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

[shot099]

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

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

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)

After flashing the correct file it should look like this

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

Hello, I'm new in this Forum. I just wanted to know if with this BIOS-Flash of the Graphic Card, also the Brightness-Adjustment is working fine ?

 

[shot099]

Hi Guys,

I'm really excited to see that many people already have done this GPU-Upgrade/Replacement.

I have an iMac LATE 2009; 11,1 with the i5 750 (2.66Ghz), 8GB RAM (@1066Mhz).

In near future I want to Upgrade some things and thought here is the best platform for asking for advices.

What I want to do:

-UPGRADING Processor to the XEON X3460 (I don't know if that is possible but since they have the same Socket I thought it should work fine)

-UPGRADING RAM to 4x 8GB RAM. I know many people might say why would you go for 32GB but I want to use it for Video editing with FCPX, Gaming in Win10 etc. and they are not so expensive compared to 16GB so whatever.
(So my question is just is it even possible that the Single Modules have the Size of 8GB or is it limited for 4GB ? The websites where I checked claimed that it should work but im not sure about that)

-UPGRADING GRAPHIC CARD to maybe GTX 780M. Since the AMD 4850 512MB Performance is a laugh in your face in 2019.
As is see the 780M Video Card is one of the most uncomplicated Cards for upgrading if you go for the ones from Alienware and so on. The only thing I'm wondering is if the issues are now solved in 2019 (Brightness Control loss, No Bootscreen, Trouble using an external Display). I heard if the BIOS of the card gets flashed it might work. Is that difficult ?

Sorry for so many questions.
Thanks in Advance.

 

[passatgt]

Hi Guys,

I'm really excited to see that many people already have done this GPU-Upgrade/Replacement.

I have an iMac LATE 2009; 11,1 with the i5 750 (2.66Ghz), 8GB RAM (@1066Mhz).

In near future I want to Upgrade some things and thought here is the best platform for asking for advices.

What I want to do:

-UPGRADING Processor to the XEON X3460 (I don't know if that is possible but since they have the same Socket I thought it should work fine)

-UPGRADING RAM to 4x 8GB RAM. I know many people might say why would you go for 32GB but I want to use it for Video editing with FCPX, Gaming in Win10 etc. and they are not so expensive compared to 16GB so whatever.
(So my question is just is it even possible that the Single Modules have the Size of 8GB or is it limited for 4GB ? The websites where I checked claimed that it should work but im not sure about that)

-UPGRADING GRAPHIC CARD to maybe GTX 780M. Since the AMD 4850 512MB Performance is a laugh in your face in 2019.
As is see the 780M Video Card is one of the most uncomplicated Cards for upgrading if you go for the ones from Alienware and so on. The only thing I'm wondering is if the issues are now solved in 2019 (Brightness Control loss, No Bootscreen, Trouble using an external Display). I heard if the BIOS of the card gets flashed it might work. Is that difficult ?

Sorry for so many questions.
Thanks in Advance.

Yes, that Xeon should work. If you upgrade the CPU, you should be able to use 4x8gb ram(but your current CPU also supports 32gb). No solution for GPU issues yet. The brightness control is doable with the DyingLight module, but its a tricky one. I would just go with the software based brightness control. One external monitor works fine. Bios update would be an option, but we don't have a bios that solves these issues and i don't think we will have one anytime soon(probably never).

 

[monofase]

Could it be somehow 675m related? IIRC you did have new k5 Pro on your VRAM? Or is it something else? Have you redone thermal paste on the i7 830 CPU? There isn't much else I can think of.

Yes, I added k5 pro to the VRAM chips and MX-4 to the core of the GPU.
I didn't touch the CPU, I will try to re-apply thermal pasta on the CPU!

The machine works if I use it normally, but the benchmark at full settings will kill it

 

[FlorisVN]

Yeah, I found that out while reading about the 10 series. What a bummer. Now I'm aiming for a 980m

why make live hard for your self.. ?
980m has been reported by some users that it does not work, even a guy on youtube have tried it and failed.

just stick with known working Dell/Alienware kepler cards.
I think the GTX780m/GTX880m kepler is the highest you can go at the moment..

 

[gaza4]

Hi I have a 2011 iMac 27" with a suspected dead GPU. What is the cheapest model GPU I can replace this with?

Thanks

 

[monofase]

Hi I have a 2011 iMac 27" with a suspected dead GPU. What is the cheapest model GPU I can replace this with?

Thanks

Nvidia 660M from Dell, Alienware laptop
or Quadro
K2000M

 

[vnishid]

Hi guys, someone in my neighbourhood threw a 2011 3.1GHz i5 iMac 27" away, and I took it in to try to repair it. For some reason, I can't get past the Apple logo when booting and can't get it to Internet Recovery mode - the progress bar completes but then the computer reboots to a blank screen. I did manage to boot Windows 10 Pro from an external drive, but then the screen glitches and turns black as soon as it finishes booting (sometimes even before it does).

