MBP 1,1-10,2 Force 2011 MacBook Pro 8,2 with failed AMD GPU to ALWAYS use Intel integrated GPU (EFI variable fix)

[Simone2309]

That would mean you would have to reinstall the kexts. Not just move it. (Although that might be an option if you have backups containing them.)

If you do not know how to reinstall just the missing kexts your best bet is to reinstall the system.

I tryied few ways without success:
- recovery mode (not working)
- recovery mode with internet, wi-fi or Ethernet cable (not working)
- bootable USB using Clover, boot Mac OS X from Recovery HD, boot recovery from recovery HD, boot Mac OS X from Install MacOS Sierra and Boot Clover from EFI (all not working)

Other options please?

 

[MikeyN]

I tryied few ways without success:
- recovery mode (not working)
- recovery mode with internet, wi-fi or Ethernet cable (not working)
- bootable USB using Clover, boot Mac OS X from Recovery HD, boot recovery from recovery HD, boot Mac OS X from Install MacOS Sierra and Boot Clover from EFI (all not working)

Other options please?

With Clover?
Just to make sure: I hope you are trying to fix a dGPU AMD problem on a 2011 MacBookPro and not some hackintosh laptop? (To clarify again, nothing wrong with that but really out of scope for my expertise.) So I am not sure if you already installed Clover on the Mac in question. That might have been quite unnecessary and complicate things further down the line if on a Apple machine. Out of hand I do not know how that is reversed cleanly.

Regardless of the above:
Create a USB Install medium. If you wrote the above from another mac: just use http://diskmakerx.com with a USB stick. That simplifies the process and is quite self-explanatory. Opt for a "clean install": format the internal drive and only then install Sierra.

Just be prepared to be not be able to boot cleanly after the install is almost finished and the next step would be the SetUp questions. You can complete the setup in SafeMode. But I thought that this point might be better suited for starting the hack process described in this thread.

 

[Simone2309]

With Clover?
Just to make sure: I hope you are trying to fix a dGPU AMD problem on a 2011 MacBookPro and not some hackintosh laptop? (To clarify again, nothing wrong with that but really out of scope for my expertise.) So I am not sure if you already installed Clover on the Mac in question. That might have been quite unnecessary and complicate things further down the line if on a Apple machine. Out of hand I do not know how that is reversed cleanly.

Regardless of the above:
Create a USB Install medium. If you wrote the above from another mac: just use http://diskmakerx.com with a USB stick. That simplifies the process and is quite self-explanatory. Opt for a "clean install": format the internal drive and only then install Sierra.

Just be prepared to be not be able to boot cleanly after the install is almost finished and the next step would be the SetUp questions. You can complete the setup in SafeMode. But I thought that this point might be better suited for starting the hack process described in this thread.

No worries, is a mac book pro 2011!
The only problem is that I don't have another Mac, I got a windows 10 Dell, from where I was trying to do a bootable USB, and I ended up with Clover (not installed, just on the pen drive).

Any other way to do it from windows?

 

[flownorth]

GBDO's method has too many extra steps which most people won't need to do. It'd probably be better to go back to recommending people do part 3.1 of Fguarini's updated instructions, I have no idea why people continue rewriting existing instructions in more complicated ways.

Here is the least complicated method which I have used time and time again while testing out Kext combinations, re-installing OS X, updating OS X and restoring from Time Machine backups. It's a combination of nsgr's method for modifying the NVRAM without using Arch Linux and Fguarini's method for moving Kexts without having to disable SIP.

This is awesome, after the update to Sierra 10.12.6, my MBP2011 break down again, I tried the method which success before, it's not working, because the SIP is enable, and I can't log in the recovery mode, but this post made my mbp live again! thank you so much!

 

[MikeyN]

No worries, is a mac book pro 2011!
The only problem is that I don't have another Mac, I got a windows 10 Dell, from where I was trying to do a bootable USB, and I ended up with Clover (not installed, just on the pen drive).

Any other way to do it from windows?

So you have the full installer app.

Here are two guides for that:
http://pureinfotech.com/make-bootable-usb-mac-os-x-windows/
http://www.intowindows.com/guide-to-prepare-bootable-usb-of-mac-os-x-on-windows-pc/

 

[nsgr]

Subject 1: Possible problem with AMDRadeonX3000.kext is FrameBuffer.

