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

[Wania]

I am thinking of adding an extra fan.

any ready solution?

 

[marvin_95l]

Will there ever be a solution to use the Target Display Mode with Mojave or Catalina? 🤔

I have an iMac 2010 and a Quadro K3000M and would like to install Catalina, but I use the TDM for my Windows Gaming PC.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Will there ever be a solution to use the Target Display Mode with Mojave or Catalina? 🤔

I have an iMac 2010 and a Quadro K3000M and would like to install Catalina, but I use the TDM for my Windows Gaming PC.

Install on a small partition High Sierra to have TDM. Unless you find the extensions from High Sierra needed on Mojave there will be no solution...

 

[marvin_95l]

Ah okay Thanks, thats an Idea.

It could have been that someone was working on a solution.

 

[Conney]

Dear Contributors,
is there any chance for BIOS with native brightness control (w/o necessity of using OpenCore) for NVidia K2100m, just like in case of higher models?

 

[SubDriver]

Dear Contributors,
is there any chance for BIOS with native brightness control (w/o necessity of using OpenCore) for NVidia K2100m, just like in case of higher models?

There is always a chance, but predicting when or if it will happen is not easy. There is no guarantee one will be produced. However, the BIOS for each of the NVIDIA cards with native brightness control (as shown on post #1 of this thread) have been produced within the last couple of months. Keep checking post #1 periodically for updates.

 

[Conney]

Thank you Captain Obvious

 

[Amsterdamned]

Anyone care to give me some tips on how I can prepare a 3 pipe for one of the larger Nvidia cards? Stripping the 27” 2011 down (and putting it back together afterwards) I have no problems at all with but I’ve never used anything like a Dremel in my life. Do I need a cutting disc or one of the thin cutting bits? Is there anything other than the dremel and the right attachment required?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Anyone care to give me some tips on how I can prepare a 3 pipe for one of the larger Nvidia cards? Stripping the 27” 2011 down (and putting it back together afterwards) I have no problems at all with but I’ve never used anything like a Dremel in my life. Do I need a cutting disc or one of the thin cutting bits? Is there anything other than the dremel and the right attachment required?

Normally I use these tools ... higher speed and lower pressure and give it some time to complete. Takes 15-20 minutes unless you have a turning lathe or something similar.

Using always protecting glasses and a protection for mouse and nose to avoid breathing metal or other powder in.

 

[Amsterdamned]

Normally I use these tools ... higher speed and lower pressure and give it some time to complete. Takes 15-20 minutes unless you have a turning lathe or something similar.

Using always protecting glasses and a protection for mouse and nose to avoid breathing metal or other powder in.

I hadn’t even thought about using something like that. Which “bit” would you use? I’ve ordered the K5 Pro so that’s at least one thing I’ve ticked off.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

I hadn’t even thought about using something like that. Which “bit” would you use? I’ve ordered the K5 Pro so that’s at least one thing I’ve ticked off.

The bigger ones on the picture I provided. How would you grind away a surface of 7mmx15mm with the small ones? Ask a neighbour with "hands" for help or better ask Dr. Google "how to grind metal with a dremel"....

EDIT:
I bought a tungsten tool set fo the Dremel from the female warrior site. These tools are by far the best to grind down the sink by hand. Took only a few minutes, do not use too much pressure, the grinder will work nearly alone.

 

[Amsterdamned]

The bigger ones on the picture I provided. How would you grind away a surface of 7mmx15mm with the small ones? Ask a neighbour with "hands" for help or better ask Dr. Google "how to grind metal with a dremel"....

Thanks again. I have a mate who may be able to help, as long as I can get to him without breaking any COVID rules. I may treat myself to a new tool otherwise. You can never have too many tools

I’ve baked the old card, so have a working system, but I’m really looking forward to dragging this old iMac back to life. Still can’t quite believe how much work all the legends on this thread have done. Amazing.

 

[ZenSurfeur]

The bigger ones on the picture I provided. How would you grind away a surface of 7mmx15mm with the small ones? Ask a neighbour with "hands" for help or better ask Dr. Google "how to grind metal with a dremel"....

I used "standard" discs for cutting with dremel tool see but it required some dexterity

 

[Amsterdamned]

I used "standard" discs for cutting with dremel tool

Ok, so you start with the cutting disc then move onto something like a grinding tool to finish off? Sorry for all the questions but a replacement 3 pipe heat sink costs as much as a good Nvidia card so I really don’t want to make a mess of it.

