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

[MR_BRNHAM]

Hello and welcome. It is really important to check the first page. You will see that the WX7100 card is hit and miss. Did you flash it with the ROM from the first page? Follow all the instructions on the first post.

Good luck!

Thank you very much!

I have read the entire content of the first page before purchasing WX7100. At present, some WX7100 users have succeeded, while others have failed for unknown reasons.

Sorry, it took me a while to understand what "hit and miss" means. It seems to mean "WX7100 users partly succeed and partly fail. Everyone is confused now".

The computer is currently powered off automatically one second after it is turned on and cannot enter the Boot interface.

And the LED on the computer motherboard may indicate a short circuit...

I originally thought, if I can successfully open the iMac, and then enter BootCamp to refresh the GOP ROM.

However, it seems that this method does not work at present...

I have to find a windows computer with MXM port, refresh the ROM of WX7100, and then put WX7100 into iMac...LOL

THANK YOU!
Have a nice day!
[automerge]1595351101[/automerge]

You could use a PCI-E to MXM riser card/adaptor perhaps.

Anyway, it's July now..

I saw this method a few days ago, and I will try my best to buy these things……

I'm very sorry, I made a very low-level mistake, I took the word "June" as "July"😰😰😰.

Thank you very much,
Have a nice day!

 

[ZenSurfeur]

hi does anyone try a K5100M 8Gb?

 

[MR_BRNHAM]

The most easy way is IMHO the Linux boot stick method. You need a 8BG SD card or USB flash, download and install the files, add the AMD flash utility and boot your iMac with the installed WX7100 or WX4170 of it. Read below copied from the secret first page.

Q: Flash VBIOS? How do I do that?
A: BIOS can be flashed in one of two ways: Either directly with a CH341a clip programmer or with the "NVFLASH" software in Windows or Linux. THIS POST helps describe the flashing process. Others have found THIS POST useful. User @xanderoncreated a pre-made USB that can flash Nvidia cards in the iMac with Linux over SSH. Many have found this the easiest method. There is an add-on to flash AMD cards using this method, too. Additionally, user @jowaju created a simple Installer package that can be run on macOS Sierra (10.12) and higher that creates a 15GB Windows 7 Bootcamp partition with all the needed tools.


I am talking about this part, only:

User @xanderoncreated a pre-made USB that can flash Nvidia cards in the iMac with Linux over SSH. Many have found this the easiest method. There is an add-on to flash AMD cards using this method, too.

Yes, I know this method……

But when my iMac is installed with the original WX7100, it cannot be turned on and cannot enter the BOOT... The computer will automatically power off after 1 second of power supply, and the screen still black never light up.

So I have no chance to use iMac with the original WX7100 to boot SD card or USB flash 😂

Maybe this has proved that this graphics card is bad ？？？

Thank you very much！

 

[BadBiscuit]

Yes, I know this method……

But when my iMac is installed with the original WX7100, it cannot be turned on and cannot enter the BOOT... The computer will automatically power off after 1 second of power supply, and the screen still black never light up.

So I have no chance to use iMac with the original WX7100 to boot SD card or USB flash 😂

Maybe this has proved that this graphics card is bad ？？？

Thank you very much！

Perhaps the card is bad, but I would suggesting using a CH341a clip programer and trying that method of updating the vBIOS. That is the method I used to update to GOP rom for my WX7100, use lots of K5 PRO/thermal pad to assure you don't have a short between card and your 3-pipe heatsink. In your picture thermal paste appears to be on the memory chips. Put K5 on everything that will get hot or is near the heatsink and could short. I attached a picture of mine with K5 applied back on page 314.

Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to this card, but that method will update the BIOS using any computer containing a USB port. Even though the board has two similar looking chips along the left edge, it is the upper one that is the BIOS.

I'm not sure of the state of the LEDs, but if you still get a black screen but believe the card is working, try using a bootable CD (i.e. Windows) and holding the C key on boot which will light up the screen if the card is working.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Yes, I know this method……

But when my iMac is installed with the original WX7100, it cannot be turned on and cannot enter the BOOT... The computer will automatically power off after 1 second of power supply, and the screen still black never light up.

