iM 4,1-14,4 iMac 2011 Maxwell and Pascal GPU upgrade

[WingedFrost]

The Quadro M4000m works fine on my iMac late 2009 (same core i5 specs like yours). You just need the correct nVDIA web driver, that's all.

Please upload your config.plist, maybe I'm not building OpenCore correctly? nVidia WebDriver throws an error when opening setup file. config from Santa's Little Helper is targeted at iMac 2011 and not suitable for 2009.
Thank you for your answers, I try to run Quadro M4000M every day =(

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Please upload your config.plist, maybe I'm not building OpenCore correctly? nVidia WebDriver throws an error when opening setup file. config from Santa's Little Helper is targeted at iMac 2011 and not suitable for 2009.
Thank you for your answers, I try to run Quadro M4000M every day =(

I made the same mistake of forgetting to install nVidia Webdriver in advance. The iMac was sluggish and unusable.
I had to take out the SSD, plug it in another iMac 2009 and re-install nVidia Webdriver, as well as OCLP.
Attached hereby is the config.plist from my iMac 2009. It was made with the following step:
- Running OCLP with manual selection of nVidia GPU
- Edit the Config.plist to add nVidia webdriver at boot
- Turn on verbose, increase OCLP boot menu delay time.
I haven't applied Santa's Little Helper fix for brightness control, yet. Therefore my iMac 2009 is at maximum brightness and rather hot, but my son haven't complained about it yet. So I just leave it be.
I had to change the file name to a text file to upload to the forum. Rename it to use

A screenshot from my iMac to encourage you. Look-up for my post about the link to download nVidia web driver, I didn't get the correct driver at my first or second attempt.

 

[WingedFrost]

Thank you for your advice and tips, I managed to install nVidia drivers. The installation could be done only through the terminal with this command, the file refused to run.
bash <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Benjamin-Dobell/nvidia-update/master/nvidia-update.sh)
Only so far I have not been able to make the backlight of the screen. I did everything according to the instructions, but for some reason it does not work.
Here are my iMac 27 (2009) i5 750 2.66GHz results.
I was counting on a higher result, maybe the bottleneck is the processor...
Thank you again, I thought my card was faulty. And by the way, the radiator for 2 tubes of temperature is not too high.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Thank you for your advice and tips, I managed to install nVidia drivers. The installation could be done only through the terminal with this command, the file refused to run.
bash <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Benjamin-Dobell/nvidia-update/master/nvidia-update.sh)
Only so far I have not been able to make the backlight of the screen. I did everything according to the instructions, but for some reason it does not work.
Here are my iMac 27 (2009) i5 750 2.66GHz results.View attachment 2023304
I was counting on a higher result, maybe the bottleneck is the processor...
Thank you again, I thought my card was faulty. And by the way, the radiator for 2 tubes of temperature is not too high.

Take a deeper look into the instructions Santa provided and copy only the lines between the second <dict> and </dict> entry into the already existing similar <dict></dict> pair below the PciRoot entry created and already existing by OCLP in advance. You will recognize the correct PciRoot entry in the existing file, there should be a shikigva entry.

You will easily spot that the PciRoot differs for different machines. Santa provided one for the iMac12,2 - this entry will not work on your iMac11,1.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Deleted.

 

[G3llings]

M2000M is up and running on internal screen in my 2011 21.5". Did a catzilla run at stock clocks 570p. Temps are a little high because mac fan control was not set. Will try to do some overclocking and run again with adjusted fan speed.

 

[WingedFrost]

The brightness issue needs to be addressed. It is normal to sit during the day, but at night 100% brightness burns out the eyes. I sat all evening trying to make brightness, without result. It turned out to include Metal and the applications of the game where Metal was needed are now launched.
As I understand it, the problem is that iMac sees the screen as an additional monitor, you need to change it somehow.

 

[G3llings]

Hey Everyone!

