How to enable additional shaders on Radeon HD 6950

[wmblalock]

Yeah, it was weird today. I'm back using MSI AB, but even after I apply a profile, say 900/1375 (one I used often), a few seconds later it would be back to like 400/625 (my 2D profile). Sometimes it would stay, sometimes not. Weird..

Do you have unofficial overclocking enabled in AB? If so, what do you do for your fan? Customer curve in AB or what?

 

[manofthem]

Do you have unofficial overclocking enabled in AB? If so, what do you do for your fan? Customer curve in AB or what?

Yeah, unofficial is unlocked, and I have a custom fan curve. I've gotten to 930/1400@1.1.80v. Atleast, AB says 1.18 but GPUz still says 1.10v, but I think I heard that's normal. That's my 3D profile
2D is 400/625@1.06v

edit: I've been try to monitor it now and see when it throttles back, but now it's not happening...

 

[wmblalock]

Yeah, unofficial is unlocked, and I have a custom fan curve. I've gotten to 930/1400@1.1.80v. Atleast, AB says 1.18 but GPUz still says 1.10v, but I think I heard that's normal. That's my 3D profile
2D is 400/625@1.06v

edit: I've been try to monitor it now and see when it throttles back, but now it's not happening...

Is your custom fan curve working for you all the time and staying active when Afterburner switches between 2D and 3D profiles? No matter what, with Unofficial Overclocking enabled, my fan curve goes back to ATIs default when the profiles automatically switch. Even though, in Afterburner, User Define is selected and the fan slider boarder is lit up green to show that its supposed to use my custom curve. Two click of the "user define" button and my fan curve reactivates, but only until I change the clocks or the profile switches. What about you? Are you sure AB is following your custom fan curve all the time? I don't see why yours would when mine wont.

 

[itsdanny]

Yep, I realized that as well. Having to click the "user define" button twice to get the custom curve back. Sometimes though, when I switch profiles (1-5), I don't have to click twice, sometimes it takes a few seconds to get the fan curve back to where it was. I would say it's buggy or somewhat.

 

[manofthem]

Is your custom fan curve working for you all the time and staying active when Afterburner switches between 2D and 3D profiles? No matter what, with Unofficial Overclocking enabled, my fan curve goes back to ATIs default when the profiles automatically switch. Even though, in Afterburner, User Define is selected and the fan slider boarder is lit up green to show that its supposed to use my custom curve. Two click of the "user define" button and my fan curve reactivates, but only until I change the clocks or the profile switches. What about you? Are you sure AB is following your custom fan curve all the time? I don't see why yours would when mine wont.

I see what you are saying...
The custom fan is staying active and accurate most of the time...but, for instance, I just adjusted profile 5 900/1375 to 910/1375@1.18 in 3DMark 11. It ran fine to completion. Then when I went to save that profile to spot 5, the fan dropped back down to like 27%. It stayed there for a few seconds, maybe ~5sec, then went back up to where it was supposed to be, ~35%.

After that, I switched back to 1, which is 400/625@0.9v. When I did, the fan dropped to 27%, stayed there for about 3-4secs, then went back to 30 where it's supposed to be.

Sometimes though, when I switch profiles (1-5), I don't have to click twice, sometimes it takes a few seconds to get the fan curve back to where it was. I would say it's buggy or somewhat.

I think you're right, it just takes a bit to get back on track, not sure why.

 

[wmblalock]

Yep, I realized that as well. Having to click the "user define" button twice to get the custom curve back. Sometimes though, when I switch profiles (1-5), I don't have to click twice, sometimes it takes a few seconds to get the fan curve back to where it was. I would say it's buggy or somewhat.

For me, it disables my custom fan curve every time I change a setting and click apply or every time it auto switches profiles. It makes the program useless to me because it won't cool the card the way I need it too and I don't want to overheat the card when playing a game. I posted it in the Afterburner bug thread and they just said to disable Unofficial Overclocking.. lol.. so either way Afterburner is pretty much useless to me :shadedshu

 

[manofthem]

Is your custom fan curve working for you all the time and staying active when Afterburner switches between 2D and 3D profiles? No matter what, with Unofficial Overclocking enabled, my fan curve goes back to ATIs default when the profiles automatically switch. Even though, in Afterburner, User Define is selected and the fan slider boarder is lit up green to show that its supposed to use my custom curve. Two click of the "user define" button and my fan curve reactivates, but only until I change the clocks or the profile switches. What about you? Are you sure AB is following your custom fan curve all the time? I don't see why yours would when mine wont.