The graphics card is clearly faulty, and hasn't shown any improvements after being baked. I'd like to know if replacing the graphics card would possibly solve the boot loop issue, because investing the money on it for nothing would be a tough pill to swallow for a uni student...

Cheers

 

[passatgt]

Hi guys, someone in my neighbourhood threw a 2011 3.1GHz i5 iMac 27" away, and I took it in to try to repair it. For some reason, I can't get past the Apple logo when booting and can't get it to Internet Recovery mode - the progress bar completes but then the computer reboots to a blank screen. I did manage to boot Windows 10 Pro from an external drive, but then the screen glitches and turns black as soon as it finishes booting (sometimes even before it does).

The graphics card is clearly faulty, and hasn't shown any improvements after being baked. I'd like to know if replacing the graphics card would possibly solve the boot loop issue, because investing the money on it for nothing would be a tough pill to swallow for a uni student...

Cheers

That does sound like a GPU issue. Try to get a k2000m, thats the cheapest card you can use: https://www.ebay.com/itm/D30WG-Dell...116319?hash=item1a6534ea1f:g:8F8AAOSwNWtb6PPi

 

[Ooze]

it is very cool to see that a modern card will initialized and somewhat work however

as most of the Graphics card upgrades done here have been on 2010-2011 iMacs, so I was no sure how compatibility was with something like an iMac10,1

im still not sure if iMac9,1s are MXM2 or MXM3

I know the Early 2009 Xserve3,1 is MXM3 as modern graphics cards work in its MXM slot

iMac9,1 are MXM 3. The GT 130 And 120 are both 3.0 cards.
[doublepost=1556539284][/doublepost]

Hi guys, someone in my neighbourhood threw a 2011 3.1GHz i5 iMac 27" away, and I took it in to try to repair it. For some reason, I can't get past the Apple logo when booting and can't get it to Internet Recovery mode - the progress bar completes but then the computer reboots to a blank screen. I did manage to boot Windows 10 Pro from an external drive, but then the screen glitches and turns black as soon as it finishes booting (sometimes even before it does).

The graphics card is clearly faulty, and hasn't shown any improvements after being baked. I'd like to know if replacing the graphics card would possibly solve the boot loop issue, because investing the money on it for nothing would be a tough pill to swallow for a uni student...

Cheers

It's a combo of a failing HDD and a broken GPU. replace them both and you'll be gucci.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iMac...941271?hash=item23b1913e57:g:250AAOSwJTZZ4wO4

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Late...897299?hash=item33f90fd853:g:AXYAAOSwjbpbeKlJ

 

[passatgt]

iMac9,1 are MXM 3. The GT 130 And 120 are both 3.0 cards.
[doublepost=1556539284][/doublepost]
It's a combo of a failing HDD and a broken GPU. replace them both and you'll be gucci.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iMac...941271?hash=item23b1913e57:g:250AAOSwJTZZ4wO4

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Late...897299?hash=item33f90fd853:g:AXYAAOSwjbpbeKlJ

Your first link is a broken GPU. That won't be much help. The second link is also pointless, as you could get a 500gb brand new SSD for just a bit more

 

[Ooze]

why make live hard for your self.. ?
980m has been reported by some users that it does not work, even a guy on youtube have tried it and failed.

just stick with known working Dell/Alienware kepler cards.
I think the GTX780m/GTX880m kepler is the highest you can go at the moment..

I live to make my life hard on myself.

 

[LightBulbFun]

pretty sure some 980M cards do work in iMacs

and I know MVC tested one successfully in an Xserve3,1 so its not a completely lost cause

(If anyone does want to do ROM dumping and flashing with MXM cards then an Xserve3,1 running windows is a good way to do so )

 

[passatgt]

why make live hard for your self.. ?
980m has been reported by some users that it does not work, even a guy on youtube have tried it and failed.

just stick with known working Dell/Alienware kepler cards.
I think the GTX780m/GTX880m kepler is the highest you can go at the moment..

980M appears to be working just fine: https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4175243/all

 

[FlorisVN]

980M appears to be working just fine: https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4175243/all

i know that post, it only shows it's working with an external Dell monitor.
Internal iMac display never mentioned and visible, so I think internal iMac display won't work..

 

[Ooze]

Your first link is a broken GPU. That won't be much help. The second link is also pointless, as you could get a 500gb brand new SSD for just a bit more

You're right, didn't look closely at the card, only reason I suggested the apple drive is because it comes with the temperature sensor that is standard in the imacs 2009-2011. Otherwise your fan will run full blast without fan control software to tell it that your HDD isn't overheating.

