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

[daniq]

Hi guys

I'm installed this patcher and my iMac with Xeon E3-1275 wakeup perfectly from deep sleep. After wakeup sometimes mouse arrow invisible, but if change window on keyboard arrow is back. Still have issue with QuickSync, hope this fix also available on future. Thanks for all guys who making it for us.

 

[Massimo Ghielmi]

I'd read first post, seems there aren't specific info (only aftermarket bios chip)... There are particular check before buy K2100M shield? (there are pic of small bios chip?).

Thanks...

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I'd read first post, seems there aren't specific info (only aftermarket bios chip)... There are particular check before buy K2100M shield? (there are pic of small bios chip?).

Thanks...

For what purpose?
Many of the cases, the item you receive will not look alike what's displayed on the shop.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

The idea behind the benchmark was to check if the card is functioning properly and free of defects, I do appreciate the warning.

Well any bios that you would like me to try just let me know, I will check the memory brand during the week.

No, check techpowerup.com or use the one came with your card. Use more recent/latest Dell BIOS? How often I have to write this?

Using the Catalina Loader and the Nvidia Config you can have a boot screen as AMD card users have it.

Possibly this is the best option for a longer time.

 

[Ri7]

Hi All!
Once again I'm here to thank everybody!

I've upgraded my CPU (from i7-2600s to i7-2600) and did a clean install of Catalina/Patches.
What a surprise with results from Unigine Valley.
My latest test was in https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2011-imac-graphics-card-upgrade.1596614/post-28962962 with 55.6 fps and 2326 points.

This time my system reached 60.7fps and 2539 points.
Good surprise tho!

I'm waiting for an AMD card to come to my 2nd system and asap I'll post the results.

Happy New Year!

 

[Massimo Ghielmi]

For what purpose?
Many of the cases, the item you receive will not look alike what's displayed on the shop.

Many cases but I talk with seller...

Hi All!
Once again I'm here to thank everybody!

I've upgraded my CPU (from i7-2600s to i7-2600) and did a clean install of Catalina/Patches.
What a surprise with results from Unigine Valley.
My latest test was in https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2011-imac-graphics-card-upgrade.1596614/post-28962962 with 55.6 fps and 2326 points.

This time my system reached 60.7fps and 2539 points.
Good surprise tho!

I'm waiting for an AMD card to come to my 2nd system and asap I'll post the results.

Happy New Year!

Thanks for report! My original i7 seems have bad performance...

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Many cases but I talk with seller...



Thanks for report! My original i7 seems have bad performance...

It is the K4100M which makes the difference compared to your K1100M card, not the CPU. Unlike Metalbench the Unigine Valley shows better values with higher clocked CPUs using the same GPU (in the range of 10%). But you cannot make a K1100M running faster than a K4100M ....

Metalbench is independent of the CPU used.

 

[Massimo Ghielmi]

It is the K4100M which makes the difference compared to your K1100M card, not the CPU. Unlike Metalbench the Unigine Valley shows better values with higher clocked CPUs using the same GPU (in the range of 10%). But you cannot make a K1100M running faster than a K4100M ....

Metalbench is independent of the CPU used.

Yes sure but user report difference from a CPU and another (with engine valley).

 

[eablokker]

I've just done a successful upgrade to a k2100m! Everything works beautifully. Doubled my Valley score. I've submitted my scores to the spreadsheet.

Thank you so much to everyone who figured this stuff out. I don't know how you managed it.

I've installed Mojave to a separate volume and that works beautifully too.

I'm able to use Bootcamp Windows 10, but without brightness control. I've tried the registry fix for brightness but that didn't work. I'm assuming I would need to reinstall Windows 10 through UEFI and boot into it through OpenCore in order to get brightness? At present Windows doesn't show up in my OpenCore boot picker.

I am seeing slight color banding issues in High Sierra, especially in YouTube videos. I have not installed any of the patches. Do I need patches for High Sierra with a year 2011 and k2100m? Will the patches fix the color banding? Or is that normal for a k2100m? (I want to keep my High Sierra intact in case I need to debug or reinstall my old card)

 

[plasticpippo]

I've just done a successful upgrade to a k2100m! Everything works beautifully. Doubled my Valley score. I've submitted my scores to the spreadsheet.

Thank you so much to everyone who figured this stuff out. I don't know how you managed it.

I've installed Mojave to a separate volume and that works beautifully too.

I'm able to use Bootcamp Windows 10, but without brightness control. I've tried the registry fix for brightness but that didn't work. I'm assuming I would need to reinstall Windows 10 through UEFI and boot into it through OpenCore in order to get brightness? At present Windows doesn't show up in my OpenCore boot picker.

I am seeing slight color banding issues in High Sierra, especially in YouTube videos. I have not installed any of the patches. Do I need patches for High Sierra with a year 2011 and k2100m? Will the patches fix the color banding? Or is that normal for a k2100m? (I want to keep my High Sierra intact in case I need to debug or reinstall my old card)

for the registry fix, you may have done something wrong with it as my legacy installation has brightness control
try using DDU to install completely the driver and try again for example
Also make sure you use download the latest driver before using DDU, as you will neeed to be offline if you dont want windows 10 to install its crappy driver

 

[Terros]

for the registry fix, you may have done something wrong with it as my legacy installation has brightness control
try using DDU to install completely the driver and try again for example
Also make sure you use download the latest driver before using DDU, as you will neeed to be offline if you dont want windows 10 to install its crappy driver

What is it actually suppose to show or bring up once enabled?

