RX 480/470 owners - DO NOT update to 10.12.4 through App Store!

[theitsage]

I tried 10.12.4 Beta 1 tonight on my Mac Pro and saw black screen. Apple removed AMD9500Controller.kext which had contained PCI ID and drivers for 67DF devices. The replacement kext is AMD9510Controller.kext which only has PCI ID 67EF and nothing else.

Remote Access doesn't seem to work because it shows the Mac is stuck at the login screen. I swapped an RX 460 in and was able to boot into the Desktop.

The kext mod prior to 10.12.4 was to enable hardware acceleration for Polaris 10 cards through AMDRadeonX4100.kext. We now need to add 0x67DF1002 to both info.plist files in AMD9510Controller.kext and AMDRadeonX4100.kext.

If you feel adventurous, try updating to 10.12.4 with @HaggSpart's instructions.

You can get around this by doing the update to 10.12.4b1 through the command line, which won't force a reboot.

sudo softwareupdate -i -a

Then go and make your changes to both info.plist files along with your hex changes to enable all 36 cores of the RX480. Make sure to repair permissions and rebuild the cache, just as usual.

Then you can reboot.

Here's the full instructions by @applCore to update macOS without restart then edit the kexts.

Beta 2 upgraded just fine with the steps noted above, including upgrading from the shell:

sudo softwareupdate -i -a

sudo nano /System/Library/Extensions/AMDRadeonX4100.kext/Contents/Info.plist # add 0x67DF1002 to IOPCIMatch
sudo nano /System/Library/Extensions/AMD9510Controller.kext/Contents/Info.plist # add 0x67DF1002 to IOPCIMatch
sudo LC_ALL=C /usr/bin/sed -i '.bk' 's@AMD R9 xxx@AMD RX 480@g' /System/Library/Extensions/AMD9510Controller.kext/Contents/MacOS/AMD9510Controller ; sudo mv /System/Library/Extensions/AMD9510Controller.kext/Contents/MacOS/AMD9510Controller.bk ~/tmp/
sudo /Applications/Kext\ Utility.app/Contents/MacOS/Kext\ Utility # wait a few minutes until it is probably finished, then control-c
sudo reboot

 

[mugwump]

wow. This is a showstopper for anyone who isn't prepared. Thanks for this info. As a 470 owner, I would love a little app that just does all of the required kext changes automatically.

 

[steveOooo]

I have a sapphire amd r9 380 is this affected?

 

[DPUser]

Guess I'm sorta' glad I went with the 460... having just got it all sorted running 4kat 60Hz, I'd be a tad disappointed if it all ground to a halt with the next OS update.

I must say, this heads up is very thoughtful Mr. Sage. You are kind.

 

[Caesar_091]

Thanks for the update man

 

[H2SO4]

wow. This is a showstopper for anyone who isn't prepared. Thanks for this info. As a 470 owner, I would love a little app that just does all of the required kext changes automatically.

I agree, thanks for the heads up.
I prefer the manual approach however as it teaches you about where things are when you run into problems.

 

[mugwump]

So, how will this work, exactly? How are the files changed if it won't boot? I can't imagine swapping graphics cards with each system update for the next couple of years.

Can the files be changed beforehand, or at least can you connect via the finder Back to my Mac type of thing and change the files remotely without screen sharing?

 

[knowhate]

.

 

[Capt America]

10.12.3 has anyone had any issues? do you have to re-do the kext edit?

 

[mavericks7913]

10.12.3 has anyone had any issues? do you have to re-do the kext edit?

Yeah you need to re-do kext edit. Mine works fine.

 

[h9826790]

So, how will this work, exactly? How are the files changed if it won't boot? I can't imagine swapping graphics cards with each system update for the next couple of years.

Can the files be changed beforehand, or at least can you connect via the finder Back to my Mac type of thing and change the files remotely without screen sharing?

It sounds impossible to edit a file that you didn't get it yet (before the update).

OP said Remote my Mac doesn't work, not sure if an auto login system can get through the login screen or not. But I will say the remote method still possible at this moment.

 

[HaggSpart]

It sounds impossible to edit a file that you didn't get it yet (before the update).

OP said Remote my Mac doesn't work, not sure if an auto login system can get through the login screen or not. But I will say the remote method still possible at this moment.