So I have no chance to use iMac with the original WX7100 to boot SD card or USB flash 😂

Maybe this has proved that this graphics card is bad ？？？

Thank you very much！

In this case you should replace or change the card. I just checked a WX7100 myself showing exactly the same symptoms in a mid 2011, but it runs fine in my late 2009 27" test system, okay not at the same performance level as other users posted here, but I guess it is the CPU limiting Valley results. My card has been flashed before with the WX7100_GOP BIOS, so putting a BIOS using a CH341A onto the card will change (with 99.9% probability) nothing. This is the second card I personally had in my hand acting in this way.

These AMD cards are reluctant to run in the 2011 models. Same happens with smaller AMD cards.

EDIT:
I moved the card I am working with including the heat sink from the 2009 into the 2011 - so I can say 100% sure that it is at least here not a bad installed card.

 

[BadBiscuit]

In this case you should replace or change the card. I just checked a WX7100 myself showing exactly the same symptoms in a mid 2011, but it runs fine in my late 2009 27" test system, okay not at the same performance level as other users posted here, but I guess it is the CPU limiting Valley results. My card has been flashed before with the WX7100_GOP BIOS, so putting a BIOS using a CH341A onto the card will change (with 99.9% probability) nothing. This is the second card I personally had in my hand acting in this way.

These AMD cards are reluctant to run in the 2011 models. Same happens with smaller AMD cards.

Based on the LED state I have to agree that the BIOS update is not likely to make any difference. The possibility of a short between a chip and the heatsink based on his picture seems possible. The most likely cause, however is that the card is not compatible with a 2011 machine for a yet to be discovered reason.

 

[roscho]

Hi guys!
I'm a university student from Beijing,China.
I have been following this post for some time. Sorry for my poor English. I hope you guys can understand what i mean.
I'm using a 2011 iMac 27’ with AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512MB, and actually my graphics card works well, except when I using applications like Adobe Illustrator it warns that it's out of graphic memory, my graphics card must be more than 1GB. So I want to change a grapic card.View attachment 935967
I bought the WX7100 with109-C95847-00C 02 from Alibaba, but unfortunately it doesn't work properly.
The fan only turns on for one second when I touch power on, and the screen stays black.View attachment 935969
I observed some anomalies on the motherboard. Under normal condition, there will be three regular lights on the host LED lamp, but only the first one on the left will be on after the replacement of WX7100, and the power supply has a subtle ticking sound, like the sound of a clock's second hand turning.View attachment 935970View attachment 935971
In addition, I didn't use the GOP ROM of @ Nick [D] VB because I didn't have any other computers to flash the ROM……

（I guess it's probably the lack of power supply? Because the power of the wx7100 is much higher than the original amd radon HD 6770m）

（The seller tested the card works well in a Dell laptop before he sent it to me……But he allowed me to replace it）

Now, I'm going to replace wx4170. Can someone give me some details? Are all models available for normal use or must it be a specific version number?

Thank you all，
Have a nice day!

Benham
July 21, 2020

I agree to herrdude‘s crucial hint.

i have one other question:
did you modify your heatsink?

if not, check - and recheck again that your card is properly seated. you are likely to have a short

If you modified it, check very carefully that there are no metal grinding parts causing any short.

edit: sorry, badbiscuit was quicker - I agree 100%

regards,

roscho

 

[Redlight-Records]

Hello guys,

I own an iMac from late 2011,27 inch, processor i7 3,4 GHz, 16GB RAM, and video card 2GB. My video card is gone and I need to replace it. I was advised to use K610M. (Even if it's just 1GB). From there, what I need from my iMac.

Please help.

If you want to save your iMac, you gotta put in a little work. I have the same machine, and I started with the bare minimum needed to keep it running: swapping out the gpu. It's a pain, but doable. I bought a dremmel attachment, some K5, and a GTX765. The heat sink mod is not terribly difficult, but it was a little tricky with the x-bracket. I used a punch to remove the 765's screw mounts and then used that instead of re-using the iMac's bracket (which requires modification). I am running x.11.6 and as soon as I put everything back together, it booted right up, and I picked up right where I was before the AMD failed (for the second time). Machine ran plenty hot (50 - 60C) and I mounted a muffin fan to the back of the iMac and leave it on.

