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

[davidg5678]

@Stefanox2410

ok thank you very much but do I install it on my ssd where the system is or do I need to create another partition? (I have high sierra in apfs)

Open Core can be installed on either your internal SSD or on an external USB drive.

If you are using an NVIDIA GPU, I recommend that you install Open Core on the same SSD as your system to keep things simple for now.

There is no need to create any additional partitions. You may use the Open Core Legacy Patcher program to select the existing EFI partition (that is located on your boot SSD) as the installation destination.

 

[natus.w]

I have read that opencore is compatible with catalina, I have high sierra what should I do,? can I keep it or do I have to upgrade to catalina, big sur to have all the functions (brightness, bootscren, external display) fully functional? I should use this imac every day with Logic to make music. I hope for your help
Thanks

You can use OpenCore with any MacOS version, but it is compulsory in order to install Mojave or later (if you so require it for the version of Logic that you use).

In your case, as Ausdauersportler mentioned, it will also give you your brightness control and bootscreen back as well!

 

[foen]

Same question too. What is best os for a revamped iMac 27 with nvidia?now I’m stuck with high Sierra and brightness patch.

 

[internetzel]

Finally I think I've discovered the one byte that I was looking for all the time in order to get native boot screens, it's the hotplug ID of the display connector.
Nick's analysis in his post brought my attention to it:

In Macs, there are personalities. Each of these personalities defines a set of hard-coded information about the video card hardware. There is one Connector Info structure for every potential connector that may be plugged into a video card.

Have a look at this C- code:

typedef struct {
           int ConnectorType;    /* known values below */
       #define CONNECTORTYPE_LVDS 0x00000002    /* Ie internal Low Voltage display,
                                 such as laptop */
       #define CONNECTORTYPE_DVI  0x00000004
       #define CONNECTORTYPE_DP   0x00000400    /* Displayport */
       #define CONNECTORTYPE_HDMI 0x00000800
           int flags;
           int features;
           byte link_i2cid;    /* Bits 0-3: i2cid
                      Bits 4-7: link transmitter link */
           byte dac_digidx;    /* Bits 0-3: link encoder number
                      Bits 4-7: link dac number */
           byte hotplugid;
           byte senseid;    /* Sense line is bits 0-3
                     Use hw i2c flag is bit 4 */
           /* i2cid = (senseid & 0xf-1)+0x90 */
           /* senseid = (i2cid & 0xf) +1*/
} ConnectorInfo;
byte senseid;    /* Sense line is bits 0-3
Use hw i2c flag is bit 4 */
/* i2cid = (senseid & 0xf-1)+0x90 */
/* senseid = (i2cid & 0xf) +1*/
} ConnectorInfo;

So the way I do it, is I brute force every possible pathway to get to the LCD screen, until one is available that lights up the screen! We only have a few to choose from so its not that hard: 90, 91, 92, 93, 94 for i2cid and 1E, 20, 21, 05 for Encoders. Works everytime.

So I finally found a version of radeon_bios_decode that also displays the used hotplug IDs in the ATOM table and added a link in my post about the BIOS modification tools:

Here the tools I used that helped me very much, the most helpful ones first:

• ATOMTableResize
  Exchange and modify ATOM objects easily, automatically fixing the checksum upon saving - can be used together with "Hex Fiend" by adding the correct path in the file "editor.ini"
  this tool was originally recommended to me by NickD
• Hex Fiend,
  together with PCI option ROM template
• EfiRom from EDK2
  EfiRom (BaseTools/Source/C/EfiRom) can be compiled for macOS relatively easy but I attached the executable here
  Combines compressed EFI drivers and legacy VBIOS part into a VBIOS image ready for flashing
• AtomDis
  For checking the ATOM pointer tables after manually moving/modifying them, compiled executable attached,
  header file atombios.h contains valuable information about the structure of most ATOM objects
• netkas thread
  about how to modify port mapping in assembly code
• radeon_bios_decode and redsock_bios_decoder
  radeon_bios_decode with hotplug id output
  get information about port mappings in a VBIOS file
• Red BIOS Editor
  tune clock settings (transferring the PowerPlayInfo to a VIBOS accepted by RBE, editing it and finally transfer the edited PowerPlayInfo back to the target VBIOS),
  can be used in macOS by means of wine
• Polaris BIOS Editor
  mainly helpful for quickly inspecting the VRAM_Info ATOM object and for correcting the checksum after manual modifications,
  doesn't run in wine, so Windows only

