How-to: Pencil mod your HD 3870!

ghost101 · Jan 29, 2008

asb2106 said:
just submitted my RMA, I have to send it to Taiwan!

Cant you file an RMA with the retailer?

asb2106 · Jan 29, 2008

ghost101 said:
Cant you file an RMA with the retailer?

Newegg discontinued the product for whatever reason. It was 32 days old and they only would take it back within 30

DanishDevil · Jan 30, 2008

Lame! I would hope Newegg wouldn't cry over two days. How much you paying to ship it?

trog100 · Jan 30, 2008

i did read the new 3870 x 2 card comes on a ten layer pcb.. they say this is why the card can come clocked higher than the single card.. its worth a thought and might explain why the card has such a wide "not quite stable" gaming range.. we are running very high frequencies..

there might be more to it than simply how fast the chip will go..

trog

DanishDevil · Jan 30, 2008

Interesting. How many layers in the HD 3870 pcb? 6 or 7 right?

trog100 · Jan 30, 2008

DanishDevil said:
Interesting. How many layers in the HD 3870 pcb? 6 or 7 right?

8 if i remember correctly for the 3870.. they increased it to 10 for the x 2..

trog

asb2106 · Jan 30, 2008

DanishDevil said:
Lame! I would hope Newegg wouldn't cry over two days. How much you paying to ship it?

dont know yet, Im taking it to the post office tommorow, ill be sure to let everyone know, Yah and newegg said there was nothing they could do

asb2106 · Jan 30, 2008

trog100 said:
i did read the new 3870 x 2 card comes on a ten layer pcb.. they say this is why the card can come clocked higher than the single card.. its worth a thought and might explain why the card has such a wide "not quite stable" gaming range.. we are running very high frequencies..

there might be more to it than simply how fast the chip will go..

trog

never even thought of that before, quite interesting

Poulpy · Jan 30, 2008

Hello
Well i am gone mod both my 3870 this week-end.
I can see that neither the vmod for the gpu or the mem are hard to do with good soldering skillls (which is my case). As a side note and after reading some comments, i will go with signle core wire from phone cable or with IDE cable wire, havent decided yet.

On the other hand after reading all the posts in this thread i didnt find any pics showing the measuring points for the vmem. Only saw the one showing where to solder to mod the vmem but not where to check the voltage.

So can anyone post a pic showing the measuring points for the mem voltage ?

Thx a lot guys, cant wait get this hard mod done.
My system is full watercooled (the two 3870 included) so i really cant wait to see what those puppies can do with some vmod

.

Random Murderer · Jan 31, 2008

Poulpy said:
Hello
Well i am gone mod both my 3870 this week-end.
I can see that neither the vmod for the gpu or the mem are hard to do with good soldering skillls (which is my case). As a side note and after reading some comments, i will go with signle core wire from phone cable or with IDE cable wire, havent decided yet.

On the other hand after reading all the posts in this thread i didnt find any pics showing the measuring points for the vmem. Only saw the one showing where to solder to mod the vmem but not where to check the voltage.

So can anyone post a pic showing the measuring points for the mem voltage ?

Thx a lot guys, cant wait get this hard mod done.
My system is full watercooled (the two 3870 included) so i really cant wait to see what those puppies can do with some vmod .

Wile E · Jan 31, 2008

Poulpy said:
Hello
Well i am gone mod both my 3870 this week-end.
I can see that neither the vmod for the gpu or the mem are hard to do with good soldering skillls (which is my case). As a side note and after reading some comments, i will go with signle core wire from phone cable or with IDE cable wire, havent decided yet.

On the other hand after reading all the posts in this thread i didnt find any pics showing the measuring points for the vmem. Only saw the one showing where to solder to mod the vmem but not where to check the voltage.

So can anyone post a pic showing the measuring points for the mem voltage ?

Thx a lot guys, cant wait get this hard mod done.
My system is full watercooled (the two 3870 included) so i really cant wait to see what those puppies can do with some vmod .

I suggest phone cable. The IDE strands work fairly well, but they actually add a bit of resistance due to their gauge.

Poulpy · Jan 31, 2008

Thx a lot for the answers.

I was gone go for the phone wire anyway i think. I prefer it for its single core.

I also found some 30 gauge wire here at work. Its reeeeally small and would defenitly make it even easier to solder, especially for the vmem on the IC chip. You guys think its too small ?

If it hasnt been done yet, i will take pics of the process and open a thread just for the hard mod when i am done.

Poulpy · Jan 31, 2008

Oh by the way Random,

I saw that you soldered the ground for the vmem trimmer on the IC chip. Is that required or can i just soldered it on the power connector ground ?
I am asking because it seems like its what that guy from xs did (the one with the black wires nicely shaped and the trimmers clipped) and i want to do something similar.