I have been doing some more testing on the M2000M. I have overclocked to 1345mhz at stock voltage. Catzilla score increased approx 24% which is huge. vBios attached requires ReloadOptionROM (reload GOP) in OpenCore. Performance seems to be about 1/2 of the M4000M which makes sense, since it has 1/2 as many cores. Temps are very good and I am working on increasing the core voltage... it's stuck at 1.087v which is pretty low; these cards should be able to run up to 1.275v safely from what I have read. Here are my results:

Overclocked to 1345mhz core at stock voltage

 

[Mr Tao]

Hey Everyone!

I have been doing some more testing on the M2000M. I have overclocked to 1345mhz at stock voltage. Catzilla score increased approx 24% which is huge. vBios attached requires ReloadOptionROM (reload GOP) in OpenCore. Performance seems to be about 1/2 of the M4000M which makes sense, since it has 1/2 as many cores. Temps are very good and I am working on increasing the core voltage... it's stuck at 1.087v which is pretty low; these cards should be able to run up to 1.275v safely from what I have read. Here are my results:

Overclocked to 1345mhz core at stock voltage
View attachment 2024305
View attachment 2024306
View attachment 2024309
View attachment 2024307

Hello, is the brightness adjustment of M2000M windows system normal?

Have you tested whether the brightness adjustment of MacOS system is normal?

 

[m0bil]

Hello, is the brightness adjustment of M2000M windows system normal?

Have you tested whether the brightness adjustment of MacOS system is normal?

both should work fine, given you have to apply the regedit fixes on windows, and the required OCLP config for MacOS, same as all other Maxwell/Pascal cards.

 

[Soyer]

Version (M4000M_OC_1126_BR_rom) outputs the image to the internal screen. Boost under 1026 Mhz load. The driver got up by himself on Windows 10.

 

[sliderfra]

Hi everyone,
What an awesome topic on modding imac.
I got my hands on a few p106m MXM 3.0B (basically geforce 1060 GTX with 4GB VRAM on 128bit bus). The cards are exactly like this one here:

https://fr.aliexpress.com/i/4001234218538.html

The p106m does not have any video output so it relies on the CPU IGP using optimus as 3D accelerator. The card works flawlessly on any laptop with optimus (MSI GT60, DELL M6700/6800, HP Zbook 17, Alienware M17X R4/R5...). I was wondering if the card could be compatible with imac 09/11?
I also wonder if someone in here is able to unlock the vbios, as it's crippled and the card is locked at 1290Mhz, which is super low (1060 gtx mxm for instance boost at more than 1600Mhz and can be overclocked with msi afterburner).
Performance wise, it's actually on par with 980m gtx on 3DMARK Timespy, but I feel the card could do so much more with a good vbios.
Here's the original vbios.
Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[jay508]

Hi everyone,
What an awesome topic on modding imac.
I got my hands on a few p106m MXM 3.0B (basically geforce 1060 GTX with 4GB VRAM on 128bit bus). The cards are exactly like this one here:

https://fr.aliexpress.com/i/4001234218538.html

The p106m does not have any video output so it relies on the CPU IGP using optimus as 3D accelerator. The card works flawlessly on any laptop with optimus (MSI GT60, DELL M6700/6800, HP Zbook 17, Alienware M17X R4/R5...). I was wondering if the card could be compatible with imac 09/11?
I also wonder if someone in here is able to unlock the vbios, as it's crippled and the card is locked at 1290Mhz, which is super low (1060 gtx mxm for instance boost at more than 1600Mhz and can be overclocked with msi afterburner).
Performance wise, it's actually on par with 980m gtx on 3DMARK Timespy, but I feel the card could do so much more with a good vbios.
Here's the original vbios.
Thanks a lot for your help!

tesl gp106 has no video output can only be used for computing, on the pc rely on the CPU core video mixed display output, iMac 2009 2010 2011 can not use the core display only solo video output, so tesl gp106 can not be used on the iMac.

I have also used this card on the PC

 

[sliderfra]

tesl gp106 has no video output can only be used for computing, on the pc rely on the CPU core video mixed display output, iMac 2009 2010 2011 can not use the core display only solo video output, so tesl gp106 can not be used on the iMac.

I have also used this card on the PC

Hi,
Thanks for the swift answer. Do you know if a Modded bios even exist ?