I found the lack of brightness control to be to much of an eye-strain and the heat issue worried me, but because I have to run El Capitan & had no hope of native brightness control even with flashing, so I did the backlight PWM mod. I bought an $80 oscilloscope, the resistors one and two, and the PWM module. I put together the PWM w/resitors and 3wires. Then, because I'm terrified of soldering on circuit boards, I fashioned some homemade Y connectors out of some female spade connectors (see below) and stuffed 'em in the backlight's output harness. I cut the backlight's output to the logic board, put 'er back together and crossed my fingers. Booted right up with very noticeable improvement in viewing and heat (36-50C) I needed to download Macs Fan Control, as SMCfancontrol no longer worked. After all that, my machine runs just as it did pre-gpu failure!. I now hope to keep using my beloved iMac for many years! I'll do the vbios flashing at some point, but no big hurry.

 

[an1979]

HP notebooks run with a video card holding no VBIOS because the needed VBIOS is loaded on boot from the laptop BIOS (it is contained and managed by HP updates there). So it is really likely that you get a HP card having no valid VBIOS loaded. Just flash the version @Nick [D]vB published and go on.

You were completely right!
Thank you.

Here's the logs of successful firmware update:

root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash # ./nvflash_linux -6 Quadro_Beta1.2/K2100.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 K2100M (10DE,11FC,103C,2256) H:--:NRM S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

NOTE: Only IFR present:
NOTE: Skipping Board ID and Device ID checks.
NOTE: EEPROM does not contain board ID, skipping board ID check.

WARNING: Firmware image PCI Subsystem ID (1028.15CC)
does not match adapter PCI Subsystem ID (103C.2256).

Please press 'y' to confirm override of PCI Subsystem ID's: y
Overriding PCI subsystem ID mismatch
Current - Version:Unavailable (Invalid) ID:0000:0000:103C:2256

Replace with - VersionE.AD.00.BE.EF ID:10DE:11FC:1028:15CC
Quadro K2100M by Nick[D]vB (Normal Board)

Update display adapter firmware?
Press 'y' to confirm (any other key to abort): y
Identifying EEPROM...
EEPROM ID (EF,3012) : WBond W25X20A 2.7-3.6V 2048Kx1S, page
WARNING: Adapter does not have a preservation table,
unable to preserve board settings.
Storing updated firmware image...
................................................................
Verifying update...
Update successful.

Firmware image has been updated from version Unavailable (Invalid) to DE.AD.00.BE.EF.

A reboot is required for the update to take effect.
./nvflash_linux -6 Quadro_Beta1.2/K2100.rom 48.18s user 2.76s system 60% cpu 1:24.12 total


---- VERIFICATION -----

root@grml /lib/live/mount/medium/flash # ./nvflash_linux --save ~/updatedtest.rom

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.414.0)
Simplified Version For OEM Only
Adapter: Quadro K2100M (10DE,11FC,103C,2256) H:--:NRM S:00,B:01,D:00,F:00

Identifying EEPROM...
EEPROM ID (EF,3012) : WBond W25X20A 2.7-3.6V 2048Kx1S, page
Reading adapter firmware image...
IFR Data Size : 1208 bytes
IFR CRC32 : 9ED4B07C
IFR Image Size : 1536 bytes
IFR Image CRC32 : A79A7506
IFR Subsystem ID : 1028-15CC
Image Size : 100352 bytes
Version : DE.AD.00.BE.EF
~CRC32 : 27D8623A
Image Hash : 469FF691447E95F4B952A3A32796C28C
Subsystem ID : 1028-15CC
Hierarchy ID : Normal Board
Chip SKU : 975-0
Project : 2039-0503
CDP : N/A
Build Date : 12/06/19
Modification Date : 12/06/19
UEFI Support : No
UEFI Version : N/A
UEFI Variant Id : N/A ( Unknown )
UEFI Signer(s) : Unsigned
InfoROM Version : N/A
InfoROM Backup Exist : NO
License Placeholder : Absent
GPU Mode : N/A
Saving of image completed.