I just tried switching back and forth. When I went from 2D to 3D, the fan dropped lower than it's supposed to. It stayed there for about 15sec, and then it went back to normal.

If you let it sit a bit, do you notice it goes to where it's supposed to be?

 

[wmblalock]

I just tried switching back and forth. When I went from 2D to 3D, the fan dropped lower than it's supposed to. It stayed there for about 15sec, and then it went back to normal.

If you let it sit a bit, do you notice it goes to where it's supposed to be?

Just tried it out.. no matter what I do, it wont go back to my profile until I double click user define

 

[manofthem]

Just tried it out.. no matter what I do, it wont go back to my profile until I double click user define

Well, it's weird here. My fan is supposed to sit at 30 at the lowest. I switched back to 2D, and it dropped to 30%. I just checked it again after not doing anything with it for a few minutes (watched a ME2 PS3/360 comparison video), and the fan dropped to 25%. So it looked like it doesn't sit where it should all the time. Not that it mattered in that instance since it didn't need to be high, but it is still frustrating nonetheless.

edit: my bigger problem is that AB doesn't seem to want to switch back from 3D to 2D. Isn't it supposed to do that automatically, since it does switch from 2D to 3D automatically? I have to set it to go back to 400/625...

 

[wmblalock]

Well, it's weird here. My fan is supposed to sit at 30 at the lowest. I switched back to 2D, and it dropped to 30%. I just checked it again after not doing anything with it for a few minutes (watched a ME2 PS3/360 comparison video), and the fan dropped to 25%. So it looked like it doesn't sit where it should all the time. Not that it mattered in that instance since it didn't need to be high, but it is still frustrating nonetheless.

Exactly, doesn't matter in 2D mode, but leave it alone and try running kombustor and see how hot it gets running the stock profile.. not good. Kills the program for me if I can game with my custom fan profile while using AB with unofficial overclocking

 

[manofthem]

Exactly, doesn't matter in 2D mode, but leave it alone and try running kombustor and see how hot it gets running the stock profile.. not good. Kills the program for me if I can game with my custom fan profile while using AB with unofficial overclocking

I did leave it and run Furmark with GPUz open to monitor it. It seemed to go alright. And earlier today playing BC2 online for like 1.5 hours, it must have been working because the fan was going pretty well. I just don't know...
But I do appreciate your help thus far!

 

[wmblalock]

I did leave it and run Furmark with GPUz open to monitor it. It seemed to go alright. And earlier today playing BC2 online for like 1.5 hours, it must have been working because the fan was going pretty well. I just don't know...
But I do appreciate your help thus far!

I guess to each their own. I run my card at 1.200v 965mhz/1450mhz and I like keeping my card below 80* so I need my fan control. I am using Trixx for now. I just tested it if I use Hibernate instead of shutdown for my computer then I don't have to go mess with Power Control when I turn my computer back on, it stays at the +20% and doesn't throttle down the card. It's still a pain when I am overclocking and change my clock speeds because I have to play with the Power Control slider each time, but for now it seems to be my best solution. Hopefully these programs will evolve and do what we need properly. Besides fan control, and automatically increase overclock limits, the other thing I like about Trixx over Afterburner is that it still allows the card to idle down in 2D per the stock ATI settings. So my card runs at a easy 250mhz core (.9v) / 150mhz memory until I game. That's much lower than Afterburner can go.

 

[decapnz]

have/can you guys report these bugs the respectable devs?

 

[Sebascenso]

When playing wolfentein with my sapphire 6950 with unlocked shaders, I noticed some weird snow flakes floating and in some cases, things suddenly dissapearing, for example chairs o whatever that in one instant are there and in the other, they dissapear. With an nvidia 460 gtx (my previuos card), this things didn't happen. I don't know if these issues are driver related or if the enabled extra shaders are causing the trouble.

 

[DJManiac]

Again - Many thanks wmblalock - You help us all to understand more

Your testing proves what I mentioned some posts before regarding TRIXX....

I think we al have to remind that we are still playing with BETAs of AB and TRIXX... And of course BETA Catalysts!!!

Again (as I wrote some posts before) . In my opinion a good solution is in total:

- VGPU via RBE
- FAN via Afterburner
- 2D/3D Clocks (no limits) via ATI Tray Tools with 2D/3D profiles for auto-OC'ing.