I've tried Win7 upgraded to Win10 - Newest drivers

And nothing seems to relate to a slider

 

[Chris2020]

Tried with both iMac keyboard and a usb keyboard, no luck. Also tried booting from Linux CD, no luck. Checked diagnostic LEDs, just 1 and 2 lit with display disconnected. It gives the start up chime on and I even see it connected to my WiFi router after start up. Looking at the Apple trouble shooting guide before disassembly further. Don‘t think the backup battery was ever replaced so will do that when it’s apart in case that matters.

Took it all apart again yesterday looking for mistakes. Didn't spot anything as I went. Pulled the video card off the heat sink and double checked the k1100 bios using the ch341a. All looked good, so I reassembled it. Same behavior as first time, no display and just 2 diag leds lit. Forgot to get a picture of the video chip before reassembling to show you all. Put in the new battery too, and reset pram. Open to ideas, suggestions? I made a copy of the original rom on the video card, considering to reflash that back to see if card is still ok.

 

[Stefanox2410]

if i try to install the k4100 rom on k4000 could it work?

 

[herrdude]

Took it all apart again yesterday looking for mistakes. Didn't spot anything as I went. Pulled the video card off the heat sink and double checked the k1100 bios using the ch341a. All looked good, so I reassembled it. Same behavior as first time, no display and just 2 diag leds lit. Forgot to get a picture of the video chip before reassembling to show you all. Put in the new battery too, and reset pram. Open to ideas, suggestions? I made a copy of the original rom on the video card, considering to reflash that back to see if card is still ok.

Two LEDs is a bad sign. The card is not communicating with the motherboard.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

if i try to install the k4100 rom on k4000 could it work?View attachment 1706930

You already had the K4000M working on your iMac, what do you expect the flashed BIOS to do?

 

[Chris2020]

Two LEDs is a bad sign. The card is not communicating with the motherboard.

Would the bios affect the ability to communicate with the motherboard? The card was able to communicate when it had the original bios on it. That’s why I was thinking about restoring it just to see if they would talk again.

 

[Stefanox2410]

You already had the K4000M working on your iMac, what do you expect the flashed BIOS to do?

Brightness control

 

[plasticpippo]

What is it actually suppose to show or bring up once enabled?

I've tried Win7 upgraded to Win10 - Newest drivers

And nothing seems to relate to a slider

Right click anywhere on the desktop and select "display settings" from the drop down menu

then this will appear

 

[eablokker]

for the registry fix, you may have done something wrong with it as my legacy installation has brightness control
try using DDU to install completely the driver and try again for example
Also make sure you use download the latest driver before using DDU, as you will neeed to be offline if you dont want windows 10 to install its crappy driver

Ah yes that was the issue. I had only used the drivers that Windows had automatically installed. I downloaded and installed the Nvidia Quadro drivers, then did the registry fix and it worked. Seems like brightness control is working even better than before the GPU upgrade, I can go even brighter now!

So brightness control in Windows does not need UEFI. Everything works perfectly with Bootcamp.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Brightness control

The spare LCD backlight board is roughly 15$. You can buy an extra one, mod some parts on that to reduce the current (or slightly voltage, or both) that feed the LCD LED bar, and reduce the brightness of the LCD to your desired level. Once done, you don't have to worry about that any more.
This solution is safer, faster, and more stable than requesting/waiting for a mod vBIOS, as you only have to mess-up with the extra LCD backlight board, with some 12V/24V LED bar (sold for 5$ a pair), nothing else inside the machine. If failed, you can always revert to the original backlight board, for a known-to-be working part.

 

[Stefanox2410]

The spare LCD backlight board is roughly 15$. You can buy an extra one, mod some parts on that to reduce the current (or slightly voltage, or both) that feed the LCD LED bar, and reduce the brightness of the LCD to your desired level. Once done, you don't have to worry about that any more.
This solution is safer, faster, and more stable than requesting/waiting for a mod vBIOS, as you only have to mess-up with the extra LCD backlight board, with some 12V/24V LED bar (sold for 5$ a pair), nothing else inside the machine. If failed, you can always revert to the original backlight board, for a known-to-be working part.

wow are you opening me a light maybe, could you tell me what exactly it is?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

wow are you opening me a light maybe, could you tell me what exactly it is?

Come on, you might check the first post now and read the section about the seven problems yourself - there are some links to the hardware mods making the the brightness control possible. Check OpenCore section for the emulated boot screen and you are nearly done.

This BIOS you currently use should also run with Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur...

 

[Stefanox2410]

Come on, you might check the first post now and read the section about the seven problems yourself - there are some links to the hardware mods making the the brightness control possible. Check OpenCore section for the emulated boot screen and you are nearly done.

This BIOS you currently use should also run with Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur...

ok thanks one last thing can i keep high sierra?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

ok thanks one last thing can i keep high sierra?

Yes, of course! We always recommend to have a working High Sierra "fall back" installation in case you want to check something or the Catalina became unusable after update etc...
Target Display Mode will only work with High Sierra and before. So there are some reasons to stay.

 

[Stefanox2410]

For Nvidia Users booting with OpenCore(k1100M/k2100M/ETC)/ native booting K3100M/K4100M & 780M

I have Updated the ApplebacklightFixup.kext to include the proper Backlight stepping-levels for the 2009-2011 27" iMac. You can replace the one in your OpenCore loader with this or install it Natively to System/Library/Extensions. This actually makes my Previous guide irrelevant unless you really like the Native Kext feeling.

Lilu.kext will be needed for the kext to be listed as 'loaded' but it's still working for me without it.
Usual Verbiage below....
If installing to System/Library/Extensions. Catalina users need to Unlock their System Partition using Hackintool first. Then install with Kext Utility. Finally Open Terminal and enter "sudo reboot" as sometimes Catalina will hang on the Desktop.

It’s possibile use this for k4000m