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Hi everyone. I'm going to replace my CPU with i7-2600, my GPU with WX 4150 from AliExpress. I would appreciate your recommendations for paste / thermal pads for the GPU. Kind regards, -trifle
Hope you mean the 2600s. K5 pro for the VRAM and K4 thermal paste for the die on the card. But you need to modify the heatsink for the WX4150 AFAIK. If you want to skip that, go for the WX4130. You might need copper shims for the right die height but only after measuring the actual height.
 
@howardc64 I'll dig that up for you.

So I sent it. Flashed the EG bios again and rebooted. Got the HS picker and had the Sonoma stick already in. Went for install after wiping the SSD which was already formatted in AFPS. Install went smoothly from what I could see.

Had to go away for a bit and came back to a black screen with backlight on. Mouse movements did nothing, so did keystrokes. Tried to SSH into it, failed - so new OS was installed. Turned off the machine, then back on, did PRAM reset, went for the picker, chose SSD - and got greeted with the FORBIDDEN sign (crossed circle).

Anything in the OCLP settings besides selection for a 12,1 machine I should choose?
You need to boot using OpenCore; that means using the Apple native boot picker you need to choose to boot from the "Sonoma stick", which will launch the OpenCore boot picker.
From there you need to select the installed macOS on your SSD or the macOS installer in case it's still there because of the interrupted installation.

After having booted into macOS (hopefully without needing to reinstall), you first need to install the post install root patches using the OCLP application, and (using the OCLP application) you should build and install OpenCore to your SSD in order to not having to boot into OpenCore using your "Sonoma stick" any longer.
 
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hi there everybody. is there a vbios for k1100m with lower gpu/nvram frequencies? my card keeps crashing and I tried in w10 with msi afterburner and it's a bit better downclocking both the frequencies. I don't care about performance.
thanks in advance!
 
You need to boot using OpenCore; that means using the Apple native boot picker you need to choose to boot from the "Sonoma stick", which will launch the OpenCore boot picker.
From there you need to select the installed macOS on your SSD or the macOS installer in case it's still there because of the interrupted installation.
Reinstalled for good measure. Finished again on the black screen.

No boot into Sonoma possible. Got greeted with the folder with a question mark. Will try safe boot later.
IMG_2768.jpeg

After having booted into macOS (hopefully without needing to reinstall), you first need to install the post install root patches using the OCLP application, and (using the OCLP application) you should build and install OpenCore to your SSD in order to not having to boot into OpenCore using your "Sonoma stick" any longer.
Understood the workflow.
 
Reinstalled for good measure. Finished again on the black screen.

No boot into Sonoma possible. Got greeted with the folder with a question mark. Will try safe boot later.
View attachment 2477075

Understood the workflow.

Assuming you checked AMD GOP Injection + Polaris? Anyway, unlikely your problem. Just double checking.

Sonoma installer should boot the iMac to setup screen (assuming you wiped the SSD and cleaned installed)

You use the word "HS picker" in post #22275 What do you mean by this? Does SSD have a bootable volume? if not, then iMac will boot USB OC which is a "boot picker" and necessary to pick the Sonoma installer. If SSD has a stock HS boot volume, then I think will boot stock boot picker and can only boot HS or USB OC but not OCLP Sonoma installer directly (need to boot USB OC, then pick Sonoma installer). But sounds like you got Sonoma installer kicked off. How long did the install take? (should be like 20+min) and saw repeated reboots? (necessary) Maybe take a video and speed up 10-20x for reference.
 
„HS picker“ meaning the boot picker back when I had High Sierra on the SSD. Not anymore, wiped it again. No boot volume now, just a clean ssd.
Also build another oclp stick with AMD GOP and Polaris ticked now. Thanks for confirming my hunch, will report back tomorrow.
 
hi, i found a different clip to flash a card with ch341 programmer, this one has to be hold when flashing but works every time...the original one was hard to clip for me...
 

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The current system is iMac 12,2 EMC 2429 with Radeon HD 6970M.
Does anyone here know of an inexpensive GPU replacement that can drive two external monitors, resolutions greater than 1920x1080, non-interlaced?
 
