Does this BIOS Flash look ok ? RX580 XFX

[Bernec]

Hello !

I decided to flash an original bios from a card clocked lower here is the ATIFlash/Winflash screenshot does it look ok ?

If I have a switch for mining/gaming is it actually a dual bios ? I am flashing on the one that is currently active ?

I didn't modify the bios in any way it's just from a lower spec model same XFX.

Thanks.

 

[MrGenius]

Looks fine. But why not just underclock it with Afterburner or WattMan?

And yes, if it has a switch, it's dual BIOS. And yes again, you are only flashing the current BIOS(with the switch in whatever position it's in). As long as you don't move the switch and flash it again, you'll have a backup BIOS.

Anyway, make sure you save the original BIOS. Like a bunch of copies of it. With ATIFlash and GPU-Z. And keep them on as many different disks/drives as possible. There's no guarantee that new BIOS is going to work.

 

[Bernec]

Looks fine. But why not just underclock it with Afterburner or WattMan?

And yes, if it has a switch, it's dual BIOS. And yes again, you are only flashing the current BIOS(with the switch in whatever position it's in). As long as you don't move the switch and flash it again, you'll have a backup BIOS.

Anyway, make sure you save the original BIOS. Like a bunch of copies of it. With ATIFlash and GPU-Z. And keep them on as many different disks/drives as possible. There's no guarantee that new BIOS is going to work.

I did flash it ... but I'm dissapointed with the results ... (thermal) I was looking for a silent card but the volts seem to be higher for this bios and the temps are almost the same.

I guess ASIC Quality is lower for the cards the used this bios so the voltages have to be higher so I didn't acomplish anything.

I just want a stock clock (AMD specification) and cool card with no noise. I dont care about extra 100 Mhz when the card is already at ~1300...

In the new bios version (that I've flashed on the "mining" bios) I can lower the voltages to 1025 mV and its quite silent play Witcher 3 (didn't have enough time to test for stability but at 1000 mV it crashed) so I had to raise it to 1025 mV.

I think the same results maybe a little worse were with the original bios (game mode not mining) and with the voltages and clocks in the same position.

I don not understand why some voltages at lower clocks are high than high p states because of the voltage drop that occurs when cars hit that frequency ?! I think so otherwise I can't explain it.

So anyone can give me few tips on how to achieve my little dream ?

 

[MrGenius]

Liquid metal TIM, custom fan profile, aftermarket cooler, soundproof case.

 

[eidairaman1]

MrGenius Said it. Dual bios are typically CSM and uefi. I would screenshot both switch positions in gpu-z before flashing. Flash the uefi one only if that card has a csm bios as well, never flash both.

 

[Bernec]

MrGenius Said it. Dual bios are typically CSM and uefi. I would screenshot both switch positions in gpu-z before flashing. Flash the uefi one only if that card has a csm bios as well, never flash both.

I saved both bioses using atiflash and gpu-z and I only flashed the one that was meant for miners.

Liquid metal TIM, custom fan profile, aftermarket cooler, soundproof case.

Isn't it a bit dangerous ? since GPU is the die itself no packaging on top if I put too much it will go to those small SMDs near and it it can short circuit things ?

How much do you gain from liquid metal termal compound ?

 

[Komshija]

Flashing BIOS makes no sense these days, because you will not gain any significant performance nor make any significant savings if you are mining. It could cause a lot of problems, not only a bad flash, but instability issues, shortening GPU life span etc.

 

[Bernec]

Flashing BIOS makes no sense these days, because you will not gain any significant performance nor make any significant savings if you are mining. It could cause a lot of problems, not only a bad flash, but instability issues, shortening GPU life span etc.

Well I only flashed the "mining one" since I have dual bios. Now I'm using the gaming one. (I do not mine and not interested at all). I'm just looking for a cool nice card to have.

Maybe I've should have gone the green team (I had an 1060 6GB bought from a miner but it died during gaming) ...

Now I'm at 1350 MHz @ 1.035V and its quite ok not very quiet but it doesn't compare to the silly settings that it came with ... original was 1.150V and 1405 MHz ... Way too much for the cooling solution that it had and poor quality thermal compound that was half dried out ...

I would stick to 1340-1350 MHz and keep trying lower volts until I have stability. For now only stable at 1350 MHz is 1.035V can't go to 1.025V since it looks up after 15-20 minutes of gaming.

I have an offer for a second hand 1060 6GB again but I would have to pay maybe 50 euros difference and my card (and its' not new ... and I'm not sure it wasn't mining). I had warranty for the RX580 until I swapped the thermal compound tho ... the 1060 6GB it's supposed to have some "dodgy" warranty for another 2 years.

For the moment I still have hope in the RX580 being a better card and going to be in the next DX12 titles where it should shine.

P.S. does anyone have a good bios editor where I can voltages for other cards ? I want to see the baseline spec and compare and try to tweak even more.

MrGenius Said it. Dual bios are typically CSM and uefi. I would screenshot both switch positions in gpu-z before flashing. Flash the uefi one only if that card has a csm bios as well, never flash both.

Wish I know which one is which ... I flashed like I said in my previous posts the one made for mining. Not the default position of the small switch. It's all I know ... BTW how am I supposed to recover from a bad flash ? I boot into windows using the working bios and I flip the switch and flash ? Is this possible ?

I'm not a fan of software overclocking (I know its safe and 100% doable) but I prefer a card that I don't have to tweak and mess around with it. I flashed all my older cards in the past but I haven't done it in a while and that's the reason I'm asking for a bios editor. I just need to edit clocks and voltages and flash it.

