Power color AX69502GBD52DH unlock help

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 01:41 PM

I just got a AX69502GBD52DH and tried to unlock the shaders only with wizards script.Followed the instructions from here
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sho...php?t=18332364

It didn't unlock.GPU Z still reported 1408 shaders.Then I decided to do it without the command prompt using only ATI winflash (means I loaded the modded bios and clikced "program" in winflash).A window saying flash successful and reboot popped up.I did it and then nothing:PC not booting-black screen.Flicked the switch to position 2 and it booted normally but still 1048 shaders.So I already fucked up one of the two BIOSs.

How to reflash the original bios for slot 1 again?I got them from the bios database but I want to be sure I have both slots available before I try anything else.And what else can I try to unlock the shaders?

Some people say they unlocked this model with RBE but I don't know how to use it.

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 01:44 PM

If the card did not unlock the first time after the successful flash then the card is not unlockable. You best bet is to boot with the next bios and while in windows flip the switch back to the dead bios and flash your original bios back.

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

If the card did not unlock the first time after the successful flash then the card is not unlockable.

How is it not unlockable? some people on newegg actually unlocked it.But they did it with RBE and I don't know how to use it.And are you sure it is safe to mess with the switch while the PC is on especially to switch to a dead BIOS?

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 01:59 PM

Not all 6950's were unlockable. Its a gamble when you buy the card. Take you original bios and do the steps below. DO NOT FLASH OVER THE WORKING BIOS. Before you flash flip this switch on the card to the dead bios WHILE IN WINDOWS and then flash.

Quote:

Originally Posted by W1zzard

I will describe the method for flashing from within Windows, which is safe enough on these cards because of the dual BIOS feature that enables easy recovery.
Grab ATI Winflash from here (32 & 64-bit).
Download HD 6970 BIOS. The Sapphire one I linked to will work on all reference design cards from any vendor.
Make sure the BIOS switch on the card is set to the 1 position (pictured further down if you don't know where it is).
Run ATI Winflash, click Save to save your BIOS, so you have a backup in case something goes wrong.
Load the HD 6970 BIOS into Winflash by clicking Load Image, followed by Program.
Let the flashing process complete and reboot your system.
Check the shader count using GPU-Z, it should show 1536. Make sure you use version 0.5.0 or newer, the official 0.4.9 version does not support HD 6900 Series properly. If you see a shader count of 1600, your GPU-Z version is outdated.
To ensure maximized performance open Catalyst Control Center, go to the Overdrive tab and set the PowerTune slider to the +20% setting. The "Testing" section of this article has more data on that.
Check stability in Windows desktop applications and games.
If you get an error like ID mismatch or Could not erase ROM, then you'll have to do some extra work in a Windows command prompt (or DOS): Run atiwinflash -unlockrom 0 followed by atiwinflash -f -p 0 bios.bin where bios.bin is the path and filename of the HD 6970 BIOS you downloaded.

Update: I have uploaded a pack of all the files required together with some batch files to ease the process for less experienced users. You can download it here, please report success or any issues with the scripts in the comments for this article.

Update 2: Above method is only for 2 GB HD 6950 reference design cards. If you have a custom design or 1 GB card, then use RBE to modify your existing BIOS. Save the BIOS from your card, load it into RBE, enable the shader unlock option on the last tab, then flash that modified BIOS to the card instead of the one downloaded from this page.

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

Not all 6950's were unlockable. Its a gamble when you buy the card. Take you original bios and do the steps below. DO NOT FLASH OVER THE WORKING BIOS. Before you flash flip this switch on the card to the dead bios WHILE IN WINDOWS and then flash.

I did that.I flashed the original bios with the switch to 1 (the dead bios) and it still doesn't boot from position 1.What to do now?

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antony209494

I did that.I flashed the original bios with the switch to 1 (the dead bios) and it still doesn't boot from position 1.What to do now?

Go to GPUZ and take a copy of bios 2 and flash to bios 1 and see if that works

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

Go to GPUZ and take a copy of bios 2 and flash to bios 1 and see if that works

Yeap that worked.But because I am an idiot I will still mess around with it trying to unlock the shaders

.But thank you!

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 03:03 PM

Just do not flash bios 2 and you should be fine. Hope it unlocks for you.

drdeathx · Feb 12, 2013, 03:11 PM

All you have to do is alter the .cfg file in MSI Afterburner

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drdeathx

All you have to do is alter the .cfg file in MSI Afterburner

Uhhh can you be a little more specific?What should I do exactly?There are dozens of cfg files in afterburner.

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drdeathx

All you have to do is alter the .cfg file in MSI Afterburner

To unlock shaders? I thought you were the know it all of the PC empire...

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

To unlock shaders? I thought you were the know it all of the PC empire...

Yeah how does that help me with the shaders?

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 04:35 PM

Also:Should I dare to try flashing a 6970 bios?

