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

[bazeboiee]

I spent some time last week changing out one of my kids 21.5" 2010 iMac video cards for a K1000m. I'll write up a detailed post later on in the week, but in the meantime I used the Winclone idea posted here earlier by FlorisVN to make a package installer Windows 7 Bootcamp so there is no need to install Winclone or do any other trickery. It requires 10.12 Sierra to begin, and it simply adds the bootcamp image to your internal hard drive on a 15GB partition it creates. 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. I tried this on a 2010 iMac 21.5 as well as a 2011 iMac 27" and they both worked perfectly for simply creating the bootcamp partition to use for flashing purposes. I also uploaded it to Sync which has unlimited downloads so it shouldn't expire or be pulled if it gets popular. Here's the link to download it, simply unzip the .pkg file and run it in MacOS 10.12 or higher.

Windows 7 Bootcamp pkg installer iMac

Hi man, I tried to download it, but all I got was a spinning circle and no download. Is there something I'm missing with this?

 

[nikey22]

** NVIDIA Geforce GTX880M Mac Edition ROM **
** NVIDIA Geforce GTX870M Mac Edition ROM **
** NVIDIA Geforce GTX860M Mac Edition ROM **
Genuine Native Boot Screen & Brightness Control​

Pre-installation Requirements:
- iMac12,2 (27-inch Mid 2011) Mac-942B59F58194171B (Tested machine)
- BootROM: 87.0.0.0.0. Please use High Sierra to update your BootROM to latest version.
- One of the following GPUs:

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M
N15E-GX-A2, MXM-B (3.0)
8GB VRAM

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M
N15E-GT-A2, MXM-B (3.0)
non-functional cards/original_ROMs:
80.04.EF.00.A2 (MSI)
80.04.F7.00.0C (MSI)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M
Kepler (GK104) N15P-GX-B-A2
Base ROMs:
80.04.F5.00.06
80.04.E8.00.0D
80.04.E9.00.03
Maxwell (GM107) N15P-GX-A1? - non-function with MacOS; cannot trust sources with GPU Variant
Base ROMs:
82.07.24.00.19
82.07.34.00.03
82.07.34.00.08
82.07.49.00.05

The GTX880M is the first 8GB VRAM card to work in our machines! I now have as much vram as system ram. I'm happy to report that macOS sees all the ram. It is boosting fully even at base clock speeds. When I purchased this card, the rivets were very long and kept too much of the GPU away from the heatsink surface. It was thermal throttling early as it sensed an overheat situation. When I removed the rivets, and used screws to secure it, I was able to get a much tighter seal and the card boosted properly.

Tested on a 2011 iMac using High Sierra 10.13.6. Please feel free to test on other MacOS versions, I will update this post as necessary with success/failures.

• These ROMs do not require a 3rd party bootloader like OpenCore.
• They will require a modification of the base AppleIntelPanelA/ApplePanels/F10Ta007 brightness stepping.
• The frame-buffer depth issues remains for now, and can be temporarily corrected by entering a sleep cycle.

As previous, these roms should bring back:

⦁ Genuine native brightness control
⦁ Genuine ‘gray’ early-boot screen (stage 1 & 2 progress bar)
⦁ Genuine macOS bootloader compliance

Post-installation Requirements:
Brightness Control Stepping Mod:
-Turn computer on, hold down Command(⌘)-R
-Choose Utilities > Terminal
-Enter:csrutil disable
-MacOS Catalina: requires you to make root writeable: sudo mount -uw /
-Reboot
-Download and open 'Kext Utility v2.6.6'

-Navigate to S/L/E (System/Library/Extensions)
-Copy "AppleBacklight.kext" to Desktop
-Edit: AppleBacklight.kext/Contents/Info.plist
-Scroll down to: IOKitPersonalities > AppleIntelPanelA > ApplePanels
-There you find several Apple LCD profiles.
-For the iMac 2011 27" machine locate:

<key>F10Ta007</key>
<data>
ABEABgALABQAHAAnADMAPwBOAFwAZwBzAIEAkQClAL8A2wD/
</data>

-Change the <data> section to:
ABEAAgA3AF8AigCzAOsBJAFnAakB1AIJAlQCogL4A00DlgRpBGk=

-Drag your modded kext into Kext Utility, allow it correct permissions
-"Applebacklight.kext.bak" folder will be created
-Reboot

The above data pattern will allow for a wider span of steppings for the brightness control and utilizes more of the capacity of the HD3000. If you have a different machine, your panel ID can be found by going to System Preferences > Displays > Color > Open Profile > mmod

Caveats post-install/Bugs:
-16bit resolution glitch of UGA_DRAW_PROTOCOL - temporary solution: activate a sleep cycle and return, this should now clear the issue.