 

[eidairaman1]

Well I only flashed the "mining one" since I have dual bios. Now I'm using the gaming one. (I do not mine and not interested at all). I'm just looking for a cool nice card to have.

Maybe I've should have gone the green team (I had an 1060 6GB bought from a miner but it died during gaming) ...

Now I'm at 1350 MHz @ 1.035V and its quite ok not very quiet but it doesn't compare to the silly settings that it came with ... original was 1.150V and 1405 MHz ... Way too much for the cooling solution that it had and poor quality thermal compound that was half dried out ...

I would stick to 1340-1350 MHz and keep trying lower volts until I have stability. For now only stable at 1350 MHz is 1.035V can't go to 1.025V since it looks up after 15-20 minutes of gaming.

I have an offer for a second hand 1060 6GB again but I would have to pay maybe 50 euros difference and my card (and its' not new ... and I'm not sure it wasn't mining). I had warranty for the RX580 until I swapped the thermal compound tho ... the 1060 6GB it's supposed to have some "dodgy" warranty for another 2 years.

For the moment I still have hope in the RX580 being a better card and going to be in the next DX12 titles where it should shine.

P.S. does anyone have a good bios editor where I can voltages for other cards ? I want to see the baseline spec and compare and try to tweak even more.



Wish I know which one is which ... I flashed like I said in my previous posts the one made for mining. Not the default position of the small switch. It's all I know ... BTW how am I supposed to recover from a bad flash ? I boot into windows using the working bios and I flip the switch and flash ? Is this possible ?

I'm not a fan of software overclocking (I know its safe and 100% doable) but I prefer a card that I don't have to tweak and mess around with it. I flashed all my older cards in the past but I haven't done it in a while and that's the reason I'm asking for a bios editor. I just need to edit clocks and voltages and flash it.

Yes you boot into windows with the working bios, flip the switch and then flash.

 

[MrGenius]

Isn't it a bit dangerous ? since GPU is the die itself no packaging on top if I put too much it will go to those small SMDs near and it it can short circuit things ?

How much do you gain from liquid metal termal compound ?

It can be dangerous. IF you don't take the appropriate precautions. You should protect those SMDs with some form of coating, to prevent LM from coming into contact with them. I've used silicone dielectric grease and clear nail polish with success. You could also use thermal grease/paste that isn't electrically conductive/capacitive.

How much do you gain? A LOT! LM has orders of magnitude greater thermal conductivity than conventional thermal grease/paste.

Flashing BIOS makes no sense these days, because you will not gain any significant performance nor make any significant savings if you are mining. It could cause a lot of problems, not only a bad flash, but instability issues, shortening GPU life span etc.

Actually...mining is a very good reason to flash a modded BIOS. Typically you'd being tightening the memory timings. Which can result in substantial gains. And can only be accomplished by modding the BIOS. Thus...is why they all do it. And come here to ask how to fix it when it bricks their card(s).

Other than that, the other good reasons to do it are to unlock/increase voltage(s) and/or increase power limits beyond stock. Which can gain you quite a bit of performance. Also, for UEFI GOP compatibility. Which is going to matter in the near future. When older cards without a UEFI GOP compatible BIOS will be unable to run on new motherboards that will require it.

Just for overclocking/underclocking and/or undervolting though? No, not good reasons to do it at all. IMO...

P.S. does anyone have a good bios editor where I can voltages for other cards ? I want to see the baseline spec and compare and try to tweak even more.

PBE(Polaris BIOS Editor).

 

[Bernec]

Just for overclocking/underclocking and/or undervolting though? No, not good reasons to do it at all. IMO...
PBE(Polaris BIOS Editor).

Thanks for all the tips. But I was hoping for a tested working PBE I've got some nasty trojans and viruses trying to find one and it seems they are no longer maintained/updated.

I guess I will stick to software downclock and undervolt to keep my card silent. Either way the 1405 MHz @ 1.15V was throttling (even after MX4 on the heatsink/gpu) so I might consider LM for the GPU.

I will try to find some paint that is used to isolate electric wiring in small electrical engines. I'm not native in english but I think you've understood what I will try to look for it's for coils wiring etc.

I will take the bullet and go with LM ... Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut or Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra or Coollaboratory Liquid Pro ? Personal preference would be: Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut

 

[Bernec]

Went to LM today and I'm really happy with the results ! Some photos during the installation. I used UV nail polish to "paint" the condenser and resistors near the GPU die to make sure even if some LM reaches there it wont short-circuit anything ... It was a more of precaution instead of a requirement but I decided to take it.

The temp before (Arctic MX4) were 86-87 in Valley Extreme HD Preset for 10 minutes and after they were 75-76 degrees Celsius in Valley Extreme HD Preset. The target temperature being 76 degrees that means the fan was only spinning at 1800 rpm compared to full (allowed) speed from before which was 2200 rpm. (The fan maximum RPM is ~ 3100 completely unbearable noise at that rpm).

So my findings were that LM (Thermak Grizzly Conductonaut) lowered the temp at regular/normal usage by more than 10 degrees Celsius and if I would tested with 100% fan speed they would have been even better so it can reduce temps in 10-15 degrees Celsius depending on load/fan speed. I wasn't interested in testing at full speed to get the actual difference that LM makes because it wan't my case. I was looking for a cool and SILENT card so I got what I was dreaming for.

Here are the pics: (if anyone has any questions regarding my experiences with this card please feel free to ask)







P.S. The before tests were made with Arctic MX4 not the original crappy half dried thermal compound that was throttling the card all the time.