 

[AndrewMcBride96]

Okay so just to confirm before I buy,
I have a late-2009 27”. I don’t care about performance, the machine is for my parents. I am looking at picking up a K2000m.

I know it is a smaller card, but I am willing to modify the heatsink.

Will the K2000M work with my 2009 27” pretty much plug and play?

I saw someone say go for the 675 with the 27” but I would rather save the money. Will the K2000m work just as well.

Thanks again for everyone’s help!
This thread is awesome

 

[vnishid]

That does sound like a GPU issue. Try to get a k2000m, thats the cheapest card you can use: https://www.ebay.com/itm/D30WG-Dell...116319?hash=item1a6534ea1f:g:8F8AAOSwNWtb6PPi

I saw a dude here that was flashing firmware to a new board using a raspberry pi, would I have to do something similar or just put it on and it's smooth sailing from there?

 

[passatgt]

Okay so just to confirm before I buy,
I have a late-2009 27”. I don’t care about performance, the machine is for my parents. I am looking at picking up a K2000m.

I know it is a smaller card, but I am willing to modify the heatsink.

Will the K2000M work with my 2009 27” pretty much plug and play?

I saw someone say go for the 675 with the 27” but I would rather save the money. Will the K2000m work just as well.

Thanks again for everyone’s help!
This thread is awesome

With a k2000m you don't need to modify the heatsink at all, its plug&play. Well, apart from the fact you need to drill out the mounting bracket holes on the card to match apple's thicker screws. But other than that, its plug & play. You might want to replace the battery on the motherboard too, as its quite old by now. Definitely install an SSD too instead of the spinning old hdd. Even though its Sata2, it will be a huge improvement. Also, you could update the CPU too. The best you can get is an i7 860 or 870 and its not that expensive on ebay. But its not that much improvements compared tot he i5 you have: https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-870-vs-Intel-Core-i5-750/m961vs2773

 

[Toni96pp]

I live to make my life hard on myself.

hope you get it, I've got a 980m waiting for that moment

 

[AndrewMcBride96]

With a k2000m you don't need to modify the heatsink at all, its plug&play. Well, apart from the fact you need to drill out the mounting bracket holes on the card to match apple's thicker screws. But other than that, its plug & play. You might want to replace the battery on the motherboard too, as its quite old by now. Definitely install an SSD too instead of the spinning old hdd. Even though its Sata2, it will be a huge improvement. Also, you could update the CPU too. The best you can get is an i7 860 or 870 and its not that expensive on ebay. But its not that much improvements compared tot he i5 you have: https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-870-vs-Intel-Core-i5-750/m961vs2773

Amazing thank you! I already put a SSD in, and added 12Gb of ram. I will also look into the i7.

I currently have it working with a baked card, but I know it will fail at some point. So the K2000m is just the more reliable choice.

If I didn’t bother replacing the battery, will that just mean it won’t keep time as well? Or are there other problems?

 

[passatgt]

I saw a dude here that was flashing firmware to a new board using a raspberry pi, would I have to do something similar or just put it on and it's smooth sailing from there?

Just put it in (thats what she said)
[doublepost=1556638160][/doublepost]

Amazing thank you! I already put a SSD in, and added 12Gb of ram. I will also look into the i7.

I currently have it working with a baked card, but I know it will fail at some point. So the K2000m is just the more reliable choice.

If I didn’t bother replacing the battery, will that just mean it won’t keep time as well? Or are there other problems?

Longer boot times because it will reset/forget some stuff on each boot. But you can check with a voltage meter if the battery is fine though.

 

[DManno3]

So I have installed Windows 7, My GTX 780m works fine on MacOS but when I boot into windows 7 the mac starts into a boot loop. How can I please fix this???
[doublepost=1556649866][/doublepost]Can somebody please upload their winclone image. I really would like to install windows. I don't care if I have to use an external screen. I installed windows 7 and it just goes into a boot loop. Help.

 

[jmilan0302]

Yeah, I found that out while reading about the 10 series. What a bummer. Now I'm aiming for a 980m

Or maybe you could aim for a 2010 or 2011 iMac?

 

[passatgt]

So I have installed Windows 7, My GTX 780m works fine on MacOS but when I boot into windows 7 the mac starts into a boot loop. How can I please fix this???
[doublepost=1556649866][/doublepost]Can somebody please upload their winclone image. I really would like to install windows. I don't care if I have to use an external screen. I installed windows 7 and it just goes into a boot loop. Help.

Does windows boot(can you hear the startup sound) and it restarts after that? Or before it even boots. If it boots, you could check the windows logs to see why.