You can get around this by doing the update to 10.12.4b1 through the command line, which won't force a reboot.

sudo softwareupdate -i -a

Then go and make your changes to both info.plist files along with your hex changes to enable all 36 cores of the RX480. Make sure to repair permissions and rebuild the cache, just as usual.

Then you can reboot.

 

[H2SO4]

You can get around this by doing the update to 10.12.4b1 through the command line, which won't force a reboot.

sudo softwareupdate -i -a

Then go and make your changes to both info.plist files along with your hex changes to enable all 36 cores of the RX480. Make sure to repair permissions and rebuild the cache, just as usual.

Then you can reboot.

That’s pretty useful info. Thx.
Hi, itSage, (or anybody else). Once you’ve made those plist changes and have your RX4*0, working is performance any better than before?

 

[yurc]

Is this solution possible?

1. Update to 10.12.4.
2. Shutdown instead restart, take out the startup disk.
3. Using another mac, attach those 10.12.4 disk (attach internally/or using usb adapter)
4. Edit from there.
5. Pop up those modified 10.12.4 disk then start-up normally.

I don't have 480 but plan to use it on my mac pro, so i cannot doing test.

 

[h9826790]

Is this solution possible?

1. Update to 10.12.4.
2. Shutdown instead restart, take out the startup disk.
3. Using another mac, attach those 10.12.4 disk (attach internally/or using usb adapter)
4. Edit from there.
5. Pop up those modified 10.12.4 disk then start-up normally.

I don't have 480 but plan to use it on my mac pro, so i cannot doing test.

Technically yes, but it seems HaggSpart'a method is easier.

 

[theitsage]

Technically yes, but it seems HaggSpart'a method is easier.

I agree.

 

[Caesar_091]

How does it worked for previous Sierra updates? I mean do one need to re-disable the System Integrity Protection (if so I need boot screens)... if I do a software update following HaggSpart's suggestion to move from 10.12.2 to 10.12.3 will I need to only edit AMDRadeonX4100.kext and AMD9500Controller.kext files?

 

[William_si]

How does it worked for previous Sierra updates? I mean do one need to re-disable the System Integrity Protection (if so I need boot screens

It was not needed seemingly. Yes, you need to disable SIP.

 

[Caesar_091]

It was not needed seemingly. Yes, you need to disable SIP.

So HaggSpart'a method just can't work. Right?
The only way is to put an Mac-EFI video card.

 

[h9826790]

So HaggSpart'a method just can't work. Right?
The only way is to put an Mac-EFI video card.

Mac EFI GPU is NOT required to access Recovery Partition. I tested it by myself.

 

[Fl0r!an]

Mac EFI GPU is NOT required to access Recovery Partition. I tested it by myself.

It's helpful though when running a GPU which isn't supported by stock drivers... I guess 10.12.4 Recovery Partition won't show anything but a black screen when running a RX 480.

 

[h9826790]

It's helpful though when running a GPU which isn't supported by stock drivers... I guess 10.12.4 Recovery Partition won't show anything but a black screen when running a RX 480.

Really don't know how it works and what's the actual requirement. It seems all natively supported card can access recovery partition now. On the other hand, from memory, at least one Flashed Maxwell card user reported that his card cannot access recovery partition anymore. So, my guess would be the recovery partition now contain it's own driver. And the card must on that list to utilise the recovery partition now. Since the 480 require kext edit. So highly likely you are right, recovery partition may only shows black screen.

What surprise me is that I believe kext edit won't work with SIP enabled, so I assume all 480 user has their own method to disable SIP, and now suddenly realise that we can't get the 480 working if we don't have another GPU to disable SIP from the very beginning.

 

[yurc]

Technically yes, but it seems HaggSpart'a method is easier.

Thank's for the confirmation. Actually those swapping disk are my personal method while experimenting with hackintosh when making accidental mistake and make system unbootable, i'm always using this method. Yeah command line is more convenient in this case anyway.

 

[DPUser]

FYI, I was able to access recovery partition using my RX 460.

I had to disable SIP to allow SwitchResX to work and add 60Hz support to my 4k TV Monitor.

 

[Caesar_091]

Mac EFI GPU is NOT required to access Recovery Partition. I tested it by myself.

Thanks, just tested it here too: one can go into recovery mode with an RX 480 as unique video card installed.