I'm looking at the IOFramebuffer.cpp and IOGraphicsPrivate.h files and found some interesting things.

IOGraphicsFamily kext (IOFramebuffer.cpp and IOGraphicsPrivate.h)

A) IOFramebuffer.cpp
https://opensource.apple.com/source.../IOGraphicsFamily/IOFramebuffer.cpp.auto.html

A.1) agcMessage, gMUX

IOReturn IOFramebuffer::agcMessage( void * target, void * refCon,
       UInt32 messageType, IOService * service,
       void * messageArgument, vm_size_t argSize )
{
   IOReturn ret = kIOReturnSuccess;
   enum
   {
       gMux_Message      = 'gMUX',
       gMux_WillSwitch   = 0,
       gMux_DidSwitch    = 1,
       gMux_DidNotSwitch = 2,

A.2) Macbook Freeze in IOConsoleUsers IOScreenLockState 3 with AMDRadeonX3000.kext in /System/Library/Extensions

kIOScreenLockStateKey

if (serverNotified != state)
   {
       if (!gChosenEntry) gChosenEntry = IORegistryEntry::fromPath("/chosen", gIODTPlane);
       if (gChosenEntry && !state) gChosenEntry->removeProperty(kIOScreenLockStateKey);
       if (state)
       {
           if (this == gIOFBConsoleFramebuffer)

B) IOGraphicsPrivate.h
https://opensource.apple.com/source.../IOKit/graphics/IOGraphicsPrivate.h.auto.html

#define kIOScreenLockStateKey      "IOScreenLockState"

#endif /* ! kIOScreenLockStateKey */

[doublepost=1503619822][/doublepost]

Subject 2: Some people have reported problems with closing the LID and then opening the LID (freeze or restart or shtudown Macbook Pro).

My PCI device panics during wake
This is usually because your device is not registering for power events. When a sleep event occurs, power is removed from the PCI bus and therefore your device will need to be reinitialized when a wake event occurs.

https://developer.apple.com/library/content/technotes/tn2075/_index.html
[doublepost=1503620205][/doublepost]Subject 3: I'm reading the book Mac OS® X and iOS Internals - TO THE APPLE'S CORE - Jonathan Levin (867 pages) - Has a PDF on the Internet.

In it there are information about nvram, GUIDs, boot-args, Launchd (load kext) and kext structure programming.
[doublepost=1503621837][/doublepost]Subject 4: SIP Enable/Disable - Recovery Mode - Lock_Unlock /System - SIP was implemented in El Capitan and Sierra.

csrutil enable

csrutil disable


Open Terminal app:

1 - Recovery Mode Graphical Interface - Command + R at boot

2- Recovery Mode Text Only - Command + R + S at boot

3 - Mac OS Installer (pendrive) - Press Option at boot

4 - Recovery Mode from Internet - Option-Command-R or Shift-Option-Command-R

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255

 

[nsgr]

Test El Capitan 10.11.6

I'm going to do a test by moving the AMDFramebuffer.kext from /System/Library/Extensions to the directory /DisableExtensions.

I'm going to put AMDRadeonX3000.kext back in /System/Library/Extensions.

I can not touch the Intel Framebuffer because the Intel video card is in use (gpu-power-prefs).

The AMD6000Controller.kext is only dependent on AMDSupport.kext.

Maybe by moving AMDFramebuffer.kext, then AMDRadeonX3000.kext will not freeze Macbook Pro on IOConsoleUsers IOScreenLockState 3.

 

[SergioF]

===> IF YOU DID EVERYTHING CORRECTLY, MOST LIKELY THAT YOUR MACBOOK PRO IS NOW USING INTEGRATED GRAPHICS WHILE BOOTING, AFTER BOOTING, AND IS WORKING GREAT AGAIN !

First I would like to say that this is a neat trick and well done for coming up with this solution. I have only seen this done on hardware level (NOT ON MACS) where you cut the power supply to the AMD chip which then forces the system to use Intel chip.

