Mid-2010 iMac 27 GPU/Repair - AMD Failure!

haydonbeagley

haydonbeagley

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Nov 9, 2021
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Well it seems I’ve inherited a 27” Mid 2010 iMac with the infamous AMD 5xxx GPU which is failing and prevents anything like High Sierra or GPU demanding apps from running. Got the machine for free which is nice.

So the big question is what GPU would be best with minimum headaches to use/install.

As I’d like something that may last just a little longer than what is currently installed.
 
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Nixontheknight

Nixontheknight

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Nov 3, 2021
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haydonbeagley said:
Well it seems I’ve inherited a 27” Mid 2010 iMac with the infamous AMD 5xxx GPU which is failing and prevents anything like High Sierra or GPU demanding apps from running. Got the machine for free which is nice.

So the big question is what GPU would be best with minimum headaches to use/install.

As I’d like something that may last just a little longer than what is currently installed.
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there's no compatible GPUs, so it would be easier to use the GPUkiller to disable it entirely
 
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davidg5678

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Oct 30, 2021
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Nixontheknight said:
there's no compatible GPUs, so it would be easier to use the GPUkiller to disable it entirely
Click to expand...
This applies to some contemporary laptops but not to this iMac which has an upgradable MXM GPU and no integrated graphics.

I replaced the GPU in my iMac (of the same make and model) with an AMD WX4150 GPU following the upgrade guide on the Mac rumors forum.

This GPU was a significant upgrade from the original, and allowed me to install the latest version of macOS Monterey on my twelve year old iMac --surprisingly, it runs really well.

I'd recommend the WX4130 GPU as it is better supported under macOS than the NVIDIA GPUs, and it has the easiest installation and best price of the AMD options. Personally, I'd stay away from the NVIDIA GPUs altogether, as they have a comparable price to AMD, but are less well supported.

This project is a bit complicated, so you'll need to be comfortable using terminal/SSH or have a way to flash the ROM on the GPU. There are instructions for this process on the Mac rumors upgrade thread.
 
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davidg5678

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Oct 30, 2021
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nottomhanks said:
You can purchase Mac flashed GPUs on eBay. Check this out:
Click to expand...
Something to keep in mind: from what I've read on the Mac rumors upgrade thread, there is sometimes an issue where these preflashed GPUs weren't actually flashed for some reason, so the owners have to figure out flashing anyway and end up overpaying for the GPU.
 
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