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Alienware 15 R3 USB-C Video question

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Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
17
Motherboard
Dell Alienware 15 R3
CPU
i7-7700HQ CM238
Graphics
GTX 1070 + HD 630
Mac
  1. MacBook Pro
Hello all.

I have a very interesting issue and I need someone help me reach a possible solution.
So I have managed to get my hack running to the point I am pretty much satisfied.
The only problematic point left is the Thunderbolt type-c plug. Still can't figure out how to enable hotswaping or power after sleep. However, I can pretty much live with that. The thing I cannot live with, is no USB-C video output.

Now this is an interesting case, because:
AW15R3 is running an Nvidia GTX 1070 as the main card for display on the internal screen, as well as 1 external screen via Display Port port.

The Intel HD630 does not run any graphics until a USB-C monitor is connected.

Now the issue I have, that I am very satisfied with Nvidia being the main card, as I do GPU-heavy work (rendering+modelling).
I have tried enabling the HD630, with no luck, as I get a black screen, because the internal display has no connection to the HD630 (AFAIK). It's not an Optane system, it's a G-SYNC one, therefore I cannot pick which GPU does the displaying.

Where I'm going at is that I also need a USB-C graphics tablet connected to the laptop. Right now I can do some dongle and cable swapping in order to get the tablet running. However, hopefully, I would like to be able to just connect the USB-C cable and go.

Right now, when I connect the tablet I can see the "mouse" moving (However, it's just a colourful square) on a rainbow-lined screen.

What I think needs to happen:
Intel IGPU needs to get recognized by the system and listed in the GPU section.
Thunderbolt USB-C needs to be recognized by the system as well.

Please find the problem reporting files attached. Hopefully I've included all info that's needed.
 

Attachments

  • Gus AlienBook Pro Files.zip
    3.1 MB · Views: 122
Hello all.

I have a very interesting issue and I need someone help me reach a possible solution.
So I have managed to get my hack running to the point I am pretty much satisfied.
The only problematic point left is the Thunderbolt type-c plug. Still can't figure out how to enable hotswaping or power after sleep. However, I can pretty much live with that. The thing I cannot live with, is no USB-C video output.

Now this is an interesting case, because:
AW15R3 is running an Nvidia GTX 1070 as the main card for display on the internal screen, as well as 1 external screen via Display Port port.

The Intel HD630 does not run any graphics until a USB-C monitor is connected.

Now the issue I have, that I am very satisfied with Nvidia being the main card, as I do GPU-heavy work (rendering+modelling).
I have tried enabling the HD630, with no luck, as I get a black screen, because the internal display has no connection to the HD630 (AFAIK). It's not an Optane system, it's a G-SYNC one, therefore I cannot pick which GPU does the displaying.

Where I'm going at is that I also need a USB-C graphics tablet connected to the laptop. Right now I can do some dongle and cable swapping in order to get the tablet running. However, hopefully, I would like to be able to just connect the USB-C cable and go.

Right now, when I connect the tablet I can see the "mouse" moving (However, it's just a colourful square) on a rainbow-lined screen.

What I think needs to happen:
Intel IGPU needs to get recognized by the system and listed in the GPU section.
Thunderbolt USB-C needs to be recognized by the system as well.

Please find the problem reporting files attached. Hopefully I've included all info that's needed.

Refer to the guide for plists which enable IGPU:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/guide-booting-the-os-x-installer-on-laptops-with-clover.148093/
 
Thank you for your reply, RehabMan

I did try the usual route of enabling the IGPU, which, I assume, I succeeded. (I used WhateverGreen in conjuction to However, the problem is that the I need the Discreet GPU to display the graphics, while IGPU to work only for the USB-C connection (as intended). If I enable the IGPU, I get a black screen, because the built-in monitor tries to display the graphics which are driven by IGPU. However, there is no connection between the two and I get a blue screen.

The question is - is it possible to have the Nvidia card as the main display graphics card, and IGPU as the secondary? I think what I need to do is to enable the IGPU, but at the same time, make Nvidia display the graphics.
 
Thank you for your reply, RehabMan

I did try the usual route of enabling the IGPU, which, I assume, I succeeded. (I used WhateverGreen in conjuction to However, the problem is that the I need the Discreet GPU to display the graphics, while IGPU to work only for the USB-C connection (as intended). If I enable the IGPU, I get a black screen, because the built-in monitor tries to display the graphics which are driven by IGPU. However, there is no connection between the two and I get a blue screen.

The question is - is it possible to have the Nvidia card as the main display graphics card, and IGPU as the secondary? I think what I need to do is to enable the IGPU, but at the same time, make Nvidia display the graphics.

You may have to inject AAPL00,BootDisplay on the Nvidia.
Or some other patch to get it going in this odd, non-Apple configuration.

Make sure you're hot-plugging the USB-C monitor.
 
You may have to inject AAPL00,BootDisplay on the Nvidia.
Or some other patch to get it going in this odd, non-Apple configuration.

Make sure you're hot-plugging the USB-C monitor.

