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FlorisVN

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2013
979
380
The dell card is identical in every way except for the firmware on the card itself which must be flashed in order to get it working properly.


OPTIONS
I used one of the Dell / Alienware 2GB cards. These can still be got for under $200 on eBay. The Apple card is identical in every way except for the firmware.

This is the Dell / Alienware card here



EVVZSnVDSG3NMaTA.standard





MHi5CSV36RHDNREC.standard



Grab the Apple ROM file from here: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/?arc... Pay attention to the VRAM size and get the correct file

Prepare the card by removing the Dell metal bracket that the heatsink screws into on the back of the card. You will need to transfer the bracket from the Apple card. Transfer anything else that might be needed.

On the card, with the MXM connector facing downwards and the ATI chip facing you. There are 2 small black chips to the top left of the ATI chip. (one above the other) You need to flash the top one as shown



pelAVuGIBTgaSTD2.standard



You will need a way to interface with the chip on the card. I used a Raspberry Pi with a SOIC 8 clip.

Install Flashrom on the rPi. Use the guide here.

https://tomvanveen.eu/flashing-bios-chip...

Connect the rPi, the clip and plug it in. I have my Pi setup as an access point with its own Wifi network. This way, It is portable and can be run of a power bank

scp the file onto the pi. "scp filename pi@ipaddress:/home/pi"

Backup the existing ROM first,

Flash the card and the card works perfectly as a genuine Apple card. I flashed the 1GB VBIOS version first before realising that I had the 2 GB card and had to dismantle the iMac again to reflash the card with the correct ROM. (I repeat, CHECK YOU HAVE THE CORRECT FILE)



oBdEXIS5Vk5QZGCk.standard



After flashing the correct file it should look like this



Gtb2VxDaPfMvfh6m.standard



You will get proper boot screen. No Kext hacking etc. The card works with full acceleration and passes Apple Service Diagnostics



Xg6gVFWgOd5tSsSO.standard





2xJsq3sI2BMLOZmq.standard


This is indeed also an alternative option out there for us..
But still these AMD chips all die, due to underfill chip design problems..
And with an Nvidia kepler GPU you also get Metal support for Mojave and have a way more reliable GPU in my opinion...

But this is a good option out there for those of use, who still want an EFI bootscreen and don't care about Mojave for example..
 
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monofase

macrumors member
Sep 26, 2017
72
22
Italy
Hi to all!
I read the whole thread, ordered an Alienware GT 765M from ebay and the card works OTB! No firmware modding.

I modded the heatsink (3 pipe) with Dremel and also modded the original Dell X-Bracket because of the metal part covering the VRAM chips on the backside.
I noticed that the card itself after only 10minutes of benchmarking runs VERY hot! Unigine Heaven says 129 °C as GPU TEMP.

The original heatsink sensor is connected to the mainboard... maybe is broken?
Even if the card and the heatsink are very hot the fans are not spinning.

I tried to use MacsFanControl to set the ODD Fan speed from the GPU Heatsink temperature and the fan started to spin!
I was wondering if it's a good idea to take off the ODD sensor from the DVD drive and glue it to the GPU Heatsink. I saw this mod inside a 2011 iMac with a modded Dell 6770 M (red PCB, MXM-B)
 

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FlorisVN

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2013
979
380
Hi to all!
I read the whole thread, ordered an Alienware GT 765M from ebay and the card works OTB! No firmware modding.

I modded the heatsink (3 pipe) with Dremel and also modded the original Dell X-Bracket because of the metal part covering the VRAM chips on the backside.
I noticed that the card itself after only 10minutes of benchmarking runs VERY hot! Unigine Heaven says 129 °C as GPU TEMP.

The original heatsink sensor is connected to the mainboard... maybe is broken?
Even if the card and the heatsink are very hot the fans are not spinning.

I tried to use MacsFanControl to set the ODD Fan speed from the GPU Heatsink temperature and the fan started to spin!
I was wondering if it's a good idea to take off the ODD sensor from the DVD drive and glue it to the GPU Heatsink. I saw this mod inside a 2011 iMac with a modded Dell 6770 M (red PCB, MXM-B)

This 129 degrees temp. Is normal no worries !
Its 129 because macOS cannot read the die temp. Of the gtx765M because it has no propper apple efi rom on it.

