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

[luckasa]

I've tried the vBiosInsert.sh after obtain EnableGop.efi and compile the UEFIROMExtract and EfiRom but It doesn't work:

./vBiosInsert.sh -a DellRX5602GB.ROM EnableGop.efi ROMModified.rom
Auto-detecting GOP offset...
Compressing EFI using EfiRom...
Combining...
 - Not enough space within 128k limit - aborting!

Could someone help to obtain a rom with EFI boot for AMD WX4130. Maybe @Ausdauersportler or someone else?
Thank you!

 

[m0bil]

Also I am thinking about upgrading to i7-2600 (not S) with this card, if someone is running this card and got 2600 please chime in. I want to be able to use 3.5" HDD and SSD combo along so I would like to hear from real users if it is possible or not. Also looking at E3-1275 or 1245 Xeon if there is a way to make sleep work with them because I prefer it to have this rather crucial function.

You should be fine on the K1100m (45W) + i7-2600 (95W), as long as drives are SSD. I'm not so sure if you try to use HDD. The 21.5-inch PSU is rated ~205W.
Sleep does not work on Xeons, for unknown reasons.

 

[gagarin]

You should be fine on the K1100m (45W) + i7-2600 (95W), as long as drives are SSD. I'm not so sure if you try to use HDD. The 21.5-inch PSU is rated ~205W.
Sleep does not work on Xeons, for unknown reasons.

Thank you. You haven't tried 3.5HDD+SSD with WX4130 (it is up to 50W right?) in 21" yourself? BTW have you found WX4130 worth it (if you have an experience with Kepler in it before for example)

 

[ChrisOsbakk]

Use the one marked in the screenshot below, I'd suggest. For brightness control OpenCore would be needed as well, according to the table.
View attachment 2166661

For flashing instructions you should look here:
View attachment 2166669

Huge thnx! That push in the right direction saved my day. I disconnected the drives and created a Linux usb with nvflash and roms. Flashed the K2000m_0C one and bootpicker started working so now Im finally able to update the OS.

Which one do you guys recommend for the 2011 ones ?

 

[internetzel]

I've tried the vBiosInsert.sh after obtain EnableGop.efi and compile the UEFIROMExtract and EfiRom but It doesn't work:

./vBiosInsert.sh -a DellRX5602GB.ROM EnableGop.efi ROMModified.rom
Auto-detecting GOP offset...
Compressing EFI using EfiRom...
Combining...
 - Not enough space within 128k limit - aborting!

Could someone help to obtain a rom with EFI boot for AMD WX4130. Maybe @Ausdauersportler or someone else?
Thank you!

The other WX41x0-VBIOSes linked to on the first page should have enough free space for EnableGop:

 

[BadBiscuit]

hello everyone, I bought this 2gb k2100, I flashed this bios but it only shows me 1gb, do I have to change the bios?

I'm not sure which of the vBIOS roms you attached, but if the K2100M has Elpida memory you need to use that one before it will reports 2GB. From your first picture it appears it may be that. Is the second picture of your actual card, or a stock shot? The second picture is clearly not Elpida vRAM. You should be able to search on "Elpida" and "K2100M" to read past discussion about that.

 

[luckasa]

Thank you @internetzel . I've finally generated a functional ROM for WX4130 with ALT key boot option!
I attach here if anyone needs it.
I've tested and it works ok with my graphic card. The first time that I've flash it shows mismatch ssid, but it worked with "-f" flag:

./amdvbflash -f -p 0 AMD/WX4130_EFIBoot.rom

 

[gagarin]

Mid 2011 21.5" 6750M 512MB MXM card is NOT working in Late 2009 21.5" for some reason.

I am trying to repurpose 6750M after upgrading my 2011 in 2009. But it doesn't work!
After assembly of 2009 with 6750M there is a chime but system seems not able to boot (black screen, no caps lock indicator when pressed), I am trying to find diagnostics LED but I do not see any (not inside when pick under LCD not through grill near the RAM slot).

I wonder if this card is know to work or do not work (really no definitive answers on Google) and why there is no any LEDs.

Also I have 4670M 256GB in my 2010 i3 — will that work in this 2009 C2D machine?

Besides those what are known working MXM cards in C2D iMac? I do not need Metal or bootpicker or MacOS support — Windows or ChromeOS is good enough

P.S. If someone did found a way to enable 9400m in MXM 2009 please point me to it. That woud be even better

 

[internetzel]

Mid 2011 21.5" 6750M 512MB MXM card is NOT working in Late 2009 21.5" for some reason.

I am trying to repurpose 6750M after upgrading my 2011 in 2009. But it doesn't work!
After assembly of 2009 with 6750M there is a chime but system seems not able to boot (black screen, no caps lock indicator when pressed), I am trying to find diagnostics LED but I do not see any (not inside when pick under LCD not through grill near the RAM slot).

I wonder if this card is know to work or do not work (really no definitive answers on Google) and why there is no any LEDs.

Also I have 4670M 256GB in my 2010 i3 — will that work in this 2009 C2D machine?