 

[Retromac2008]

I didn't want to have any more problems with my 6970m.

It would have been enough for me to use it as an integrated gpu.
I unplugged a transistor from the back of the gpu and re-inserted it in my imac.
Now the 6970 can no longer use the dedicated vram, but only the system one, as if it were an integrated gpu.
The performances are very low in 3d, but it works perfectly for the 2d.
Obviously the temperatures are very low and the use of the gpu is always at a minimum.
For the 2d is perfect, and is normally recognized by the OS.
It works in target display mode
It works by connecting the 2 outputs to 2 other screens (3 screens in total)
In short, for my uses it is perfect and I don't think it will ever break again.
(it had gone into the oven twice already and i was tired)

edit : wrong discussion sorry

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I didn't want to have any more problems with my 6970m.

It would have been enough for me to use it as an integrated gpu.
I unplugged a transistor from the back of the gpu and re-inserted it in my imac.
Now the 6970 can no longer use the dedicated vram, but only the system one, as if it were an integrated gpu.
The performances are very low in 3d, but it works perfectly for the 2d.
Obviously the temperatures are very low and the use of the gpu is always at a minimum.
For the 2d is perfect, and is normally recognized by the OS.
It works in target display mode
It works by connecting the 2 outputs to 2 other screens (3 screens in total)
In short, for my uses it is perfect and I don't think it will ever break again.
(it had gone into the oven twice already and i was tired)

edit : wrong discussion sorry

Thanks for the info. If you have the photo to locate the transistor you have removed, that would be great.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Thanks for the info. If you have the photo to locate the transistor you have removed, that would be great.

Neither is is exactly an upgrade, nor it is really on topics here

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Neither is is exactly an upgrade, nor it is really on topics here

Agree, but if we know the component to knock-off, we will have a half-working GPU for trouble shooting purpose, don't we?

 

[Soyer]

Just tested the MXM-A OEM Adlink version of the T1000 4G results are as follows, using a small two heat pipe heat sink temperature control is good performance than the P3000 can hard decode 4k 5k video.

No boot screen installed the driver internal screen also did not show all the tests are through the remote desktop view test.

Comparison of the two photos show the model is R9 M375 W5170M T1000 4G DDR6

Waiting to assist @Santa's Little Helper experiment, respectively refreshed techpowerup downloaded T1000. 90.17.42.00.3B.DELL.rom T1000.90.17.42.00.44.NVIDIA.rom gpu-z are not properly installed driver gpu-z can not be correct recognize the information of the graphics card.
The T1000.90.17.46.00.41.Adlink.rom version can install the public version driver normally Windows 10 system remote desktop passed all tests.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Hello, in my opinion this is an ideal performance option with such a low heat package and even on GDDR6 memory, I'm interested to know if there are any subsequent positive results, it turned out to display the image on the internal screen? I ordered this card and would like to help with the research.

 

[jay508]

Hello, in my opinion this is an ideal performance option with such a low heat package and even on GDDR6 memory, I'm interested to know if there are any subsequent positive results, it turned out to display the image on the internal screen? I ordered this card and would like to help with the research.

There is no internal screen display, I am testing the result information via Windows Remote Desktop.

I am unable to do anything myself to continue have given up and waiting for someone with better skills to continue debugging.

 

[Soyer]

The problem of high temperatures M4000M under load on a three-tube radiator, with daily use, the card is heated from 40 to 45 degrees at a voltage of 0.925 V at rpm ODD = 1200-1300 RPM, it is impossible to lower the voltage at 0.918 V and a frequency limit of 899 MHz, the card does not start (it is impossible to lower the frequency lower, since this is the minimum the value of the boost table) But there is a way out and I think it will help, you can rewrite the boost table through the HEX editor, which will help limit the frequency of the chip below 700 MHz, which in theory can reduce the voltage to 0.870-0.900 V and reduce heating under load, I have never worked with the HEX editor and need to figure it out. The second way is to limit the TDP of the card, but I'm not sure about this method, since I've never done it. What are the ways to solve the high temperature? Since the hum of the fans and the temperature are bothering me, they reach 80-90 degrees at 3600-3800 RPM, ready for loss of performance. And if the card does not start because of the bios mod , what solutions are available to restore it ? After all, there is no chip on it through which you can connect CH341. I am waiting for help and hints in this problem.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