I have definitely pushed forward. I now have Nvidia doing the displaying on the Built-in monitor and the Display Port Monitor, AND IntelGPU displaying on the tablet connected via Thunderbolt port. (I can also hot-plug thunderbolt port stuff) (But sometimes I still get "too much power" message on startup, which disables it completely. Haven't found what causes it yet.)

However, my penultimate issue is that the Intel IGPU only outputs 2560x1440 resolution, whereas I need 4K for my tablet. It's definitely the GPU setting and not the tablet, nor the cable. (I've used same setup on windows successfully). No idea where to start as most of the problems on the forum are related to 4K are wrong DP or HDMI cables.

Thanks.
 

Attachments

  • Alienpro2.zip
    3.2 MB · Views: 122
I have definitely pushed forward. I now have Nvidia doing the displaying on the Built-in monitor and the Display Port Monitor, AND IntelGPU displaying on the tablet connected via Thunderbolt port. (I can also hot-plug thunderbolt port stuff) (But sometimes I still get "too much power" message on startup, which disables it completely. Haven't found what causes it yet.)

However, my penultimate issue is that the Intel IGPU only outputs 2560x1440 resolution, whereas I need 4K for my tablet. It's definitely the GPU setting and not the tablet, nor the cable. (I've used same setup on windows successfully). No idea where to start as most of the problems on the forum are related to 4K are wrong DP or HDMI cables.

Thanks.

The ioreg you attached shows no display connected to the IGPU.

Keep in mind 4k requires Lilu.kext+WhateverGreen.kext, plus kernel flag -cdfon.
 
The ioreg you attached shows no display connected to the IGPU.

Keep in mind 4k requires Lilu.kext+WhateverGreen.kext, plus kernel flag -cdfon.
Interesting, I thought that only applied to HDMI ports. Okay, I've tried to avoid using WhateverGreen for as long as possible as it breaks my bootup for some reason, but it seems that I must use it anyway. Let's see what I can do about it.

Appologies for the IOREG with no screen, I seem to have disconnected the tablet while I was getting the required files. I'll play around with WhateverGreen and see if I can get my machine to boot up.

Thanks for the help.
 
The ioreg you attached shows no display connected to the IGPU.

Keep in mind 4k requires Lilu.kext+WhateverGreen.kext, plus kernel flag -cdfon.

Okay, I've reconfigured my system to use WhateverGreen and Lilu. With enable-hdmi20 (and -cdfon) I'm able to get 4K output though my thunderbolt port! But
  1. I have to use an incorrect AAPL,ig-platform-id. 0x59120000 works (Only with MacBookPro14,3 (which is the closest to my system))
  2. The IGPU does not appear under GPUs in the System Report.
  3. I get glitches as in pictures if I drag a window into the display too quickly.
IF I use the correct AAPL,ig-platform-id (0x591b0000), I get the Intel GPU appear under System Report, which is lovely. However, once I turn the tablet on, the system instantly reboots.

I CAN work with this, for now. However, I will be looking into this further, I would to have a fully working system sooner or later.

RehabMan, thank you for your very precise and to-the-point tips. You got me where I am now. Cheers.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2018-11-29 at 23.12.19.jpg
    Screen Shot 2018-11-29 at 23.12.19.jpg
    588.9 KB · Views: 142
  • Screen Shot 2018-11-29 at 23.12.31.jpg
    Screen Shot 2018-11-29 at 23.12.31.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 142
Okay, I've reconfigured my system to use WhateverGreen and Lilu. With enable-hdmi20 (and -cdfon) I'm able to get 4K output though my thunderbolt port! But
  1. I have to use an incorrect AAPL,ig-platform-id. 0x59120000 works (Only with MacBookPro14,3 (which is the closest to my system))
  2. The IGPU does not appear under GPUs in the System Report.
  3. I get glitches as in pictures if I drag a window into the display too quickly.
IF I use the correct AAPL,ig-platform-id (0x591b0000), I get the Intel GPU appear under System Report, which is lovely. However, once I turn the tablet on, the system instantly reboots.

I CAN work with this, for now. However, I will be looking into this further, I would to have a fully working system sooner or later.

RehabMan, thank you for your very precise and to-the-point tips. You got me where I am now. Cheers.
No "Problem Reporting" files attached.
Read FAQ, "Problem Reporting" again. Carefully. Attach all requested files/output.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/faq-read-first-laptop-frequent-questions.164990/
Use the gen_debug.sh tool mentioned in the FAQ, that way it is less likely you'll omit something.
 
No "Problem Reporting" files attached.
Read FAQ, "Problem Reporting" again. Carefully. Attach all requested files/output.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/faq-read-first-laptop-frequent-questions.164990/
Use the gen_debug.sh tool mentioned in the FAQ, that way it is less likely you'll omit something.

I've attached both variants of the properties. Note that I cannot "turn on" the Wacom display using the 591b ig-platform-id as it results in an abrupt restart.

Thanks again.
 

Attachments

  • 591b0000.zip
    2.8 MB · Views: 103
  • 59120000.zip
    2.8 MB · Views: 96
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