iM 4,1-14,4 2011 iMac Graphics Card Upgrade

[vale w.]

Hi
i bought a pre flashed k1100m for my 27" 2011 iMac.
It has 16gb ram, a ssd and this card. But now when i am running any macOs with Opencorelegacypatcher the mac just feels laggy and is not running smoothly.

Please somebody help.
Best regards

 

[isakyaki]

Perhaps you should read more about SMBUS - Problems with this GPU- and CPU combination !
This card is by performance really no game-changer in an A1312 from 2010, perhaps try a W6170.

The AMD W5170 (Metal I support) is not very powerful and similar to AMD HD5670 acceleration 😀
and I cannot understand why users don't use a NVIDIA K1100, K2100 or K2000 instead...

View attachment 2623128
Disable SMBIOS resistance information (W6170 same-lane GPU/CPU - parallel resistance calculation = faulty 129° Celsius)

Attention:
Before desoldering one or two jumpers try and make sure that they are connected to the MXM
Lane 32 (Use a resistance tester / voltmeter and make sure the pin #16 is connected to one of these jumpers) !

This is perhaps (!) the easy-to-use alternative (than you don't need to desoldering the jumpers,
if one of them have connection) - if you are desperate enough to disable the SMB-DAT pin #16 !

I think the PCB layout of the W5170 is similar to W6170, S7100 and other MXM (A/B) GCN 1-3 cards !

I have not try out this solution, 'cause I never had a W5170 (I must look in my home depot)
but I'd have to check my spare parts boxes to see if I have something like that lying around...

...which BIOS do you use on your card (GOP / EG2 / EG) ?
It can be helpful, if you look at the date a W5170 solution here was published, then look at the
used OCLP version, the OS and the BIOS version which are available to the date of publishing.
(That is sometimes the most important that people here have a look at the date-dependent current configuration) !!!

Thanks for the reply! I was away on a trip and couldn't get back to you sooner.

Regarding the BIOS, I’ve tried almost everything—both EG and EG2 versions. Interestingly, when I query the temperatures via SSH, it returns a value of -127. Does this seems to confirm that the W5170M is indeed having a serious SMBUS conflict with the CPU/Logic Board？

(On a side note, a positive sign: during my latest check, the system was finally able to read the Built-in Display information! That feels like a step in the right direction.)

Curiously, Macs Fan Control still shows what appears to be a "normal" GPU temperature reading. Nevertheless, to resolve the sensor conflict, I am currently attempting to mask Pin #16 (SMB-DAT) using the tape or nail polish method as suggested. Wish me luck!

To be honest, I’m quite new to the iMac modding scene. I ended up choosing the W5170M because I asked Gemini for a recommendation, and it seemed like the most budget-friendly entry point without fully understanding the nuances between different cards. I'll report back with the results of the Pin #16 mod!

（ I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm using Gemini to help translate my replys . Please bear with me! 🙂 )

 

[TIGER48]

Hi, I need help with some issues on the iMac 27 Mid 2011 and it's only on Windows 10. My i7 2600 processor runs at 1600mhz and does not rise above under any load. Also, I don't have a brightness adjustment, k3100m graphics card, but I don't know which bios it is with, but I can go to the boot menu and it displays it. tell me how to solve these problems.
I'll be very happy for your help.

 

[Pacific1972]

Thanks for the reply! I was away on a trip and couldn't get back to you sooner.

Regarding the BIOS, I’ve tried almost everything—both EG and EG2 versions. Interestingly, when I query the temperatures via SSH, it returns a value of -127. Does this seems to confirm that the W5170M is indeed having a serious SMBUS conflict with the CPU/Logic Board？

(On a side note, a positive sign: during my latest check, the system was finally able to read the Built-in Display information! That feels like a step in the right direction.)

Curiously, Macs Fan Control still shows what appears to be a "normal" GPU temperature reading. Nevertheless, to resolve the sensor conflict, I am currently attempting to mask Pin #16 (SMB-DAT) using the tape or nail polish method as suggested. Wish me luck!