I have a MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.2 17-Inch (Early 2011/Thunderbolt). Unfortunately the problem started early this year and Apple would not repair under their recall program. The screen showed coloured bands on top of the grey screen and it would not boot up.

I followed your instructions from "100% WORKING SOLUTION" and it worked!! Yes I was surprised to say the least. Started up the system with a fresh installation of Sierra and graphics were perfect even while playing a Youtube video full screen. All was good until I rebooted the machine and the same coloured bands appeared on the screen and it would not boot up.

My question is, and I apologise if it has been answered before but the thread is very long, do you have to remove the AMD kexts before the EFI variable fix? or was the recurrence of the problem something to do with the Sierra OS and SIP?

Once again great work on this hack.

 

[MikeyN]

===> IF YOU DID EVERYTHING CORRECTLY, MOST LIKELY THAT YOUR MACBOOK PRO IS NOW USING INTEGRATED GRAPHICS WHILE BOOTING, AFTER BOOTING, AND IS WORKING GREAT AGAIN !

First I would like to say that this is a neat trick and well done for coming up with this solution. I have only seen this done on hardware level (NOT ON MACS) where you cut the power supply to the AMD chip which then forces the system to use Intel chip.

I have a MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.2 17-Inch (Early 2011/Thunderbolt). Unfortunately the problem started early this year and Apple would not repair under their recall program. The screen showed coloured bands on top of the grey screen and it would not boot up.

I followed your instructions from "100% WORKING SOLUTION" and it worked!! Yes I was surprised to say the least. Started up the system with a fresh installation of Sierra and graphics were perfect even while playing a Youtube video full screen. All was good until I rebooted the machine and the same coloured bands appeared on the screen and it would not boot up.

My question is, and I apologise if it has been answered before but the thread is very long, do you have to remove the AMD kexts before the EFI variable fix? or was the recurrence of the problem something to do with the Sierra OS and SIP?

Once again great work on this hack.

I am interested in seeing a link to that hardware solution!

#

No.
SIP just makes the procedure cumbersome. Fix is confirmed working in everything from Yosemite up to High Sierra.
And if you moved the kexts: it is only necessary to move AMDRadeonX3000.kext.

It sounds like you followed the instructions from very first post in this thread.
Right now I am getting the impression that going the linux root is a bit vulnerable to not getting a sticking solution. (For a number of possible reasons. It should stay whether linux route or the NVRAM-route are used properly.)

Try this:
We assume that the hack worked once and that the one offending kext is moved out of /System/Library/Extensions.
Shut down the machine.
Perform SMC/PRAM/NVRAM reset:
disconnect everything except power chord.
hold <leftShift><Ctrl><Opt><Power> for two seconds, release at the same time.
Machine is still powered down.
Now hold <Cmd><Opt><p><r> while powering on and wait until you hear the startup chime two times.
NVRAM is now at factory settings. Previous hack is now deleted.
Boot into SingleUserMode by pressing immediately <Cmd><s> on boot.

issue the following commands in this mode:
nvram boot-args="-v"
nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00
reboot

Fix is now written to NVRAM and should stay. If the system hangs on the next reboot you need to check the locations of your AMD kexts.

If it works only for one boot, come back with more details (posting no. for the guide used, error messages etc.).

 

[mac_4eva]

Apple adds external GPU support, now selling $599 VR development kit

https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/5/1...pu-vr-development-macos-high-sierra-wwdc-2017

https://developer.apple.com/development-kit/external-graphics/


Update:

I'll focus on AppleGraphicsPowerManagement.kext. I think this kext can solve the problem of lowering the temperature of the AMD video card without having to load AMDRadeonX3000.kext.

There are differences between Nvidia and AMD in the configurations.
Changing the values you can also reduce Nvidia's power consumption.

