9600GT/9800GT(PCI-e) same issue, same mobo

[nikjenikje]

First of all,

 

I've been away a while and it's good to see the osx86 community live up like this. I haven't seen this much activity on these forums in the earlier days (Tiger)

 

Second, I'm sorry to post this in the nVidia section, since I stated that it might be a motherboard issue, but since I'm using two nVidia cards for testing and it still might be I'm just too stupid to get even one of them to work, I felt like this would be the right place to ask.

 

So here's the issue.

 

I'm trying to enable graphics acceleration on either:

- XFX GF 9600GT 600M 512MB DDR3 (1xDVI,1xVGA,1xTV) (not patched), device ID 0x062210de

- Sparkle Calibre SFP980 9800GT 512MB DDR3 (2xDVI,1xTV) (not patched), device ID 0x061410de

 

I'm using

- ASRock 775Dual-VSTA motherboard with onboard LAN disabled, latest BIOS installed (not patched)

- Acer AL1916W VGA monitor (only VGA connection, no DVI)

- Intel Core2Duo E2160 1800MHz LGA775 1MB

 

I did a fresh Hazard Snow Leopard 10.6.2 install using all the updates and both bootloaders.

Everything is working perfectly, except I cant get any of my cards to work.

 

The issue is pretty much the same, whichever card or method I use:

When I boot without any gfx strings or injectors etc, I get normal function, but no acceleration

When I use any method for enabling full gfx control, I get stuck with a weird flashy screen, right after the boot, before the login screen, but after the grey apple logo screen, that reminds me of CRT monitors being set to too high a resolution (distorted image, but in my Snow Leopard case, I cant make anything out as where with old windows high resolution issues, you'd still see some of the windows elements)

 

What I think happens here is either

1. the gfx accelleration actually works, but as a result, my resolution is being set too high, or maybe at too high a refresh rate or something, which gives me weird artifacts and nothing that even represents the mac gui (but I also don't see any indication when I try to instinctively click an application in the dock without visual guidance, of any hdd activity, so maybe the system does hang and nothing works and we can quickly dismiss this explanation)

2. my motherboard has both an agp and a pci-e slot. could this be causing an issue?

3. I'm stupid and I'm just doing something entirely wrong, which would explain why I can't get either card to work.

 

Just to be sure, a detailed explanation of what I've tried:

1. I used NVEnabler 64.kext and I put my DeviceID in NVDANV50Hal.kext and NVDAResman.kext

2. I tried different injectors using the same method, nothing changed.

3. I used OSX86Tools to generate a custom EFI string using the ROM and NVCAP Maker to get the NVCAP and then inserted the hex into the Boot.plist. (But I'm using Snow Leopard, so this might be the same problem described here, that GFX strings cannot be generated in Snow yet?)

 

Note: I have been very patient and I tried these methods and any combination of them for both my cards.

I also tried all methods with different output configurations.

So on my XFX i tried all methods with:

- VGA connected, TV and DVI not connected

- DVI connected (with DVI-VGA adapter), TV and VGA not connected

And on my Sparkle I tried both DVI ports seperately, using a DVI-VGA converter.

 

Since I'm not able to boot into Leopard I can't test if the custom gfx string generation would work if I would do it in Leopard.

 

I've attached the BIOS rom files of both my cards in case that information is helpful. Also, please ask me for anything I forgot to mention and might cause this issue.

 

Thanks,

Nik

 

bios_roms.zip

[nikjenikje]

Update

 

I think it's a different issue alltogether.

I just managed to get QE/CI working with EVOenabler.kext from kexts.com

I tried NVEnabler 64, Natit and NVinject again with the same other settings (like NVDANV50Hal etc), but then, my old issue is back.

 

The problem is now:

1. I cant change my resolution in Display preferences

2. I have 32MB of VRAM according to System Profiler (It also says I have a Radeon card, but that's just the model name. The vendor is correctly detected as NVIDIA.)

 

I don't know how to change or fix this in the EVOenabler.kext and I can't find any useful information anywhere regarding that Kext.

 

Please let me know what I can try

 

PS: Now, I'm using the 9600GT from my post above, which works on both the VGA and DVI ports, but not TV-Out ofcourse.

