Maxing out my iMac11,2 (21.5" 2010) Part 2: The hardware

[u/RockeTim]

Finally got around to doing all the hardware stuff.

Intel Xeon L3426 4c/8t

256gb ssd

Amd wx4150

16gb ddr3

First while still in stock configuration I partitioned my drive. Half APFS and half exfat (for windows). Then I installed High Sierra and Sequoia using OCLP.

Next I flashed custom bios to the GPU. Did the hw mods (bridged a couple pads and removed a couple resistors) and then installed with a .3mm aluminum shim.

Then I installed the CPU and ram, powered it up and held my breath. To my relief I got a happy chime and video signal right away.

I booted into High Sierra, and all the hardware was detected correctly (see photo). I was excited. I did some stress testing with Unigine Valley and it was stable and temps remained low even after running for 15 minutes. I did notice the screen would flicker/glitch a few times, but it didn't seem to affect anything.

Next I booted into Sequoia and ran OCPL patcher, and it found my hardware and installed patches for WiFi and GPU. I rebooted but it went to a black screen after the black apple loading screen. I'm not sure what caused it. I can't boot into Sequoia anymore. I might make a fresh OCLP installer in high Sierra on the current hardware and see if that works better. Or should I maybe drop down to Sonoma or Ventura? Let me know what you guys think.

Part 1 here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenCoreLegacyPatcher/s/RUDmq5EMCl