPROM ID (C2,2012) : MX MX25L2005 2.7-3.6V 2048Kx1S, page
Storing updated firmware image...
................................................................
Verifying update...
Update successful.

Firmware image has been updated from version DE.AD.00.BE.EF to DE.AD.00.BE.EF.


A reboot is required for the update to take effect.
root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash # ./nvflash_linux --verify Kepler_Beta3/780M_EG2.rom

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.414.0)
Simplified Version For OEM Only
Adapter: GeForce GTX 780M     (10DE,119F,1028,05AA) H:--:NRM  S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

Identifying EEPROM...
EEPROM ID (C2,2012) : MX MX25L2005 2.7-3.6V 2048Kx1S, page
Reading adapter firmware image...
Current      - Version:DE.AD.00.BE.EF ID:10DE:119F:1028:05AA
               GeForce GTX 780M by Nick[D]vB (Normal Board)
Compare with - Version:DE.AD.00.BE.EF ID:10DE:119F:1028:05AA
               GeForce GTX 780M by Nick[D]vB (Normal Board)

ERROR: Size difference between file(262144) and adapter firmware (227328)
2 root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash #                                                                                                       :(

 

[JohnShaw55]

Correction the 1544 means year 2015/ 44 week.
In other words production date.

Thanks notnice. Problem 1 is the board doesnt see the card - light 3 not lit.
It appears theres a short somewhere, just got a jolt from the cpu cooling fans...
I'll bake the old card and try it to check the connectors. Then I'll see if i can get the 780 working. I'm fairly mechanically aware but not an actual geek ;-) I did read the initial post...and have downloaded the rom but hard to use with a blank black screen ;-)

 

[meggle]

Hi, I just wanted to add my findings from a failed attempt at installing a WX7100 in my 27" 2011 iMac. It is the 109-C95847-00D variant with Ellesmere printing (see below for pictures front and back).

When I first got the card I installed it and two LEDs lit up, the system booted normally with chime. However, the card was not detected in OSX or Linux using lspci. I got a CH341 programmer and successfully flashed the AMD_GOP VBIOS but still it is not detected in OSX. Otherwise the system is booting normally. I also tried getting output from the Thunderbolts and initially also connected the display, but nothing shows up.

If it helps I can send the original VBIOS file to someone for examination, I lack the expertise to do any reverse engineering.

Hope it helps in solving the mystery of WX7100 variants!

 

[osxniubbo]

I got the same issue the only way to solve it is.... flash the card with a usb programmer

bought on amazon a ch341a and tried flashing the k2100m. no luck at all. still only 2 leds on the mainboard and the imac doesn't boot. I realized the card was intended for an hp zbook and not for a dell.... any luck using hp branded cards? did anyone got one working? thanks to everybody

 

[herrdude]

bought on amazon a ch341a and tried flashing the k2100m. no luck at all. still only 2 leds on the mainboard and the imac doesn't boot. I realized the card was intended for an hp zbook and not for a dell.... any luck using hp branded cards? did anyone got one working? thanks to everybody

For K1100m and K2100m cards, they can be HP or Dell. I know, I have done both.

 

[sosa13]

Your post is like walking in at the end of the movie asking what happened .

The first page is where you need to start.

Cheers!

Lol. I know. Sorry about that. Do you guys know if only a Dell / Alienware GPU is recommended, or can it be an HP version as well? I know the first post doesn't specifically state that, but I think I did read somewhere to ensure that it's a Dell version, so just want to confirm. Thanks.
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Think about using the Linux memory stick. You just need another computer/iPad/iPhone/device with an SSH client to make it happen.

Thank you. When you say Linux memory stick, is there one you recommend? I have never done either so I am new to all this, but I want to make it try and see if it works. My main purpose is so my daughter can play her Roblox games on my 2009 iMac. The AMD Radeon HD 4850 512MB GPU that came with the iMac just crashes every time she tries to play so I am not worried about the boot screen since I am not running windows on it. I just need it for her so she can play games and do google classroom. I might occasionally use it for Final Cut Pro and Lightroom for photo editing, hence why I opted for the Nvidia Quadro K1100M 2GB card (the MXM-A version) so I wouldn't need to modify my current heatsink. or get the 3 pipe one. Would you mind just giving me a breakdown of what I need to purchase and perhaps just a quick guide on what exactly I need to do? Or do I just follow Nick's instructions for the K1100M? Sorry to sound redundant, just not as tech-savvy as most of you guys here on this forum, but eager to learn and give it shot. Thanks in advance.
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Think about using the Linux memory stick. You just need another computer/iPad/iPhone/device with an SSH client to make it happen.

