Stuck on enabling VGA connector for Arrandale CPU (1st gen graphic)

[comcanhchaopho]

Hi guys,

I'm working on refurbishing my old laptop with broken hinge into a Mac mini. So far I managed to install High Sierra on it, with QE/CI enabled. I'm only 1 step away from calling this a successful project: to enable VGA connector.

I was success in injecting OS-info through DSDT patching. However, when connected to VGA, the external screen ended up super scrambled (Attached photo)

So I would like to ask if anybody here has experience with this kind of issue can help me? I enabled QE/CI through WEG patching, not Clover hotpatch (also tried hotpatch but doesn't work) I'm not sure what further info is relevant for you to help so I will upload later if requested.

Thank you all

 

[Edhawk]

Apple don't support the use of the VGA connector, they never have.

I assume your Dell Laptop contains a discrete GPU, can you confirm which dGPU it uses.
Do you know if the VGA port is connected to the Intel IGPU or the discrete GPU?
Have you looked in the Dell User manual for your laptop model to see which GPU connects to the VGA port?

None of the old MacBook Air or Pro models with an Arrandale CPU used the Intel HD Graphics to drive a display, they all had discrete GPU's for that process. So the fact you have got the Intel Graphics working is a huge achievement. Getting the VGA port working with an external display might be a step too far.

I have an old Dell Laptop (penryn CPU) with an Nvidia GPU, no Intel GPU, that runs macOS High Sierra. I never tried using the VGA port for an external screen as I knew Apple never used this type of display connector.

 

[comcanhchaopho]

Edhawk,

Thank you for replying. Unluckily, mine doesn't have dGPU, only iGPU. Attached are some details of my GPU from HWiNFO and Device manager. My laptop is Dell Inspiron N4010. I found some models with ATI GPU but I believe those are different models with P6200 CPU - mine has i3 380M.

This is the closest specs I can find

Kind of piggy back on the VGA connector. My laptop also has HDMI connector. Do you have any experience if I can enable HDMI on Arrandale CPU?

Thanks

 

[Edhawk]

No, I have no experience with the Arrandale CPU and HDMI output, sorry.

From past experience I would expect the HDMI would be an easier fix than the VGA port/connection.

Installing WhateverGreen.kext (WEG), AppleALC.kext (AALC) and Lilu.kext to your OC/Kexts or /CLOVER/kexts/Other folder would be a good place to start, as WEG and AALC both contain HDMI fixes for 'newer' Intel IGPU's. These might work with your Arrandale IGPU.

Don't use HDMI.kext alongside the other kexts, as that will just make a mess of things.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[comcanhchaopho]

No problem! I will give it a try. You are right, most tools are designed for newer CPUs, Arrandale is just a black sheep that can run OSX but super faulty.

If this doesn't work, I will turn it into a Tiny PC running Linux -- the CPU is so outdated that even Windows 7 doesn't run smoothly on it

Thank you so much.