**UPDATE**
9-4-2020: please note the 870M_6GB_UGA.rom is experimental and in testing phases for those interested and have the card.
5-3-2021: I've removed 870M_Clevo_BR.rom because it is not functional and replaced it with GTX870M_V1.rom, appreciate @jimac2011 for testing.

"insanely great!"
-Steve Jobs

 

[adamnski]

If you have a dead GPU you can use both the K3100M (N15E-Q1-A2) and the K4100M (N15E-Q3-A2). We do not advertise any sellers here nor we recommend to buy from a certain source. Depending on the continent you are living on I would try to check the Bay first for a local reseller. I found at least one from California offering a new K4100M. Buying is your own decision.
[automerge]1596577466[/automerge]

Sounds like a dying or half dead GPU...

Thanks!

I've been reading some more in the thread and now I'm unsure whether i should go for the K4100M or attempt to get a working WX7100, since it seems to be so much better/more future proof for not that much more $$$. But having a hard time understanding how likely it is that I will get one that does not work. The link in post #1 about identifying the card goes to a discussion saying that there basically only is one version and that i should look for "AMD Radeon Pro WX7100 8GB DDR5 MXM 3.0 Type B For Dell Precision 7710 7720 7730". Here is one with the same code as in post #1 (109-c95847-00c) https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dell-P...100-8GB-Video-card-Free-shipping/164151748454. But what success rate can I expect? Do most such cards work or not? Or should I be wary of Chinese sellers and wait until one shows up in Europe/US? (I'm in Europe myself)

 

[Pascal Baillargeau]

Thanks!

I've been reading some more in the thread and now I'm unsure whether i should go for the K4100M or attempt to get a working WX7100, since it seems to be so much better/more future proof for not that much more $$$. But having a hard time understanding how likely it is that I will get one that does not work. The link in post #1 about identifying the card goes to a discussion saying that there basically only is one version and that i should look for "AMD Radeon Pro WX7100 8GB DDR5 MXM 3.0 Type B For Dell Precision 7710 7720 7730". Here is one with the same code as in post #1 (109-c95847-00c) https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dell-P...100-8GB-Video-card-Free-shipping/164151748454. But what success rate can I expect? Do most such cards work or not? Or should I be wary of Chinese sellers and wait until one shows up in Europe/US? (I'm in Europe myself)

Unfortunately, there are no rules concerning WX7100. It seems to be, hit or miss, for now. Buying a WX7100 is a high risk choice, study carefully the return process before taking this decision.

 

[Pascal Baillargeau]

Unfortunately, there are no rules concerning WX7100. It seems to be, hit or miss, for now. Buying a WX7100 is a high risk choice, study carefully the return process before taking this decision.

Consider too that we are buying second hand cards, there is always a risk anyway...

 

[Pascal Baillargeau]

To @Ausdauersportler, @highvoltage12v, @Pascal Baillargeau, @nikey22, @NOTNICE, @herrdude and anyone else who has been a key member of the never-ending modifying, testing, and evaluation of the files, workarounds, and procedures on this thread:
YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! 👏😃😃

Thanks to you guys (and some learning and trial and error on my own) I have brought my 27" mid-2011 i7 iMac fully back to life, including installing a 1 TB SSD, the WX7100, and upgrading it to Mojave. Starting out with High Sierra was key to help get through some of the initial stages of understanding the process. And with the most recent version of the Catalina Loader, it only made things easier when I installed the SSD and upgraded to Mojave a couple of days ago. For under $275, I now have a second functional iMac that rivals the performance of my 2017 iMac (and in some cases beats it!).

I just posted updated Valley scores (70.2, 2938) and they are essentially unchanged from what I saw and posted from my results in High Sierra about a month ago. Geekbench Metal score was 43349 (I see there is a column on the spreadsheet for this, but I couldn't find a way to enter it).

I do have one question about the GPU temperature for any others running a WX7100. In Mojave, with MacsFanControl settings for the GPU heatsink of 32 deg and 49 deg, the GPU heatsink temperature during normal daily use is around 45 degrees with the fan running around 2200 rpm. In High Sierra, with the same fan control settings and usage, the temperature was around 40 degrees. Is there any explanation for this difference in temperature? I am not too concerned about it since 45 degrees should be reasonable for my usage (no gaming). I scanned through the thread, but could not find an answer.

Here's some snapshots from Catalina 10.15.6, in idle, with a WX7100. iMac 2011 27''.

 

[Maxino]

I have a clever idea but it only works if:
1. You own another High Sierra compatible Mac
2. You have either a FireWire 800 or Thunderbolt cable.
3. Your iMac is capable of entering Target Disk Mode
What you can do is put your iMac in Target Disk Mode. And use another Mac to complete the install.