 

[Amsterdamned]

did you modify your heatsink?

Can I ask for some clarification on this, as the information in the table on the 1st post differs from the information in the PDF attached to the 1st post.

Are the statements below correct?


The WX7100 requires a 3 pipe heat sink but the heat sink does not require modification.

The WX4170 will work with either the 2 or 3 pipe heat sink. The 2 pipe heat sink does not require modification.


Another question; does the 3 pipe heat sink require modification, if using the WX4170?

Thanks.

 

[BadBiscuit]

Can I ask for some clarification on this, as the information in the table on the 1st post differs from the information in the PDF attached to the 1st post.

Are the statements below correct?


The WX7100 requires a 3 pipe heat sink but the heat sink does not require modification.

The WX4170 will work with either the 2 or 3 pipe heat sink. The 2 pipe heat sink does not require modification.


Another question; does the 3 pipe heat sink require modification, if using the WX4170?

Thanks.

I have no experience with the WX4170, but can confirm your first line on the WX7100. It is a MXM-B card, so needs the taller 3-pipe heatsink. I made no modifications to my heatsink before installing it, and it made good flat contact with the GPU. That said, it is still a good idea to test fit the card to the heatsink without paste or pads, and if chips are making contact, grid or add insulation to prevent shorting.

 

[Curtis Gross]

Made a walkthrough video of how to use the Linux usb stick method by xanderon

cheers!

 

[Amsterdamned]

I have no experience with the WX4170, but can confirm your first line on the WX7100. It is a MXM-B card, so needs the taller 3-pipe heatsink. I made no modifications to my heatsink before installing it, and it made good flat contact with the GPU. That said, it is still a good idea to test fit the card to the heatsink without paste or pads, and if chips are making contact, grid or add insulation to prevent shorting.

Thanks.

This is what has me confused:

 

[roscho]

Can I ask for some clarification on this, as the information in the table on the 1st post differs from the information in the PDF attached to the 1st post.

Are the statements below correct?


The WX7100 requires a 3 pipe heat sink but the heat sink does not require modification.

The WX4170 will work with either the 2 or 3 pipe heat sink. The 2 pipe heat sink does not require modification.


Another question; does the 3 pipe heat sink require modification, if using the WX4170?

Thanks.

I‘m sorry, my statement was a little suggestive and unsubstantiated. The reason is that I also have a GTX880M card which I tried to get working earlier on. For this card I modified the heatsink, so i didn‘t have to consider it with the WX7100. Sorry for the confusion...

 

[Pascal Baillargeau]

Thanks.

This is what has me confused:

View attachment 936200
View attachment 936199

View attachment 936201

i didn't had to mod heatsink (3 pipes) for WX7100 to fit in, in my case.

 

[Amsterdamned]

i didn't have to mod heatsink (3 pipes) for WX7100 to fit in.

Ok, that's 2 confirmations that the WX7100 DOESN'T need a heatsink mod for the 3 pipe - will add clarity to the 1st post.

 

[Mytime]

Thanks for hard work @nikey22 after flashing the ROM you may notice Brightness control may not be at the 100% it should be, as a fix you can extract the Kext from the OpenCore/Kexts folder called AppleBacklightFixup.kext, unlock your System partition (Catalina) and install the Kext using a Kext utility application.

A proper how too guide on patching AppleBacklight.kext will be released shortly if you desire to create your own Kext.

I’ve done many flashes before with success, but using this rom does not work for me. It will boot into Linux (Ubuntu) on my 2009 iMac with working display, but when I try to hold the option to boot into Catalina it will just shut down. Won’t even show boot screen. Tried the card on a 2011 iMac only running Catalina without Linux and it won’t boot up. Only shows one green light on motherboard. Please let me know how you guys got it to work.

