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t8er8

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 4, 2017
252
100
Quebec, Canada
alright I’ll make this quick because I know that there’s an easy answer for it, but I just can find it.

I’m trying to update to mojave and since I’m on .0085, it requires a firmware upgrade, I know that to firmware upgrade you need a flashed gpu, the only working flashed gpu I have is a Radeon HD 2600XT from my old Mac Pro 3,1. When I put that into my Mac and boot up, the mojave installer says I need a metal capable gpu to upgrade.

I’m aware there’s a bypass for this situation as people have been doing it with their GT120’s but I can’t seem to find it, if I could get some quick help here it would be great.
[doublepost=1533847101][/doublepost]
alright I’ll make this quick because I know that there’s an easy answer for it, but I just can find it.

I’m trying to update to mojave and since I’m on .0085, it requires a firmware upgrade, I know that to firmware upgrade you need a flashed gpu, the only working flashed gpu I have is a Radeon HD 2600XT from my old Mac Pro 3,1. When I put that into my Mac and boot up, the mojave installer says I need a metal capable gpu to upgrade.

I’m aware there’s a bypass for this situation as people have been doing it with their GT120’s but I can’t seem to find it, if I could get some quick help here it would be great.

Edit: I do have an RX560 that I’ll be using to do the rest of the updating but since it’s not EFI flashed I needed to use the flashed 2600.

Thanks
 

MisterAndrew

macrumors 68030
Sep 15, 2015
2,895
2,389
Portland, Ore.
Couldn't you transfer the updated firmware into the High Sierra installer? Then update the firmware and then you should be ready to install Mojave. :)
 

t8er8

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 4, 2017
252
100
Quebec, Canada
Couldn't you transfer the updated firmware into the High Sierra installer? Then update the firmware and then you should be ready to install Mojave. :)
That’s a thought, but I’m not sure how I would go about getting the firmware upgrade from the mojave installer and putting it into a high Sierra installer, I’m on 10.13.6 as well without having updated my firmware
 

bookemdano

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2011
1,514
846
alright I’ll make this quick because I know that there’s an easy answer for it, but I just can find it.

I’m trying to update to mojave and since I’m on .0085, it requires a firmware upgrade, I know that to firmware upgrade you need a flashed gpu, the only working flashed gpu I have is a Radeon HD 2600XT from my old Mac Pro 3,1. When I put that into my Mac and boot up, the mojave installer says I need a metal capable gpu to upgrade.

I’m aware there’s a bypass for this situation as people have been doing it with their GT120’s but I can’t seem to find it, if I could get some quick help here it would be great.
[doublepost=1533847101][/doublepost]

Edit: I do have an RX560 that I’ll be using to do the rest of the updating but since it’s not EFI flashed I needed to use the flashed 2600.

Thanks

With your RX560 (only) installed, run the Mojave installer. At the step where it tells you how to do the firmware upgrade and then shuts down, take out the 560 and install the 2600XT. Then hold down the power button until you hear the beep per the instructions.

Reboot back into High Sierra so you can verify the firmware version is at 0089 in System Profiler. Shut down once again, take out the 2600XT and put back the RX 560 and relaunch the Mojave installer.

It's really dumb that Apple still doesn't have a better solution for this.

Edit: Or you can do what MisterAndrew said. You have to download the full installer from the Mac App Store, not the update or Combo Update.
 

MisterAndrew

macrumors 68030
Sep 15, 2015
2,895
2,389
Portland, Ore.
With your RX560 (only) installed, run the Mojave installer. At the step where it tells you how to do the firmware upgrade and then shuts down, take out the 560 and install the 2600XT. Then hold down the power button until you hear the beep per the instructions.

Reboot back into High Sierra so you can verify the firmware version is at 0089 in System Profiler. Shut down once again, take out the 2600XT and put back the RX 560 and relaunch the Mojave installer.

It's really dumb that Apple still doesn't have a better solution for this.

That's a great idea!
 

t8er8

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 4, 2017
252
100
Quebec, Canada
With your RX560 (only) installed, run the Mojave installer. At the step where it tells you how to do the firmware upgrade and then shuts down, take out the 560 and install the 2600XT. Then hold down the power button until you hear the beep per the instructions.

Reboot back into High Sierra so you can verify the firmware version is at 0089 in System Profiler. Shut down once again, take out the 2600XT and put back the RX 560 and relaunch the Mojave installer.

It's really dumb that Apple still doesn't have a better solution for this.
Thanks for this but I think mister Andrews method could work better because high Sierra doesn’t have a metal capable gpu blockade
[doublepost=1533847664][/doublepost]
Thanks for this but I think mister Andrews method could work better because high Sierra doesn’t have a metal capable gpu blockade
With your RX560 (only) installed, run the Mojave installer. At the step where it tells you how to do the firmware upgrade and then shuts down, take out the 560 and install the 2600XT. Then hold down the power button until you hear the beep per the instructions.

Reboot back into High Sierra so you can verify the firmware version is at 0089 in System Profiler. Shut down once again, take out the 2600XT and put back the RX 560 and relaunch the Mojave installer.

It's really dumb that Apple still doesn't have a better solution for this.

Edit: Or you can do what MisterAndrew said. You have to download the full installer from the Mac App Store, not the update or Combo Update.
I’ll give it a shot first though
[doublepost=1533848287][/doublepost]
With your RX560 (only) installed, run the Mojave installer. At the step where it tells you how to do the firmware upgrade and then shuts down, take out the 560 and install the 2600XT. Then hold down the power button until you hear the beep per the instructions.

