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

[Ausdauersportler]

Hello,
Recently, I have been researching GPU upgrades for the 24-inch Early 2009 iMac.
I love to tinker with computers and electronics, but I am no expert on the functionality of the iMac's SMC/Firmware.
I was wondering, what prevents the internal LVDS connector from working properly after upgrading the GPU?

It is the way the connectors within the vBIOS are programmed. All other iMacs here use eDP for the internal LCD, only the 24" and 21.52 2009 use LVDS.

So all vBIOS versions would have to be modified to make it work. Not worth the trouble if you take also into account that these older CPUs are not really working well with most recent macOS versions.

I tried once with a 21.5 2009, but I do not have a working test system and I am not willing to spent more money on it. Still owning five different iMac (test) models and I would be happy to sell them all now ....

Edit:
It was the great achievement by the developers on this thread to get the vBIOS working for the other iMacs and it took nearly a decade

 

[Nikita Razinkov]

It is the way the connectors within the vBIOS are programmed. All other iMacs here use eDP for the internal LCD, only the 24" and 21.52 2009 use LVDS.

So all vBIOS versions would have to be modified to make it work. Not worth the trouble if you take also into account that these older CPUs are not really working well with most recent macOS versions.

I tried once with a 21.5 2009, but I do not have a working test system and I am not willing to spent more money on it. Still owning five different iMac (test) models and I would be happy to sell them all now ....

Edit:
It was the great achievement by the developers on this thread to get the vBIOS working for the other iMacs and it took nearly a decade

Yeah, It's really amazing what the community can do when we all come together.
I recently upgraded a family member's 2011 21.5-inch iMac to a Nivida card. It's been working smoothly on Big Sur.

Interesting, I thought all intel iMacs used LVDS for their internal displays. Just out of curiosity, how hard would it be to modify the firmware of a GPU to work properly with the internal display of a Core 2 Duo iMac?

 

[Klineex]

It is the way the connectors within the vBIOS are programmed. All other iMacs here use eDP for the internal LCD, only the 24" and 21.52 2009 use LVDS.

So all vBIOS versions would have to be modified to make it work. Not worth the trouble if you take also into account that these older CPUs are not really working well with most recent macOS versions.

I tried once with a 21.5 2009, but I do not have a working test system and I am not willing to spent more money on it. Still owning five different iMac (test) models and I would be happy to sell them all now ....

Edit:
It was the great achievement by the developers on this thread to get the vBIOS working for the other iMacs and it took nearly a decade

Are you sure that the 2009 21.5 iMac uses LVDS? Because I read that the 2010 21.5 and 2009 21.5 internal LCDs are easily swappable between the two units, meaning they both have to use the same display technology, and both models LCD are often sold as being compatible for both units. Also controller boards I found online for the 21.5 2009 LCD are listed as eDP controller boards, not LVDS. Also the display data cable for the 21.5 2009 is listed as an eDP cable on part websites. Perhaps the 2009 21.5 doesn't work for a different reason?

I'm pretty sure they switched to LED backlighting as well as eDP internally starting with the Late 2009 models of iMac (both 27 and 21.5), while the 20' and 24' models use LVDS and CCFL backlights.

 

[Marche90]

What a very odd bug I've found. I installed Windows 10 on my iMac yesterday and I've been doing test to it. So far, so good!... mostly. I have an Elgato thunderbolt 2 dock that I use on this iMac to get some USB 3.0 ports, however, whenever I switch to Windows the Radeon graphics thinks that when I have the dock connected I am plugging in an external GPU, and promptly switches off the internal graphics, and thus, the LCD remains on but with a black screen. At first I thought that the black screen on boot after the Windows logo was that the OS was not loading, but I used Remote Desktop to login and found that it was properly booting, but it was switching to the "external" gpu: nothing. I've been looking for methods to disable the Radeon software or hot-plug a Thunderbolt 1/2 device on Windows but nothing has worked, since there's very little info to begin with.

So, thanks for nothing, Radeon XConnect?
Due to not knowing how to fix this my current workaround is to disconnect the dock and use the slow USB 2.0 ports.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

I'm pretty sure they switched to LED backlighting as well as eDP internally starting with the Late 2009 models of iMac (both 27 and 21.5), while the 20' and 24' models use LVDS and CCFL backlights.

Please search this thread about this topic, again. We found different vBIOS version for the ATI 4670 used in a 21.5 Late 2009 and a 21.5 Mid 2010 model (same for ATI 4850 used in 24" 2009 and 27" Late 2009). These versions differ in exactly the single module where the port mapping is programmed and there are even tools available confirming the differences (eDP vs. LVDS).