To be honest, I’m quite new to the iMac modding scene. I ended up choosing the W5170M because I asked Gemini for a recommendation, and it seemed like the most budget-friendly entry point without fully understanding the nuances between different cards. I'll report back with the results of the Pin #16 mod!

（ I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm using Gemini to help translate my replys . Please bear with me! 🙂 )View attachment 2623741

Perhaps (if the system is running with the GPU) try a full Valley Benchmark test.
If the test was broken (black screen, no further reaction by the iMac) it can be
possible that there is a SMBUS problem with the GPU (same resistor channel with
CPU) ! Perhaps you can ignore the "GPU die temperature" if you make a manual
justagement of MacsFanControl.

CPU = 2000rpm
GPU = 2500rpm
HDD = 2000rpm

Hopefully you have fixed the temp sensor from the Superdrive to the GPU heatsink !
Wish you luck 🤞 with the EG version...

 

[internetzel]

Hi
i bought a pre flashed k1100m for my 27" 2011 iMac.
It has 16gb ram, a ssd and this card. But now when i am running any macOs with Opencorelegacypatcher the mac just feels laggy and is not running smoothly.

Please somebody help.
Best regards

It might be throttling because of some thermal sensor not reporting correct data, because it's maybe damaged or not connected. Not all of those sensor values can be read by software!

 

[imacker2011]

I just installed a K2100m, which was already flashed, into a 21,5" 2011 iMac. The card is working fine (no surprise, it was in a 27" machine before, which now got a K4100m). But unfortunately, after reassembling, the two RAM slots on the right side (looking from the front) won't work anymore. As soon as any stick is inserted into those, I get the three beeps when powering on and the screen stays black. The sticks themselves are fine, 4 2GB modules all the same type from the same manufacturer. The slots on the left accept any sticks, but as soon as one on the right side is populated, it won't work. Tried NVRAM reset already.

Anyone ever experienced this? Any ideas how to troubleshoot? The slots do not look damaged and nothing special happened during de- and reassembly.

 

[inck243]

Hi guyz,

any ideas how to make sleep/ wake work on the 27" k4100M i7 7600?

I boot with open-core

What happens is: when the computer goes to sleep, it doesn't wake up. When I tap the power button to start again, it does the 3 memory error beeps. It does that twice and on the third time will boot up again like normal. Any ideas?

thanks

also ETA -- Sometimes when my imac boots windows with OCLP I have discovered that it won't turn the main display on. I can get turn it on by rebooting the graphics with WIN + CTRL + SHIFT + B. all this time I thought it wasn't loading windows for some reason but it does load windows, it just doesn't turn on any of the monitors for some reason.

 

[Thorn79]

** NVIDIA Quadro K3000M Mac Edition ROM by @stephle **
Genuine Native Boot Screen & Brightness Control
​

View attachment 1740925

@stephle put together the following ROM for the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M which will allow:
Genuine native brightness control
Genuine ‘gray’ early-boot screen

Pre-installation Requirements:

iMac12,2 - (27-inch Mid 2011) Mac-942B59F58194171B (Tested machine)
- BootROM: 87.0.0.0.0. Please use High Sierra to update your BootROM to latest version.
or
iMac11,3 - (27-inch Mid 2010) Mac-F2238BAE (Tested machine)
- BootROM: 99.0.0.0.0. Please use High Sierra to update your BootROM to latest version.
or
iMac 11,1 - (27-inch Late 2009, core i CPU, only) Mac-F2268DAE (Tested machine)
- BootROM: 63.0.0.0.0. Please use High Sierra to update your BootROM to latest version.

- GPU variant: N14E-Q1-A2
- VRAM type: Hynix H5GQ1H24BFR T2C 322A, Samsung

@stephle made sure that the rom will report the correct size of vram this time: 2048MB.

