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

[kokkorollo]

Hi,
I have an old 27 Imac 2009 with i5. I had a lot of problem with the amd card because of heat problem that drive the board to a malfunction. After having read almost all othe tread I've bought a quadro K2100 card from aliexpress where is specified was for alienware.
i've mounted the board inside of the imac 27 2009 with i5, but i'm having black screen.
I can ear the fan spinning, but nothing else.
how can I test if the board is ok?
maybe I need to flash the card? there is another method instead of the use of the clip for flashing the bios?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Hi,
I have an old 27 Imac 2009 with i5. I had a lot of problem with the amd card because of heat problem that drive the board to a malfunction. After having read almost all othe tread I've bought a quadro K2100 card from aliexpress where is specified was for alienware.
i've mounted the board inside of the imac 27 2009 with i5, but i'm having black screen.
I can ear the fan spinning, but nothing else.
how can I test if the board is ok?
maybe I need to flash the card? there is another method instead of the use of the clip for flashing the bios?

Yes, you need to flash it, can be done with Linux or Windows solution, both described on post #1.
There you find also the links to current BIOS versions.

 

[Jforte]

I'm trying to find a working model of the wx4170. Guys from europe, do you know where can i buy one?

 

[internetzel]

Yes, I have reset. Still boots only into Windows.

You might verify that flashing the original VBIOS did really succeed.
Then you might create a new OpenCore boot stick.
And finally you might try to boot into macOS without OpenCore.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

I'm trying to find a working model of the wx4170. Guys from europe, do you know where can i buy one?

There is no such source, at least I found none on EBay. The HP or Dell service shops should be able to get such a spare but likely at the price point of the WX7100 from far, Far East.

 

[Jforte]

There is no such source, at least I found none on EBay. The HP or Dell service shops should be able to get such a spare but likely at the price point of the WX7100 from far, Far East.

The cards that i find on eBay has no BIOS chip.
Sounds like i must buy one from China... Customs, 5 to 6 weeks... Brrrrr....
Thanks...

 

[cheaptech]

780M, K3000M, K3100M, etc: 100% brightness, probably it is more the the stock 100%, it is uncontrolled and not limited , just the full voltage is applied to the backlight.

K1100M to K4100M, AMD cards: the 100% level of this controlled brightness can be less the the 100% of a stock Apple card. It is hard to find the programming data to get the very same illumination and your would have to measure exactly before and after GPU change in the same machine.

Additionally it is hard to compare even two machines of the very same type: Because of different use pattern in the past the one backlight might not have the same lumen level as the other.

You thoughts, and anyone else would be much appreciated...

I have read all 25 pages resulting from a search on k1100m but I cannot find reference to these specific cards as to any differences. There is an Ebay seller with 1: HP NVIDIA K1100M NVIDIA N15P-Q1 GRAPHICS - 785223-001 and 2: HP K1100M N15P Q1 GRAPHICS CARD - 734276-001. Looking at parts.hp.com each card list the exact same laptop models except each has one different model. Would you, or anyone, say one of these cards is any different/better than the other?

Is it possible to set the brightness for any of these k...m series cards in the vbios at something less than 100% (say 70%)? I am thinking a set brightness is fine for me (my office always has the same level of light) and that I could use the 1000/2000/3000 cards and set it lower to cut back the temp. You comments above make me wonder if it may be possible if not precise.

Thank to this forum i now have three extra iMacs.

 

[herrdude]

You thoughts, and anyone else would be much appreciated...

I have read all 25 pages resulting from a search on k1100m but I cannot find reference to these specific cards as to any differences. There is an Ebay seller with 1: HP NVIDIA K1100M NVIDIA N15P-Q1 GRAPHICS - 785223-001 and 2: HP K1100M N15P Q1 GRAPHICS CARD - 734276-001. Looking at parts.hp.com each card list the exact same laptop models except each has one different model. Would you, or anyone, say one of these cards is any different/better than the other?

Is it possible to set the brightness for any of these k...m series cards in the vbios at something less than 100% (say 70%)? I am thinking a set brightness is fine for me (my office always has the same level of light) and that I could use the 1000/2000/3000 cards and set it lower to cut back the temp. You comments above make me wonder if it may be possible if not precise.

Thank to this forum i now have three extra iMacs.

I installed 2 k1100m from HP. I never paid attention to the exact number but I suspect it doesn't really matter.

 

[cheaptech]

I installed 2 k1100m from HP. I never paid attention to the exact number but I suspect it doesn't really matter.

I am going to start with a cheap card and work up. Saw a k4100m on eBay for $100 but seller wont take returns. I am tempted.