 

[BadBiscuit]

Hi, I just wanted to add my findings from a failed attempt at installing a WX7100 in my 27" 2011 iMac. It is the 109-C95847-00D
...
Hope it helps in solving the mystery of WX7100 variants!

Wow, that is indeed depressing news. You did exactly what I would have in checking it out. It would seem there is either a difference between some of these card not identified by just that number, or a difference between how some mid-2011 iMacs react to them. I was so hoping for a success stories using the “-00D” variant as I’m sure you were too.

So it appears that the cards ending in “-00B”, which @Pascal Baillargeau is using in mid-2011, is the best candidate for success, right? I’ll order one to try if anyone knows of a source.

 

[herrdude]

Thank you. When you say Linux memory stick, is there one you recommend?

This is just a flash drive that you format. Then you drag the files from the first post creating a bootable Linux flash drive.

As for your question about HP, Dell, Alienware, it all depends which card you are talking about. I invite you to look at my post directly above yours!

 

[Ausdauersportler]

I have an iMac 27" 2011 with a dead GPU, so I have replaced it with a GTX780M. Since the machine wounld't even boot with the old GPU I chose to go down the route of Xanderon's bootable USB key.

But when I comare the VBIOS size after flashing the contents are not the same size, so I reflashed the VBIOS and same result not the same size. See attached output from Terminal SSH.

The provided VBIOS versions are padded to have the full length of the BIOS chip because the CLIP programmers software expects to have this correct size. The Nvidia flash utility (when used for reading) ignore the trailing empty information (zero bytes).

There is no need for this kind of check. You may read twice and compare or rewrite and reread and compare the read versions?
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Wow, that is indeed depressing news. You did exactly what I would have in checking it out. It would seem there is either a difference between some of these card not identified by just that number, or a difference between how some mid-2011 iMacs react to them. I was so hoping for a success stories using the “-00D” variant as I’m sure you were too.

So it appears that the cards ending in “-00B”, which @Pascal Baillargeau is using in mid-2011, is the best candidate for success, right? I’ll order one to try if anyone knows of a source.

NO: Pascal does currently not know which type of card he really owns, we assume it is no Polaris WX7100 card. I will be a close relative and the VBIOS is only running more or less good by chance.
Currently the best candidate is still the 00C Version which @Nick [D]vB used to develop the BIOS.
And it doesn't really help to throw further assumptions in.

 

[internetzel]

Thank you to everyone who has submitted their Valley benchmarks this far. We have around 40 submissions and the biggest hurdle that's appeared is that the Radeon cards are underperforming in the Valley benchmark vs. what we should be seeing. The 780M continues to be our top performer in Valley.

Currently, the WX7100 is only slightly edging out the GTX 765M in its Valley score and the WX4170 performing between the K2100M and the 765M.

This could mean a few things - it could mean that the Polaris drivers are not being fully utilized (likely, considering other findings and others using Polaris and Vega based cards in their Macs/hacks) or that the Valley benchmark isn't adequately representing the performance disparity.

For those who would like to see the raw form data, here is the live spreadsheet with the results!

I fear all the benchmarks have to be redone, since the anti aliasing level wasn't not specified. I'm quite sure some left it on 2xAA (like me) and others turned it off. Fullscreen might also make a little difference as well, but maybe not.

 

[BadBiscuit]

NO: Pascal does currently not know which type of card he really owns, we assume it is no Polaris WX7100 card. I will be close relative and the VBIOS is only running more or less good by chance.
Currently the best candidate is still the 00C Version which @Nick [D]vB used to develop the BIOS.
And it doesn't really help to throw further assumptions in.

I do not mean to make assumption, just basing off what is on first page. Do we know if @Nick [D]vB was/is using mid-2011 with the 00C_02 Card? It may take a month to get one from a China seller, but can order one if we think results might be different (i.e. Grey market bad batch). You and @jborko tried that without luck, right? Is there a seller I should avoid, or perhaps there are BIOS adjustments still planned? I really want to help and see this succeed.