View attachment 1740926​

I've tested several cards on my iMac Late 2009 and Mid 2010 and iMac 2011 systems since November 2020. But there have been cards not running well on 2011 systems and other cards with different memory types not running at all. This sounds familiar, right?

You need to install the latest version of the AppleBacklightFixup.kext provided on the first post and the OpenCore distributions. If this does not work you might have a different machine, your panel ID can be found by going to System Preferences > Displays > Color > Open Profile > mmod

As stated previously these cards are based on a WSON flash package and therefore are much more difficult to recover from a bad flash. Please take precautions and verify flashing before rebooting.

View attachment 1740927
​

"insanely great!"
-Steve Jobs

Good evening.
I have an iMac12,2 - (27-inch Mid 2011).
I bought an NVIDIA Quadrom K3000M 2048Mb. It has an SAMSUNG memory.
If i correctly understood i need this version of ROM to be flashed on my new GPU card to working properly.
I didn't tested it without flashing. Should it work with a stock BIOS on IMac? How to check if it works or not?
Thank's for your answers.

 

[imacker2011]

also ETA -- Sometimes when my imac boots windows with OCLP I have discovered that it won't turn the main display on. I can get turn it on by rebooting the graphics with WIN + CTRL + SHIFT + B. all this time I thought it wasn't loading windows for some reason but it does load windows, it just doesn't turn on any of the monitors for some reason.

We have this as well with the same configuration (K4100m, 2600, iMac 12,2, OCLP, Windows 11). It's annoying, but I realized that if you let it sit for 1-2 minutes, the screen usually appears. But I would also appreciate any hint of how it could be fixed completely.

 

[inck243]

We have this as well with the same configuration (K4100m, 2600, iMac 12,2, OCLP, Windows 11). It's annoying, but I realized that if you let it sit for 1-2 minutes, the screen usually appears. But I would also appreciate any hint of how it could be fixed completely.

Hey,

I don't have windows 11 yet so I'll have to figure out how I'm going to upgrade to that. But over the past few weeks I've done a lot of troubleshooting with chatGPT and these are some things that I've done.

First, to get into the computer right away I have chrome remote desktop. If the screen doesn't turn on, I can remote in to the PC and watch the screen on my phone or another computer while I use the mouse and keyboard to log in, and change display settings.

Sometimes WIN + CTRL + SHIFT + B works. Sometimes not. I also have 2 monitors so it sometimes will turn on the second monitor. WIN + SHIFT + left / right arrow will change the main display to my second display which usually will work. When none of that works, using chrome remote desktop to view the screen, I go into device manager, find NVIDIA Quadro K4100M under display adapters and Disable it. Wait a second, then re-enable it. That normally solves the issue of the main screen. If the screen is on but text is unreadable / everything looks horrible, do it again and it should come back normal.

So all that is to get the screen on and working. Now, to get everything "stable", this is what chatGPT has recommended to me:

1. NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D settings Set power management mode to prefer maximum performance.
2. power options > Advanced Settings: Expand PCI Express > Link State Power Management: Set OFF.

I just made those changes today so will have to see how well they continue to work. But I'm not sure that will do anything as the main issues I experience with the black screen are when I turn the computer on after it's been shut down all the way. Obviously the GPU is turned off when the whole PC is turned off.

 

[imacker2011]

1. NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D settings Set power management mode to prefer maximum performance.
2. power options > Advanced Settings: Expand PCI Express > Link State Power Management: Set OFF.

I just made those changes today so will have to see how well they continue to work. But I'm not sure that will do anything as the main issues I experience with the black screen are when I turn the computer on after it's been shut down all the way. Obviously the GPU is turned off when the whole PC is turned off.

Thanks, the situation has settled for the moment. The last 5 or so boot ups it worked straight away. I think I also made the changes you mentioned after doing research on the topic.