 

Info from system profiler:

 

ATI Radeon HD 4890:

 

Chipset Model: ATI Radeon HD 4890

Type: GPU

Bus: PCIe

Slot: Slot-1

PCIe Lane Width: x4

VRAM (Total): 32 MB

Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)

Device ID: 0x0622

Revision ID: 0x00a1

ROM Revision: 113-B7710C-176

EFI Driver Version: 01.00.318

Displays:

Display:

Resolution: 1280 x 1024

Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)

Main Display: Yes

Mirror: Off

Online: Yes

Display Connector:

 

 

Thanks again,

Nik.

[thisjanuary]

I'm in the same boat as yourself, I'm using a 1GB ZOTAC 9800GT with two DVI outputs, and Hazard 10.6.2. After the Hazard install, selecting only GraphicsEnabler, I boot in fine with 1024x768 and no acceleration. I can't change my resolution. If I use NVInject 0.2.1 I can change the resolution up to 1080p and enable dual monitors, but I can't set my side screen into portrait mode, or enable acceleration. I also don't have access to Leopard on that machine (only on this one, my Macbook), so I can't generate my own strings.

 

First of all,

 

I've been away a while and it's good to see the osx86 community live up like this. I haven't seen this much activity on these forums in the earlier days (Tiger)

 

Second, I'm sorry to post this in the nVidia section, since I stated that it might be a motherboard issue, but since I'm using two nVidia cards for testing and it still might be I'm just too stupid to get even one of them to work, I felt like this would be the right place to ask.

 

So here's the issue.

 

I'm trying to enable graphics acceleration on either:

- XFX GF 9600GT 600M 512MB DDR3 (1xDVI,1xVGA,1xTV) (not patched), device ID 0x062210de

- Sparkle Calibre SFP980 9800GT 512MB DDR3 (2xDVI,1xTV) (not patched), device ID 0x061410de

 

I'm using

- ASRock 775Dual-VSTA motherboard with onboard LAN disabled, latest BIOS installed (not patched)

- Acer AL1916W VGA monitor (only VGA connection, no DVI)

- Intel Core2Duo E2160 1800MHz LGA775 1MB

 

I did a fresh Hazard Snow Leopard 10.6.2 install using all the updates and both bootloaders.

Everything is working perfectly, except I cant get any of my cards to work.

 

The issue is pretty much the same, whichever card or method I use:

When I boot without any gfx strings or injectors etc, I get normal function, but no acceleration

When I use any method for enabling full gfx control, I get stuck with a weird flashy screen, right after the boot, before the login screen, but after the grey apple logo screen, that reminds me of CRT monitors being set to too high a resolution (distorted image, but in my Snow Leopard case, I cant make anything out as where with old windows high resolution issues, you'd still see some of the windows elements)

 

What I think happens here is either

1. the gfx accelleration actually works, but as a result, my resolution is being set too high, or maybe at too high a refresh rate or something, which gives me weird artifacts and nothing that even represents the mac gui (but I also don't see any indication when I try to instinctively click an application in the dock without visual guidance, of any hdd activity, so maybe the system does hang and nothing works and we can quickly dismiss this explanation)

2. my motherboard has both an agp and a pci-e slot. could this be causing an issue?

3. I'm stupid and I'm just doing something entirely wrong, which would explain why I can't get either card to work.

 

Just to be sure, a detailed explanation of what I've tried:

1. I used NVEnabler 64.kext and I put my DeviceID in NVDANV50Hal.kext and NVDAResman.kext

2. I tried different injectors using the same method, nothing changed.

3. I used OSX86Tools to generate a custom EFI string using the ROM and NVCAP Maker to get the NVCAP and then inserted the hex into the Boot.plist. (But I'm using Snow Leopard, so this might be the same problem described here, that GFX strings cannot be generated in Snow yet?)

 

Note: I have been very patient and I tried these methods and any combination of them for both my cards.

I also tried all methods with different output configurations.

So on my XFX i tried all methods with:

- VGA connected, TV and DVI not connected

- DVI connected (with DVI-VGA adapter), TV and VGA not connected

And on my Sparkle I tried both DVI ports seperately, using a DVI-VGA converter.