Thx

Deleted member 24505 · Jan 31, 2008

It easier to solder multi strand wire tho'.especially when the connections are as small as these.Its hard to tin the solid wire,coz i tried.

trog100 · Jan 31, 2008

i would use bell or transformer wire.. clean and tin the ends very carefully.. fix the wire perfectly in place somehow.. bent and shaped exactly where u want it.. then a very quick touch with a hot fine tipped iron should do the job just like that..

if u are lucky.. he he he

trog

asb2106 · Jan 31, 2008

BE CAREFUL when measuring your voltages, I recommend doing what tigger did. I lost my card because of it.

Random Murderer · Jan 31, 2008

Poulpy said:
Oh by the way Random,

I saw that you soldered the ground for the vmem trimmer on the IC chip. Is that required or can i just soldered it on the power connector ground ?
I am asking because it seems like its what that guy from xs did (the one with the black wires nicely shaped and the trimmers clipped) and i want to do something similar.

Thx

I just soldered it to the ground pin on the IC. You can solder it to any ground on the card.

Poulpy · Jan 31, 2008

tigger69 said:
It easier to solder multi strand wire tho'.especially when the connections are as small as these.Its hard to tin the solid wire,coz i tried.

Personnaly i have had better results soldering solid core wires on IC of small size, using a tiny bit of flux on the wire. I like multi strand if i solder on another multistrand but on a chip or resistor or anything with a solid core i prefer solid core wire. Solid core wire is easy to tin if you put some flux on it before.

I guess its just a matter of taste

As far as holding the wire, i like to use a special double sided tape in small pieces to hold the wire against the card.

I will post pics when i start, pics are worth a hundred lines of explanation :rolleyes:

Poulpy · Jan 31, 2008

asb2106 said:
BE CAREFUL when measuring your voltages, I recommend doing what tigger did. I lost my card because of it.

I have a nice multimeter with pointy ends i dont need to force to measure the voltage and i can see very clearly where i put the tips.

I already checked the vgpu yesterday (1.34v 3D) and had no problem. Just have to go really slowly and patiently and everything is ok....should be ok :respect:

asb2106 · Jan 31, 2008

Poulpy said:
I have a nice multimeter with pointy ends i dont need to force to measure the voltage and i can see very clearly where i put the tips.

I already checked the vgpu yesterday (1.34v 3D) and had no problem. Just have to go really slowly and patiently and everything is ok....should be ok

key word, slowly and carefully, one thing I took for granted after doing a few measurements. Nothing but me being stubborn, so hopefully if I preach enough I can save someelse from my misery!

Poulpy · Jan 31, 2008

asb2106 said:
key word, slowly and carefully, one thing I took for granted after doing a few measurements. Nothing but me being stubborn, so hopefully if I preach enough I can save someelse from my misery!

I have been through that a long time ago when i vmoded a ASUS KT133 mobo. Wanted to go too fast and ended up desoldering an IC impossible to put back :banghead:

. I did go to Fry's to exchange it so i guess my lesson wasnt too expensive but i did learn my lesson, never messed up a hard mod after that. :respect:

trog100 · Jan 31, 2008

Poulpy said:
I have been through that a long time ago when i vmoded a ASUS KT133 mobo. Wanted to go too fast and ended up desoldering an IC impossible to put back . I did go to Fry's to exchange it so i guess my lesson wasnt too expensive but i did learn my lesson, never messed up a hard mod after that.

u sound like u know exactly what u are doing dude..

some "how to solder" " pics showing others would be very useful..

trog

Poulpy · Jan 31, 2008

trog100 said:
u sound like u know exactly what u are doing dude..

some "how to solder" " pics showing others would be very useful..

trog

Will do. I have extensive personal experience but i am not a professional. As far as electronics is concerned i learned by myself so there are probably things that i still need to learn :shadedshu .

But yeah like i said i will put together a new thread based only on hardmodding the 3870 when i start the mod tommorow.

But for soldering the best basic advices i can give to anyone reading thsi thread:
-keep your tip clean (wet sponge and/or ammoniacal stone)
-use flux on the wires (be careful with that on the PCB as its acid), that helps a lot for precision soldering to solder fast without overheating. Basically it roughen the metal and makes the solder stick fast and good.
-Take the right iron = dont use your 100w instant iron to work on a VC, instead use at most a 30w or best a dual heat 15w/30w iron (goes to 30w with the push of a button)
-Use a magnifying glass on a stand to keep your hands to yourself, this will greatly increase your efficiency
-Please......use heat shrink tubing and not tape

-And last but not least....... TAKE YOUR TIME! :pimp:

Of course that quick list if far from complete but just a quick reminder.

I picked up my trimmers today so i definetly will start the mod tommorow. Tonight i flush the system and take out my VCs.