For Win11 on iMacs 12,2 through OpenCore the most important thing is to deactivate automatic driver updates via GPO and then install bootcamp drivers for the iGPU to avoid the well-known igdkmd64.sys BSOD. But since you are running Win10 with OCLP already, I am sure you know what I mean... 😉

 

[imacker2011]

Hi
i bought a pre flashed k1100m for my 27" 2011 iMac.
It has 16gb ram, a ssd and this card. But now when i am running any macOs with Opencorelegacypatcher the mac just feels laggy and is not running smoothly.

Please somebody help.
Best regards

Are you sure you have reapplied OCLP root patches in the app after changing the GPU?

 

[piwikiwi]

Hi everyone,

I have been happily running Sequoia 15.7.4 with OCLP 2.4.1 for a while on my 2010 iMac 11.2 with a W5170M videocard.
I decided to update to 15.7.7 this week and all is not well. OCLP visibly downloaded a new KDK after I selected the Sequoia update. At some point during the download and update the machine shutdown and no longer visibly boots . The screen remains blank at all times. I have tried a USB drive with a 15.7.7 OCLP build with the same settings that I was previously using but the machine will make the Apple “bong” sound and just spin some fans and remain blank. PRAM reset makes no difference.

I fear this is the end for my machine unless someone has any thoughts.

Anyone?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[TIGER48]

Hi, I need help with some issues on the iMac 27 Mid 2011 and it's only on Windows 10. My i7 2600 processor runs at 1600mhz and does not rise above under any load. Also, I don't have a brightness adjustment, k3100m graphics card, but I don't know which bios it is with, but I can go to the boot menu and it displays it. tell me how to solve these problems.
I'll be very happy for your help.

 

[Terraaustralis]

Hi everyone,

I have been happily running Sequoia 15.7.4 with OCLP 2.4.1 for a while on my 2010 iMac 11.2 with a W5170M videocard.
I decided to update to 15.7.7 this week and all is not well. OCLP visibly downloaded a new KDK after I selected the Sequoia update. At some point during the download and update the machine shutdown and no longer visibly boots . The screen remains blank at all times. I have tried a USB drive with a 15.7.7 OCLP build with the same settings that I was previously using but the machine will make the Apple “bong” sound and just spin some fans and remain blank. PRAM reset makes no difference.

I fear this is the end for my machine unless someone has any thoughts.

Anyone?

Thanks,
Paul

You have my sympathies. Regrettably, I can offer no advice.

I have tried Sonoma and Sequoia on my 2019 iMac and found that while they run fine, the changes within each OSX add further restrictions to operating flexibility. Sequoia requires mouse click to both open Privacy & Security AND mouse click to approve access. In other words, in the interest of security, mouse clicks have almost doubled. Further, two factor authentication on a trusted device has been introduced on that same trusted device, apparently without purpose See: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/two-factor-authentication.2480965/

Since Monterey, each new OSX upgrade has introduced more restrictions to operating flexibility in the name of security. Sequoia 15.4 also introduces incompatibilities to some third party SSD upgrades. For example:

Does SN850x NVMe iMac compatibility end with Sequoia 15.7.3?

During a recent discussion on Official Apple Support Community, ’-g‘ reported a test with five x 2019 iMacs upgraded with a WD Black SN850x each of which resulted in crashes running Sequoia 15.7.3. Shortened form of generated error report: panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff8012bf4c9a): nvme: "3rd...

forums.macrumors.com

For that reason I have remained on Ventura and use apps from Eclectic Light Company to monitor SIP security.
I avoid OSX upgrades as my tests merely show visual gimmicks and few features that I value. The glitches and restrictions that each new OSX imposes are an irritation I definitely do not need.

With SSD prices in orbit and greater OSX limitations it appears the age of the Intel upgrade is over for all but a few eccentrics, like me.

 

[Brmp85]

Hi all, after 6 years of getting extra time (oven baking) out of my standard AMD graphics card (iMac 27" 2011) I have now installed a Geforce GTX 780M (grinding - new paste ... all the stuff). The computer boots.

- I upgraded from El Capitan to High Sierra, latest version.