 

[ZenSurfeur]

heatsink 3 pipes is required with high TDP card, which card do you want to install?
to dremel I do like this
1- cut horizontal (7 and 15 mm)
2- cut vertical (7 mm)
3- move the disc vertically and horizontally inside the zones
no need others things for finition, use the lower rotation speed take your time (15-30 min maximum to do this)
warning ! always wear protective glasses and mask

 

[velvet_man]

New member here, so I apologize if this has been asked before.

I was going to buy a new iMac, but then with the processor changeover announced I figured it'd be best to wait and see before making a big investment.

So now I'm thinking about buying a 2011 27-inch iMac for sale locally because the price is lower than it would cost for a monitor and it appears to be in perfect shape. According to some benchmarks, it will have very similar performance to my current 2013 MBP, so I know it'll handle the workload.

My thinking is, it can serve as a work computer for a year or two and then I can use it as a second monitor (for the eventual new iMac) and media server after that. After all, a monitor and NAS would cost way more than the guy is asking for this 2011 iMac.

But then I saw this thread and got to thinking it might be possible to make this computer even better than I thought and not just a stop-gap. The idea of upgrading the GPU and running Catalina or Big Sur sounds great, but it sounds like I would lose the option of using it as a second monitor if I do end up eventually going that route. Is that correct, it's not possible to upgrade and run the newest OS and still have the monitor option to fall back on?

Also, I'll have to upgrade the RAM when I get it. It's been years since I've built a PC, and modding Macs is new territory for me. Is this stuff good? https://www.amazon.ca/Timetec-Compa...10600+ddr3+so-dimm&qid=1597083735&sr=8-4&th=1

 

[ZenSurfeur]

no need to buy ram "mac édition" samsung DDR3L run like a charm, but your prize is good

In my case , a second screen is ok

 

[passatgt]

no need to buy ram "mac édition" samsung DDR3L run like a charm, but your prize is good

In my case , a second screen is ok

I'm using 1600mhz memory modules and those work just fine too(at 1333mhz of course).

 

[Pacific1972]

KEXT Install TIP for Beginners and Intermediate (as me) / OC Install Guide

after using OC Loader with ordered K1100M I find it useful to handle with two
bootable macOS SSD and check various KEXTs (install to local S/L/E with KextDrop)

S / L / E = System / Library / Extensions - (of course ) !

I have installed High Sierra on both SSD and install various KEXTs (together or
without Nvidia Web Driver and CUDA Support) - because of my actual 129° celsius
problem and lower stepping of the GFX card

-> Logic Board thermal sensor problem

What the thermal sensor (-1° Celsius, defect ) sends to the Logic Board is not that what
some HWSensor Software explain - because of this the K1100M Video card / GPU Core
runs at only 135Mhz... and that means for me another LogicBoard or waiting for ARM Mac !

Maybe I'm not so professional, but KEXTs (Kernel Extensions) are something like
via right-click installable INF Driver / Extension files at Windows...

So if I install a FakeSMC.KEXT File, modified AppleGraphicsControl.KEXT or something
other I try to reboot the same partition after install, choose OC Loader - 2GB SD card
at start of 27" Imac (2011).

If there was any malfunction (boot problems) I start again with OC Loader, choose the
other bootable SSD and boot, go with Finder to the non-booting SSD / Partition to
S / L / E and delete the new installed KEXT files !

I write that because not anybody is so experienced to know how to install KEXTs on
OC Loader, which KEXTs are useful and what parameters I can use in the OpenCore
Configurator to have a running system without any problems and crashes for different
Kepler cards...

Maybe stupid, but after reading OC Dump files I cannot explain me every terminal
command and I'm not soo good with macOS terminal commands as with MS-DOS,
PC BIOS or Batch File programming...

🤔 😷.

Of course I read the Page 1 and hope it is summary enough but I look every few days
for new modified KEXT files 😄 😄 😄 - I know it's crazy and the same **** as testing
Windows Tuning Tools...