PS: If my englsih isnt perfect, sorry about it but i am not native english speaker.

asb2106 · Jan 31, 2008

Poulpy said:
PS: If my englsih isnt perfect, sorry about it but i am not native english speaker.

did pretty damn good for not being native

EDIT * I only speak English and my posts dont normally sound that good,

this one for example! :laugh:

Poulpy · Jan 31, 2008

asb2106 said:
did pretty damn good for not being native

EDIT * I only speak English and my posts dont normally sound that good,

this one for example!

Well i did forgot to mention that i spent 6 years in the US before coming back to europe

Ok so thats it for tonight, the two 3870 are flushed and out of the system.
Tomorrow i go pick up some small heat shrink, and on with the mods.
Just need to get a jumper from an old device so i can do the mod deactivation part.

System Name	File Server
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Motherboard	idk
Cooling	H110
Memory	20gb of something
Video Card(s)	onboard!
Storage	2x120 SSD, (5x8tb)+(3x4tb) = 35 TB Z1 pool
Display(s)	couple 4k 32s
Case	cooler master something i think
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Power Supply	Whatever OCZ PC Powercooling became. 1200 modular setup
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Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 780 ACX SC
Storage	Intel 520 Series 180GB + WD 1TB Blue
Display(s)	HP ZR30W 30" 2650x1600 IPS
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Audio Device(s)	Xonar Essence STX \| Sennheisser PC350 "Hero" Modded \| Corsair SP2500
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Motherboard	Asus rog Strix Z370-F Gaming
Cooling	Dark Rock TF air cooler.. Stock vga air coolers with case side fans to help cooling..
Memory	32 gb corsair vengeance 3200
Video Card(s)	Palit Gaming Pro OC 2080TI
Storage	150 nvme boot drive partition.. 1T Sandisk sata.. 1T Transend sata.. 1T 970 evo nvme m 2..
Display(s)	27" Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hrz Nvidia G-Sync, IPS.. 2560x1440..
Case	Gigabyte mid-tower.. cheap and nothing special..
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Power Supply	EVGA 850 watt..
Mouse	Logitech G700s
Keyboard	Logitech K270
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System Name	Big Devil
Processor	Intel Core i5-2500K
Motherboard	ECS P67H2-A2
Cooling	XSPC Rasa \| Black Ice GT Stealth 240 \| XSPC X2O 750 \| 2x ACF12PWM \| PrimoChill White 7/16"
Memory	2x4GB Corsair Vengeance LP Arctic White 1600MHz CL9
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 780 ACX SC
Storage	Intel 520 Series 180GB + WD 1TB Blue
Display(s)	HP ZR30W 30" 2650x1600 IPS
Case	Corsair 600T SE
Audio Device(s)	Xonar Essence STX \| Sennheisser PC350 "Hero" Modded \| Corsair SP2500
Power Supply	ABS SL 1050W (Enermax Revolution Rebadge)
Software	Windows 8.1 x64 Pro w/ Media Center
Benchmark Scores	Ducky Year of the Snake w/ Cherry MX Browns & Year of the Tiger PBT Keycaps \| Razer Deathadder Black

System Name	money pit..
Processor	Intel 9900K 4.8 at 1.152 core voltage minus 0.120 offset
Motherboard	Asus rog Strix Z370-F Gaming
Cooling	Dark Rock TF air cooler.. Stock vga air coolers with case side fans to help cooling..
Memory	32 gb corsair vengeance 3200
Video Card(s)	Palit Gaming Pro OC 2080TI
Storage	150 nvme boot drive partition.. 1T Sandisk sata.. 1T Transend sata.. 1T 970 evo nvme m 2..
Display(s)	27" Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hrz Nvidia G-Sync, IPS.. 2560x1440..
Case	Gigabyte mid-tower.. cheap and nothing special..
Audio Device(s)	onboard sounds with stereo amp..
Power Supply	EVGA 850 watt..
Mouse	Logitech G700s
Keyboard	Logitech K270
Software	Win 10 pro..
Benchmark Scores	Firestike 29500.. timepsy 14000..

How-to: Pencil mod your HD 3870!

ghost101

asb2106

DanishDevil

trog100

DanishDevil

trog100

asb2106

asb2106

Poulpy

New Member

Random Murderer

The Anti-Midas

Wile E

Power User

Poulpy

New Member

Poulpy

New Member

Deleted member 24505

Guest

trog100

asb2106

Random Murderer

The Anti-Midas

Poulpy

New Member

Poulpy

New Member

asb2106

Poulpy

New Member

trog100

Poulpy

New Member

asb2106

Poulpy

New Member

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Video Card(s)	2 * HD 3870 @ 1Ghz GPU and stock Memory speed
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Video Card(s)	Sapphire AMD R9 295x2 \| PowerColor AMD HD7970
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