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Race to dump the 4870 ROM, Who's first?

Spanky Deluxe said:
Just out of interest, what keyboard are you using? Any non Apple wireless keyboard will likely not work with boot up options.
Click to expand...

I used the regular Apple keyboard that came in the box...Why it didn't work with the CD...well, got everything up and running now, so I'm not going to worry about it.
 
lannister80 said:
Just do this:
http://web.me.com/jacobcroft/4870Flash/4870Flash.html

Seriously. Buy that specific card, follow the guide, you'll have it up and running in 10 minutes. No system file hacking required, just runs natively in OS X.
Click to expand...

I have flashed my XFX with the above procedure. In Windows I get everything I need.

In OS X I cannot run my 46" Samsung HDTV with the advised mode which is VGA 1920x1080. When I use HDMI via DVI and set the TV to "Just Scan" I cannot achieve 1:1 pixel mapping. Samsung advise a horizontal frequency of 67.500 kHz, a vertical frequenzy of 60 Hz and a pixel clock of 148.000 with +/+ sync polarity for HDMI/DVI input.

In control panel for monitors I can set one frequency only which will not make a difference. I can also set overscan which will not hit the 1:1 pixel mapping with or without. Identifying the monitors does not help with the problem.

I wonder if there is a tool under OS X that lets you set the screen parameters individually?

Alternatively I could use a different ROM file that enables VGA output for at least one of the DVI connectors. If you know such a ROM it would be helpfull.


Help appreciated!!
 
I installed ATY_init and natit plus the Exotic Cards patched X2000 mentioned in this post, and I can report success with getting video in OS X! However, it crashes as soon as I connect a second monitor or boot with a second monitor attached. =/

If needed, I'm sure can dig up the crash logs, but it sounds similar to the problems experienced by the flashed Sapphire 4870 users were/are experiencing. For now, I'm gonna try fitting my X1900 into slot 3 to power my 2nd monitor. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. :)
 
Mac pro 1,1
stock HD
6gb ram
reflashed a regular sapphire HD 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810
with 4870.rom (found on this site)

restart and a redlight comes on on the diagnostic area.

fail CPU B

I can remove the card and put the 7300GT in and it boots fine. however any slot I put the 4870 cpu B fail

I have ruled all other upgrades out. I followed the directions to reflash to the T (all greenlights under the 4870 card is green anyone got any ideas?

I see someone else has these problems too. guess its a bad reflash
 
Reporting success of 4890 with dual displays (second display being my HDTV connected by HDMI).

Details will come next week.
 
lannister80 said:
SwitchResX - Can do custom everything when it comes to monitor resolution.

http://www.madrau.com/html/SRX/About.html
Click to expand...

I have actually tried that one. It will not give me 1:1 pixel mapping as VGA does without any problems. So I will continue to look for a ROM file that delivers at least one VGA output and works without software hacks. I have no desire to have problems at at every update Apple does.

I will also continue to experiment with SwitchResX for some days but my expectations are not very high. I cannot simply set the resolution, the frequencies and such in a way as defined by Samsung. There are complicated scaling geometries which are connected with different frequencies. It is impossible to define a simple set without scaling it appears.
 
I guess this thread is now of ungainly size so nobody is gonna read the whole thing. Several weeks ago I reported that the cards that worked with Dual DVI (ie...your XFX) could have a single VGA output if they placed a DVI to VGA adapter on both outputs. Unfortunately, this means you can only run a single VGA...but better than nothing.

Sadly, the EDID doesn't make it through the process, so you will be in need of that SwitchresX that you already installed. :)
 
That sounds interesting Rominator. There is no problem to run the XFX4870 with VGA on both the Dell 1600x1200 screen and the Samsung 1920x1080. I will check this and come back if there are questions regarding SwitchResX. Thanks for the info. I agree this thread has grown a bit out of proportion, but thankfully we have knowledgeable people who can point other users in the right direction.

Edit: Checked and found that with two VGA adaptors I will get screen on one. Unfortunately I havn't got a clue how to get the second screen with VGA or DVI and by help of SwitchResX. Can someone give a bit of a howto for this, please?
 