 

[FlorisVN]

I checked it in another iMac and I testet another card in the iMac with the GTX, both did work. So i can point it to the card. Can the BIOS get corrupted while removing and replacing the card?

have you also done an nvram reset on this iMac.. ?

nvram reset is needed for the vbios beta from Nick !

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Facts: Which paste and prerequisites?

Use K5 Pro for the VRAM and coils, use MX-2/3/4/5 or better for the GPU and the copper plate or copper shim. Do not use K4 Pro there! In case your copper plate is not really flat use fine grain sand paper (>1000) to polish it on both sides to guarantee optimal contact to sink and GPU.

Q1: Do we really need a heat sink mod with the WX7100/RX480 on the 3pipe sink or the WX4170 on other an MXM-B type sink?

Attached you will find a picture of a (not working) WX4170 and a sink - I marked the area possibly to be modified red and put green marks on the coils which may get into direct contact. It may work without grinding, since we have so many problems with WX7100 cards I would simply avoid any source of trouble. Alternatively you may use tape to isolate possible areas of contact (I use tape even with MXM A cards).

Some recent posts (October 2020) came up with successful installation of the WX7100 on an 2011 MXM-B sink without any modification.

11/01/2020: Installed another WX7100 on the 6970 heat sink and there is no contact. At the red marked edge there is 0.5mm distance between coil and sink, close, but this should work without.

The WX4170 with the unlocked vBIOS and higher core/memory frequencies has a power draw of at least 50W on average. You will experience a more stable system using the 3-pipe Mid 2011 heat sink and you will avoid problems as shown in this post.

Q2: Do we need a special installation of the WX4130/WX4150/WX4170/M4000/M5100/M6000/W5170M/M6100/W6170M ?

Yes, you need it! It is not a nice to have, it is necessary to avoid burning the new card!

The GPU is flat, does barely get into contact with the copper part of the sink and needs an additional copper plate / shim to bridge this gap (size 15mm x 15mm size and 0,3 - 0,8 mm thickness at maximum). Depending on sink and card a thinner plate may work well. Check visually after premounting it using a flashlight.

Put the shim directly on the CPU using thermal paste on both sides to guarantee optimal heat transfer from the GPU to the copper plate and down to the heat sink.

The success of this operation can be checked by running a Unigine Valley benchmark and observing the temperatures of the graphics card (Grafikkarte in attached pictures) and the GPU Heat sink (Grafikkarten-Kühler in picture). The difference should be less than 10C. This nearly perfect example I got after a 30 minute Valley run: 48C on the card and 46C on the sink using Macs Fan Control to control the ODD fan according to the GPU heat sink temperature (range 35C-55C).

Using the same WX4130 in a different iMac gave me a better benchmark result and a difference of 54C for the card and 52C for the sink running the fan at 2286 rpm - the difference is only 2C. Looks pretty perfect to me

Q3: Do we need a special installation of the K610M?

Yes, depending on the heat sink you may need a 0.5mm or sometimes 1mm plate to avoid contact of cards components to the sink.

Q4: My GPU listed above sits perfectly on the heat sink, do I really need a copper plate?

Every week such a question comes up and shortly after the same user complains about high and uncontrollable temps on the GPU heat sink. I am so tired of all this.

Q5: Where do I get such a copper plate / shim?

Search the same sites as you would when looking for a new graphics card. It is standard stuff used by PC repair shops all over the world.

P.S.:
Using a thinner plate of 0.5mm gave me a 10C difference, using no copper plate a 20C difference and GPU temps above 70C.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Just another short story of failing to get a WX7100 working in an iMac 2011:

User @meggle send me his WX7100 not working in his mid 2011 iMac. I installed it on a (modified) heat sink and got it running in a late 2009 i7 model (as listed in the signature), but it fails entirely to survive the POST (power on self test) installed in my 2011 model. The 2011 is known to work with other cards. The fans start to spin half a round and that it is. No reaction, only a single green LED.

Attached you will find a sign of life of the card from the 2009. So most users may get functional products from China, but not working simply in this iMac 2011. I was trying the WX7100_GOP BIOS.