You can measure the die temp. With Bootcamp for example, if you are worried I would advise you to run heaven benchmark on boocamp again !
 

lextardj

macrumors newbie
Nov 18, 2014
5
0
Hi,
Ok, I will try with bootCamp.
Is a good idea to physically move the sensor from DVD drive to heatsink instead of using macsFanControl?

The problem is that the Mac is not mine. If the person removes macsFanControl I think that the Mac gets hot...
 

FlorisVN

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2013
979
380
Well i say, its not neccecary.
The gpu heatsink already has a sensor on it, which can be read within macos.
For example, macs fancontrol or istat menu can read that gpu heatsink temp. Withouth a problem.

My experience with testing is, that the gpu die is usually about 5-8 degrees celcious hotter than the heatsink temp.
This is what I experience and think after testing.
I build this experience up with measuring withing bootcamp, where the gpu die is available to easure temperatures.

For these 2011 iMac’s i set the hdd fan and optical drive fan always at maximum speed.
I also reccomend setting the cpu fan speed ad max.
I want cool iMac’s which last long, I don’t mind the extra noise as long its cool and stable..

Tip for your friend, just dont’t remove macsfancontrol..
[doublepost=1549620651][/doublepost]Btw did you out 1mm copper plates with 3m thermal tape on the backside vram chips. ?

I really reccomend doing this !
Better also put a custom plastic air duct over them.
A user here some posts back, poster a 3d printer plastic case for it..
[doublepost=1549620920][/doublepost]
I made one a few days ago, mine's need some trimming/sanding to fit but it works really well. I'll drop it here and maybe save you some time. ;)


View attachment 818295 View attachment 818296 View attachment 818297

Please despite the GPU in the images, it's an HD7970m which I couldn't make it work...

I hope it helps someone!

This is great work btw !!!
Are you working on w new and better revision of this air duct ?
Lets say, make the air outtake bigger to flow kore air over the other 2 vram heatsinks on the backside.
And maybay its possible to let the plastic clip in to the original apple hdd fan plastic fan.
So it will be clipped in withouth the need of tape for example..

I reccomend you remove the apple gray tape on the back, and out 1mm copper plates with 3m tape on the backside vram chips.
See my picture of this few posts back..
 
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lextardj

macrumors newbie
Nov 18, 2014
5
0
Well i say, its not neccecary.
The gpu heatsink already has a sensor on it, which can be read within macos.
For example, macs fancontrol or istat menu can read that gpu heatsink temp. Withouth a problem.

My experience with testing is, that the gpu die is usually about 5-8 degrees celcious hotter than the heatsink temp.
This is what I experience and think after testing.
I build this experience up with measuring withing bootcamp, where the gpu die is available to easure temperatures.

For these 2011 iMac’s i set the hdd fan and optical drive fan always at maximum speed.
I also reccomend setting the cpu fan speed ad max.
I want cool iMac’s which last long, I don’t mind the extra noise as long its cool and stable..

Tip for your friend, just dont’t remove macsfancontrol..
[doublepost=1549620651][/doublepost]Btw did you out 1mm copper plates with 3m thermal tape on the backside vram chips. ?

I really reccomend doing this !
Better also put a custom plastic air duct over them.
A user here some posts back, poster a 3d printer plastic case for it..
[doublepost=1549620920][/doublepost]

This is great work btw !!!
Are you working on w new and better revision of this air duct ?
Lets say, make the air outtake bigger to flow kore air over the other 2 vram heatsinks on the backside.
And maybay its possible to let the plastic clip in to the original apple hdd fan plastic fan.
So it will be clipped in withouth the need of tape for example..

I reccomend you remove the apple gray tape on the back, and out 1mm copper plates with 3m tape on the backside vram chips.
See my picture of this few posts back..

