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

[hightowe]

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

I 100% believe that to be true on a 27" iMac and I've seen YouTube videos to prove it. I cannot foresee how it can be done on a 21.5" one, but if it can, I would surely love to see the technique!

 

[Ausdauersportler]

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.
View attachment 949461

Valley would be affected by a slower CPU, too. The results table is full of such results, Valley score drops down to approximately 50% with a non boosting CPU.

 

[BadBiscuit]

Valley would be affected by a slower CPU, too. The results table is full of such results, Valley score drops down to approximately 50% with a non boosting CPU.

That makes sense. My sensor must be working intermittently. Sometimes CPU will throttle, and other times benchmark comes back fine. Glad I finally ran AHT and caught it while failing. New cable/sensor was only $4 on eBay.

 

[kokkorollo]

I'm having a weird behaviour.
I've installed successfully a k2100 on imac 2009 i5.
I've installed the firmware and everything is working fine.
I've installed Catalina with the dosdude patcher, but when I try to boot the iMac I have a black screen after the starting sound, but if I press the alt button on start I can choose the boot disk and then everything is working fine.
I've tried a pram reset and then the mac boot regularly, but as soon I shout down the system the problem start again.
So every time I have to boot the iMac I have to press the alt button or it will stay with black screen.
There is someone that can help me with this? because the system is working really well.
I hope someone have a solution for me!
thanks.

 

[herrdude]

@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.

Hmmmm, you thank me but in fact, it was a tip from @Ausdauersportler!

 

[highvoltage12v]

I'm having a weird behaviour.
I've installed successfully a k2100 on imac 2009 i5.
I've installed the firmware and everything is working fine.
I've installed Catalina with the dosdude patcher, but when I try to boot the iMac I have a black screen after the starting sound, but if I press the alt button on start I can choose the boot disk and then everything is working fine.
I've tried a pram reset and then the mac boot regularly, but as soon I shout down the system the problem start again.
So every time I have to boot the iMac I have to press the alt button or it will stay with black screen.
There is someone that can help me with this? because the system is working really well.
I hope someone have a solution for me!
thanks.

This is the exact definition of what the patched AppleGraphicsControl.kext will fix mentioned on page 1. Hope you are enjoying the k2100m so far.

 

[hightowe]

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.
View attachment 949461

I ran the Geekbench Metal test and added my results. My machine has the lowest score recorded yet, but it also seems to be what should be expected for the low-end model that it is. Its performance is essentially in line with the only other 21.5" iMac listed in the Geekbench Metal results, compensating for the fact that the other 21.5" iMac listed has a CPU that is probably 50% faster...

Overall, I am very happy with how this entire process went and the fact that this little iMac is back to life. Thanks again to everyone involved in making this possible.

 

[StephN999]

hightowe,

Can you put your configuration in your signature, it would be better for comprehension. Thanks! 😉

Otherwise what's your score with Metal?

Even me with my Quadro K2100M it looks ridiculous when I see the other graphics cards doing almost 10 times better. 😂

 

[highvoltage12v]

hightowe,

Can you put your configuration in your signature, it would be better for comprehension. Thanks! 😉

Otherwise what's your score with Metal?

Even me with my Quadro K2100M it looks ridiculous when I see the other graphics cards doing almost 10 times better. 😂

Do you have really low Valley scores?

 

[StephN999]

Bonjour,

I'm finishing my new Time Machine backup and I'm telling you this, I think my score will be "normal", with GeekBench in Metal test I'm almost at 2700 so nothing abnormal except that I have to configure OpenCore to make my system think I have an iMac pro 1,1 (I'd like to do without it because I'm using iStat Menu so I don't have the right display system for the sensors), otherwise the score is only a little more than 1000, and I've tried countless kext or options with WhatEverGreen without success.

Capture of the current iStat Sensor menu:

Otherwise I come to do a research on the topic and post #8,536 shows that it's more than 10 times more powerfull for this test, it just surprised me, I didn't expect such differences on "the same" machine with another graphic card.

 

[hightowe]

Do you have really low Valley scores?

hightowe,

Can you put your configuration in your signature, it would be better for comprehension. Thanks! 😉

Otherwise what's your score with Metal?

Even me with my Quadro K2100M it looks ridiculous when I see the other graphics cards doing almost 10 times better. 😂

OK. I think I got my specs into my signature, but I don't see it on preview...