The problem with AMD cards is that there's no simple table for modifying the port mappings. First there's the ATOM table "Object_Info", which is more or less what you're looking for.
But the port mapping will have to match with some of the framebuffer "personalities" of the macOS drivers - or you have to patch the driver. You'll have to search the web for finding out how to do this.
Last but not least and being the most difficult thing is that the port mapping is hard coded into Apple's EFI driver in the VBIOS. That means in case the port mapping in the Apple driver doesn't match with your card you'll have to disassemble and patch the EFI code in all necessary places in order to get a boot screen.

And comparing the hotplug IDs of Apple's Polaris iMac VBIOS and the one we're using (which is fully working except for the second output of the 2011 - @nikey22's method should enable us to get that working as well) shows that in theory only the hotplug ID of the internal display needs to be corrected in order to get native boot screens on Polaris cards.
Now I've just got to find the hopefully one code place in Apple's EFI driver where the hotplug ID is set - I've already discovered the so called txmit and encoder IDs.

 

[edwardgeo]

-----That shouldn't be a problem on my G6, then. As I've noted before over on tonymacx86 (here's last part and here's second part,) its system BIOS doesn't appear to contain an AMD Radeon Pro WX 4170 mobile VBIOS image it can use to boot. It'll only have the VBIOS on the card to fall back on. You didn't exactly answer whether:

Send me your bios update. I saw 4170 vbioses even at g7 Zbook.

Also to open bios image you need to reconstruct the volume in order to get access to files. I can send you manual to PM

 

[Stefanox2410]

@Stefanox2410


Open Core can be installed on either your internal SSD or on an external USB drive.

If you are using an NVIDIA GPU, I recommend that you install Open Core on the same SSD as your system to keep things simple for now.

There is no need to create any additional partitions. You may use the Open Core Legacy Patcher program to select the existing EFI partition (that is located on your boot SSD) as the installation destination.

You can use OpenCore with any MacOS version, but it is compulsory in order to install Mojave or later (if you so require it for the version of Logic that you use).

In your case, as Ausdauersportler mentioned, it will also give you your brightness control and bootscreen back as well!

Thankssssss it workeeedd.you saved me thanks to all.
One final question. Is it normal that when I turn on everything remains black then the selection of hard disk comes out and then if there is a black-style loading? Is it normal that it is not white and that there should be this selection of devices?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Warning to those using OCLP with 3rd party AMD metal GPU with no boot EFI: after installing OC to the USB or SSD, you must manually create the EFI->BOOT->BOOTx64.efi file in the EFI because OCLP does not create this for you. It would be nice if a future version of OCLP could detect 3rd party GPUs with no boot EFI and create this BOOTx64.efi folder in the OC installation automatically.

The boot.efi is residing per default when using OCLP in System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi and I described in detail how to configure OCLP to get it renamed to BOOTx64.efi and automatically stored in the EFI/BOOT/BOOTx64.efi location.

Both places work for OpenCore, I even assume one can create a Recovery CD using the standard layout OCLP uses per default.

All path info is relative to your EFI volume.

 

[davidg5678]

Thankssssss it workeeedd.you saved me thanks to all.
One final question. Is it normal that when I turn on everything remains black then the selection of hard disk comes out and then if there is a black-style loading? Is it normal that it is not white and that there should be this selection of devices?

I'm glad it's working. It is normal to see the boot picker and black boot screen (with white Apple logo) now.

This means that you have successfully installed OpenCore and that it is working as expected. If you do not need a boot screen, it can technically be turned off (by changing the corresponding OpenCore settings and reinstalling it), but I would recommend leaving your configuration alone for now, as having a boot screen could come in handy.

If you would like to install a newer version of macOS, you may simply download and install it from the Mac App Store (as if you had a supported Mac). Updating is not mandatory, and if you would prefer to use High Sierra for some reason, then you may do so.