The iMac does always start, but it only does a normal boot, no recovery mode, no ALT no other partitions showing.

- I stumbled upon p 435 (post 10.865) where there is asked to go in recover mode, disable SIP and then boot in the normal OS to install the NVidia package and extra's. I don't understand how you guys do this without a screen. As I understand correct, the Vbios is not yet flashed, so the 'driver' for the videocard is not loading when booting in another way then a normal boot.

- As I have a black screen, I do can go in recovery mode (cmd R or S) - terminal - disable SIP - reboot, but then when I reboot and ask the CSRUTIL STATUS it is still enabled.

I have searched in different posts, but I am missing something here I am sure. Thanks in advance. I need to buy an external screen to see things like recovery mode?

 

[seb20137]

Hi everyone,

I have an iMac 12,2 (27" Mid 2011) running Fedora 44 with an AMD Radeon Pro WX7100 MXM card and the amdgpu driver.

Everything works great so far, but I only have one working Mini DisplayPort output (the one close to the USB ports). The second Mini DP port is not detected by the kernel, which is consistent with what's documented in this thread.

I'm looking to connect two external 1080p monitors and I'm considering buying a StarTech MSTMDP124DP (Mini DisplayPort 1.2 to 4x DisplayPort MST hub) to split the single working port into two outputs.

My questions:
1. Has anyone successfully used an MST hub with the WX7100 on this iMac model under Linux?
2. Does the working Mini DP port (DP-3 in the kernel) support MST with the amdgpu driver?
3. Any other recommendations for getting dual monitors working on this setup?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dorninko]

Hi all, after 6 years of getting extra time (oven baking) out of my standard AMD graphics card (iMac 27" 2011) I have now installed a Geforce GTX 780M (grinding - new paste ... all the stuff). The computer boots.

- I upgraded from El Capitan to High Sierra, latest version.

The iMac does always start, but it only does a normal boot, no recovery mode, no ALT no other partitions showing.

- I stumbled upon p 435 (post 10.865) where there is asked to go in recover mode, disable SIP and then boot in the normal OS to install the NVidia package and extra's. I don't understand how you guys do this without a screen. As I understand correct, the Vbios is not yet flashed, so the 'driver' for the videocard is not loading when booting in another way then a normal boot.

- As I have a black screen, I do can go in recovery mode (cmd R or S) - terminal - disable SIP - reboot, but then when I reboot and ask the CSRUTIL STATUS it is still enabled.

I have searched in different posts, but I am missing something here I am sure. Thanks in advance. I need to buy an external screen to see things like recovery mode?

Hi, sorry maybe a stupid question: have you flashed the VBIOS? without the correct VBIOS you will not see anything.

 

[leksok]

Hello everyone, I have a problem. I have an iMac 27 12.2 from 2011. I have a GTX 770M card installed with the VBIOS firmware. Everything works fine, and the image is present from the very start after the beep. When using 3D graphics, the core and memory frequencies don't rise above 405 MHz, and the card doesn't change p-state modes. I've tried flashing other BIOSes, but to no avail. I need help.

 

[CrazySparow]

Hello everyone.
I'm currently on the verge of upgrading my mid-2010 iMac, a 27-inch model (11.3-inch). I bought an SSD, 16GB of RAM, and an i7 processor. The only thing left is the graphics card. I found a table on your forum that indicates my iMac model should work with almost all graphics cards, both Nvidia and AMD. The AMD Pro WX 4130 is listed as the best upgrade, but after scrolling through the forum, I found almost no posts about successfully installing such models in my iMac (11.3-inch), nor any successful BIOS updates. Has anyone here had success with this? Could you advise me on whether it's better to get the WX 4130 or consider a different graphics card?

 

[Tyler1234]

Hello, i have a imac mid 2010 27“, i bought a quadro m2000m and i only use windows. i only get a black display, do i only have to flash the vbios, if so do i need a specific one or is the card completely incompatible with the mac?