Besides those what are known working MXM cards in C2D iMac? I do not need Metal or bootpicker or MacOS support — Windows or ChromeOS is good enough

P.S. If someone did found a way to enable 9400m in MXM 2009 please point me to it. That woud be even better

Generally the late 2009 21.5" iMac doesn't use eDP (embedded DisplayPort) as the interface to its internal display but LVDS (like all earlier iMacs), so the VBIOS needs to be adapted if the card was originally meant to be used in later iMacs, including the 27" inch late 2009 models.

 

[gagarin]

Generally the late 2009 21.5" iMac doesn't use eDP (embedded DisplayPort) as the interface to its internal display but LVDS (like all earlier iMacs), so the VBIOS needs to be adapted if the card was originally meant to be used in later iMacs, including the 27" inch late 2009 models.

Thanks @internetzel ! Does that mean iMac 2010 card wouldn't work equally? I would like @Ausdauersportler to chime in since there were some experimenting with LVDS enabled VBIOSes

 

[internetzel]

Thanks @internetzel ! Does that mean iMac 2010 card wouldn't work equally? I would like @Ausdauersportler to chime in since there were some experimenting with LVDS enabled VBIOSes

Yes, you would need to flash the late 2009 21.5" VBIOS to your 4670M if it came from a 2010 iMac - and hope the cards are similar enough in hardware so the VBIOS works as is (the needed parts could otherwise be taken from the 2009 VBIOS).

 

[ChrisOsbakk]

Created a bootable win 10 usb and installed Windows. All went fine exept that device manager doesnt show my K2000m - what´s the solution to get the gpu drivers installed when running windows?

System:
imac 12.1 (2011) with K2000m with nikey22 vbios.

 

[SteveWex]

I'm toying with upgrading my 2009 27" iMac's GPU to something newer that will add Metal capability so that I can upgrade it to Ventura.
I'm based in the Republic of Ireland, so pickings for GPUs are slim to none here. Getting something from the UK is limited to Amazon due to Brexit messing things up tax and import duty wise.

I have located this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Replacemen...d=1677930058&sprefix=amd+m6000,aps,102&sr=8-1

Its a AMD FirePro M6000.

Can anyone confirm or deny if this is a suitable swap? As I say, options are small, and generally quite expensive, so I don't want to get this wrong!

My iMac is a 27" Late 2009 Intel i5 model.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[internetzel]

I'm toying with upgrading my 2009 27" iMac's GPU to something newer that will add Metal capability so that I can upgrade it to Ventura.
I'm based in the Republic of Ireland, so pickings for GPUs are slim to none here. Getting something from the UK is limited to Amazon due to Brexit messing things up tax and import duty wise.

I have located this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Replacement-FirePro-M6000-Precision-Workstation/dp/B09YQCR9D1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ZXIQGIXM66EM&keywords=amd+m6000&qid=1677930058&sprefix=amd+m6000,aps,102&sr=8-1

Its a AMD FirePro M6000.

Can anyone confirm or deny if this is a suitable swap? As I say, options are small, and generally quite expensive, so I don't want to get this wrong!

My iMac is a 27" Late 2009 Intel i5 model.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

According to the table and information in the first post and the post with the VBIOS for the M6000 that card should work well in a late 2009 27" iMac - but there's no guarantee that every model of M6000 card is compatible hardware-wise.

 

[noehry]

Thank you for the short version of the plan!

Unfortunately, I do struggle to get everything working:
iMac 2011, 27" with AMD WX4130 graphics card

I want to flash the card with GRML-FLASH - USB drive prepared, before swapping the GPU it worked. Now, after installation of the new card, screen stays blank. I can access macOS remotely through screen sharing, and an external monitor turns on, once macOS is booted to High Sierra.

How do I flash the card using GRML if the screen doesn't turn on?

I feel I missed something really basic and stupid

@Ausdauersportler Can you give me a hint?

Apologies if this has been answered before!

I got it working, thanks to all the information in this thread and around the rest of the interwebs

 

[SteveWex]

According to the table and information in the first post and the post with the VBIOS for the M6000 that card should work well in a late 2009 27" iMac - but there's no guarantee that every model of M6000 card is compatible hardware-wise.

Thank you. It's the "no guarantee" last bit that worries me, I realise there could be potential problems with any card not originally fitted by Apple and I'm beginning to think that's enough to put me off trying. As I was aiming to resurrect my iMac to use in a home business, I think for reliability sakes, it's probably best to forget it and buy a new 24" instead.