 

[marceloclubhouse]

Apologies if this was asked already, but I'm wondering if anyone knows if the Dell Branded AMD WX4130 works in a 21.5" 2011 iMac? Looks like the 4150 will not work in the 21.5" 2011 iMac so I just want to make sure.

 

[dfranetic]

Apologies if this was asked already, but I'm wondering if anyone knows if the Dell Branded AMD WX4130 works in a 21.5" 2011 iMac? Looks like the 4150 will not work in the 21.5" 2011 iMac so I just want to make sure.

They both should work. (See my signature.) It's just that we are just learning, that there are even some Dell WX41x0 cards which may fail to POST in 2011 iMacs. (My suspicion is: If you get a V1.1 Dell WX41x0 card, it will work. Don't take this for granted yet...)

 

[natus.w]

Thankssssss it workeeedd.you saved me thanks to all.
One final question. Is it normal that when I turn on everything remains black then the selection of hard disk comes out and then if there is a black-style loading? Is it normal that it is not white and that there should be this selection of devices?

Yes, that is normal. OpenCore will usually give you a rendered boot picker on startup.

Booting OpenCore and macOS | OpenCore Legacy Patcher

 

[natus.w]

Same question too. What is best os for a revamped iMac 27 with nvidia?now I’m stuck with high Sierra and brightness patch.

Again, it depends the software packages, as well as the hardware. (you can use OCLP to update forward if you find that you cannot use your your packages on HS. Metal based apps generally will be OK, but performance will not be as good with Nvidia)

 

[foen]

Again, it depends the software packages, as well as the hardware. (you can use OCLP to update forward if you find that you cannot use your your packages on HS. Metal based apps generally will be OK, but performance will not be as good with Nvidia)

I’m looking only for security update (aswell safari , Firefox isn’t my daily browser) and final cut for video.

 

[natus.w]

I’m looking only for security update (aswell safari , Firefox isn’t my daily browser) and final cut for video.

At this point I’d probably go Big Sur or Catalina (unsure what year your machine is but with Big Sur from 11.3 having a known race condition issue prevalent with pre-Sandy Bridge chips, I’d probably lean towards Catalina)

 

[foen]

At this point I’d probably go Big Sur or Catalina (unsure what year your machine is but with Big Sur from 11.3 having a known race condition issue prevalent with older chips, I’d probably lean towards Catalina)

It’s a mid 2011 27 i7 3.4 w/ k3100 16 gb ram

 

[natus.w]

It’s a mid 2011 27 i7 3.4 w/ k3100 16 gb ram

Make the jump to Big Sur if you can! (that'll get you all the features you need and more!)

 

[foen]

Make the jump to Big Sur if you can! (that'll get you all the features you need and more!)

I appreciate you.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

I appreciate you.

There is - as always - a little bitter pill to swallow when moving to OCLP on iMac12,x with an NVIDIA dGPU! The iGPU will be disabled and if you have software relying on it it will run slower than before. Some features will be missing. The best macOS version offering the most features included AirPlay, DRM, etc will be still Catalina.

In this particular case you need to stick with @dosdude1 patched Catalina as described in detail on the very first post ons this thread in the "Upgrade you mac(OS) on a metal capable iMac".

We did not spend time in making OCLP working with Catalina using the iGPU on these metal iMacs because there is a solution available.

 

[foen]

There is - as always - a little bitter pill to swallow when moving to OCLP on iMac12,x with an NVIDIA dGPU! The iGPU will be disabled and if you have software relying on it it will run slower than before. Some features will be missing. The best macOS version offering the most features included AirPlay, DRM, etc will be still Catalina.

In this particular case you need to stick with @dosdude1 patched Catalina as described in detail on the very first post ons this thread in the "Upgrade you mac(OS) on a metal capable iMac".

We did not spend time in making OCLP working with Catalina using the iGPU on these metal iMacs because there is a solution available.

Okay so the only thing that I bear on mind after installation it’s patch brightness control . That’s right?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Okay so the only thing that I bear on mind after installation it’s patch brightness control . That’s right?

Please, just follow the installation guide!

 

[davidg5678]

Okay so the only thing that I bear on mind after installation it’s patch brightness control . That’s right?