I have a mid 2011 21.5 Mac I replaced the GPU with AMD Radeon Polaris 4GB changed hard drive to 1TB SSD and maxed out memory I have been running OS sequoia and do updates with Open Core Patcher I have no problems
 
If anyone is interested I have updated and modified the awesome grml-linux vbios flash boot disk that @xanderon shared with the macrumors community.

The changes include adding amdvbflash, thanks to @Ausdauersportler add-on, all the current ROMS from post 1 and a local Backup directory to store your backed up original ROMS directly on the Bootable USB using the persistency function in grml as default.

By doing this the directory structure has changed so please see the detailed guide below on instructions for using this modified bootable USB.

Create your USB using my modified @xanderon boot disk and connect to your target machine via SSH as outlined in @xanderson post HERE.

At root type:
Code:
lsblk
This will list list your mounted disks and is important as this disk order may change, sda/sdb/sdc, depending on what disks you have connected, how fast they are loaded by GRML etc, therefore the path to your working directory may change. You will see a example of this if you look at my terminal.txt file, I flashed 1 AMD and 1 NVIDIA GPU on seperate Macs.

In terminal copy the path to the root of your Flash USB, Example:
Code:
/lib/live/mount/persistence/sdd2
cd paste and add /flash to get to the directory:
Code:
cd /lib/live/mount/persistence/sdd2/flash
Press enter, you will now be in your working directory.
Code:
root@grml ~ # /lib/live/mount/persistence/sdd2/flash
In this example I will be using amdvbflash to backup and flash my stock AMD apple vbios.
1st - lets look at the working directory:
Code:
ls
2nd - Verify your adapter is recognised:
Code:
./amdvbflash -i
3rd - save a backup of your original bios to the Backup folder on your USB.
Code:
./amdvbflash -s 0 Backups/Original_Vbios.rom
4th - Verify the bios is saved to your Backups folder:
Code:
cd Backups
ls
Now if your paranoid that when you shut down your bios will be gone you can stop, shutdown and actually check the USB drive Backups folder.

View attachment 1749833

5th - flash new bios for example:
Code:
./amdvbflash -f -p 0 AMD/WX4150_GOP.ROM

WARNING: There is no pause asking you if you wish to continue as in nvflash so make sure you have your backup and are flashing the correct ROM.

You will be greeted with some code similar to this verifying the process is complete:
Code:
AMDVBFLASH version 4.71, Copyright (c) 2020 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

Old SSID: 0B00
New SSID: 0B00
Old P/N: 113-C29609-103
New P/N: 113-C29609-103
Old DeviceID: 6720
New DeviceID: 6720
Old Product Name: Apple K62 Blackcomb XT C29609/C29611 GDDR5 64Mx32 2GB
New Product Name: Apple K62 Blackcomb XT C29609/C29611 GDDR5 64Mx32 2GB
Old BIOS Version: 013.011.000.020.017256
New BIOS Version: 013.011.000.020.017256
Flash type: M25P10/c
Burst size is 256
20000/20000h bytes programmed
20000/20000h bytes verified

Restart System To Complete VBIOS Update.

Shutdown and hope for the best :)
Code:
shutdown now

For NVIDIA cards the process is the same but the nvflash_linux commands will be different see my attached Terminal example.txt if you need more info. Also attached a quick visual guide and both Nvidia/AMD flash tools help text.

Enjoy.
Thanks for your detailed sequencing of flashing an AMD GPU. I have a A1312 27" iMac with both a ssd drive and HDD. On the HDD I have High Sierra loaded with OCLP and on the SSD I have Monterey with OCLP. Both load and are functional. What I'm wondering is, I purchased an AMD WX4150 that I plan on installing and flashing using your method of the USB. After it has finished and I shutdown the computer, can I then boot it on either of the drives normally or do I have to reload a clean High Sierra or Monterey for the system to work? Thanks and appreciate all the work you have done.
 
Also build another oclp stick with AMD GOP and Polaris ticked now. Thanks for confirming my hunch, will report back tomorrow.
No luck so far. Check pic. Asked ChatGPT for feedback:

The error on your iMac 12,1 when trying to install macOS Sonoma with OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP) seems to indicate a kernel panic or a failed boot process. Here are some possible causes and solutions:





Possible Causes:


1. Incorrectly patched kernel: macOS Sonoma requires specific kernel patches for older Macs, especially those with Sandy Bridge processors like in your iMac 12,1.