 

Since I'm not able to boot into Leopard I can't test if the custom gfx string generation would work if I would do it in Leopard.

 

I've attached the BIOS rom files of both my cards in case that information is helpful. Also, please ask me for anything I forgot to mention and might cause this issue.

 

Thanks,

Nik

 

bios_roms.zip

[hascosx]

must install with Gigabyte mobo, no issue

compatible with hackintosh

gigabyte ep 31 ds 3l or with p 35 ds 3l/ x58 with 9800 gt/9600 gt no problem instal with 10.5 or 10.6

[nikjenikje]

I just inserted the device id's for both my cards into NVDANV50Hal and NVDAResman and now I can switch between the two cards without any trouble, still using the EVOenabler.kext.

 

Acceleration works on both cards, but I cannot change my resolution and my VRAM is not properly detected.

 

I'm now going to try to leave the NVDANV50Hal and NVDAResman kexts alone and just try every single injector there is until I find a working solution.

 

Realistically, the chance of me succeeding is not very high, because I already tried some injectors, but still.. I didn't try NVinject as of yet so maybe some chance for me there.

 

Also, TV-Out is probably not gonna work for me as I have no way of using GFX strings and NVEnabler is not working (but I'm gonna try that one again, too, so wish me luck!

 

I'll report back here with my findings.

 

Nik.

[nikjenikje]

So I tried NVEnabler 64, Natit, NVinject and ATY_Init, but all to no avail

In the process, I discovered that I cannot boot OSX when my DeviceID's are in NVDANV50Hal and NVDAResman even without an injector present.

So I tried EVOenabler again, but without my Device ID's in the kexts and this works exactly the same as when I do put my Device ID's in those kexts.

 

So now I'm at original Snow Leopard 10.6.2 NV* files, with just the addition of EVOenabler and I have QE/CI but no Resolution choices and also just 32MB of VRAM.

 

UPDATE: also no OpenGL functionality, but this could be because of the 32MB VRAM

 

HELP!!

Hehe.

 

Tonight, I'm gonna try to install Leopard and generate a GFX string for use with Snow

Again, I'll report back.

[nikjenikje]

Okay, so.. I tried everyting now.

 

I have generated gfx strings using the in.plist for my cards from here

I have also generated one for each card where I replaced the NVCAP value in the "in.plist" with my own generated NVCAP value from the videocard's ROM file using NVCAP Maker

both graphics strings for both cards do not allow me to boot into OS X

(just to be completely accurate; I tried 4 gfx strings; 2 for each card, 1 using the nvcap from that tutorial and 1 using my own nvcap)

 

please, somebody?

there must be someone that can draw any conclusions from all this information and the BIOS rom files I provided..

 

just some extra information, when I create the NVCAP using NVCAP Maker, for both cards this gives me the following message (with the exact same NVCAP value):

 

040000000000fe00000000000000000700000000

 

This is probably a laptop that will not support the built-in display.

The external connectors may neither work as expected.

 

Is this my problem? Am I just unlucky to have two lame videocards that don't use 'normal' output configurations?

 

If anyone has any helpful information, please post anything.

 

Thanks,

Nik.

[saronelf]

I'm having this problem too. I'm stuck at 1280 x 768 resolution.

 

Mac detects my Vram correctly but it says i am using some ATI Raedon 4851 HD (or something like that). I dont have ATI. I'm using a low profile Galaxy nvidia geforce 9600 GT with one DVI out put (im using a VGA adapter).

 

So ye, resolution is unchangable and there is no translucent taskbar. I tried graphics EFI strings, NVinject, Changing dev id's in various kexts. But nothing is working at all.

 

My moniter can output 1650 x 1080 @ 60hz

 

Anyone have an idea what i could try??

[nikjenikje]

I'm having this problem too. I'm stuck at 1280 x 768 resolution. ...

 

@Saronelf:

Maybe you could include some more specific computer related information; like what motherboard are you on and what methods did you use (forum links, etc) to try and get your gfx card working properly?

 

Also, what configuration do you have, currently, graphics wise? Are you using an enabler or a kext or nothing at all atm? How are your com.apple.Boot.plist values? Using GraphicsEnabler? What bootloader do you use? Etc.