Actually from what i recall GOP flashed cards cannot enter Target Disk Mode.

Actually here is a simpler idea. Create a High Sierra install to an external HDD/SSD (using another Mac) and then use either Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the disk over to the internal Partition. Disk utility might complete the clone as well, but it likes to complain alot.

Your iMac should be running firmware 215.0.0.0.0, does your current firmware support APFS booting?

Issue Solved: The message "macOS could not be installed on your computer" is misleading, there is no hardware incompatibility/faults, it was a corrupted "Install macOS Catalina.dmg" that was downloaded by the Catalina patcher itself. It is not a problem with the patcher, in my opinion was a network problem, file corruption that neither catalina patcher or the system DMG verification found. The only way was to download an Installer from an unofficial website via bittorent. Solution that worked but I do not recommend!

 

[RRPC]

** NVIDIA Geforce GTX880M ROM **
** NVIDIA Geforce GTX870M ROM **
** NVIDIA Geforce GTX860M ROM **
Genuine Native Boot Screen & Brightness Control​

The following are the UGA equipped roms I put together for:

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M
N15E-GX-A2, MXM-B (3.0)
8GB VRAM

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M
N15E-GT-A2, MXM-B (3.0)
3GB VRAM

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M
N15P-GX-A1, MXM-B (3.0)
2GB VRAM

The GTX880M is the first 8GB VRAM card to work in our machines! I now have as much vram as system ram. I'm happy to report that macOS sees all the ram. It is boosting fully even at base clock speeds. When I purchased this card, the rivets were very long and kept too much of the GPU away from the heatsink surface. It was thermal throttling early as it sensed an overheat situation. When I removed the rivets, and used screws to secure it, I was able to get a much tighter seal and the card boosted properly.

Tested on a 2011 iMac using High Sierra 10.13.6. Please feel free to test on other MacOS versions, I will update this post as necessary with success/failures.

• These ROMs do not require a 3rd party bootloader like OpenCore.
• They will require a modification of the base AppleIntelPanelA/ApplePanels/F10Ta007 brightness stepping.
• The frame-buffer depth issues remains for now, and can be temporarily corrected by entering a sleep cycle.

As previous, these roms should bring back:

⦁ Genuine native brightness control
⦁ Genuine ‘gray’ early-boot screen (stage 1 & 2 progress bar)
⦁ Genuine macOS bootloader compliance


"insanely great!"
-Steve Jobs

View attachment 940773 View attachment 940774

Ow men. Is it Xmas .. nice..
You also going to build for the wx7100 ?

 

[Maxino]

Ow men. Is it Xmas .. nice..
You also going to build for the wx7100 ?

This is awesome! Any hope for wx4130/50/70 maybe?

 

[racegen]

Go back to the stock Nvidia config.plist, search the first post for „black screen“. Known issue...

Thank you for the quick reply. I know that issue and I patched the AppleGraphicsControl.
Without OC the iMac boots without holding ALT / OPTION and everything is fine (except brightness control).
If I start with OC I can see the boot screen and login screen but seconds after typing in the password the display turns black. If its working without OC it should be working with OC and the NVIDIA config.plist - right?

 

[Wania]

my iMac 2009 also doesn't work with OC 0.59, gets stuck on logo and no progress bar. on the old version of OC works

 

[kral84]

any chance to get Kxxx Gpus without Opencore?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

thanks, yes i have 2 imacs and same behaviour 2 leds on with the small heatsink, 1 led on with the long heatsink.
How do i prove something is not working? well that is my question ^^ I tried different combinations and the only common pattern i found was with the heatsink. How to check if any short happened is my next question (and i think on the GPU then)

We have a two value logic and I ask you again: How to prove that something is broken?
Regarding your bad installation problem please try to read the docs available on post #1 and use the search button to look up pictures yourself.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

my iMac 2009 also doesn't work with OC 0.59, gets stuck on logo and no progress bar. on the old version of OC works

My late 2009 is working fine with both OC versions, old and new.

 

[highvoltage12v]

any chance to get Kxxx Gpus without Opencore?

K3100m and k4100m

 

[Jay6]

That's right

Just a little update on my issue: I could clearly say that's a Bios problem. I can't flash any other Bios than the original one.

In fact, a fun test I made is backup original one, modify only 1 bit corresponding to Brand's Name (From MSI o MAI) and "mismatch error" back again while trying to flash it!

Last chance is use a programmer. OMG.

Hi @Reiju ! Have you've able to solve your flashing problem ? I have the same issue with my 780m. I've tried several times, several BIOS and even bought a chip programmer. NO LUCK that does not work. Can only flash with the original BIOS !