2. Missing or incorrect boot arguments: OCLP requires specific boot arguments to bypass compatibility issues.


3. Problems with the RAM disk image: The error message references an issue with macOS’s RAM disk image during installation.


4. Incompatible or faulty OCLP version: Using an incorrect or outdated version of OCLP could lead to crashes.





Possible Solutions:


1. Ensure you’re using the latest version of OCLP


Download the latest version of OCLP from the official GitHub page and recreate the installation media.


2. Check the boot arguments in OpenCore


Open OpenCore’s configuration and verify that the correct boot arguments are set:


• keepsyms=1 debug=0x100 -lilubetaall amfi_get_out_of_my_way=1


• If installing via USB, try a different USB stick or port.


3. Recreate the installation media


If the issue persists:


• Reformat your USB installer with macOS Extended (Journaled) and a GUID partition scheme.


• Recreate the installation media using createinstallmedia and OCLP.


4. Enable and review debug logs


• If the kernel panic still occurs, try enabling OpenCore’s debug logging and check for more detailed errors.





If you need help analyzing the logs or have any specific questions, let me know!


IMG_2781.jpeg
 
No luck so far. Check pic. Asked ChatGPT for feedback:

The error on your iMac 12,1 when trying to install macOS Sonoma with OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP) seems to indicate a kernel panic or a failed boot process. Here are some possible causes and solutions:

How far into the install does it kernel panic? Overall installation takes like 20min+ with multiple reboot phases. Latest OCLP 2.2.0 will root patch all the driver stack before macOS setup (probably just before reboot to macOS setup? Just a guess) Maybe this is where you got k panic?

Maybe double check stock HS install still boots wx4150 with external monitor.
 
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How far into the install does it kernel panic? Overall installation takes like 20min+ with multiple reboot phases. Latest OCLP 2.2.0 will root patch all the driver stack before macOS setup (probably just before reboot to macOS setup? Just a guess) Maybe this is where you got k panic?
License agreement done, install after this done, one reboot, more installing on a grey screen with an apple logo done, switches to verbose output, then kernel panic. Guess "before macOS setup" is right. I'm on 2.2.0 definitely as this was released on Dec 11th 2024 and I started after. Worth a shot to revert to an older version?
Maybe double check stock HS install still boots wx4150 with external monitor.
Could do that. I have a WX4130, though.

I start to suspect that my Aliexpress card is faulty or fake. Think back to the SSID mismatch when I was trying to flash GOP rom. If there are any reputable sellers for cards in Europe let me know.
 
License agreement done, install after this done, one reboot, more installing on a grey screen with an apple logo done, switches to verbose output, then kernel panic. Guess "before macOS setup" is right. I'm on 2.2.0 definitely as this was released on Dec 11th 2024 and I started after. Worth a shot to revert to an older version?

Could do that. I have a WX4130, though.

Don't know wx4130 behavior on stock HS. Do some research.
 
Don't know wx4130 behavior on stock HS. Do some research.
Stock HS booted up fine but with a black screen back when I had it on the SSD. I could SSH into it and control it through there.

Tried again with a new stick. Did get stuck on the empty black (but backlight on) screen like on m first try. No kernel panic. Saw a system via SSH but since I didn’t configure it, I couldn‘t get into it. Yes, external display and such, I know. Don‘t have a cable yet.

Any recommendations for reputable sellers for a WX4130 or WX4150?
 
Hi everyone,

Sorry to ask amateur questions, but: after MUCH research have bought an AliExpress W5170M gpu specified for use in my mac with the intention of mounting it in my trusty 2010 iMac 11,2 (on Sonoma/SSD).

So:
I have the tools
OCLP 2.2 is installed (I believe I need to remove some bootpatches and enable some other stuff)
The gpu is preflashed (supposedly)
Have reviewed multiple sites and vids
Will get some thermal paste and pads

Now: how can I verify whether or not I need a copper-shim between the gpu and the heatsink with simple tools?