Get rid of OSX lag and run your Macbook Pro GPU at full speed
http://www.chromescreen.com/get-rid-of-osx-lag-and-run-your-macbook-pro-gpu-at-full-speed/

Thanks for the links. I am already aware of external GPU support with High Sierra. Apple officially supports only TB3, but using a TB3>TB2 adapter, older Macs also work with eGPU (with dev kit or equivalent config). I have an equivalent config of the dev kit - it works on High Sierra with a Mid-2012 13" MBP as well as a Mid-2014 13" MBPR. It doesn't work on the Mid-2014 15" 750M - which I found out was because of NVIDIA kexts (drivers loading). On Beta 4, removing these kexts resulted in a successful eGPU setup. This same setup stopped working from Beta 5 onwards because I always got stuck on the IOConsoleUsers error. That article about AGPM is cool. Instead of maximizing power, however, I'd rather power off the GPU completely - but nonetheless, it's a great solution to decrease temperatures of the dGPU if required. Since High Sierra is still a beta and official eGPU support is slated for Spring 2018 - I presume there's lots to be done in that regard. Maybe things might turn out better in the future and eGPU works w/ NVIDIA kexts. Things are changing fast: ex. recent betas switch to discrete graphics automatically on plugging in eGPU. Let's see what happens.

 

[afide]

Hey everyone, I have a late 2011 MBP and the GPU failed, Apple told me to go **** myself..I managed to get it to boot (luckily) and I am using GFXcard status 2.2.1 to force integrated GPU only. My question now is, if I restart etc, will it try to boot with the ****** AMD Discrete card and not boot? Is there a way to force it to always use the integrated card (other than the whole linux thing?) can I just do it through terminal? Thanks guys.

 

[nsgr]

Unfortunately the test failed with AMD6000Controller.kext, AMDSupport.kext, and AMDRadeonX3000.kext on /System/Library/Extensions. All other kets AMD and ATI were in the /DisableExtensions directory.

Another test did not work too. Only with AMDRadeonX3000.kext in /System/Library/Extensions. All other AMD and ATI kexts were in /DisableExtensions.
[doublepost=1503713889][/doublepost]

Thanks for the links. I am already aware of external GPU support with High Sierra. Apple officially supports only TB3, but using a TB3>TB2 adapter, older Macs also work with eGPU (with dev kit or equivalent config). I have an equivalent config of the dev kit - it works on High Sierra with a Mid-2012 13" MBP as well as a Mid-2014 13" MBPR. It doesn't work on the Mid-2014 15" 750M - which I found out was because of NVIDIA kexts (drivers loading). On Beta 4, removing these kexts resulted in a successful eGPU setup. This same setup stopped working from Beta 5 onwards because I always got stuck on the IOConsoleUsers error. That article about AGPM is cool. Instead of maximizing power, however, I'd rather power off the GPU completely - but nonetheless, it's a great solution to decrease temperatures of the dGPU if required. Since High Sierra is still a beta and official eGPU support is slated for Spring 2018 - I presume there's lots to be done in that regard. Maybe things might turn out better in the future and eGPU works w/ NVIDIA kexts. Things are changing fast: ex. recent betas switch to discrete graphics automatically on plugging in eGPU. Let's see what happens.

Have you seen the information on your video card with IORegistryExplorer? I'm using Additional_Tools_for_Xcode_8.2.dmg.

https://developer.apple.com/library...nceptual/IOKitFundamentals/art/powerplane.jpg

https://developer.apple.com/library...al/IOKitFundamentals/PowerMgmt/PowerMgmt.html

https://developer.apple.com/download/more/


Update:

kextlog

This is an option in boot-args. Test to see if any information about freezing appears (IOConsoleUsers IOScreenLockState 3).


Caution: Enabling logging at a high level via boot arg can greatly slow down system startup time.


Verbose Logging in User and Kernel Space:

2 - Basic information about program progress, including files created.

sudo nvram boot-args="-v kextlog=0xff4"


3 - Individual steps (typically each kext) (= 0xff5 below)

sudo nvram boot-args="-v kextlog=0xff5"


https://developer.apple.com/library/content/releasenotes/Darwin/RN-KernelExtensions/index.html

https://developer.apple.com/legacy/...n/Reference/ManPages/man8/kext_logging.8.html


Update 2:

You can see the kexts loaded in (kextlog=0xff5):

1 - Applications -> Utilities -> Console -> All messages -> search field -> kext

2 - sudo dmesg | grep -i kext

3 - cat /var/log/system.log | grep -i kext

4 - cat /var/log/ kernel.log | grep -i kext

 

[Simone2309]

So you have the full installer app.