But your are free to find another explanation and solution. I will not waste more money and another summer on modding AMD cards.

 

[Macconsole]

hey all, I just got a late 2011 iMac edu, 21" I3 3.1, that comes with the low end 256mb graphics card, I been searching to see whats workable in this,
I'm running high seirra at the moment.

I see lots of different cards but honestly 1gb or just the 512mb would be great, I see a lot for the 27 and other models but wondering bout mine, ill be maxing out my ram to 32 @14 now, and already on ssd, just video card would be great, then even a Catalina update
could ya help thanks

 

[The_Croupier]

hey all, I just got a late 2011 iMac edu, 21" I3 3.1, that comes with the low end 256mb graphics card, I been searching to see whats workable in this,
I'm running high seirra at the moment.

I see lots of different cards but honestly 1gb or just the 512mb would be great, I see a lot for the 27 and other models but wondering bout mine, ill be maxing out my ram to 32 @14 now, and already on ssd, just video card would be great, then even a Catalina update
could ya help thanks

Post #1, working Nvidia/AMD graphics cards. Check the table for MXM A cards. Don’t be tempted to install a B card.

 

[Marche90]

hey all, I just got a late 2011 iMac edu, 21" I3 3.1, that comes with the low end 256mb graphics card, I been searching to see whats workable in this,
I'm running high seirra at the moment.

I see lots of different cards but honestly 1gb or just the 512mb would be great, I see a lot for the 27 and other models but wondering bout mine, ill be maxing out my ram to 32 @14 now, and already on ssd, just video card would be great, then even a Catalina update
could ya help thanks

This iMac has a firmware limitation; you won't be able to install more than 16GB of RAM.

EDIT: I'll take the chance to update anyone who might be interested: My 2011 27" with an M5100 is able to sleep/wake without issues. No NVRAM corruption, either, so far.

 

[Macconsole]

That helps to know bout the memory,

Thanks

 

[Macconsole]

Post #1, working Nvidia/AMD graphics cards. Check the table for MXM A cards. Don’t be tempted to install a B card.

AMD Radeon HD 6770M 1GB mxm a,
Issue I'm little off is the bios and flashing , so I guess there is no plug and play ,
I don't have a tower pc to flash but saw a video using Linux?

So many variables

 

[The_Croupier]

AMD Radeon HD 6770M 1GB mxm a,
Issue I'm little off is the bios and flashing , so I guess there is no plug and play ,
I don't have a tower pc to flash but saw a video using Linux?

So many variables

You can buy a pre flashed card pretty cheap:
AU $95.56 20％ Off | Quadro K2000M K2000 2GB Video Graphics Card N14P-Q3-A2 For iMac A1311 A1312 2009 2010 2011 Years 100％ Test OK

AliExpress

 

[Macconsole]

You can buy a pre flashed card pretty cheap:
AU $95.56 20％ Off | Quadro K2000M K2000 2GB Video Graphics Card N14P-Q3-A2 For iMac A1311 A1312 2009 2010 2011 Years 100％ Test OK

AliExpress

Thanks I checked it out, 65 us.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

OCLP 0.4.7 + iMac10,1

iMac10,1 with new AMD GCN 1-4 dGPU using the iMacPro1,1 SMBIOS crashes on boot with the MCEReporter problem - which has been discovered way back in time - cannot tell you why it comes up now again (have not used this iMac10,1 for weeks/months).

System crashes with Big Sur 11.6.5 installer and Monterey 12.3 using OLCP 0.4.3 (and later). Have not tested older OLCP versions yet but after checking the attached extension with the iMacPro1,1 SMBIOS I also tried a different SMBIOS (iMac18,1 or iMac19,1) without the extension and got the system booting into Monterey in both cases.

Attached a panic log and the AppleMCEReporterDisabler.kext, which fortunately does work out of the box injected with OC 0.4.7. Currently there is no other way than adding the extension manually to the kexts folder in the OC folder in your EFI partition and change the config.plist accordingly.

 

[lsdc]

Q: Can an iMac12,2 with appropriate Xeon, be configured to use just the iGPU (using OCLP)?

Context
iMac 2011 12,2 (27") 3.1GHz Quad i5; 16 Gb; AMD Radeon 6970M 1024 MB; 240 GB SSD/ Monterey 12.4 OCLP 0.4.6
(machine advertised as having i7, oh well..)