Thank you for any insights,

Paul
 
Hi everyone,

Sorry to ask amateur questions, but: after MUCH research have bought an AliExpress W5170M gpu specified for use in my mac with the intention of mounting it in my trusty 2010 iMac 11,2 (on Sonoma/SSD).

So:
I have the tools
OCLP 2.2 is installed (I believe I need to remove some bootpatches and enable some other stuff)
The gpu is preflashed (supposedly)
Have reviewed multiple sites and vids
Will get some thermal paste and pads

Now: how can I verify whether or not I need a copper-shim between the gpu and the heatsink with simple tools?

Thank you for any insights,

Paul

Link to shim selection info
 
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Link to shim selection info
Thanks howardc64,

I had previously browsed that page but hadnt realised how detailed your description was.

Thanks again,

Paul 😃

edit: amazing how hard it is to find shims and such locally right now, 20years ago every other shop was a pc-parts shop, so if anyone has an Ali link to a nice shim set of various thicknesses that would be appreciated 😬
 
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:apple: 1st Valley Benchmark - Mac Mini M1 (16GB) :apple:

I don't think it's about showing off or posing ! When choosing the graphics card for an iMac from
2009 - 2011 + Update to MacOS Sonoma or Sequoia via OCLP, it might be a good idea to calculate
the performance increase as well as the required performance for demanding and / or AI-based
(App-Store) programs and whether it makes sense based on today's standards !

I have a number of older programmes (32-bit High Sierra, Parallels Desktop WIN10, 64-bit
MacOS BigSur) that I can run under STEAM (High Sierra + WIN10 Emulation + Games).

The Mac Mini M1 + OS Sequoia have strict Gate Keeper Software, so it's not soo easy to run
things with Porting Kit / Wine or other Software which is not 100% compatible to Apple CPU...

I can't say how fast and energy-efficient the new CoPilot+ notebooks with ARM Snapdragon+
(Qualcomm) CPUs are, but in contrast, the Mac Mini M1 (16GB) is exceptionally fast (FTL), and
as many of you will have read or seen on YouTube, the New Generation offers an impressive
amount of performance for the money !

Bildschirmfoto 2025-02-07 um 23.25.30.png
 
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Good morning I currently have an imac A1311 21.5 inch I5 2.5 GHz gpu ATI Radeon Hd 4670 256mb under High Sierra. I want to install an I7 2600S and AMD Radeon Pro WX 4150 gpu as well as a bluetooh wifi upgrade. In what order should I proceed with this
 
I have a mid 2011 21.5 Mac I replaced the GPU with AMD Radeon Polaris 4GB changed hard drive to 1TB SSD and maxed out memory I have been running OS sequoia and do updates with Open Core Patcher I have no problems
I have a mid 2011 21.5 Mac I replaced the GPU with AMD Radeon Polaris 4GB changed hard drive to 1TB SSD and maxed out memory I have been running OS sequoia and do updates with Open Core Patcher I have no problems
Hello, I would like to do the same hardware update as you with the addition of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Did you do it all at once or one after the other?
What OS are you using.
 
I have upgraded my iMac 2010 years ago with a Nvidia 765m 2GB, unfleshed Alienware.

I only get temp reading from the GPU heatsink , and nothing from GPU core/diode. Is this considered "normal" ?
My Imac has been throttling lately. I also have a damaged LCD Temp cable, I hope that's the reason...
 
Hello, ive upgraded my 2011 IMac 21,5 12.1 from the K2000m to the K2100m. It had Ventura installed with OCLP.
Now it only Boots with the Loading Bar to the half and then Blackscreens with Backlight on. I tought i needed to reinstall MacOS so i Upgraded to latest Sequioa version. But same after installing the OS Blackscreen. It only Boots with Safe Mode on. I installed the latest Root Patches but then the exact same happens...

Edit: The Card is Flashed with the Bios from this Post like i did with the last Post and get regnosized as K2100m by Nikey in settings while in Safe Mode
 
Hi everyone. I've tried a lot but still can't figure it out. I have the GTX 765m flashed with 765M_BR+OC.ROM (from a user @Santa's Little Helper). I installed OS Sequoia on 21.5 2011 iMac but I don't have a native brightness control. Am I missing something? Maybe I need to make changes to the OCLP settings? Currently using brightness slider.
 
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