 

[Sricca]

Anyone know the going rate for my 2011 Imac?

It's tricked out. 2 SSD drives, 1TB and 512MB, GTX 780M flashed with Bios to allow boot screen, 32GB ram, Latest OSX install. Also I have Windows 10 fully working with audio. what should I get for this on ebay?

 

[deific]

I can't get built in audio operating. All that shows is "Digital Out" and "iMac/Display Port". Any ideas?

Details: iMac 27" Mid 2011, 3.4 GHz Quad-Core i7, GeForce GTX 765M flashed with Nick(D)vB. Original WiFi/BT chip, may upgrade eventually. Upgraded to 10.15.6 using the latest @dosdude1 Catalina patcher after earlier attempt with 10.15.4 a month or two back.
Attempted re-running patches including Legacy Audio Patch - re-checked after reboot, unchecked Legacy Audio Patch -re-checked after reboot, re-checked after reboot. Boot cache clearing options checked each time.
Plenty of NVRAM/PRAM resets already done.
Booting into El Capitan off of a boot drive also shows the same outputs as on Catalina.

Boot chime is loud and clear, and sound works perfectly in BootCamp/Windows 10. Sound In works ok as well, just the sound out doesn't allow the proper choices.
Unfortunately I don't quite understand the details of how the audio patching is supposed to operate so I don't know where to begin with troubleshooting besides what I've mentioned above.

8/2/2020 Update: Additional steps taken since writing this initially:
1) Tried reinstalling Legacy Audio Patch while inside Patch Updater. No change.
2) Fresh Catalina install, applied patches including Legacy Audio Patch. No change.
3) Tried plugging headphones in and removing several times, no change.
4) Replaced WiFi/BT chip with BCM94360CD and got all the other fun stuff working - airplay/airdrop/faster speeds. no change however on Built In Audio.
5) Ran through suggested steps on https://helloworldcodes.com/index.p...100m-graphics-card-swap-and-install-catalina/ for fixing Wake from Sleep, Black Screen, and Intel Quicksync. Still no audio.
6) Tried adding various kext files in from Hacintosh forums without success. Finally went to the clean Catalina install as a test without success.

I wonder if there's something about the iMac 11,2 and the specific GeForce GTX 765M card that doesn't take the audio fix well. The vid card was a Dell GTX 765M from a AlienWare 17 18 R1.
The presence of a "DisplayPort" audio feature sounds unique.

I'll probably give up at this point and get some inexpensive USB speakers...

9/8/2020 Update: I gave up on the audio issue and simply purchased an inexpensive bluetooth soundbar from Amazon that fits underneath the iMac -- Taotronics. For anyone looking for a USB speaker watch out for "USB-powered" speakers! They are not the same as a USB based speaker. Many of them were more expensive, so the bluetooth speakers were pretty good options, especially if you've already spent extra to replace your WiFi/Bluetooth chip in your system.

 

[Jforte]

Anyone know the going rate for my 2011 Imac?

It's tricked out. 2 SSD drives, 1TB and 512MB, GTX 780M flashed with Bios to allow boot screen, 32GB ram, Latest OSX install. Also I have Windows 10 fully working with audio. what should I get for this on ebay?View attachment 949214

Well, i sold one with the same specs for 750 euro, no keyboard and no mouse...
How did you install Windows 10? I did you managed the sound driver issues?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Well, i sold one with the same specs for 750 euro, no keyboard and no mouse...
How did you install Windows 10? I did you managed the sound driver issues?

UEFI Windows -> use Catalina Loader and check OpenCore ACPI section
Legacy Windows -> sound works out of the box

 

[earmstr18]

Well, i sold one with the same specs for 750 euro, no keyboard and no mouse...
How did you install Windows 10? I did you managed the sound driver issues?

I used this method to install windows. Sound works great!
It's pretty straight forward and easy too if you dedicate 1 ssd for windows

 

[hightowe]

Hello everyone. I'd like to start by saying thank you for the great work done by the leaders in this forum thread. Using the information here and this USB programmer (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V6WLF4S), I had a remarkably smooth time placing a HP K1100M graphics card into my iMac11,2 (model A1311 / EMC 2389). I attached the machine's About screen for reference.

Everything seems to be working as I expect it to, including the boot screen. I must software control brightness as I've not attempted an OpenCore install. My only concern is that graphics on the machine seem sluggish, more sluggish even than with the original 512MB ATI card that I pulled. Because of that I am wondering if I missed a step... I can't determine any steps that I have missed and so I decided that I would ask the group. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[earmstr18]

Hello everyone. I'd like to start by saying thank you for the great work done by the leaders in this forum thread. Using the information here and this USB programmer (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V6WLF4S), I had a remarkably smooth time placing a HP K1100M graphics card into my iMac11,2 (model A1311 / EMC 2389). I attached the machine's About screen for reference.

