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Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF Catalina wake up screen flickering

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@StevenT - this just popped up on one of the other threads - wondering if the framebuffer patching means anything in your scenario - https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...intel-4600-integrated-gpu.282589/post-2152140

I can use the following settings if I want to connect two more monitors to iGPU. It all work normally without flashing as long as I tick Legacy Option ROM.

Code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>AAPL,ig-platform-id</key>
    <data>AwAiDQ==</data>
    <key>device-id</key>
    <data>EgQAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-stolenmem</key>
    <data>AAAwAQ==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-fbmem</key>
    <data>AACQAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-unifiedmem</key>
    <data>AAAAgA==</data>
    <key>enable-hdmi-dividers-fix</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
    <key>enable-hdmi20</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con0-enable</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con0-pipe</key>
    <data>EgAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con0-type</key>
    <data>EAAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con1-enable</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con1-pipe</key>
    <data>EgAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con2-enable</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con2-flags</key>
    <data>BwEAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con2-pipe</key>
    <data>EgAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con2-type</key>
    <data>AAQAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con3-enable</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con3-pipe</key>
    <data>EgAAAA==</data>
</dict>
</plist>

Also I don't use the 4K patch since the screens connected to iGPU don't seem stable. I also don't have young eyes for 4K resolution though.

So I connect both of my monitors to eGPU and insert a dummy displayport to iGPU a long with the following settings to disable iGPU displays intentionally so that avoid invisible desktop.

Code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>AAPL,ig-platform-id</key>
    <data>AwAiDQ==</data>
    <key>device-id</key>
    <data>EgQAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-stolenmem</key>
    <data>AAAwAQ==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-fbmem</key>
    <data>AACQAA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-unifiedmem</key>
    <data>AAAAgA==</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con0-alldata</key>
    <data>AgUSAAAEAAAHAQAAAwQSAAAEAAAHAQAABAYSAAAIAAAGAAAAAAASAAEAAABAAAAA</data>
    <key>framebuffer-con0-enable</key>
    <data>AQAAAA==</data>
</dict>
</plist>

It also makes wake up much faster if iGPU's displays are not working.
 
I am facing a different issue after replacing my AMD Radeon Pro WX4100 with VISIONTEK RADEON RX560.
When Legacy Option ROM is ticked, RX560 has black screen at login window with this message in the log file:
Code:
kernel: (AMDFramebuffer) CRITICAL ERROR : VBLANK interrupt has not been generated in time!
I have to remote connect to the machine and put it to sleep and wake up. Then the display come back on and everything including sleep works afterwards.

When Legacy Option ROM is not ticked, the machine doesn't has black screen issue but reboot at waking up.
I am wondering if any one knows how to fix this issue.
 
@StevenT
You could try " agdpmod=ignore " as a WhatEverGreen bootflag (with and without Legacy Options, ticked and Auto and AMD as primary" - Else I'd ask in one of the WhateverGreen threads where you might get some particular advice - It's not an unknown error but none of the fixes seems to be complete.

Would you consider it ok if it went to sleep on boot and then wake it up to use? - Thinking of a pmset command to send it to sleep in a script to run at boot.

There was a problem with earlier versions of Catalina that affected AMD cards in real Macs that was fixed in v10.15.5 so make sure you are using at least that version
 
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@StevenT
You could try " agdpmod=ignore " as a WhatEverGreen bootflag (with and without Legacy Options, ticked and Auto and AMD as primary" - Else I'd ask in one of the WhateverGreen threads where you might get some particular advice - It's not an unknown error but none of the fixes seems to be complete.

Would you consider it ok if it went to sleep on boot and then wake it up to use? - Thinking of a pmset command to send it to sleep in a script to run at boot.

There was a problem with earlier versions of Catalina that affected AMD cards in real Macs that was fixed in v10.15.5 so make sure you are using at least that version

Tried agdpmod=ignore but it didn't make any difference. I also tried updating GOP and VBIOS of the machine's BIOS and it didn't work either. Now the only option left is run 'pmset sleepnow' at login window.

By the way, I am using 10.15.6 now.
 
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Now the only option left is run 'pmset sleepnow' at login window.
Two sorts of startup scripts;
run when user logs in, and
run when machine starts.
The 2nd is fiddlier but probably better here.
 
Two sorts of startup scripts;
run when user logs in, and
run when machine starts.
The 2nd is fiddlier but probably better here.

Installed Big Sur beta and done some tests without display port emulator.

Setting Legacy Option ROM Primary Display Pre-sleep
WX4100 DP1
Pre-sleep
WX4100
DP2
Pre-sleep
WX4100
DP3
Pre-sleep
WX4100
DP4
Post-Wake
WX4100
DP1
Post-Wake
WX4100
DP2
Post-Wake
WX4100
DP3
Post-Wake
WX4100
DP4
POST Screen
1 Ticked HD4600 Display Display Display Display Display Display Display Display Black
2 Ticked WX4100 Display Display Black Black Flickering Flickering Display Display Display
3 Unticked HD4600 Display Display Display Display reboot reboot reboot reboot Display
4 Unticked WX4100 Display Display Display Display reboot reboot reboot reboot Display


I am currently using setting #1. Everything works including HD4600's display ports and VDA decoder.
However, it really bothers me if POST screen can't be seen. In this setting, POST does not display anything even if you connect the monitor to HD4600's display ports (Thank you, Dell). Therefore a CMOS reset is required if you want to modify BIOS settings or debugging Mac OS's issue at booting.
So setting #2 with monitor connected to DP3/DP4 would be a better solution for me.
Could whatevergreen have some kind of fixup to fix black screen of DP3/DP4?
 

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I am currently using setting #1. Everything works including HD4600's display ports and VDA decoder.
Thanks for the work and putting up your findings. Im not going to be much use to you here - I went thru a similar (but much less systematic) process when I first got a 7020 and decided that the eGPU wasnt worth the trouble as I really only run non graphic intensive programs. Watching the threads Ive not seen anyone get it and sleep working (disabling sleep is an acceptable option for some) and suspect your setup is as good as anyone has achieved and I'd happily take option 1 - once it was otherwise good.

The issues here go over my head but there seems to be a set of problems that relate to the hd4600 that have flummoxed everybody. There seem to be other issues that have a part to play here; UEFI was a new thing then and there has been a suggestion that there's a problem with Apple's implementation of something for the HD4600 which has faults that have never been fixed because no real macs use the HD4600.
The only path I havn't seen tried is building with what Clover called Legacy Boot, turning off UEFI in BIOS and making a new build (dont know if OC allows this) I dont think it would work but it is the only path that I've not seen tried.

Sorry this is not useful but I have no idea if it is fixable and hope you can get one of the clever people to help.
 
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