Boots and has display (but slow), until post-volume patches are applied, then will not boot fully (getting partial progress bar and then black screen - remote desktop confirms machine not accessible - assumed incomplete boot).

"classic failed GPU" (?)

Which way to go?

Bake: but temporary fix? I don't want to have to keep doing this.

GPU replacement: finding it hard to source one, for a reasonable cost

CPU replacement: with integrated graphics?

Xeon Sandy Bridge 1155 E3 CPU with integrated Intel HD P3000 GPU. (Models E3-12{2,3,4,6,7}5 D2 - see Wikipedia)
(It seems these CPUs, at least the high TDP versions, are readily available)

Question:
Can an iMac12,2 with appropriate Xeon, be configured to use just the iGPU (using OCLP)?

many thanks for any pointers or advice.

PS: First post here.
I tried to read about this topic, but the boundaries of OCLP vs general hackintosh stuff became blurred....
I understand that the Xeon CPU swap is possible and breaks sleep.
Simple start: add -wegnoegpu to boot args? (applicable only to the MBPs ???)

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Q: Can an iMac12,2 with appropriate Xeon, be configured to use just the iGPU (using OCLP)?

Context
iMac 2011 12,2 (27") 3.1GHz Quad i5; 16 Gb; AMD Radeon 6970M 1024 MB; 240 GB SSD/ Monterey 12.4 OCLP 0.4.6
(machine advertised as having i7, oh well..)

Boots and has display (but slow), until post-volume patches are applied, then will not boot fully (getting partial progress bar and then black screen - remote desktop confirms machine not accessible - assumed incomplete boot).

"classic failed GPU" (?)

Which way to go?

Bake: but temporary fix? I don't want to have to keep doing this.

GPU replacement: finding it hard to source one, for a reasonable cost

CPU replacement: with integrated graphics?

Xeon Sandy Bridge 1155 E3 CPU with integrated Intel HD P3000 GPU. (Models E3-12{2,3,4,6,7}5 D2 - see Wikipedia)
(It seems these CPUs, at least the high TDP versions, are readily available)

Question:
Can an iMac12,2 with appropriate Xeon, be configured to use just the iGPU (using OCLP)?

many thanks for any pointers or advice.

PS: First post here.
I tried to read about this topic, but the boundaries of OCLP vs general hackintosh stuff became blurred....
I understand that the Xeon CPU swap is possible and breaks sleep.
Simple start: add -wegnoegpu to boot args? (applicable only to the MBPs ???)

Driving the internal LCD needs the dGPU, no way around it.

 

[lsdc]

Driving the internal LCD needs the dGPU, no way around it.

thank you for the clarification.

 

[Macconsole]

I pulled the trigger and bought it 🙃 have to wait and see how it works out if it was not a scam, usually alixpress have lots of scammers but we will see thanks

You can buy a pre flashed card pretty cheap:
AU $95.56 20％ Off | Quadro K2000M K2000 2GB Video Graphics Card N14P-Q3-A2 For iMac A1311 A1312 2009 2010 2011 Years 100％ Test OK

AliExpress

 

[G3llings]

Q: Can an iMac12,2 with appropriate Xeon, be configured to use just the iGPU (using OCLP)?

Context
iMac 2011 12,2 (27") 3.1GHz Quad i5; 16 Gb; AMD Radeon 6970M 1024 MB; 240 GB SSD/ Monterey 12.4 OCLP 0.4.6
(machine advertised as having i7, oh well..)

Boots and has display (but slow), until post-volume patches are applied, then will not boot fully (getting partial progress bar and then black screen - remote desktop confirms machine not accessible - assumed incomplete boot).

"classic failed GPU" (?)

Which way to go?

Bake: but temporary fix? I don't want to have to keep doing this.

GPU replacement: finding it hard to source one, for a reasonable cost

CPU replacement: with integrated graphics?

Xeon Sandy Bridge 1155 E3 CPU with integrated Intel HD P3000 GPU. (Models E3-12{2,3,4,6,7}5 D2 - see Wikipedia)
(It seems these CPUs, at least the high TDP versions, are readily available)

Question:
Can an iMac12,2 with appropriate Xeon, be configured to use just the iGPU (using OCLP)?

many thanks for any pointers or advice.

PS: First post here.
I tried to read about this topic, but the boundaries of OCLP vs general hackintosh stuff became blurred....
I understand that the Xeon CPU swap is possible and breaks sleep.
Simple start: add -wegnoegpu to boot args? (applicable only to the MBPs ???)

Xeon have no iGPU. They are essentially i7 without integrated graphics.