Here are two guides for that:
http://pureinfotech.com/make-bootable-usb-mac-os-x-windows/
http://www.intowindows.com/guide-to-prepare-bootable-usb-of-mac-os-x-on-windows-pc/

So, after booting from the USB, with the OS X Base System, I get the apple logo and the bar, at the end gray screen, sometimes blue screen with vertical line.

Tried the command

sudo nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00

But nothing, it's keep rebooting.
It's definitely gone?!

 

[SergioF]

I am interested in seeing a link to that hardware solution!

#

No.
SIP just makes the procedure cumbersome. Fix is confirmed working in everything from Yosemite up to High Sierra.
And if you moved the kexts: it is only necessary to move AMDRadeonX3000.kext.

It sounds like you followed the instructions from very first post in this thread.
Right now I am getting the impression that going the linux root is a bit vulnerable to not getting a sticking solution. (For a number of possible reasons. It should stay whether linux route or the NVRAM-route are used properly.)

Try this:
We assume that the hack worked once and that the one offending kext is moved out of /System/Library/Extensions.
Shut down the machine.
Perform SMC/PRAM/NVRAM reset:
disconnect everything except power chord.
hold <leftShift><Ctrl><Opt><Power> for two seconds, release at the same time.
Machine is still powered down.
Now hold <Cmd><Opt><p><r> while powering on and wait until you hear the startup chime two times.
NVRAM is now at factory settings. Previous hack is now deleted.
Boot into SingleUserMode by pressing immediately <Cmd><s> on boot.

issue the following commands in this mode:
nvram boot-args="-v"
nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00
reboot

Fix is now written to NVRAM and should stay. If the system hangs on the next reboot you need to check the locations of your AMD kexts.

If it works only for one boot, come back with more details (posting no. for the guide used, error messages etc.).

Many thanks Mickey for your reply.

Yes I followed your instructions from first page after === 100% WORKING SOLUTION so I ignored the removing of kexts from the System library.

OK I did not remove the AMDRadeonX3000.kext before applying the hack. So it worked for one boot. I did the NVRAM hack like you suggested after the SMC/PRAM/NVRAM reset which removed the gpu-power-prefs variables, and at this stage I still hadn't removed the AMDRadeonX3000.kext. The hack worked again for one boot, graphics were great and it loaded a disk with Sierra installed.

At this stage I followed your instructions (first page) to remove "the offending Kext from /System/Library/Extensions/ but that is failing with Operation Not Permitted. This after I mounted the filesystem with RW permissions, and it let me create a directory on /. The kext might be locked have you any suggestions on how to unlock the AMDRadeonX3000.kext key?

 

[chris.mcgarry88]

Hi all. Came across this thread and was very happy to say doing the EFI variable fix turned my non-functioning MBP back into the machine it was supposed to be!

Just had a couple of questions.. I'm considering reinstalling OS X on a new hard-drive, and I'm curious if installing sierraOS will make any changes to the EFI BIOS and mean that I'll have to do this all over again, and then further to that, if that does happen, following the exact same formula as above should work fine if it has done so already, correct?

Once again, thank you so much for posting up this guide - absolutely invaluable to all of us with A1286's from 2011. I've already had my logic board replaced by Apple 2 years ago for the same fault but didn't realise it was so widespread. Should be getting the GPUs replaced for all. Wishful thinking though.

Chris

 

[MikeyN]

Yes I followed your instructions from first page after === 100% WORKING SOLUTION so I ignored the removing of kexts from the System library.

OK I did not remove the AMDRadeonX3000.kext before applying the hack. So it worked for one boot. I did the NVRAM hack like you suggested after the SMC/PRAM/NVRAM reset which removed the gpu-power-prefs variables, and at this stage I still hadn't removed the AMDRadeonX3000.kext. The hack worked again for one boot, graphics were great and it loaded a disk with Sierra installed.

At this stage I followed your instructions (first page) to remove "the offending Kext from /System/Library/Extensions/ but that is failing with Operation Not Permitted. This after I mounted the filesystem with RW permissions, and it let me create a directory on /. The kext might be locked have you any suggestions on how to unlock the AMDRadeonX3000.kext key?