EDIT: Is is a Version 1.0 card (VER 1.0).

 

[Wania]

I’ve done many flashes before with success, but using this rom does not work for me. It will boot into Linux (Ubuntu) on my 2009 iMac with working display, but when I try to hold the option to boot into Catalina it will just shut down. Won’t even show boot screen. Tried the card on a 2011 iMac only running Catalina without Linux and it won’t boot up. Only shows one green light on motherboard. Please let me know how you guys got it to work.

iMac 2011 i7 Mojave 10.14.6 SU 2020-002 on RAID-0 K4100M by Nick[D]vB (ROM) with OC -----> flash by USB method K4100M by nikey22 (ROM) no issues, only use AppleBacklightFixup.kext


ps. guys, you did a great job!

 

[nau]

Hi there!

"Successfully" replaced and reflashed GTX765 into my buddy iMac and touched PSU within final assembly. Now it's not starting, Fan and hdd trying to start over and over again, no chime.
Did I broke just PSU or more?

 

[RRPC]

Hi there!

"Successfully" replaced and reflashed GTX765 into my buddy iMac and touched PSU within final assembly. Now it's not starting, Fan and hdd trying to start over and over again, no chime.
Did I broke just PSU or more?

There is a possibility you short the wrong components. And they are below up .
Pull the cord.. wait 5 to 10 minutes to discharge the PSU. And try again

 

[RRPC]

Reporting a working WX7100 installed in a 27" iMac mid-2011. I've been craving one for a while, so happy it worked. I purchased the card from the same vendor as @wa9im and was pleased to get it quickly (China to US in 11 days). VBios was installed with a CH341a clip using the @Nick [D]vB WX7100_GOP.ROM file, then traded out a K2100M for it using a 3 pipe heatsink. It is being booted with OpenCore (AMD config), to a previously installed DosDude Mojave; I still need to work out sleep which had been working with the K2100M (Something to do tomorrow).

Just wanted to provide the details and to offer my thanks to @wa9im, @Pascal Baillargeau, @Nick [D]vB, @Ausdauersportler, @Emilio306 and @jborko for blazing the trail and contributing to making this a success.

UPDATE: The sleep problem was within OpenCore; went to native Mojave boot, and sleep is now working again. Since OpenCore is not needed for brightness controls, I suppose I don't need it, unless I want to add alternate OS in future and have a selection at boot.

UPDATE #2: I reformatted (bye bye Mojave) and installed Catalina fresh; then installed BootCamp/Win10. The WX7100 works well from Windows (and Zuma does too ). Once back on Catalina, I followed the @Ausdauersportler PDF guide for OpenCore, and got a much improved Valley score, over what I saw from Mojave without OC. Sleep is working thanks to that and advice from @Pascal Baillargeau. Now just need the BCM94360CDPAX kit I ordered from HK, and this machine can be moved onto my main desk.

i also order from the same seller the card. he knows about this tread. and said

I know，all customers who bought WX7100 from us installed it on iMac
so lets hope. have to wait and see he say that he is gong to send me the same card so..

 

[Amsterdamned]

No, you do not! I have touched and installed two WX7100 and the single big coil comes close to the metal of the sink. I had to modify the sink (only half a mm) to avoid contact and I strongly advice to check the card and the sink visually to avoid any contact with any MXM-B card.

I know for sure that Pascal did a 120% fitting of his card on the sink , but I am pretty sure because of endless discussions here that other users are not so careful.

Attached you will find a picture of a (not working) WX4170 and a sink - I marked the area possibly to be modified red and put green marks on the coils which may get into direct contact. It may work without grinding, since we have so many problems with WX7100 cards I would simply avoid any source of trouble. Alternatively you may use tape to isolate possible areas of contact (I use tape even with MXM A cards). But is is not a simple plug and play here.

Fun fact:
The author of the PDF sent me over his card which I could make working in a 2009 system using a slightly modified heat sink as shown below. The PDF is outdated, as one easily can see and I never understood why having two sources of the very same information needed to be changed every time again manually.

If that’s the case, any reason why you didn’t add that to the mythical 1st post?