 

[lsdc]

Xeon have no iGPU. They are essentially i7 without integrated graphics.

The Xeon E3 (1155) models with suffix 5 have an integrated HD P3000 GPU - targeted at workstations.
see e.g. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/xeon-e3-c206-workstation,2933-4.html
(Full list in the Wikipedia page I linked to)

 

[G3llings]

The Xeon E3 (1155) models with suffix 5 have an integrated HD P3000 GPU - targeted at workstations.
see e.g. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/xeon-e3-c206-workstation,2933-4.html
(Full list in the Wikipedia page I linked to)

Wow, that's interesting. I've been using Xeon for years in place of i7 and had no idea. Thanks for the info! Anyway, it's probably better to run one without integrated graphics to prevent the windows HD2000 black screen bug. Not sure if that P3000 would have the same issue. Idk if the issue is because HD2000 is not supported in windows 10, or because it's trying to run on the integrated graphics and fails. I ran the e3-1270 in my imac 27, and now in my imac 21.5.

 

[armandosilvera]

Hi, everyone! Just flashed an NVIDIA Quadro K3000M on a 2011 27", using Nikkey22's ROM and Curtis Gross' YouTube video (and some help from forum user Madvinegar!)
QUESTION: Do I HAVE to perform the Post-installation Requirements: ???
I already have Genuine Native Boot Screen & Brightness Control - is it ESSENTIAL to do the rest? Oh, and I'm not sure why, but I have no chime on startup (but I have regular audio within High Sierra).
Thanks all - GREAT forum!
TM

Hi! The files were removed from youtube video link. Where can I get them? I have a mid 2011 27" imac and recently install a K3000M. It worked fine on High Sierra. I was having problems with rEFInd but it logged ok. Today I upgrade to Catalina and by now I'm only getting black screen. The only access I have is through SSH.
Help!!
Thanks!!

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Hi! The files were removed from youtube video link. Where can I get them? I have a mid 2011 27" imac and recently install a K3000M. It worked fine on High Sierra. I was having problems with rEFInd but it logged ok. Today I upgrade to Catalina and by now I'm only getting black screen. The only access I have is through SSH.
Help!!
Thanks!!

Check the first post of this thread, you will find all files you need. We do not support rEFInd, we have moved to OpenCore and OCLP when it comes to installation of more recent macOS versions.

Using High Sierra you possibly do not need to use any additional software. Using Monterey you need to apply post install patches to regain NVIDIA/WiFi/Bluetooth support. There are two ways to use Catalina, please check the docs on post #1.

P.S.:We do not support these out of date YouTube videos!

 

[it4music]

Using the more fluid MX-4 is a mess on the board and it is used to make contact between a ceramic GPU top and a metal heat sink. It is not simply about numbers, it is about the material used and the gaps to be expected. MX-4 makes a thin film, but the sink is not made for the these cards and the gaps can be between half a millimeter and two millimeters for different modules. K5 is perfect to gap all those different distances - except for the GPU.

The S7100X is (like the W6170M) a nightmare in the iMac12,2 system. NVRAM corruption on cold boot, and broken sleep/wake.

No brightness control on all systems...

I wanted to give you an update about this system and hopefully this might help others. The S7100X is a pain! I tried flashing it via the Linux boot method, but I wasn't able to get it to past the amdvbflash -i command test. dfranetic suggested trying to use OCLP to boot to the Linus boot, but I wasn't able to get that to work. I even tried installing Windows, but wasn't successful with that either. I bought a CH341A programmer and we'll see how that goes.

I ended up putting the original HD4850 back in and noticed that I was having similar issues with the LCD turning off under a heavy load. I realized that the CPU was getting hot. So I pulled everything out and checked the CPU paste. I used MX4 on the CPU and applied it like I've done in the past with Artic Silver, with just a thin layer over the CPU. I realized that since the MX4 is a different composition, it behaves differently then the Artic Silver. When I removed the CPU, I noticed that the paste was no longer covering the entire CPU surface. I re-applied a thicker layer of MX4 and the CPU temperature was much better.

I also wanted to thank you for the K5 recommendation. I decided to put the K3100M card back in with the K5 on the RAM and resistors and MX4 on the GPU. I still had the same issue that I had before, with the LCD turning off under heavy load. I decided to put the fans (CPU, OD & HD) on max and see what would happen. Other then the noise, the system worked under a heavy load with no issues. I changed the fans speeds to change based on the GPU heatsink temp (since the GPU temp doesn't work) and they are still running fairly high under a heavy load, but the system is rock solid.