What a pitty that there is no solution in ATT for FAN curve at the moment....Want to get rid of thoose card seller tools...

The only difference to ATI Powerplay is that UVD clocks (500/1375) are not present if you use ATT.... But the 6950/6970 will do it also with 250/150 easily!

Up to now there is no perfect tool at all!

Hopefully... Sometime.. there will be a support for clocks and FAN in RBE...

Then all the problems will be gone... Normally dont like those tools running al ther time....

 

[Tatty_Two]

I am just running mine with the shader only mod and 840mhz CCC max without the need for voltage adjustment in RBE. I can't be doing with messing about and I get all the performance I need as I don't bother with benching anymore. I am sure overclocked versions will be around soon that have higher CCC limits although I appreciate that might invade 6970 space, if/when we do see those OC cards I will try and import their signature file into RBE and see if I can use method 1 to increase CCC limits.

If we dont see any official higher OC limits then I will have to re-think my strategy, hopefully by which time Afterburner will give us in anycase everything we need without the odd irritation.

Edit: Seems we are there already, Powercolor is releasing a PCS++ version of the HD 6950 that will have Reference clocks of 880mhz and therefore an even higher overdrive limit, just gotta hope now that RBE lets the importation of signatures.

 

[decapnz]

amen to that tatty_one

 

[tecnoworld]

the new powercolor (factory unlocked and overclocked) is an interesting product.

It could be referred to as 6960, since has the same GPU specs as the 6970 and the same memory specs as the 6950.

I'm particularly interested to know if its GPU voltage is 1.1v or 1.175v.

My unlocked card (just shader unlocked over factory BIOS) can't handle 880Mhz in certain situations (e.g. Crysis), while it can do 865Mhz safely. Memory is stable at 1325Mhz.

 

[Tatty_Two]

the new powercolor (factory unlocked and overclocked) is an interesting product.

It could be referred to as 6960, since has the same GPU specs as the 6970 and the same memory specs as the 6950.

I'm particularly interested to know if its GPU voltage is 1.1v or 1.175v.

My unlocked card (just shader unlocked over factory BIOS) can't handle 880Mhz in certain situations (e.g. Crysis), while it can do 865Mhz safely. Memory is stable at 1325Mhz.

I assume it can't handle the 880mhz at 1.1V??? If so why not just raise the voltage to ha happy medium like 1.15v in RBE??

 

[tecnoworld]

mine can't handle 880Mhz at 1.1v, but I've read some reports of cards that actually can do that. Anyway you are right, I think a bit more voltage should be more than enough for even reaching 900Mhz.

 

[Mark22]

My asus card runs fine at 880/1300 @1.1V but a bios with a slightly tweaked voltage would be nice for higher easy overclocks.

 

[Tatty_Two]

My asus card runs fine at 880/1300 @1.1V but a bios with a slightly tweaked voltage would be nice for higher easy overclocks.

It is simple to do that yourself in RBE, if you have never done that before I would be happy to help.

 

[dom99]

yeh mine handles 880MHz and 1375MHz on 1.1V, dont wana try any higher yet but im sure it could!

 

[tecnoworld]

mark22 and dom99: have you tried crysis at 880Mhz? I'm asking since my card seems to handle anything at that frequency, but Crysis, that locks up.

 

[wmblalock]

I am just running mine with the shader only mod and 840mhz CCC max without the need for voltage adjustment in RBE. I can't be doing with messing about and I get all the performance I need as I don't bother with benching anymore. I am sure overclocked versions will be around soon that have higher CCC limits although I appreciate that might invade 6970 space, if/when we do see those OC cards I will try and import their signature file into RBE and see if I can use method 1 to increase CCC limits.

If we dont see any official higher OC limits then I will have to re-think my strategy, hopefully by which time Afterburner will give us in anycase everything we need without the odd irritation.

Edit: Seems we are there already, Powercolor is releasing a PCS++ version of the HD 6950 that will have Reference clocks of 880mhz and therefore an even higher overdrive limit, just gotta hope now that RBE lets the importation of signatures.

That would be great if it worked out. The only issue I see, if you are able to import the signature, is that the overclock limits still might not be high enough. Both of my cards are rock stable at 965mhz/1450mhz 1.200v, and I think a lot of peoples probably are at 1.200v. I might even be able to push my card some more. I just doubt even the powercolor increased limits will allow that much of an overclock, but I guess we will see.