Like you I bought this card on AliExpress as a Dell/Alienware gpu from this vendor : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000299354191.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.34364c4dimAxpP

Anyone knows if I can replace the eprom chip with a blank one and flash it the an Eprom programmer ?

 

[stephle]

Hi @Reiju ! Have you've able to solve your flashing problem ? I have the same issue with my 780m. I've tried several times, several BIOS and even bought a chip programmer. NO LUCK that does not work. Can only flash with the original BIOS !

Like you I bought this card on AliExpress as a Dell/Alienware gpu from this vendor : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000299354191.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.34364c4dimAxpP

Anyone knows if I can replace the eprom chip with a blank one and flash it the an Eprom programmer ?

Hi

what procedure had you done for the flash

 

[YvonK]

Hello

After spending hours on this forum I decided to upgrade my dead 2011 iMac (GPU fault).
I've successfully upgraded it with a WX7100 (00D version)
Flashed using a CH341a with WX7100_GOP.ROM (original bios saved)
I'm under Mac OS Sierra, my bootrom version is 87.0.0.0.0 because of a small try to High Sierra(with all the updates) before coming back to Sierra.
Bootrom not modified for the moment so no boot screen... (it's the next goal)

Thanks to all the persons who created firmwares and hacks that permitted to have a almost ten years computer still living...

 

[NOTNlCE]

Wow, I have returned to some incredible devel

We have to ask @NOTNlCE to add a GeekBench5 metal score entry and some more options for cards @nikey22 made BIOS versions for in his form, currently I add this values manually from my cards.

I will update the survey and spreadsheet today. Seems I have missed quite a bit in the last few weeks - it has been a crazy few months over here in the states with COVID.

EDIT: To avoid clutter on the Valley chart, I've duplicated the survey but instead of requesting Valley scores, it only requests the Geekbench 5 Metal score. The new survey is available here: https://forms.gle/UQEDqMs5coKGCUzWA

I'll port over the existing results real quick.

EDIT 2: The results spreadsheet for Geekbench 5 Metal is now available here.

 

[highvoltage12v]

Hello

After spending hours on this forum I decided to upgrade my dead 2011 iMac (GPU fault).
I've successfully upgraded it with a WX7100 (00D version)
Flashed using a CH341a with WX7100_GOP.ROM (original bios saved)
I'm under Mac OS Sierra, my bootrom version is 87.0.0.0.0 because of a small try to High Sierra(with all the updates) before coming back to Sierra.
Bootrom not modified for the moment so no boot screen... (it's the next goal)

Thanks to all the persons who created firmwares and hacks that permitted to have a almost ten years computer still living...

I run my 2x wx4130 iMac's with a modded bootrom it's so worth it to have the boot screen again. Just want to let you know there is no backlight on internal LCD. However if you plug in an external monitor the Bootscreen will show up there.

 

[YvonK]

I run my 2x wx4130 iMac's with a modded bootrom it's so worth it to have the boot screen again. Just want to let you know there is no backlight on internal LCD. However if you plug in an external monitor the Bootscreen will show up there.

Thanks for the trick will try that before touching the bootrom

 

[highvoltage12v]

Thanks for the trick will try that before touching the bootrom

No that's after the bootrom is modified.

 

[YvonK]

No that's after the bootrom is modified.

ok sorry for my misunderstanding so what are the other benefits to modify the bootrom?

By the way...
I've just plug a external monitor via DP to VGA without rebooting
- on the first thunderbolt socket (near the rj45) no image...
- next thunderbolt socket I get a image
- when I plug the monitor on the first socket through a HDD enclosure I get a image...

Never noticed that with the stock GPU!??

 

[iceman90]

Hi guys! I have the following problem. After flashing BIOS on my GTX 770 appeared boot mode and the video card works perfectly on High Sierra. I decided to install OS Catalina using the dosdude1 method, after installing the system, my video card does not turn on when loading the OS, there is no boot mode and it does not work in the system (black screen, but when I press the keys, I hear sounds). BUT, if I hold down the "Option" key when turning on the iMac, the boot menu will appear and the video card will turn on! Can someone faced such a problem? I don't really want to turn on iMac every time with the "Option"key pressed. Thanks!

 

[herrdude]

Hi guys! I have the following problem. After flashing BIOS on my GTX 770 appeared boot mode and the video card works perfectly on High Sierra. I decided to install OS Catalina using the dosdude1 method, after installing the system, my video card does not turn on when loading the OS, there is no boot mode and it does not work in the system (black screen, but when I press the keys, I hear sounds). BUT, if I hold down the "Option" key when turning on the iMac, the boot menu will appear and the video card will turn on! Can someone faced such a problem? I don't really want to turn on iMac every time with the "Option"key pressed. Thanks!

You should read the first post. You are missing important kexts.