I can only tell this from theoretical background. You would need a second card and use that for grafics while you are doing your atiflash. I do all my flashing in a Shuttle with DOS run off a flash stick. The PC is capable to boot of the device which isn't true for the Mac Pro with EFI as far as I know. So you would need a FAT boot drive which could be a CD-RW or a hard disk.

When you are booted into DOS you would interrogate the system to find out the adapter ## of your cards. Then atiflash the one you want to repair with the backup that you have hopefully taken off the card prior to flashing it. If you forgot to backup you will most likely find stuff at TechPowerUps! archive, which is quite exhaustive for PC BIOS files.

For any future backups remember to use size parameter 20000 for 128 kB EEPROMS like the one in the 4870.

Assuming your video adapter is #0, your botched card is #1 and your backup ROM file is backup.rom. Also assuming you are in the right directory which contains the atiflash files and the ROM file itself, your code in atiflash would be:

atiflash -p 1 backup.rom -f


Your code for backing up the ROM file which was on your card originally with only one card in the machine would be:

atiflash -s 0 backup.rom 20000
 
I want to do this for OSX86 is it safe? t have this card
Sapphire HD4870 1GB Gddr5 PcI-E Dual DVI-i/TVO
pn 288=20E85-130SA
Sku# 11133-04-41R
Rest of the stuff matches... please advice
thanks in advance
UPDATE: flashed it with the rom here boots properly in windows now will try OSX86 and report back, OSX still gives all sorts of problems anyone else have any roms for this card :(
rew said:
Intro:
I've been looking to upgrade the video card in my Mac Pro for quite a while since the 7300gt it came with was woefully inadequate for most modern gaming.

This forum helped me immensely in getting up and running, so I figured the least I could do was attempt to write a noob-proof, step-by-step guide with as much clarity as possible to help take some of the pressure off of the geniuses in there who answered my stupid questions. I STILL RECOMMEND YOU READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE THREAD.

What we're doing in a nutshell:
We're going to buy the PC version of an ATI 4870 video card because they're going to cost a good deal less than the official cards from Apple. The firmware on these PC cards is NOT compatible with our Mac Pros, however. Our goal then is to essentially update this firmware with something that our Mac Pros can understand. This is a slightly tricky process since we can't update the firmware from within OS X, and so we'll first have to boot to a DOS environment, flash the card from there, and then install the drivers for the video card onto OS X just like we would with Windows. Folks HAVE been able to flash directly from Windows, I just wasn't able to do it myself.

The end result:
A 4870 that is supported in both OS X and Windows. NOTE: CURRENTLY WITHIN OS X, ONLY ONE DVI MONITOR MAY BE ATTACHED TO THE CARD.

Assumptions:
You have a Mac Pro and you have Bootcamp installed on that Mac Pro (alternatively, if you have a PC in addition to your Mac Pro, you may execute the first two phases of the directions below on your PC and just transfer the card to your Mac when finished with phase two). You use a DVI connection between your monitor and your current video card. You have Windows XP installed on Bootcamp (Vista is probably fine, but I did NOT test it). You're somewhat of a power user and know how to make your way around DOS, are comfortable with ISO files, and have no issues with modifying system files. This isn't brain surgery, but you should be able to follow along with what's going on lest you run into problems. If this isn't you, then you shouldn't try this.

Notes:
  • This guide is for a stock Mac Pro purchased in August of 2006. It had one 7300GT card and upgraded RAM and an additional CD-ROM drive, but past that, all stock.
  • I haven't seen any specific instructions for specific Mac Pro models, so if you have a newer Mac Pro these directions MAY still be sufficient. Newer Macs will likely work, but obviously I haven't been able to test them.
  • There are numerous methods that folks have used to flash their cards. Some used WinFlash (flash your card from within Windows), some used a version of DOS (what we will be doing), and some used a standalone PC to boot into DOS, flash the card, and drop the card into the Mac. The point being that you don't HAVE to do it this way - I have Windows and Bootcamp installed, you might not want to install those if you don't already have them. At any rate, there ARE other methods, this is just the method I chose.
  • Obviously proceed with care - I'm not responsible for any damage you may do to your computer and flashing cards can be serious business.