Specs are: 21.5" Mid 2010 iMac11,2: i3-540 CPU, HP-branded Quadro K1100m, High Sierra

My GeekBench5 (metal) score was 1,961. It's the one added today: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...b4oYhoJGDQLUm7vHzgQ-ttf_A/edit#gid=2022145180

 

[Schprecher]

Maybe someone can do nice bios for K3000M?
whats the problem?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Maybe someone can do nice bios for K3000M?
whats the problem?

1. Please do not harass the BIOS developers to go faster, release a particular BIOS, etc. Please do not clog up the thread with useless posts asking if your specific card will get a new BIOS. Ask not what this thread can do for you, but what you can do for this thread. It takes several months of reverse engineering and testing before getting a new BIOS working. It took only six years for the first really working card here on this thread! If you would like to use a different card, consider yourself in unknown territory. Of course, let us know if it works! Chances are that Kepler based cards will run using the right (most likely Dell) BIOS but will exhibit the seven problems listed below.

copied from the first post....

 

[kokkorollo]

This is the exact definition of what the patched AppleGraphicsControl.kext will fix mentioned on page 1. Hope you are enjoying the k2100m so far.

I've done the kext install but nothing changed.
maybe I did something wrong?

this is what i've done:
1. started Hackintool 3.4.4
2. Go to Icon Utilities -> the press the kext Icon on the bottom of the window
3. selected the AppleGraphicsControl.kext
4. selected the folder that the tool gave to me /Library/Extensions
5. waited for the red text
6. rebooted the system from terminal with sudo reboot

at the reboot nothing changed and I still have black screen.
I have to press the alt button to see something on the screen.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

I've done the kext install but nothing changed.
maybe I did something wrong?

this is what i've done:
1. started Hackintool 3.4.4
2. Go to Icon Utilities -> the press the kext Icon on the bottom of the window
3. selected the AppleGraphicsControl.kext
4. selected the folder that the tool gave to me /Library/Extensions
5. waited for the red text
6. rebooted the system from terminal with sudo reboot

at the reboot nothing changed and I still have black screen.
I have to press the alt button to see something on the screen.

/Systems/Library/Extensions -> just follow the same installation plan @highvoltage12v made for the 2011 sleep extensions....

We can write docs until the fingers bleed....

 

[kokkorollo]

/Systems/Library/Extensions -> just follow the same installation plan @highvoltage12v made for the 2011 sleep extensions....

Wie can write docs until the fingers bleed....

damn you right, hackintool point in the wrong folder by default!
my fault I've trusted the directory from the hackintool.

i've just made this steps so someone is searching for "why black screen on catalina startup" will found a solution.
so doing this steps everything is working fine now!
1. start Hackintool 3.4.4
2. Go to Icon Utilities -> the press the kext Icon on the bottom of the window
3. select the AppleGraphicsControl.kext ( Link )
4. select the folder /System/Library/Extensions (CAUTION don't use /Library/Extension gave by default by hackintool)
5. wait for the red text
6. reboot the system from terminal with "sudo reboot"



thanks everyone for the help you gave to all of us!
now my iMac is back to life, I just have to find if the temperature is correct.
right now i have maximum 70°C on gpu heatsink but i cannot read the gpu diode.
I've read that opencore will let me see the temperature, but i don't have any comparison.
there is someone that have the K2100 and can tell what temperature have on gpu?

 

[ShadowFlay]

Thanks for all the great info. Looking for a little help. I'm getting two full startup chimes and half of a third with some backlight now after flashing.

Details:
2011 27 w/dead 6970
Dell 4100M

Machine would boot with grey screen with dead 6970
Replaced with Dell 4100m and it would make boot chime and successfully booted into Linux USB(black screen of course and no backlight). SSH in and dump original rom and flash with k4100_BR.rom as downloaded from sticky post#1. Downloaded two copies and ensured file size was identical. Flashed successfully and verification was successful. However it did note that the ROM size of the flashed file was different to the source. I did not reflash.
Rebooted and got the above described condition of:
Backlight came on but a blueish black screen and two boot chimes and then a third that is cut off half way through the sound. No longer able to boot into Linux USB.

ANY HELP APPRECIATED.

 

[ZenSurfeur]

Dell 4100M or K4100M ?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Thanks for all the great info. Looking for a little help. I'm getting two full startup chimes and half of a third with some backlight now after flashing.