Thank you for the tips!
I added the 1mm copper plate between the chip and the heatsink itself. I used the original Dell X-Bracket that has a metal plate and thermal tape, so I think is not necessary to add extra thermal tape to the back of the card..
Which value do you set to the fans?

camphoto_869693583.JPG camphoto_1594243340.JPG camphoto_579758561.JPG camphoto_1144747756.JPG
 
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passatgt

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2011
541
433
So... i had success after all with a $50 Dell 6770M 1GB card. Found a ROM that was working properly, shows 1gb instead of 512mb, bootscreen, brightness control, external monitor works. I'll post the ROM if the guy who sent it to me allows me to do so. The card looks different compared to the Apple version, its red, the chip layout is different etc... so its possible that this model is not as **** as the factory one and it might work for a long time...
 

Raod

macrumors newbie
Dec 9, 2018
7
18
Spain
This is great work btw !!!
Are you working on w new and better revision of this air duct ?
Lets say, make the air outtake bigger to flow kore air over the other 2 vram heatsinks on the backside.
And maybay its possible to let the plastic clip in to the original apple hdd fan plastic fan.
So it will be clipped in withouth the need of tape for example..

I reccomend you remove the apple gray tape on the back, and out 1mm copper plates with 3m tape on the backside vram chips.
See my picture of this few posts back..

Hello!

I already added two thin aluminum fins to the memories on the back side of the card with some thermal plaster but I didn't remove the grey patch at the back. Thank you for the tip!

Unfortunately I'm a still a noob at 3d design and being functional as it's already seems enough for me. In fact I still had installed the earlier version. The uploaded one should fit without too much trim/adjust but its untested AFAIK.

I'd uploaded the "f3d" file too in case someone here with better skills at design/fusion 360 want to made changes/updates to the model.
 
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passatgt

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2011
541
433
So... i had success after all with a $50 Dell 6770M 1GB card. Found a ROM that was working properly, shows 1gb instead of 512mb, bootscreen, brightness control, external monitor works. I'll post the ROM if the guy who sent it to me allows me to do so. The card looks different compared to the Apple version, its red, the chip layout is different etc... so its possible that this model is not as **** as the factory one and it might work for a long time...
 

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FlorisVN

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2013
979
380
So... i had success after all with a $50 Dell 6770M 1GB card. Found a ROM that was working properly, shows 1gb instead of 512mb, bootscreen, brightness control, external monitor works. I'll post the ROM if the guy who sent it to me allows me to do so. The card looks different compared to the Apple version, its red, the chip layout is different etc... so its possible that this model is not as **** as the factory one and it might work for a long time...

I highly doubt it.
Since AMD never made a revised revision of the chip, which means all AMD HD6xxxm series would fail someday.
In my opinion they are all not reliable chips, and will al fail.
of course its a good option fur us out there, wo really want the original card and EFI bootscreen and don't mind metal for example..
 

passatgt

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2011
541
433
I highly doubt it.
Since AMD never made a revised revision of the chip, which means all AMD HD6xxxm series would fail someday.
In my opinion they are all not reliable chips, and will al fail.
of course its a good option fur us out there, wo really want the original card and EFI bootscreen and don't mind metal for example..

I don't think it's the chip that fails, its the construction and bad soldering job seating the chip, no? And since it's a different card, not made for Apple, it might be better. The Apple card is using a 218-0810005 chip, and my version is 218-0810001. So i believe theres a difference and as i said the overall chip layout is also different.
 

dosdude1

macrumors 68030
Feb 16, 2012
2,780
7,413
I don't think it's the chip that fails, its the construction and bad soldering job seating the chip, no? And since it's a different card, not made for Apple, it might be better. The Apple card is using a 218-0810005 chip, and my version is 218-0810001. So i believe theres a difference and as i said the overall chip layout is also different.
Nope, it's most certainly NOT the soldering that's the issue. I've replaced the chipsets on these systems many times, both using original solder, and reballing using good, leaded solder. It makes absolutely no difference, the chip still fails. You can blame AMD for being terrible as always, and not fixing their defect with those awful chipsets.
 

jmilan0302

macrumors regular
Feb 8, 2019
158
47
Nope, it's most certainly NOT the soldering that's the issue. I've replaced the chipsets on these systems many times, both using original solder, and reballing using good, leaded solder. It makes absolutely no difference, the chip still fails. You can blame AMD for being terrible as always, and not fixing their defect with those awful chipsets.
"You can blame AMD for being terrible as always, and not fixing their defect with those awful chipsets." What's it with you and AMD?
 