 

[sosa13]

"Ausdauersportler, is there a simple video somewhere... I'm a visual learner.

But apologies for being dim but how do I flash a video card for an i<Mac with my iPad???

If you do end up doing it, please do share. Just like you said, I'm a visual learner as well and would love to know the steps. Thanks

 

[derickz]

My video shows but Nvflash won't support the eeprom

C:\Users\Derick\Desktop\nvflash>nvflash64 --list
NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.590.0)
Copyright (C) 1993-2019, NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved.


NVIDIA display adapters present in system:
<0> GK1xx (10DE,11DC,0000,0000) H:--:NRM S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

C:\Users\Derick\Desktop\nvflash>nvflash64 --save org.rom
NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.590.0)
Copyright (C) 1993-2019, NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved.


Adapter: GK1xx (10DE,11DC,0000,0000) H:--:NRM S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00


EEPROM ID (20,00FF) : Unknown

Adapter not accessible or supported EEPROM not found, skipping

C:\Users\Derick\Desktop\nvflash>

 

[osxniubbo]

For K1100m and K2100m cards, they can be HP or Dell. I know, I have done both.

did you test them on a 21 or 27 inches imac? I ask because afaik 21 only uses lvds panel (at least mine does) and 27 use edp. dell m4800 can have both panels (it depends on the motherboard, I had one and I know what I'm talking about) but according to what I found on the net hp zbook 15 only uses edp panels so MAYBE those card only work in the 27 inches imac...

 

[Antônio Nicola]

Hello guys, I'm going to upgrade my 21 inch mid 2011 iMac. I will use the 770m gpu. What do I need to do after I turn on my mac after the upgrade? How do I install the modified bios to have the bootscreen and use the bootcamp normally? Could you help me with this step please. Thank you.

 

[highvoltage12v]

did you test them on a 21 or 27 inches imac? I ask because afaik 21 only uses lvds panel (at least mine does) and 27 use edp. dell m4800 can have both panels (it depends on the motherboard, I had one and I know what I'm talking about) but according to what I found on the net hp zbook 15 only uses edp panels so MAYBE those card only work in the 27 inches imac...

Only the 2009 21.5" uses LVDS 21.5" 2010-2011 use eDP.

 

[Emilio306]

@Ausdauersportler @Pascal Baillargeau @meggle I have all the hardware and successfully connected. I am getting a successful read from the WX7100 using homebrew with the CH3421A USB and used the guide:

Before I go ahead and write the new BIOS to it, I'm a just wondering if I am using the correct ROM and where it should be located (if there is a file path that I need to specify to re-write the card's BIOS)? Also, I need to make sure I do a dump before I write if someone could please advise. Screenshot/pic/ROM version follows:

Also it looks like the second LED only lights up when reading/writing data from/to the chip. Using 109-C95847-00C.

 

[erihp]

@Ausdauersportler @Pascal Baillargeau @meggle I have all the hardware and successfully connected. I am getting a successful read from the WX7100 using homebrew with the CH3421A USB and used the guide:

Before I go ahead and write the new BIOS to it, I'm a just wondering if I am using the correct ROM and where it should be located (if there is a file path that I need to specify to re-write the card's BIOS)? Also, I need to make sure I do a dump before I write if someone could please advise. Screenshot/pic/ROM version follows:

View attachment 914899

View attachment 914904

Also it looks like the second LED only lights up when reading/writing data from/to the chip. Using 109-C95847-00C.

Looks like you already wrote the firmware to the eeprom... what is yy.bin?
Did you make a backup of the original firmware?

 

[Emilio306]

Looks like you already wrote the firmware to the eeprom... what is yy.bin?
Did you make a backup of the original firmware?

I think yy.bin is just an example or something maybe used in that video. I was hoping it might even be the backup (though I was wondering why there was no .rom extension), I really don't know though. Check the end of that vid to see what I mean. I def didn't write anything new to the eeprom. I just read what was on it using command "sudo flashrom -p ch341a_spi -r yy.bin" and it saved to yy.bin in my user folder. Then went to write using command "sudo flashrom -p ch341a_spi -w yy.bin" to test and it said it was identical. I'm trying to confirm the commands for backing up the firmware and then writing the rom I attached in my last post.