Everything seems to be working as I expect it to, including the boot screen. I must software control brightness as I've not attempted an OpenCore install. My only concern is that graphics on the machine seem sluggish, more sluggish even than with the original 512MB ATI card that I pulled. Because of that I am wondering if I missed a step... I can't determine any steps that I have missed and so I decided that I would ask the group. Thanks in advance for any advice.

What about the new graphics seems sluggish?

Is it on certain programs? Just running in general?

 

[hightowe]

What about the new graphics seems sluggish?

Is it on certain programs? Just running in general?

I see/feel it in general, but where I can really see it is playing a 1080p video in vlc, that I have had on my desktop for several years and play from time to time. It's skips frames and has distortions. Neither happened prior.

Might you be able to recommend a graphics performance testing software that I could run that might answer if things are working properly or not? Apologies if that is a newby question; my Mac skills pale in comparison to Linux. The iMac is predominantly used by my son.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

I see/feel it in general, but where I can really see it is playing a 1080p video in vlc, that I have had on my desktop for several years and play from time to time. It's skips frames and has distortions. Neither happened prior.

Might you be able to recommend a graphics performance testing software that I could run that might answer if things are working properly or not? Apologies if that is a newby question; my Mac skills pale in comparison to Linux. The iMac is predominantly used by my son.

Check first page, first post for Unigine Valley and compare with other uploads. If you cannot get the same score we found another bad card?

 

[Failedagain]

Hello, Would anybody be willing to update my K610m GPU i purchased for my 2011 iMac? I would send the card and pay for your services. Thank you

 

[hightowe]

Hello, Would anybody be willing to update my K610m GPU i purchased for my 2011 iMac? I would send the card and pay for your services. Thank you

I did it just today on my iMac11,2. It truly is a full tear-down, but it was surprisingly easy. I took my time and it took me 4.5 hours to do it. I mostly followed these instructions and everything was very smooth: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2389+GPU+Heat+Sink+Replacement/6273

 

[herrdude]

Hello, Would anybody be willing to update my K610m GPU i purchased for my 2011 iMac? I would send the card and pay for your services. Thank you

Where are you located?

 

[hightowe]

Check first page, first post for Unigine Valley and compare with other uploads. If you cannot get the same score we found another bad card?

@herrdude - thanks for the tip. I had missed the Unigine Valley stuff. My performance seems to be typical for the K1100M and the low-end i3 CPU that my iMac has. In hindsight, I wish I had also upgraded the CPU today. I added my results to the spreadsheet, and they are also attached as an image. I also attached a screenshot of MachineProfile output from my iMac.

 

[passatgt]

I did it just today on my iMac11,2. It truly is a full tear-down, but it was surprisingly easy. I took my time and it took me 4.5 hours to do it. I mostly followed these instructions and everything was very smooth: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2389+GPU+Heat+Sink+Replacement/6273

With a little bit of experience, you can replace the card without fully removing the motherboard. Also you can take it out without removing the PSU. So it can be done in like 15-20 minutes if you have done it a few times already

 

[Ausdauersportler]

@herrdude - thanks for the tip. I had missed the Unigine Valley stuff. My performance seems to be typical for the K1100M and the low-end i3 CPU that my iMac has. In hindsight, I wish I had also upgraded the CPU today. I added my results to the spreadsheet, and they are also attached as an image. I also attached a screenshot of MachineProfile output from my iMac.

Hmm, I would spend the iMac probably more memory and use the typical system monitoring tools to get an idea where the bottle neck is hidden during your normal use.

The L3426 is a nice CPU upgrade for this 21.5“ 2010... @highvoltage12v gave me once this info.

 

[BadBiscuit]

@herrdude - thanks for the tip. I had missed the Unigine Valley stuff. My performance seems to be typical for the K1100M and the low-end i3 CPU that my iMac has. In hindsight, I wish I had also upgraded the CPU today. I added my results to the spreadsheet, and they are also attached as an image. I also attached a screenshot of MachineProfile output from my iMac.

You may also want to run GeekBench and/or AHT on it, to see if you missed connecting a thermal sensor. I currently have a machine with a bad skin sensor (waiting for a replacement off eBay). It causes the CPU to throttle, resulting in a noticeable sluggishness. Geekbench is nearly 1/2 of what is normal. I suspect it would also be reflected in a poor valley score, which you said was normal. So perhaps not, but worth checking.