Guidance for Modproof R423 C3D X800 GTO

[modisch]

I figured I'd start this thread in the hopes of getting a definitive answer to "What now?" for the multitude of people that recently picked up a Connect3D X800GTO that cannot be modded. (Curses, asked for mine for xmas instead of birthday... if I had gotten it in Nov for my birthday, I'd be doing the extra pipes dance).

Overclocking

1. Best Tools to Use? (Right now I use ATITool)
2. What are reasonable targets with stock cooling?
3. At what point should we stop pushing it? (Temperature? # of artifacts?)

BIOS
Will flashing to another bios help? If so, where do I sign up? How would memory affect this? How do i find out if I have the 2ns or 1.6ns?

Hardmodding
Can this card be hardmodded? If not, why? Are the last 4p locked on die or on the board? Can the lasercut be bridged?


Seems like a lot of questions, but I think with the pros in this forum, we can put together a definitive answer for all the people that have picked up or will end up with a locked R423 GTO. I tried to answer these questions myself by going through some of the larger threads, and found some answers (some conflicting) and wanted to really hash it out in a standalone thread.

Much thanks on behalf of myself and all the other saps out there.

-m

 

[Ninjaplease]

Locked out

I have the same situation and card, R423, C3D X800GTO.


I use ATI Tool .24 and overclock the core to 540MHz and the Memory to 520MHz. I have 2.0nS memory and 540+MHz gives me artifacts right away. I also adjusted the fan speed to go full blast above 60 Degrees.


Playing battlefield 2 for HOURS, I get no lock ups, no crashing, smooth gameplay no artifacts with these settings and my temps are right about 59-60 degrees on the GPU core.

 

[modisch]

With ATITool I was able to put it at 550 core, 540 mem and had <1 artifact per minute... I'm curious as to what's a generally acceptable level of artifacting.

-m

 

[Ninjaplease]

Zero

Zero artifacts is acceptable. Artifacts result from memory corruption. If you operate at the edge of artifacting / no artifacting, remember to test your system over a few hours because the chips will heat up and probably get worse.

 

[modisch]

duely noted. thanks for the heads up.

-m

 

[Duncan]

I had mines running for 8 minutes artifact free on 540/520 when my monitor went dead but pc kept running, restarted it to fix.

Mines seems to run best at around 510/510.

Any bios to flash to increase productivity or any advice would be handy.

Whats everyones fans set to do in ati tool?

 

[NavyDood]

I have my unmoddable Connect3D x800gto R423core running at 580mHz core and 560mhz mem with no ramsinks. I am watercooling the gpu though. I haven't seen it go over 40°C with any game I have thrown at it. I.E. Fear, FarCry, COD2, or HL2. No ramsinks and very little air flow around my ram, if any at all.

I've also ran "Scan for Artifact" in ATItool for 8 hrs at this setting and had ZERO artifacts found.

 

[modisch]

I am watercooling the gpu though. I haven't seen it go over 40°C with any game I have thrown at it.

What are you water cooling with? and is this piggybacked on to water cooling for the CPU?

And how much would a cooling system similar to yours run? I kind of resent going out and getting a budget card and then spending more on cooling than the difference in cost of a better card.

-m

 

[NavyDood]

Believe it or not I am just using a Koolance Exos. And that is cooling the GPU after it comes out of the CPU. I am using a Zalman ZM-WB2 for the CPU and a Koolance CHC-A09 for the GPU.