What you need to buy (HARDWARE):
  • This EXACT Sapphire video card: SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP. PN# 288-20e85-130sa SKU# 11133-04-20r. You can buy it HERE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801.
  • TWO of these EXACT internal power cables. The Sapphire comes with power cables, but they won't fit in our Mac Pros, so we need to get these instead. You can buy them HERE: http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=3280778. Alternatively, some folks have crafted their own cables. Instructions are present earlier in the thread.

What you need to download (SOFTWARE):
  • GPU-Z. We're going to use this Windows application to safely backup the factory ROM on the card in case something goes wrong. Get it here: http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
  • evlisizer's ROM. This is the firmware that we will be placing on the card. Get it from HERE (it's the pc4870.zip attachment): https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7314503#post7314503
  • ATIFlash. This is the application that will copy elvisizer's ROM onto the card. Get if from HERE: http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1123/mirrors.php
  • The OS X Radeon Drivers. These enable full support of the card (minus the second DVI port) within OS X. Get them HERE (if they're not present, Google for "MacOSX_10.5.6_radeon_hd_48x0_drivers.pkg"): http://www.sendspace.com/file/gvsi12
  • Ultimate Boot CD: We are going to make a bootable CD that will get us into a DOS environment where we can flash the card. Download the ISO version from here: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html
  • MagicISO: When we boot off of our Ultimate Boot CD, we're going to need to have ATIFlash and the new ROM file also burned onto the CD so that we can flash the ROM. We're going to use MagicISO to open the iso file from Ultimate Boot CD and put those files into the ISO before we burn it.

Assuming you've met the assumptions and have all of the hardware and software, here are the Step-By-Step Directions:

Stage one: Install the card, backup the ROM, setup the boot CD.
  1. Install the new 4870 in the first slot (your primary card is probably sitting here). Move the card that resides in that slot to the second slot. Install both of the power cables (if your Mac Pro is upgright and you're looking into it, then the connectors are toward the upper left of the motherboard). Use some caution here - it's a snug fit.
  2. Plug the DVI cable into your OLD video card, NOT the new card. This might just have been my computer, but when I tried to view any sort of video through the new card (even in Windows) it didn't put out a signal in either DVI ports. Don't be concerned if this happens to you.
  3. Turn your Mac on. Using Bootcamp, load Windows. When Windows is loaded, you should see that it found the 4870. Don't worry about installing the drivers for it yet, we just want to make sure that you have the card and power cables installed correctly and that Windows can see it.
  4. Open GPU-Z. At the bottom of the application, you'll see a dropdown box, probably with your old video card selected. Select the new card. Next to the "BIOS Version" label, you'll see a small icon of a chip with a green arrow. Click it and save the resulting file in a safe location - THIS IS YOUR BACKUP ROM.
  5. Open MagicISO. Load the Ultimate Boot CD ROM. In the upper right window, create a new folder and call it "Mac". In this folder, add the contents of the ATIFlash.zip file that you downloaded (don't just put the zip file in here, unzip it and dump the contents!) and the "pc4870.rom" file that is in the "pc4870.zip" file you downloaded. I also threw "MacOSX_10.5.6_radeon_hd_48x0_drivers.pkg" in this directory just so that I had the files handy for OS X. Once you have the files in place, save the ISO.
  6. Burn the ISO file to a CD.