I appreciate the honest reply. 👍

 

[mrlost]

Good morning guys, my nvidia k2100m card has arrived without flashar, to which I will apply the programmer before installing, and I will prepare the execution before executing the plan, but I still need to solve some doubts. On the other hand, as I have mentioned before, I have two imacs, for my two daughters, and I have the opportunity to purchase a pre-flashed wx3200 or wx4150 card, in both imacs I have just installed 2 independent ssds, one for windows 10 and the other for macos , if I can update macos, very good, otherwise it does not matter to continue with high sierra. I have read and continue to read publication number 1, but I am sure that details continue to escape me that perhaps I have not assimilated yet. Question, which card do you recommend, the 3200 or the 4150?
Both consume 50w but it seems that the 3200 is more versatile and performs a little better. Thank you very very much K2100 they sold it as a new

 

[m0bil]

Thank you. You haven't tried 3.5HDD+SSD with WX4130 (it is up to 50W right?) in 21" yourself? BTW have you found WX4130 worth it (if you have an experience with Kepler in it before for example)

No, I just tried a low power (3W) 5400rpm 2.5HDD+SDD with the WX4130, power measured on wall plug for the whole iMac was around 170W while benchmarking. A 7200 rpm 3.5 HDD will be around 10W on use, but I read during spinup they can peak at 25W, so you may have problems there. Also take into account the heat issues as the same fan cools both the CPU and PSU.

Yes, I like better the WX4130 than than the Kepler cards (had previously a K2100M)

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I'm toying with upgrading my 2009 27" iMac's GPU to something newer that will add Metal capability so that I can upgrade it to Ventura.
I'm based in the Republic of Ireland, so pickings for GPUs are slim to none here. Getting something from the UK is limited to Amazon due to Brexit messing things up tax and import duty wise.

I have located this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Replacemen...d=1677930058&sprefix=amd+m6000,aps,102&sr=8-1

Its a AMD FirePro M6000.

Can anyone confirm or deny if this is a suitable swap? As I say, options are small, and generally quite expensive, so I don't want to get this wrong!

My iMac is a 27" Late 2009 Intel i5 model.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I have the FirePro M6100 in my iMac 2009 27".
It works without any issue.
This model has more offers on ebay.

 

[Fauxly]

Hi all. will rx 480 4 gb graphics card work on iMac 2011 27 ?

 

[internetzel]

Hi all. will rx 480 4 gb graphics card work on iMac 2011 27 ?

The information in the first post is constantly updated, so you can generally rely on it:

 

[Soyer]

Greetings! I am looking for the iMac 27 2015 gpu bios, namely AMD Radeon R9 M380 Mac Edition or AMD Radeon R9 M390 for research. I would be grateful for the dump provided.

 

[Tacos_iN_Space]

<ok, maybe this is the right section to post this in? Correct me if wrong, will move>

Y'all, I am halfway through a 2010 11,3 27" iMac rebuild, and upgrading the GPU is my final coup de grace, made possible b/c of the repository of absolute geniuses here.

Obligatory "I promise I did read the how-to guide on page 1, forgive me, I'm just... slow "

Can I get some feedback, to make sure I am not making any grievous errors?

1. Big Sur already running via OCLP. Also still have the installer on a USB. Once the GPU is in place I just hold "option" on boot up to go into the OCLP menu? I have a secondary display ready.
2. M6100 GPU en route (which will be photographed, both sides for reference), appears copper shim unnecessary for this model.
3. Use ROMTool to export modded boot ROM already injected with CoreEG2 & EDID (via UEFI tool) + flash GPU with appropriate vBIOS via CH341A programmer?

Anything critical that I'm missing?
Thank you in advance for everything. Still in amazement this is even possible.

 

[internetzel]

<ok, maybe this is the right section to post this in? Correct me if wrong, will move>

Y'all, I am halfway through a 2010 11,3 27" iMac rebuild, and upgrading the GPU is my final coup de grace, made possible b/c of the repository of absolute geniuses here.

Obligatory "I promise I did read the how-to guide on page 1, forgive me, I'm just... slow "

Can I get some feedback, to make sure I am not making any grievous errors?

1. Big Sur already running via OCLP. Also still have the installer on a USB. Once the GPU is in place I just hold "option" on boot up to go into the OCLP menu? I have a secondary display ready.
2. M6100 GPU en route (which will be photographed, both sides for reference), appears copper shim unnecessary for this model.
3. Use ROMTool to export modded boot ROM already injected with CoreEG2 & EDID (via UEFI tool) + flash GPU with appropriate vBIOS via CH341A programmer?

Anything critical that I'm missing?
Thank you in advance for everything. Still in amazement this is even possible.

I'd like to encourage you to check out the latest VBIOS development results available from here, instead of the EG2 bootrom mod:
https://github.com/Ausdauersportler/IMAC-EFI-BOOT-SCREEN/tree/main/EG
The corresponding thread for that type of VBIOS is here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...pport-for-efi-era-imacs-and-mac-pros.2378942/

 

[Tacos_iN_Space]

I'd like to encourage you to check out the latest VBIOS development results available from here, instead of the EG2 bootrom mod:
https://github.com/Ausdauersportler/IMAC-EFI-BOOT-SCREEN/tree/main/EG
The corresponding thread for that type of VBIOS is here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...pport-for-efi-era-imacs-and-mac-pros.2378942/

Ok, so run the vBiosInsert.sh script from the iMac terminal, and separately flash the GPU with the M6100 EnableGOP ROM, install the newly flashed GPU, cross my fingers, boot?