Details:
2011 27 w/dead 6970
Dell 4100M

Machine would boot with grey screen with dead 6970
Replaced with Dell 4100m and it would make boot chime and successfully booted into Linux USB(black screen of course and no backlight). SSH in and dump original rom and flash with k4100_BR.rom as downloaded from sticky post#1. Downloaded two copies and ensured file size was identical. Flashed successfully and verification was successful. However it did note that the ROM size of the flashed file was different to the source. I did not reflash.
Rebooted and got the above described condition of:
Backlight came on but a blueish black screen and two boot chimes and then a third that is cut off half way through the sound. No longer able to boot into Linux USB.

ANY HELP APPRECIATED.

The files size cannot be the same because we provide here full chip size BIOS versions while nvflash only ready until the EOF marker - which ends up with a smaller file size.

If you get artefacts after flashing and after the screen comes up than there is only one and a half explanation: The card is bad or (the is the half) badly installed on the heat sink. We had a longer discussion about hardware failures, you are alone with it and may reread the first post about this topic.

 

[RRPC]

as i have no other place to ask this.
i have a problem with sleep and the mouse. it is happening after ill updated the config.plist for wx7100
post #9,077

its oke when i boot up the mac, but after sleep. the magic trackpad nor the USB mouse let me do a left click.
ill don't say that the update broke the mouse. but be4 that i change the config. the mouse was working after sleep.

edit: seems a common Catalina bug ?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

as i have no other place to ask this.
i have a problem with sleep and the mouse. it is happening after ill updated the config.plist for wx7100
post #9,077

its oke when i boot up the mac, but after sleep. the magic trackpad nor the USB mouse let me do a left click.
ill don't say that the update broke the mouse. but be4 that i change the config. the mouse was working after sleep.

edit: seems a common Catalina bug ?

Come on, go back to the older config.plist and check. We cannot do this for your - it is your hardware.

 

[RRPC]

Come on, go back to the older config.plist and check. We cannot do this for your - it is your hardware.

well, sir
you could say, or ask.

i'm not have the problem, can you try to go back to the old config. i'm not having the issue.

but instead you calling out that it's my hardware that have a defect.
i'm sorry, i said thats it's after sleep. and after reboot its perfect fine, so hardware is oke.

can you pleas be a bit nicer ?, i just try to adres perhaps a bug. that might be caused in some systems the "non working mouse after sleep" caused maybe because of opencore.

thats all, notting more. notting less.

hope we can help each other. in every possible way. 😄

 

[Ausdauersportler]

well, sir
you could say, or ask.

i'm not have the problem, can you try to go back to the old config. i'm not having the issue.

but instead you calling out that it's my hardware that have a defect.
i'm sorry, i said thats it's after sleep. and after reboot its perfect fine, so hardware is oke.

can you pleas be a bit nicer ?, i just try to adres perhaps a bug. that might be caused in some systems the "non working mouse after sleep" caused maybe because of opencore.

thats all, notting more. notting less.

hope we can help each other. in every possible way. 😄

Sorry, I am tired of hardware problems and will not answer on these and your requests any longer.

If you - really - would like to help me than do a cross check of the config files on your own and point out the error or difference. You just drop a problem and expect me to do the search? Sorry, I am tired of this "full service mentality", too.

 

[StephN999]

Bonsoir,

I solved my "problem" without having to change the identity of my machine, I took kexts from the latest Big Sur beta (AppleGraphicsControl.kext, AppleGraphicsPowerManagement.kext, AppleMCCSControl.kext and IOSurface. kext) no idea if they are all needed though, I don't know if it was useful either but I modified the info.plist by putting 10.5 instead of 11.0 in "DTPlatformVersion" and "LSMinimumSystemVersion", easy to do them all at once with TextMate.

I forgot to say it but I don't use the new AppleBacklightFixup.kext but the old one, because it doesn't work on my configuration.

I don't have the impression that the FakeSMC are used for something, I missed an info?

I also (definitely) have a question about the "black screen" with the Quadro K2100M, does it work with all machines? I'm asking this because it never happened to me.


Otherwise, as requested above, my benchmark with Valley:

 

[Netboy69]

Hi to everyone, i own a quadro k3100m from hp, when i flash the imac vbios the card stop working, i flash the bios via nvflash. To make the card work again i need to flash the original bios. can anyone help? what im doing wrong? Regards