Stage two: Flash the video card
  • With the CD we created in step 6, reboot your computer and hold down the "Alt" key to bring up the Bootcamp Bootloader. On the very right, you should see an option to boot from the CD. Do this. As it loads, you'll see another screen asking you to hit enter to boot from the CD. Do it.
  • At the main menu, select the "DOS/Linux Boot Disks" option.
  • Select the OpenDOS Boot Disk. You may have to hit "enter" a few times here. I didn't do anything fancy here, just let it run through the process and pretty much said "yes" for everything. Keep your eye open to see which letter it maps your CD to - mine was something like T:.
  • Navigate to your CD's "Mac" directory that we setup in step 5.
  • Type "ATIFlash -i" and hit enter. This will display information about the ATI cards on your system. Again, we're just ensuring that the card is being read and is ready to be flashed. Don't be concerned if you only see one card here even if you have two installed - this will ONLY show ATI cards that are installed, and so it ignored my Nvidia 7300 GT.
  • Time to flash the card. Assuming your situation is similar to mine and the above only shows one single card, type "ATIFlash -p 0 pc4870.rom -f" and hit enter. You should see a successful message telling you that your card has been updated and to restart. If two cards show up, I BELIEVE you will substitute the "0" for whichever number (from the above stuff) the 4870 is in.
  • Turn your Mac off. Pull out the old video card and plug your monitor into the new video card. Only one of the DVI outputs works - I think it's the upper one.
  • Power back on. With any luck your screen will light up and OS X will load! If you've gotten this far, then you're pretty much golden.

Stage three: Install the drivers for OS X (Enter your password as necessary)
  • OS X will now load. It may look completely fine, but the drivers aren't installed yet and so you'll be getting degraded video performance and Quartz Extreme won't be supported (you can see that in the System Profiler). Assuming you still have the boot CD in your drive, open it and navigate to the "Mac" directory. Copy the "Natit.kext.zip" and "MacOSX_10.5.6_radeon_hd_48x0_drivers.pkg" files to your desktop.
  • Install the "MacOSX_10.5.6_radeon_hd_48x0_drivers.pkg" file.
  • Reboot! When you get back into OS X, if you look at your video card under System Profiler, you should see that your card now supports Quartz Extreme.

Finished! The only thing you probably still need to do is install video card drivers in Windows. Those came with your video card's CD.

Hopefully that's concise enough for noobs like me. Many thanks to EVERYONE on the original "Race to dump the 4870 ROM" thread! This is really all of THEIR work, I just tried to get it all in one place in a guide format.
Click to expand...
 
I tried the 4870.rom on that same card jaison

I really need jaberwocky's rom to get mine working
 
jaison said:
Thanks
Link?
Click to expand...

sorry it was early I meant that maybe I could use that on my 4870 pin number 288-10E85-030SA

as of right now I flashed my 288-10E85-030SA with a rom found in this thread called 4870.rom it essentially bricked my mac pro, so what I need is Jabberwalky's rom he created for the Sapphire 288-10E85-030SA.

I essentally fubared by not creating my own rom using the 4870 and the pc rom
 
Where is the avivo converter unber Bootcamp?

Hi, guys !

I have just recieve the official ATI 4870, and now I´m in Windows 7 32 Bits under Bootcamp with the latest ATI drivers installed, but I can´t find the Avivo GPU Transcoder for some testing. Anyone know if there is a problem with the Apple version of this card and Avivo ??

Thanks !!


P.S.: This card is big and heavy compared even with the 3870 !!

Sorry guys.. I found the download in the drivers section..
 
Hi, guys !
I have posted this question in other thread, but It didn´t work so I question again...

I got the Apple ATI 4870 this morning, but when I boot in Windows 7 32 Bits under Bootcamp with the latest ATI drivers installed, I can´t run the Avivo GPU Transcoder, and Cyberlink MediaShow Expresso which has a GPU encoding option doesn´t give me this choice. So anyone know if there is a problem with the Apple version of this card and the ATI drivers in the form of GPU encoding??

Thanks !!
 
Hmm, I have a 1GB Sapphire card and I flashed it with a rom found earlier in this thread. It works great in Mac OS, but when I try to boot into Windows everything is black (Note: the xp booting logo shows up fine.) Any idea?

TIA!
 
Me too

I'm having this same problem please help!

?uestion said:
Mac pro 1,1
stock HD
6gb ram
reflashed a regular sapphire HD 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810
with 4870.rom (found on this site)

restart and a redlight comes on on the diagnostic area.

fail CPU B

I can remove the card and put the 7300GT in and it boots fine. however any slot I put the 4870 cpu B fail

I have ruled all other upgrades out. I followed the directions to reflash to the T (all greenlights under the 4870 card is green anyone got any ideas?

I see someone else has these problems too. guess its a bad reflash
Click to expand...
 
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