EDIT (for background information):
Read the OpenCore Install Guide ***RTFM*** (primary for HackIntosh)

OC Install Guide

 

[Amsterdamned]

heatsink 3 pipes is required with high TDP card, which card do you want to install?
to dremel I do like this
1- cut horizontal (7 and 15 mm)
2- cut vertical (7 mm)
3- move the disc vertically and horizontally inside the zones
no need others things for finition, use the lower rotation speed take your time (15-30 min maximum to do this)
warning ! always wear protective glasses and mask

View attachment 943130

I did see your post and would be basing my work on yours I'll be using the K3000M which is almost identical to the K5100M you have. My local Bunnings (Australia) has a kit for around $50 AUD that has pretty much everything I could possibly need so might just bite the bullet and get it.

 

[Wallace Fung]

Oh, I just bought a WX4150 (Dell) for my friend's abandoned iMac.
I checked first page again, it doesn't suit for his 21.5" iMac 2011.
Anyway, I have dumped the bios and I will upload it tonight.
Hope it can help someone to develop new mod.

 

[highvoltage12v]

Oh, I just bought a WX4150 (Dell) for my friend's abandoned iMac.
I checked first page again, it doesn't suit for his 21.5" iMac 2011.
Anyway, I have dumped the bios and I will upload it tonight.
Hope it can help someone to develop new mod.

Um, WX4130s and WX4150s do fit the 2.15" iMac's perfectly, I run a WX4130 in 1 of my 3 iMac's just fine. You might want to dump your bootrom and add coreEG2/edidParser to it and flash with an EG2 compatible ROM.
Wx4170's do not fit 21.5" models, but those cards are hard to come by.


Also complete side note if you come across the Dell RX560M (looks like a wx4150) don't buy it, they don't work in 2011 iMacs, and throw SMC issues with 2010 models. We did however extract the VBIOS from it and made our ROMs from it. Credit goes to @internetzel

 

[Wallace Fung]

Um, WX4130s and WX4150s do fit the 2.15" iMac's perfectly, I run a WX4130 in 1 of my 3 iMac's just fine. You might want to dump your bootrom and add coreEG2/edidParser to it and flash with an EG2 compatible ROM.
Wx4170's do not fit 21.5" models, but those cards are hard to come by.


Also complete side note if you come across the Dell RX560M (looks like a wx4150) don't buy it, they don't work in 2011 iMacs, and throw SMC issues with 2010 models. We did however extract the VBIOS from it and made our ROMs from it. Credit goes to @internetzel

I remember the ROM header shown RX560M, so I think I've got the wrong card. 😭
I am still waiting for BIOS mod only GPU with native Boot screen and native brightness support for my friend's iMac 2011 21.5".

 

[highvoltage12v]

I remember the ROM header shown RX560M, so I think I've got the wrong card. 😭
I am still waiting for BIOS mod only GPU with native Boot screen and native brightness support for my friend's iMac 2011 21.5".

Yeah, here they are side by side. You can see they look similar. But even after removing components from my RX560M to make it visually like my WX4130, it still never was detected in the 2011.

On the 2010 model, once the Card hits a high Power signal on the MXM pin, it will make the a few temp signals drop off (129C) causing the whole system to run the fans at 100% and the CPU to throttle to 1.6GHz. I wasted alot of money on AMD MXM cards, and I'm a bit hesitant to recommend them, the safest bet for me is the WX4130. I have 2 working 00D cards.

Also we haven't seen much work on the EG2 ROMs for the AMD cards. And I don't see Apple releasing any new Firmware update for older 12,1/12,2 iMac's so maybe do the EFI module mod? I know there is risk of knocking components off the board. But I've done it, idk somehow I'm patient enough to do it.

 

[Wania]

Alright, here is a basic Big Sur kext pack for the 2009-2011 iMac. It includes a patched AppleGraphicsControl.kext, Patched @nikey22 /@Nick [D]vB specific AppleBacklight.kext HD3000 kexts Airport and HD audio. If going with the micro patcher from @Barry K. Nathan You don't need to install the HD3000*/IO8211Family.kext kext/AppleHDA.kext as his --2011 command will fix this.

@Barry K. Nathan If you read this you should maybe include an "--iMac" option to your patch-kexts.sh script. You mostly have everything, us iMac users need a Patched AppleGraphicsControl to enable DisplayPort Output on boot. Also AppleMCCSControl from Mojave fixes the garbled graphics output in Safari. Thanks your script has been amazing so far!

@highvoltage12v, how install this kext? command:

sudo spctl --master-disable
sudo mount -uw / sudo killall Finder

do not work and I do not have permission to change /System/Library/Extensions