(like this one:
http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/i...E&memSize=2048)

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antony209494

Also:Should I dare to try flashing a 6970 bios?

(like this one:
http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/i...E&memSize=2048)

If it does not unlock using the RBE trick then most likely it will not unlock at all. As I mentioned before, not all 6950's unlocked. I was lucky with mine (one came factory unlocked LOL and the other needed the bubblegum mod to allow bios flashing.)

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

If it does not unlock using the RBE trick then most likely it will not unlock at all. As I mentioned before, not all 6950's unlocked. I was lucky with mine (one came factory unlocked LOL and the other needed the bubblegum mod to allow bios flashing.)

Actually I already have an unlocked reference sapphire 6950 and I want to crossfire it with the power color.Anyway last shot:6970 bios.I'll try it and post back.

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 04:49 PM

I get a checksum mismatch error.

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 04:50 PM

Use "atiwinflash -f -p 0 bios.bin"

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

Use "atiwinflash -f -p 0 bios.bin"

No didn't work either.The shaders are stuck at 1408.

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antony209494

No didn't work either.The shaders are stuck at 1408.

Yep non unlockable card. These cards are only like 3-5% different.

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

Yep non unlockable card. These cards are only like 3-5% different.

That's a shame...Why does it even have a bios switch if it doesn't accept other bios.Anyway it will still be a good crossfire...

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antony209494

That's a shame...Why does it even have a bios switch if it doesn't accept other bios.Anyway it will still be a good crossfire...

Bios switch is for people who want to build an OCed bios and be able to retain the original

TRWOV · Feb 12, 2013, 05:34 PM

My 6950 came with a factory OCed bios in bios 2.

antony209494 · Feb 12, 2013, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

Bios switch is for people who want to build an OCed bios and be able to retain the original

Didn't know that.
Anyway I checked "force flash" from RBE and I put a 6970 bios,pc booted normally the clock limits are increased etc...everything but the shaders unlock.

Another bios from sapphire I tried made the pc go in a restart loop.

brandonwh64 · Feb 12, 2013, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antony209494

Didn't know that.
Anyway I checked "force flash" from RBE and I put a 6970 bios,pc booted normally the clock limits are increased etc...everything but the shaders unlock.

Another bios from sapphire I tried made the pc go in a restart loop.

Watch out using a 6970 bios cause it did something to 6950s that made the memory degrade quickly and that is why it is recommended to unlock shaders with the original 6950 bios.

I would take your original 6950 bios and do a OCing session until you found its max comfortable clocks and flash it for 24/7 OC and with a flip of a switch be back at stock settings.

drdeathx · Feb 12, 2013, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antony209494

Uhhh can you be a little more specific?What should I do exactly?There are dozens of cfg files in afterburner.

http://forums.overclockersclub.com/i...owtopic=182403

Feb 12, 2013, 01:41 PM	#1
antony209494 Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 83 (0.69/day) Thanks: 14 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts System Specs	Power color AX69502GBD52DH unlock help I just got a AX69502GBD52DH and tried to unlock the shaders only with wizards script.Followed the instructions from here http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sho...php?t=18332364 It didn't unlock.GPU Z still reported 1408 shaders.Then I decided to do it without the command prompt using only ATI winflash (means I loaded the modded bios and clikced "program" in winflash).A window saying flash successful and reboot popped up.I did it and then nothing:PC not booting-black screen.Flicked the switch to position 2 and it booted normally but still 1048 shaders.So I already fucked up one of the two BIOSs. How to reflash the original bios for slot 1 again?I got them from the bios database but I want to be sure I have both slots available before I try anything else.And what else can I try to unlock the shaders? Some people say they unlocked this model with RBE but I don't know how to use it.

System Name:	Cerberus
Processor:	AMD FX 8120
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA 970A-D3
Cooling:	Stock !LOUD! AMD fan and heatsink
Memory:	4GB DDR3 1333 Mhz Adata
Video Card:	Sapphire HD 6970 - Sapphire HD 6950 (unlocked shaders)
Hard Disk:	2x1TB=2TB Caviar Green and Kinston
CRT/LCD Model:	22 inch Samsung
Sound Card:	OnBoard
PSU:	Corsair GS 800
Software:	Windows 8 Pro 64 bit

Feb 12, 2013, 01:44 PM	#2
brandonwh64 Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chatsworth, GA Posts: 13,569 (10.00/day) Thanks: 2,149 Thanked 5,342 Times in 3,697 Posts System Specs	If the card did not unlock the first time after the successful flash then the card is not unlockable. You best bet is to boot with the next bios and while in windows flip the switch back to the dead bios and flash your original bios back. __________________ Cruncher's: All GPU's GPU's: 7970 3GB Unlocked = 8 Threads 5770 1GB OCed = 2 Threads