I believe this is something that OCLP will do for you automatically (or at least with a boot argument). More details in the first post.

Installing additional patches has become unnecessary for the most part, as OCLP handles them automatically. (There are some edge cases that are documented in the OCLP settings.)

 

[unclemiltie]

OpenCore Recovery CD (using a new AMD dGPU)​

Following the guide from this post I created an recovery CD which is able to boot OpenCore by pressing the C button on boot. Of course you need to have the DVD still installed within your iMac!

To get a valid OpenCore EFI folder I used the latest OCLP TUI app. Because the recovery CD expects to have the boot.efi program located in the EFI/BOOT folder and have a name BOOTx64.efi you need to use configure this using the following steps (possibly it may work with the normal config, too)

Thanks for this as a backup in case my disk fails.... Making one right now

I'm assuming that someone could use the same process to build a grml linux CD to allow you to set up the system to flash BIOS' without having to disconnect the internal drives.

Gotta read up on how to create a Linux bootable CD and maybe I'll give it a whirl.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Thanks for this as a backup in case my disk fails.... Making one right now

I'm assuming that someone could use the same process to build a grml linux CD to allow you to set up the system to flash BIOS' without having to disconnect the internal drives.

Gotta read up on how to create a Linux bootable CD and maybe I'll give it a whirl.

If this OC Recovery CD is working for you in the same was as it is for me there is no need to have a Linux CD. After booting the OpenCore CD all bootable devices are shown in the boot picker - including the USB GRML Linux flash stick if connected to an USB port.

This is the idea of usind such a CD.

 

[unclemiltie]

If this OC Recovery CD is working for you in the same was as it is for me there is no need to have a Linux CD. After booting the OpenCore CD all bootable devices are shown in the boot picker - including the USB GRML Linux flash stick if connected to an USB port.

yea, but you don't have a VBIOS yet so will the OC boot picker even be seen since the screen is likely to be non-functional?

 

[SubDriver]

If this OC Recovery CD is working for you in the same was as it is for me there is no need to have a Linux CD. After booting the OpenCore CD all bootable devices are shown in the boot picker - including the USB GRML Linux flash stick if connected to an USB port.

This is the idea of usind such a CD.

I had an interesting experience with using the recovery CD. As I was preparing to transition from Catalina Loader to OCLP to support upgrading my mid-2011 27 inch iMac (see signature block) to Big Sur, I did a PRAM reset when I shouldn't have (see post #15940). I built the recovery CD with my MacBook Pro and I was able to boot my iMac. However, I was unable to get the machine to boot from any other source after this (USB, SD card, SSD) despite following the instructions to copy the EFI over to the other boot sources or building the EFI directly to the other boot sources using the OpenCore Patcher (TUI version). I could see all the proper files in the EFI folders that were built, but each time I tried to get the machine to boot up from another source other than the recovery CD, all I would get was the black screen (the recovery CD worked every time without any issues).

Ultimately, I opened up the machine and disconnected the SSD and hard drive in order to get it to boot with the OpenCore EFI from the SD card. From there, I executed the upgrade to Big Sur (I wiped my SSD and did a clean install) and everything is working normally using the SD Card.

I would now like to take the step to put the boot EFI onto the internal SSD so I don't need the SD card. I have tried a several more times to build the EFI onto the internal SSD using the OpenCore Patcher and also by mounting copying the EFI folder contents to the EFI folder on the SSD. I have utilized post #1, #15919, #16001, OCLP instructions on Github, and #8,650 on the OpenCore on the MacPro thread to support troubleshooting. Nothing was worked at this point. I have even done several PRAM resets, each of which has required me to open my iMac to disconnect the drives in order to restore the ability to boot from the SD Card. Each time I remove my SD card to try to boot from the internal SSD, all I get is the black screen. When I boot from the SD Card, the boot picker shows me options for the SSD EFI and my Big Sur drive, so it appears that the SSD EFI is definitely there, but for some reason my iMac doesn't see it when booting.

I am hoping someone here can point out where I might have missed something... I don't know if this is due to my WX7100 or if it is OpenCore related (or most likely "human error" on my part ). I am running Big Sur 11.5.2 that was installed using OCLP version 0.2.4.