 

Don't worry about system profiler mentioning a Radeon card. This is purely cosmetic. If you're using injectors, you can change this in the info.plist of the injector where it says "Model", just change "<string>ATI Raedon 4851 HD</string>" to "<string>NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT</string>", set permissions and reboot. If you're using gfx strings, this means the in.plist used to create the hex code for the com.apple.Boot.plist included the name you're seeing. The in.plist for generating HEX code is actually very similar to the injector's Info.plist file. It also has a setting for "model" that you can change into whatever you want. Do this before converting to hex and you'll be set.

 

In the meantime, I found a way to create gfx strings without having to install or boot Leopard.

I posted that on another forum, check my post here (post #507, scroll all the way down on page 34). Ofcourse, also read the 1st post and download the package suitable for your graphics card.

 

This might get you somewhere!

 

I've just ordered a new motherboard. Maybe this will fix my issue. I'm expecting it to arrive on tuesday or wednesday so I'll post my results here. Might be interesting to see if this could be motherboard related. If so, more people might have to consider tweaking their BIOS settings or buying another motherboard..

[nikjenikje]

Another hint for you, saronelf:

 

If you're using GraphicsEnabler=Yes in your com.apple.Boot.plist, you might consider adding this:

 

<key>GraphicsEnabler</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>PCIRootUID</key>
<string>1</string>

 

This is helpful for motherboards that don't have the PCI-Express root at "UID=0", which is the standard for OSX bootloaders.

 

If this doesn't work for you, consider installing the AsereBLN package from:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=208

 

This will update your Bootloader and you'll be able to enter the above code into your com.apple.Boot.plist.

(Mind you, the com.apple.Boot.plist will be located in /Extra, not in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration, as might be the case with your current Bootloader)

 

BTW, what system are you on and what bootloader are you using currently?

 

I hope this information and my previous post are helpful in tackling your problem..

My setup didn't boot if I had GraphicsEnabler=Yes in my boot.plist, until I used PCIRootUID=1. When I added that, it did boot, but alas, still no QE/CI..

 

I hope you have more luck!

 

Nik.

[saronelf]

Another hint for you, saronelf:

 

If you're using GraphicsEnabler=Yes in your com.apple.Boot.plist, you might consider adding this:

 

<key>GraphicsEnabler</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>PCIRootUID</key>
<string>1</string>

 

This is helpful for motherboards that don't have the PCI-Express root at "UID=0", which is the standard for OSX bootloaders.

 

If this doesn't work for you, consider installing the AsereBLN package from:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=208

 

This will update your Bootloader and you'll be able to enter the above code into your com.apple.Boot.plist.

(Mind you, the com.apple.Boot.plist will be located in /Extra, not in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration, as might be the case with your current Bootloader)

 

BTW, what system are you on and what bootloader are you using currently?

 

I hope this information and my previous post are helpful in tackling your problem..

My setup didn't boot if I had GraphicsEnabler=Yes in my boot.plist, until I used PCIRootUID=1. When I added that, it did boot, but alas, still no QE/CI..

 

I hope you have more luck!

 

Nik.

 

Not to worry I realized that i was using a {censored} release (Hazard release). So now i am on iDeneb 1.3 which works almost perfectly, and my resolution works . Then I installed Nvidia 9000 series driver and installed NVdarwin 1.2.5 which apparently lets you run QE on your 9600GT gfx card. but when i boot up i get horrible mouse lag (almost unusable). And it didn't even enable QE :/

 

I managed to get it back to normal but i really needed QE.

Im not exactly asking for help because this relates to the other topic but im just letting you know where i'm at.

[nikjenikje]

Allright,

So I had a problem with my hard drive, but I am now typing from a fully functional Snow install on my new motherboard.

 

Everything works except TV-Out, but I'm gonna give NVEnabler 64.kext a shot. Might work for me as it has for so many others..

 

My Specs:

 

Mobo: Gigabyte EP45-UD3LR

CPU: Intel E7500

GPU: XFX GeForce 9600GT 512MB

 

I used this method

 

EDIT: NVEnabler doesn't give me TV-Out either. I'll just have to save some money and buy a flatscreen TV with VGA port I guess. Worth the money anyway these days.

 

Nik.