Reboot back into High Sierra so you can verify the firmware version is at 0089 in System Profiler. Shut down once again, take out the 2600XT and put back the RX 560 and relaunch the Mojave installer.

It's really dumb that Apple still doesn't have a better solution for this.

Edit: Or you can do what MisterAndrew said. You have to download the full installer from the Mac App Store, not the update or Combo Update.
That worked! that for the help guys!
 

mattspace

macrumors 68040
Jun 5, 2013
3,330
2,966
Australia
With your RX560 (only) installed, run the Mojave installer. At the step where it tells you how to do the firmware upgrade and then shuts down, take out the 560 and install the 2600XT. Then hold down the power button until you hear the beep per the instructions.

Reboot back into High Sierra so you can verify the firmware version is at 0089 in System Profiler. Shut down once again, take out the 2600XT and put back the RX 560 and relaunch the Mojave installer.

It's really dumb that Apple still doesn't have a better solution for this.

Edit: Or you can do what MisterAndrew said. You have to download the full installer from the Mac App Store, not the update or Combo Update.


Just to clarify... You can't shortcut this by having both a gt120 and an rx580 installed at the same time, with one monitor connected to each or swapping the monitors between them at the appropriate times? - the physical presence of each card in the system blocks the installer at the critical time, rather than it being a case of just trying to get the installer's video output via the no longer supported / not yet supported cards?
 

bookemdano

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2011
1,514
846
I believe the Mojave installer checks and makes certain that all installed GPUs are Metal-capable before it will proceed with any step of the installation, so that's why you can't have both cards installed. I will say though that I haven't tested that scenario myself.

And someone (I think tsialex h9826790 :)) said that you don't even need to have a monitor connected to your EFI GPU for the firmware update to succeed. It just needs to be installed in the chassis.
 
Last edited:

h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,656
8,586
Hong Kong
I believe the Mojave installer checks and makes certain that all installed GPUs are Metal-capable before it will proceed with any step of the installation, so that's why you can't have both cards installed. I will say though that I haven't tested that scenario myself.

And someone (I think tsialex) said that you don't even need to have a monitor connected to your EFI GPU for the firmware update to succeed. It just needs to be installed in the chassis.

I did that. You can do the firmware flashing with GT120 + RX580 installed but no monitor connected to the GT120.

And correct, 10.14 installer won't run with both GT120 and RX580 installed, have to take out the GT120 to let it run properly.
 
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Mattww

macrumors 6502
Jan 11, 2008
395
19
Just read this page: https://support.apple.com/macos/mojave

What is strange is that this suggests just an RX560 or RX580 are OK (I have the RX580 Pulse only installed and am on High Sierra).

However my firmware from the original release of High Sierra is MP51.0084.B00 so from what you describe here unless Apple change something prior to the full release I'm going to need to change GPU before I can install Mojave (thankfully I didn't sell the flashed R9 280X).
 
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bookemdano

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2011
1,514
846
Just read this page: https://support.apple.com/macos/mojave

What is strange is that this suggests just an RX560 or RX580 are OK (I have the RX580 Pulse only installed and am on High Sierra).

However my firmware from the original release of High Sierra is MP51.0084.B00 so from what you describe here unless Apple change something prior to the full release I'm going to need to change GPU before I can install Mojave (thankfully I didn't sell the flashed R9 280X).

Exactly. It is really surprising to me that Apple would issue such poorly-thought-through guidance (which was released alongside developer beta 2) and that we're now up to beta 6 with absolutely zero change or clarification.
 

h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,656
8,586
Hong Kong
Just read this page: https://support.apple.com/macos/mojave

What is strange is that this suggests just an RX560 or RX580 are OK (I have the RX580 Pulse only installed and am on High Sierra).

However my firmware from the original release of High Sierra is MP51.0084.B00 so from what you describe here unless Apple change something prior to the full release I'm going to need to change GPU before I can install Mojave (thankfully I didn't sell the flashed R9 280X).

This is exactly why I wrote the bug report.

If we 100% follow the Apple suggested way to update our cMP, we should be running 10.13.6 with 0084.B00 now and unable to upgrade to 10.14 even with the Apple recommended RX580 installed.
 

Fred4

macrumors newbie
Feb 21, 2020
16
0
Couldn't you transfer the updated firmware into the High Sierra installer? Then update the firmware and then you should be ready to install Mojave. :)
I've been looking to see if anyone has tried this. Copy the 144 file from the Mojave installer into the HS installer?
 

Macschrauber

macrumors 68030
Dec 27, 2015
2,979
1,484
Germany
Dont ever try such before making a backup of the current firmware. If you get it bricked you are in real trouble.

Google dosdude1 romtool, password: rom
 

Fred4

macrumors newbie
Feb 21, 2020
16
0
I finally got my rx580 and got it up to the 144 ROM.
Anyone know where to find a copy of the 5.1, 144 ROM dump, so if I ever brick it, or windows bricks it, and I have to desolder the chip? I would like to have the file on hand to be able to desolder the ROM and reprogram it with my EPROM burner.
 

h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,656
8,586
Hong Kong
I finally got my rx580 and got it up to the 144 ROM.
Anyone know where to find a copy of the 5.1, 144 ROM dump, so if I ever brick it, or windows bricks it, and I have to desolder the chip? I would like to have the file on hand to be able to desolder the ROM and reprogram it with my EPROM burner.
Just dump it from your cMP by using ROMTool now.
 
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