The problem of high temperatures M4000M under load on a three-tube radiator, with daily use, the card is heated from 40 to 45 degrees at a voltage of 0.925 V at rpm ODD = 1200-1300 RPM, it is impossible to lower the voltage at 0.918 V and a frequency limit of 899 MHz, the card does not start (it is impossible to lower the frequency lower, since this is the minimum the value of the boost table) But there is a way out and I think it will help, you can rewrite the boost table through the HEX editor, which will help limit the frequency of the chip below 700 MHz, which in theory can reduce the voltage to 0.870-0.900 V and reduce heating under load, I have never worked with the HEX editor and need to figure it out. The second way is to limit the TDP of the card, but I'm not sure about this method, since I've never done it. What are the ways to solve the high temperature? Since the hum of the fans and the temperature are bothering me, they reach 80-90 degrees at 3600-3800 RPM, ready for loss of performance. And if the card does not start because of the bios mod , what solutions are available to restore it ? After all, there is no chip on it through which you can connect CH341. I am waiting for help and hints in this problem.

I've been running the Quadro M4000m (overclocked) with 2-pipe heatsink for nearly a year. My imac 2009 is always hot because of the maximum brightness. (65 degrees).

 

[Soyer]

I've been running the Quadro M4000m (overclocked) with 2-pipe heatsink for nearly a year. My imac 2009 is always hot because of the maximum brightness. (65 degrees).

65 degrees is in under what conditions ? I have the brightness set to 20% and the matrix is heated around 45 degrees. I would like to slightly reduce the performance of the graphics card so that the temperature and fan noise are lower

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

65 degrees is in under what conditions ? I have the brightness set to 20% and the matrix is heated around 45 degrees. I would like to slightly reduce the performance of the graphics card so that the temperature and fan noise are lower

65 degrees in 35 degree ambient temperature. LCD brightness is max. Most of the heat is coming from the LCD panel.
If you want to lower the performance, use the Maxwell tweaker in the below link, but you are taking your own risk. I will have no responsibility over your failure if any. Try opening the vBIOS in this thread with it to see if it easier for you to tweak.

Maxwell II BIOS Tweaker v1.36 Download

Maxwell BIOS Editor lets you modify the VBIOS of your NVIDIA Maxwell-based GeForce graphics card from the GeForce GTX 900 Series, like GTX 980 Ti, GTX

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Santa's Little Helper]

Hey all, it's been a long time, apologies for the slow reply... Great work on the new vBIOS mods!

The HP T1000 works great, and as suspected it's EFI has UGA support like all Turing cards.
Everything "just works" - 4 debug LEDs, boot-selector, target disk mode, internet recovery etc.
Windows 10 drivers work fine, MacOS has no drivers but will boot with un-accelerated graphics.
So we get Mac boot-screens but no Mac drivers, someone at Nvidia has a sense of humor...

Now for the bad news... You MUST do a hardware back-light mod to force the iMac's back-light on.
There are many ways to do it, but a single wire will do, see the 2011 upgrade thread for options.
If you can't solder, push a wire into the back of the connectors, be careful to get the right pins!

There is no way around this, the Turing vBIOS can't be edited, it's protected with a "signature"
so if you change a single bit the Windows driver code 43s, and even the EFI driver refuses to load.
I was hoping to patch the Turing UGA EFI for the Pascal cards, but I'd guess that it is protected to?

The back-light mod should work on the Adlink cards, but check you have all 4 debug LEDs on first?
First 3 LEDs means the iMac LCD is not detected, likely on a vBIOS designed for embedded PCs.
You can try to flash a different vBIOS, but be careful about GDDR 5 or 6 and TU117B revisions.

It's likely that all Nvidia cards from the HP Zbook G6 will work with a back-light mod, RTX 3000 etc.
Maybe someday, in a distant future, someone will find a dusty old RTX 6000 on eBay and try it!