Current situation: System Integrity Protection (SIP) is enabled. To disable:
Boot into SingleUserRecovery, restart with holding:
<Cmd>+<r>+<s>
then you disable SIP:
csrutil disable
reboot
Operation will now be permitted but has to be done on the root filesytem.
Therefore boot into regular SingleUser again, restart with:
<Cmd><s>
Mount the root filesystem writable and move the kext as you tried before.
After doing that it is advisable to let the kextcache be updated through the system:
touch /System/Library/Extensions
now wait ~2 minutes, then reboot.
[doublepost=1503747389][/doublepost]

[…] the EFI variable fix turned my non-functioning MBP back into the machine it was supposed to be!

Just had a couple of questions.. I'm considering reinstalling OS X on a new hard-drive, and I'm curious if installing sierraOS will make any changes to the EFI BIOS and mean that I'll have to do this all over again, and then further to that, if that does happen, following the exact same formula as above should work fine if it has done so already, correct?

First: No!
That is not the machine it was supposed to be!
It was advertised and sold to you as having a working AMD dGPU. It was then "repaired" with the promise of a working dGPU that would not fail again. Apple duped us all on this. Not just twice.

But nice to hear it worked.
To calm you: All those EFI updates applied up to the most recent High Sierra did not disable this hack. Even the NVRAM variable stayed in place. And even if it would not, its easy to re-apply.
One inconvenience with upgrading is that you end up with the one kext again in its default place. So you have to move that again.
In any case the fix as presented here in multiple guides by now can be applied again.

 

[SergioF]

Many thanks Mickey for your reply.

Yes I followed your instructions from first page after === 100% WORKING SOLUTION so I ignored the removing of kexts from the System library.

OK I did not remove the AMDRadeonX3000.kext before applying the hack. So it worked for one boot. I did the NVRAM hack like you suggested after the SMC/PRAM/NVRAM reset which removed the gpu-power-prefs variables, and at this stage I still hadn't removed the AMDRadeonX3000.kext. The hack worked again for one boot, graphics were great and it loaded a disk with Sierra installed.

At this stage I followed your instructions (first page) to remove "the offending Kext from /System/Library/Extensions/ but that is failing with Operation Not Permitted. This after I mounted the filesystem with RW permissions, and it let me create a directory on /. The kext might be locked have you any suggestions on how to unlock the AMDRadeonX3000.kext key?

Ok I have removed the offending kext and the fix now sticks. After a couple of reboots it loads the Intel graphics with a clear picture. I will have to play around with it for a bit, I thought it was a bit slow at first but it might be just me.

Many thanks for your help.

 

[MikeyN]

So, after booting from the USB, with the OS X Base System, I get the apple logo and the bar, at the end gray screen, sometimes blue screen with vertical line.

Tried the command

sudo nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00

But nothing, it's keep rebooting.
It's definitely gone?!

Not so fast. It maybe gone for good, alright, but only maybe.
My reasoning would be that "definitely gone" would not boot at all.
But the nvram command should prevent the vertical lines from appearing.
Where and in what mode did you issue the command?
Does it boot in SingleUser mode? (<Cmd>+<s> on boot)

The rebooting on its own could be a thermal issue. This happens regularly after a fresh install of a full system with the kext in place (on High Sierra at least).

If it happens with the installer while trying to boot from the stick: then that is all the more likely. It may be related to the chip we are trying to circumvent. (And I do not know how the windows procedure worked out).
If it is what I suspect and if it is fixable in software:
Hold shift while booting the stick and report what happens. This might boot the stick in SafeMode and prevent any drivers from loading.
Or mount that stick on Windows (you may need to install drivers for that) and move the kext from within Windows.

Even if it is in hardware: that machine is old by now and vulnerable to thermal issues, as we know. You didn't mention any fan noise. But just to make sure: open the machine, look at the fans and the fins attached to them. Take a can of compressed air and blow them clean.

 

[SergioF]

Hi all. Came across this thread and was very happy to say doing the EFI variable fix turned my non-functioning MBP back into the machine it was supposed to be!