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dosdude1

macrumors 68030
Feb 16, 2012
2,780
7,413
"You can blame AMD for being terrible as always, and not fixing their defect with those awful chipsets." What's it with you and AMD?
A lot, actually... While their new GPUs are fine for the most part, most of their motherboard chipsets are complete garbage. I get a lot of PCs in for repair at a shop I work at, and all the PCs I get in that just don't turn on/POST or don't show any video are ALWAYS AMD-based boards, and it's ALWAYS the result of a chipset failure. Not to mention the subpar performance of most AMD processors as compared with their equivalent Intel counterparts. On the mobile side of things, all of their A-series APUs are also complete garbage. There is absolutely no excuse for advertising "desktop-level performance" for a chip that offers no better performance than a Bay Trail Atom platform. Now, I will say that they've finally dug themselves out of this awful rut they've gotten themselves in with their previous desktop platforms, and it seems they've FINALLY managed to manufacture a mobile graphics chipset that actually works (as seen in 2015 - current MacBook Pros), so I am slowly gaining back some respect for them. My only real gripe with them at this point is that they STILL haven't manufactured any revised versions of their defective chipsets (including these Radeon HD 6xxx series chipsets, obviously), basically rendering anything that utilizes one of these chipsets to be essentially unrepairable.
[doublepost=1549777292][/doublepost]
True, re-balling is bullsh1t! But Nvidia had "bump-gate" so the flip-chip substrate issues effected everyone,

maybe we should blame Apple's inadequate heat-sink design for running all their GPUs at thermal max...

Have you had chance to test the DyingLight on an iMac yet btw?
That is true, but nVidia actually revised all their defective graphics chipsets in around 2010, and installing one of these new chipsets on a board will repair it permanently (I've done this repair on 2007-2008 MacBook Pros many times, all with success).

I haven't had a chance to test DyingLight on an iMac yet, but I know what portion of the firmware is causing the backlight flicker on change. I plan on revising it, and including the new firmware with future DyingLight modules. Current DyingLight modules can be updated using an EEPROM programmer.
 

passatgt

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2011
541
433
Hello @passatgt
Very happy for you
Could you share the BIOS with me and tell more about how you flashed it?

I think its too much work compared to a simple K2000M replacement and as people said above, it will break soon, because the chip itself is sh*t. A k2000m only costs a little bit more, works out-of-the box, and its lot more powerful / colder. You need to replace the bios chip(64kb to 128kb) and you need a soic clip + raspberry pi to do the flashing. Tutorial here. But i'm not going to post the bios, as the person who sent it to me for testing runs a computer repair shop, i don't want to hurt his business. He can post the rom here if he wants to(he is a member here).
 
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highvoltage12v

macrumors 6502a
Mar 27, 2014
926
931
I think its too much work compared to a simple K2000M replacement and as people said above, it will break soon, because the chip itself is sh*t. A k2000m only costs a little bit more, works out-of-the box, and its lot more powerful / colder. You need to replace the bios chip(64kb to 128kb) and you need a soic clip + raspberry pi to do the flashing. Tutorial here. But i'm not going to post the bios, as the person who sent it to me for testing runs a computer repair shop, i don't want to hurt his business. He can post the rom here if he wants to(he is a member here).

Yes I would stick to the k2000m, it runs a lot cooler and you gain the advantage of metal.

I'm waiting for the changes @dosdude1 is making to the Dyinglight module, and will buy one and modify my 27" iMac and soon after 21.5".
[doublepost=1549829276][/doublepost]
Forgive me if this has been asked or if I'm off in left field but is the card linked below a viable option for the mid-2011 iMac if you don't need anything special? For $50, it's almost worth a shot just to try...

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/6615994/
You didn't say what size iMac you have, not sure if the 6750m will work perfectly in a 27" if that's what you have. For sure the heatsink won't be long enough.
 
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passatgt

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2011
541
433
Yes I would stick to the k2000m, it runs a lot cooler and you gain the advantage of metal.