System Name:	The StarCrunch Defender!
Processor:	I7 2600K @ 4.5ghz 1.32V
Motherboard:	Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3
Cooling:	Corsair A70 Push/Pull
Memory:	G-Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB DDR3 1866mhz
Video Card:	Gigabyte 7970 3GB Reference Card at boost clocks
Hard Disk:	2x 500GB WD Blue Raid 0 / 1TB WD Black
Optical Drive:	Samsung DVD/R/RW SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	ViewSonic VG2227wm 1080P
Case:	NZXT Tempest 410 Elite
Sound Card:	Onboard Realtek (Azalia)
PSU:	Corsair 750TX
Software:	Windows 7 Home X64

System Name:	Cerberus
Processor:	AMD FX 8120
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA 970A-D3
Cooling:	Stock !LOUD! AMD fan and heatsink
Memory:	4GB DDR3 1333 Mhz Adata
Video Card:	Sapphire HD 6970 - Sapphire HD 6950 (unlocked shaders)
Hard Disk:	2x1TB=2TB Caviar Green and Kinston
CRT/LCD Model:	22 inch Samsung
Sound Card:	OnBoard
PSU:	Corsair GS 800
Software:	Windows 8 Pro 64 bit

Feb 12, 2013, 03:03 PM	#8
brandonwh64 Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chatsworth, GA Posts: 13,569 (10.00/day) Thanks: 2,149 Thanked 5,342 Times in 3,697 Posts System Specs	Just do not flash bios 2 and you should be fine. Hope it unlocks for you. __________________ Cruncher's: All GPU's GPU's: 7970 3GB Unlocked = 8 Threads 5770 1GB OCed = 2 Threads

Feb 12, 2013, 03:11 PM	#9
drdeathx Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chicago burbs Posts: 1,517 (1.03/day) Thanks: 39 Thanked 336 Times in 276 Posts System Specs	All you have to do is alter the .cfg file in MSI Afterburner

System Name:	Halloween Boo!
Processor:	Intel Core i7 3770K
Motherboard:	Gigabyte Z77-Up7
Cooling:	Custom Water/ Thermalchill TA 120.3/ Swiftech Apogeee XT/ MCP655/ Swiftech M icrores/ XSPC RX 240
Memory:	16G G.Skill trident 2400MHz
Video Card:	3 x Radeon 7970
Hard Disk:	OCZ Revo Drive 240G
Optical Drive:	Asus
CRT/LCD Model:	24 inch Viewsonic
Case:	Phobia WayCoolIt Test Bench
PSU:	Nexus 1100 watt

Feb 12, 2013, 04:35 PM	#13
antony209494 Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 83 (0.69/day) Thanks: 14 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts System Specs	Also:Should I dare to try flashing a 6970 bios? (like this one: http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/i...E&memSize=2048)

Feb 12, 2013, 04:49 PM	#16
antony209494 Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 83 (0.69/day) Thanks: 14 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts System Specs	I get a checksum mismatch error.

Feb 12, 2013, 04:50 PM	#17
brandonwh64 Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chatsworth, GA Posts: 13,569 (10.00/day) Thanks: 2,149 Thanked 5,342 Times in 3,697 Posts System Specs	Use "atiwinflash -f -p 0 bios.bin" __________________ Cruncher's: All GPU's GPU's: 7970 3GB Unlocked = 8 Threads 5770 1GB OCed = 2 Threads

Feb 12, 2013, 05:34 PM	#22
TRWOV Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Mexico Posts: 2,064 (3.16/day) Thanks: 797 Thanked 1,071 Times in 556 Posts System Specs	My 6950 came with a factory OCed bios in bios 2. __________________ My other rigs: OCTANUX - Conroe865PE - QX6800 - 4GB OCZ Platinum EL - HIS HD4670 AGP - SB Audigy 2 ZS - BFG PPU phenomenal - AM2NF3-VSTA - 965BE - 8GB OCZ Platinum LV - HIS HD3850 AGP - SB X-Fi - Asus PPU - WIP Green Tea - 939A8X-M - FX60 - 4GB OCZ Platinum EL - 7950GT AGP Re-build - CT-6VTA2 - PIII 600E - 384MB PC133 - Voodoo 5500 AGP - SB16 ISA BLUELINE - H61M-GE - PDC G645 - 8GB DDR3-1333 - Powercolor HD7750 - 2xTV Wonder 650

System Name:	Sandy Bridged 3rd Take
Processor:	Core i5-2320 @ 3.5Ghz
Motherboard:	GYGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H
Cooling:	Antec Kuhler H2O 620
Memory:	2x4GB A-DATA XPG 1600GS
Video Card:	ATi RADEON HD7870 2GB / Zotac GT430
Hard Disk:	500GB WD / 64GB Samsung SSD (SRT cache) / 2TB Seagate
Optical Drive:	Samsung SH-B123A Blu-ray/DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer V223W 22" LCD 1680x1050
Case:	Cooler Master Gladiator 600
PSU:	Cooler Master Silent Pro M 700w
Software:	Windows 8 Pro with Media Center
Benchmarks:	3dmark11 7925, IBT 90Gflops

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