Just had a couple of questions.. I'm considering reinstalling OS X on a new hard-drive, and I'm curious if installing sierraOS will make any changes to the EFI BIOS and mean that I'll have to do this all over again, and then further to that, if that does happen, following the exact same formula as above should work fine if it has done so already, correct?

Once again, thank you so much for posting up this guide - absolutely invaluable to all of us with A1286's from 2011. I've already had my logic board replaced by Apple 2 years ago for the same fault but didn't realise it was so widespread. Should be getting the GPUs replaced for all. Wishful thinking though.

Chris

Hi Chris,
If it helps I used this hack on a MBP 17" on a clean installation of Sierra ie I removed the original HD and added a test drive with Sierra. Removed the AMDRadeonX3000.kext and then applied the NVRAM hack and it worked a treat. I then replaced the original HD which has El Capitan installed but before I loaded the system I removed the AMDRadeonX3000.kext from the El Capitan installation and it is still working fine with a different installation.

What I understand from this fix is at NVRAM level so it won't affect the OS or which OS you install but the AMDRadeonX3000.kext has to be removed for the hack to stick.

 

[chris.mcgarry88]

First: No!
That is not the machine it was supposed to be!
It was advertised and sold to you as having a working AMD dGPU. It was then "repaired" with the promise of a working dGPU that would not fail again. Apple duped us all on this. Not just twice.

But nice to hear it worked.
To calm you: All those EFI updates applied up to the most recent High Sierra did not disable this hack. Even the NVRAM variable stayed in place. And even if it would not, its easy to re-apply.
One inconvenience with upgrading is that you end up with the one kext again in its default place. So you have to move that again.
In any case the fix as presented here in multiple guides by now can be applied again.

Thanks for the tips. And yeah, you're right. It's not what it's supposed to be. But I'm very thankful it's not been turned into a £2000 paperweight

 

[nsgr]

@Brandon316, the 15.4" mid-2012 retina had an nVidia dGPU so I'm not sure this AMD fix will resolve your issue.

If you refer to the GUID of gpu-power-prefs, then there is only one for AMD/Nvidia and Intel.

You can confirm this by looking inside the AppleMuxControl executable with TextEdit. Within this file there is only the GUID with the variable gpu-power-prefs:

FA4CE28D-B62F-4C99-9CC3-6815686E30F9:gpu-power-prefs

AppleMuxControl makes the change of main video card AMD/Nvidia or Intel.
System Preferences -> Energy Saver -> Automatic Graphics Switching

grep -Ril gpu-power-prefs /System/Library/Extensions/

/System/Library/Extensions//AppleGraphicsControl.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleMuxControl.kext/Contents/MacOS/AppleMuxControl

 

[afide]

Can this be done through terminal while logged in? I have disabled SIP.

 

[Vincente_S]

If I don't see my GPU listed in About this Mac does this typically mean the GPU was disabled successfully?

My issue now is that I'm booted successfully, but the fans on the system are now running at full speed when idle. My understanding is that I need to reset the SMC, will that have any ramifications to the disabled GPU?

 

[nsgr]

If I don't see my GPU listed in About this Mac does this typically mean the GPU was disabled successfully?

My issue now is that I'm booted successfully, but the fans on the system are now running at full speed when idle. My understanding is that I need to reset the SMC, will that have any ramifications to the disabled GPU?

From your photo, click System Report (System Information) -> Graphics / Displays -> AMD and Intel video card.

You have to be careful to reset the SMC.

You must release all keys at the same time, including the Power button.

Once I released the Shift, Control and Option keys, but I kept holding the Power button and the fan was at full speed.

To fix this, turn off the Macbook Pro and repeat the SMC reset by releasing all the keys and the Power button at the same time.

There is a specific name for this that I read in a forum but now I can not find it.

If you did not manually load AMDRadeonX3000.kext, then the temperature will not drop. And the speed of the fans maybe can not decrease.

 

[mikecwest]

Just did the process again because i saw the which operation not permitted.

went through better, there was no confirmation after each line, just skips straight down to the next terminal without confirmation. seemed like it worked though.

I also disabled SIP and moved amd.kexts

For some reason I can access Recovery mode and safe mode now when i couldn't before but its still not loading regularly

I noticed that you have a space after -prefs before the long uuid number, don’t put a space there...