Purge-NVDA

A simple script for Macs that purges the activation of the discrete NVIDIA GPUs on macOS and by extension enables AMD external graphics support.

Requirements

This script requires the following specifications:

• Mac with integrated Intel GPU + discrete NVIDIA GPU
• macOS 10.13.4 or later

For AMD eGPU support please use along with purge-wrangler.sh.

It is recommended that you have a backup of the system. Testing was done on a Mid-2014 MacBook Pro w/ GeForce GT 750M.

Usage

Please follow these steps:

Step 1

Disable system integrity protection for macOS using Terminal in Recovery:

$ csrutil disable
$ reboot

Step 2

Boot back into macOS, then copy-paste the following into Terminal:

curl -L -s https://github.com/mayankk2308/purge-nvda/releases/download/2.1.1/purge-nvda.sh > purge-nvda.sh;chmod +x purge-nvda.sh;./purge-nvda.sh;rm purge-nvda.sh

Note that you may change to a different valid version in the above command.

Alternatively, download purge-nvda.sh. Then run the following in Terminal:

$ cd Downloads
$ chmod +x purge-nvda.sh
$ ./purge-nvda.sh

You will be prompted to enter your account password for superuser permissions. On first-time use, the script will auto-install itself as a binary into /usr/local/bin/. This enables much simpler future use. To use the script again, just type the following in Terminal:

$ purge-nvda

This is supported on 2.0.0 or later. Automatic updates are supported from 2.1.0 or later.

Options

The script provides users with a variety of options in an attempt to be as user-friendly as possible.

1. Enable AMD eGPUs (-enable_amd)

Disables the NVIDIA GPU using the kextless NVRAM patch, allowing acceleration of foreign AMD framebuffers, and therefore AMD eGPUs.

2. Suppress NVIDIA GPUs (-suppress_only)

Disables the NVIDIA GPU using kext-based framebuffer deactivation, which mounts the GPU but never allows instantiation and use for render or compute. This is recommended if eGPUs are not involved and iGPU-only behavior for other reasons is needed.

3. Force Single iGPU Boot (-mux_igpu)

Patches NVRAM to force only one macOS session with iGPU use only. A subsequent boot will have an active discrete NVIDIA GPU.

4. System Status (-status)

Checks for the applied patches and provides system state information.

5. Uninstall (-uninstall)

Uninstalls any applied modifications made using the script or binary. This will not uninstall the script/binary itself.

6. Command-Line Shortcuts (-shortcuts)

Prints a list of command line options that may be passed to the script or binary to completely forgo the command-line user interface and directly perform actions.

7. Script Version (-version)

Prints the version of the script/binary.

8. Disable Hibernation (-disable_hibernation)

Disables hibernation mode and automatic power off as these settings may resolve wake-up failures with discrete graphics disabled.

9. Restore Sleep Configuration (-restore_sleep)

Restores the hibernation mode configurations to recommended settings.

10. Reboot System (-reboot)

Reboots the system with a countdown.

Troubleshooting

If you are unable to boot into macOS, boot into Single User Mode (CMD + S on boot) and type in the following commands:

$ mount -uw /
$ purge-nvda

Uninstall the script modifications and reboot.

References

Due credit goes to the MacRumors members (esp. @nsgr) for the NVRAM settings that make this possible without requiring a separate ArchLinux installation to manually manage these values.

Disclaimer

This script moves core system files associated with macOS. While any of the potential issues with its application are recoverable, please use this script at your discretion. I will not be liable for any damages to your operating system.

License

This project is available under the MIT license. See the license file for more information.

Donate

A "Thank you" is enough to make me smile. But due to popular demand:

Knock yourself out :)