I'm waiting for the changes @dosdude1 is making to the Dyinglight module, and will buy one and modify my 27" iMac and soon after 21.5".
[doublepost=1549829276][/doublepost]
You didn't say what size iMac you have, not sure if the 6750m will work perfectly in a 27" if that's what you have. For sure the heatsink won't be long enough.

I used a 6750M with the smaller heatsink in my 27" iMac for a while, it fits and works without any modifications. The top mounting screw position is different, but screwing onto the motherboard bracket holds it in place. And i added some padding behind the heatsink part at the top to avoid the noise created by vibration.
 

jimbob200521

macrumors newbie
Jan 19, 2016
27
4
Yes I would stick to the k2000m, it runs a lot cooler and you gain the advantage of metal.

I'm waiting for the changes @dosdude1 is making to the Dyinglight module, and will buy one and modify my 27" iMac and soon after 21.5".
[doublepost=1549829276][/doublepost]
You didn't say what size iMac you have, not sure if the 6750m will work perfectly in a 27" if that's what you have. For sure the heatsink won't be long enough.

I've got the 21.5 iMac" 12,1 2.5ghz i5.
 

highvoltage12v

macrumors 6502a
Mar 27, 2014
926
931
I used a 6750M with the smaller heatsink in my 27" iMac for a while, it fits and works without any modifications. The top mounting screw position is different, but screwing onto the motherboard bracket holds it in place. And i added some padding behind the heatsink part at the top to avoid the noise created by vibration.
Interesting, do you have both thunderbolt ports on the back working for display output? I never had both my iMacs apart at the same time, so I didn't know they were the same length.
[doublepost=1549830213][/doublepost]
I've got the 21.5 iMac" 12,1 2.5ghz i5.
I would recommend the k2000m, as a replacement rather than going for the same card, i'm sure you know you won't have boot-up screen or backlight control. Use this https://www.amazon.com/viscous-thermal-paste-replacement-Aspire/dp/B00UTX7K2E over the area such as VRAM, coils and other components. While you're in there, you might as well upgrade your CPU to the "i7-2600S" yes the 's' must be there because it's a 65w TDP CPU.
 
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jimbob200521

macrumors newbie
Jan 19, 2016
27
4
Interesting, do you have both thunderbolt ports on the back working for display output? I never had both my iMacs apart at the same time, so I didn't know they were the same length.
[doublepost=1549830213][/doublepost]
I would recommend the k2000m, as a replacement rather than going for the same card, i'm sure you know you won't have boot-up screen or backlight control. Use this https://www.amazon.com/viscous-thermal-paste-replacement-Aspire/dp/B00UTX7K2E over the area such as VRAM, coils and other components. While you're in there, you might as well upgrade your CPU to the "i7-2600S" yes the 's' must be there because it's a 65w TDP CPU.

Thank you for the reply! I'll most likely skip the CPU upgrade as I've got another computer I use if I need some heavy lifting, this one (if I decide to invest in getting it going) will most likely wind up in the living room for email and general internet browsing, nothing special.

As for the k2000m, if I search on eBay, is there anything special I need to keep an eye out for that would prevent this card from working? Will I be able to reuse the heatsink that is already in the iMac or will another be needed since it's a different card? I found this one on eBay, doesn't seem too bad a deal...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nvidia-Qua...8:g:uXkAAOSwNUtbbcCP:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true
 

passatgt

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2011
541
433
Thank you for the reply! I'll most likely skip the CPU upgrade as I've got another computer I use if I need some heavy lifting, this one (if I decide to invest in getting it going) will most likely wind up in the living room for email and general internet browsing, nothing special.

As for the k2000m, if I search on eBay, is there anything special I need to keep an eye out for that would prevent this card from working? Will I be able to reuse the heatsink that is already in the iMac or will another be needed since it's a different card? I found this one on eBay, doesn't seem too bad a deal...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nvidia-Qua...8:g:uXkAAOSwNUtbbcCP:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true

Yes, this is fine. I posted details installing the k2000m in #1566. In short: heatsink works, but the mounting bracket holes are smaller compared to the apple version. You need to carefully drill that out and countersink it so the original screw heads sits flash on the bracket.
 
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