I also create a channel from the OD fan to the GPU heatsink fins with HVAC foil tape. It really help keep the GPU temps lows.

So with all these changes, the 2009 iMac is running well with the K3100M and 2.93Ghz i7. My only complaint is that is that the fans have to run higher then before. Has anyone made any mods to help with heat dissipation in these machines? I know that the 2009-2010 have always run hot.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

I wanted to give you an update about this system and hopefully this might help others. The S7100X is a pain! I tried flashing it via the Linux boot method, but I wasn't able to get it to past the amdvbflash -i command test. dfranetic suggested trying to use OCLP to boot to the Linus boot, but I wasn't able to get that to work. I even tried installing Windows, but wasn't successful with that either. I bought a CH341A programmer and we'll see how that goes.

I ended up putting the original HD4850 back in and noticed that I was having similar issues with the LCD turning off under a heavy load. I realized that the CPU was getting hot. So I pulled everything out and checked the CPU paste. I used MX4 on the CPU and applied it like I've done in the past with Artic Silver, with just a thin layer over the CPU. I realized that since the MX4 is a different composition, it behaves differently then the Artic Silver. When I removed the CPU, I noticed that the paste was no longer covering the entire CPU surface. I re-applied a thicker layer of MX4 and the CPU temperature was much better.

I also wanted to thank you for the K5 recommendation. I decided to put the K3100M card back in with the K5 on the RAM and resistors and MX4 on the GPU. I still had the same issue that I had before, with the LCD turning off under heavy load. I decided to put the fans (CPU, OD & HD) on max and see what would happen. Other then the noise, the system worked under a heavy load with no issues. I changed the fans speeds to change based on the GPU heatsink temp (since the GPU temp doesn't work) and they are still running fairly high under a heavy load, but the system is rock solid.

I also create a channel from the OD fan to the GPU heatsink fins with HVAC foil tape. It really help keep the GPU temps lows.

So with all these changes, the 2009 iMac is running well with the K3100M and 2.93Ghz i7. My only complaint is that is that the fans have to run higher then before. Has anyone made any mods to help with heat dissipation in these machines? I know that the 2009-2010 have always run hot.

Hi!

Good to hear your (partly) success! There are several things to answer:

1. Removing the DVD breaks the air flow from the ODD fan to the heat exchanger, put it back, again!
2. Search this thread for a 3D print plan to use the HDD fan to cool the GPU directly.
3. Have the same problems with the using flashrom and the S7100X, only in 50% of the cases it works, I am using the CH341A clip to flash new experimental vBIOS versions.
4. You need the 2011 heat sink for both new cards! No exception!
5. You should put the ODD temp sensor on the heat sink.
6. Yes, the fans will work harder, this was the goal of mod #5. The zero noise approach was the reason for burning the GPU on the long run in the first place.
7. K5 Pro and MX-4 is a good choice, there may be other products for GPU and CPU, but k5 Pro is the only one to adjust to the new card layout.

Have a nice Summer!

 

[Barra]

Alrighty so I've got a mid 2011 Imac 12,2 with an i5 3.1GHz CPU that I've upgraded with an SSD and some more RAM.

After reading, reading and some more reading. I've gone ahead and purchased an AMD FirePro M5100 specifically the Red Dell 109-C42241-01_02 with Elpida VRAM

I decided to go down the AMD path as it looks like it'll be supported longer. I got in touch with the supplier and provided them with the correct ROM which he said he has successfully flashed. (lets just hope he chose correctly).

I've bought some copper Shims in 15mmx15mm and 0.5mm,0.8mm,1mm depths so that I can get the best fit.

I ordered some K5 Pro and some K4. I'll use K4 on GPU and K5 on VRAM + whatever else i spill it on.

I've decided that I'm going to buy a CH341A USB programmer with clip just incase I need to flash the Vbios myself
for whatever reason but hopefully I wont need it if my supplier flashed it correctly. My LAN port got fried during a storm and doesnt work on the Imac so I wouldnt be able to auto connect to network to use the shell to flash. I considered sorting a way to auto connect to a wifi network but I think It'll just be easier to use the clip and then ive got an excuse to add another tool to the collection.


One thing I haven't fully sorted out yet is the Fan control temp probe mod or whatever I was reading about. I guess that's next on my list but it didnt look too complicated.

I've also got a broken power button that takes 20 minutes to turn on the imac to boot. I'm sure its the button itself I'll have to take a look at that when I've got everything apart.


I'll update here as I go,