Is this a newer BIOS for my Radeon? Can I flash this?

[SkOrPn]

Hello everyone,

I would like to know if my EAH5870/G/2DIS/1GD5 can be flashed with other BIOS files, such as a newer Asus BIOS?

I have two goals,

Main Goal: I want a newer BIOS since I have never updated before (fixes DisplayPort problems?).
Secondary Goal: I would like to modify it and set the stock gaming clocks to something like 950/1250 or 1000/1300 if possible.

I never really messed around with it before as its always been fast enough, but recently I noticed some newer games are really starting to show my cards weaknesses. I have hundreds poured into the water cooling, nice EK block, fantastic rad, great pump etc. When I use the AMD tools it says that 1000/1300 passes the test (and doesn't go over 42c) but when I go into a game such as Dishonored it freezes the game, but Windows is still OK. So, I assume I need more voltage. Current max v is 1.163, so I want to see what happens when I use 1.25

Anyways, I would like to run 1000/1300 during games if possible, and normal stock clocks during all other times. Is this possible on a good water setup? Can I do this safely with a BIOS flash or should this be done strictly in software?

Below is my cards info...

This is the BIOS my card came with
http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/56695/asus-hd5870-1024-090915.html

This is the BIOS that looks newer for my card. I think its from V2 of the card since it has a different cooler. The device ID is the same though.
http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/72815/asus-hd5870-1024-100311.html

Here is the screen of my cards info

Thank you very much for any help.

 

[eidairaman1]

if you value keeping your card alive, dont do it.

 

[Nordic]

if you value keeping your card alive, dont do it.

Agreed.

 

[SkOrPn]

Oh boy, and why exactly? I see all kinds of websites and reviews showing this card overclocked. Has something changed in the last few years, or is there news that shows it dies prematurely? OR are you saying don't do 1000 core? Perhaps 950 would be safer?

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Flashing bios on gpu are usualky frowned upon unless it will actually fix something. If you want high clock speeds, why not just use MSI Afterburner and overclock the card?

Id just upgrade video cards though honestly. Youll get much higher performance boost then trying to play with the clock speeds.

 

[erocker]

Often different bios's are meant for different (physical) cards. If your card is working properly you have no need to update the bios. If you want a higher clock, use a program like Afterburner, Trixx or Catalyst Control Center to change your clocks.

 

[eidairaman1]

Oh boy, and why exactly? I see all kinds of websites and reviews showing this card overclocked. Has something changed in the last few years, or is there news that shows it dies prematurely? OR are you saying don't do 1000 core? Perhaps 950 would be safer?

ok doing a bios update wont help with your overclocking, You risk Greater chance of causing a bricked card than what you gain from overclocking it that way, Youre pretty much on your own with Bios Flashing as No card manufacturer provides any form of support on doing such a task, Ill just say this DONT COME CRYING TO US WHEN YOU SCREW UP YOUR CARD!!!

 

[SkOrPn]

Yeah OK I agree with your guys. After hours of research and looking at 5870 CF, overclocking a single card etc. I think it would be best to sell the 5870, since its still pristine, plus I have the original retail box in such great shape with all the original parts that you can not tell its been opened, lol. Looking at ebay I think I could get 100 for it easy, plus the full cover EK should fetch $50, if there is anyone left in the world that would even buy one of them.

Now with that said, I think the R9 280X, or the R9 290 (non X) looks like the right direction. However, it is very hard for me to decide to buy a new video card when I very rarely ever play games. Maybe one major game a year, and I never even finished BF4 yet.

I will run this 5870 at 950/1250 for now via Afterburner and when I am done with this game sell it. Thanks guys for the opinions, it is much appreciated.

 

[eidairaman1]

Yeah OK I agree with your guys. After hours of research and looking at 5870 CF, overclocking a single card etc. I think it would be best to sell the 5870, since its still pristine, plus I have the original retail box in such great shape with all the original parts that you can not tell its been opened, lol. Looking at ebay I think I could get 100 for it easy, plus the full cover EK should fetch $50, if there is anyone left in the world that would even buy one of them.

Now with that said, I think the R9 280X, or the R9 290 (non X) looks like the right direction. However, it is very hard for me to decide to buy a new video card when I very rarely ever play games. Maybe one major game a year, and I never even finished BF4 yet.

I will run this 5870 at 950/1250 for now via Afterburner and when I am done with this game sell it. Thanks guys for the opinions, it is much appreciated.

might aswell get a 280 or 270X

 

[MxPhenom 216]

might aswell get a 280 or 270X

This, dont blow a shit ton of money in a card if you arent playing games all the time.

 

[SkOrPn]

This, dont blow a shit ton of money in a card if you arent playing games all the time.

Haha, yeah that is why I was just wanting to overclock at first or throw another 5870 at it. However, another 5870 requires another water block and right there I will have the same money into it as another video card. I just looked at the 270X and it is priced right and appears to be able to max out games on a 1080p screen. I just didnt realize these things have come down in price since I last looked at them a year ago. I was expecting way over 300, but $200 is just fine with me.

By the way, someone is selling a bunch of 280X's at the bay for 249 free ship, and they appear to be used for only 2 months. Would that be worth the extra 50? Or is that overkill on a 1080p screen?

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Haha, yeah that is why I was just wanting to overclock at first or throw another 5870 at it. However, another 5870 requires another water block and right there I will have the same money into it as another video card. I just looked at the 270X and it is priced right and appears to be able to max out games on a 1080p screen. I just didnt realize these things have come down in price since I last looked at them a year ago. I was expecting way over 300, but $200 is just fine with me.

By the way, someone is selling a bunch of 280X's at the bay for 249 free ship, and they appear to be used for only 2 months. Would that be worth the extra 50? Or is that overkill on a 1080p screen?

Id be afraid that overclocking wont yield the performance boost you are after though. IIRC 5870s didn't scale very well when overclocked.

those are fine cards. They probably used them for bitcoin mining for those 2 months, and now selling them.

Id definitely take a single 280x over 5870 CF.