HIS 4870 and Riva Tuner

[Flash]

Hi there. I am writing here as well in hopes that someone knows about this problem, or had it as well, or someone just know about a solution.

It seems I am the only one with this problem. Basically my Riva Tuner will detect my 2D clocks of 200/500 instead of 3D 750/900 like everybody else. I have Catalyst 8.12 driver installed and Riva Tuner 2.22.

I use it in a lot of monitoring and Fan control a lot, and I would've just liked to stick with it for some mild OC as well. Also I hate power play as games like EVE Online when run in window mode uses the 200/500 clocks!!

I was really wondering why people with 4870 can use RivaTuner yet I can't because my clocks are not detected properly.

My computer: http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn2/Goon9876/Capture-1.jpg

Others: (guide too)
http://www.techarp.com/article/ATI/4870_OC_Guide/overclock_03_big.png
Source: http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=580&pgno=4

Also no CCC sugestions please, it makes my computer unstable, clocks keep jumping up and down, same for voltage, the voltage is not even fully supplied actually, 1.16 instead of 1.26)

My GPU is: HIS HD4870 512mb.

Thank you

 

[nafets]

Your 2D clocks shouldn't be 200/500, otherwise you'd get constant flickering from PowerPlay's incessant 2D/3D state changing, with the HD4870.

A quick guess by looking at your screenshot tells me that something is triggering your card to run in the "thermal" state. The BIOS version shown in GPU-Z in your screenshot is known to have this extra state.

Make a copy of your BIOS available here, using GPU-Z. It might help in figuring out what's going on.

Another thing that would help is to show me what Rivatuner sees. With nothing else open, run Rivatuner. On the 'Main' tab, click on the triangle next to 'Customize', and select 'Graphics Subsystem Diagnostics Report'. This will open up another window. In the 'Available Categories' section make sure that only 'ATI specific display adapter information' and 'ATI VGA BIOS information' is checked. Then click on the camera icon at the bottom. Then just copy and paste what shows up in the 'Report preview' section, in your reply here. Listed below is an example of what Rivatuner reports for my HD4870:

$ffffffffff ----------------------------------------------------------------
$ffffffffff ATI specific display adapter information
$ffffffffff ----------------------------------------------------------------
$0900000000 Graphics core : RV770 (800sp)
$0900000002 Memory bus : 256-bit
$0900000001 Memory type : DDR5 SGRAM
$0900000003 Memory amount : 512MB
$0900000004 Core clock : 159.999MHz
$0900000005 Memory clock : 225.000MHz (900.000MHz effective)
$0900000006 Reference clock : 100.000MHz
$ffffffffff ----------------------------------------------------------------
$ffffffffff ATI VGA BIOS information
$ffffffffff ----------------------------------------------------------------
$0a00000000 Title : RV770XT 512M GDDR5 2DVI TVO
$0a00000001 Date/time : 09/08/08 06:32
$0a00000002 Core clock : 750.000MHz
$0a00000003 Memory clock : 900.000MHz
$0a00000004 Reference clock : 100.000MHz
$0a00030000 PowerPlay state 0 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V/boot
$0a00030100 Performance level 1 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030200 Performance level 2 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030001 PowerPlay state 1 : 500MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030101 Performance level 1 : 500MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030201 Performance level 2 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030002 PowerPlay state 2 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V/UVD
$0a00030102 Performance level 1 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030202 Performance level 2 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030003 PowerPlay state 3 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V/3D
$0a00030103 Performance level 1 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030203 Performance level 2 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030004 PowerPlay state 4 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V/thermal
$0a00030104 Performance level 1 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V
$0a00030204 Performance level 2 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V
$0a00000008 Memory type : GDDR5

PS: Your links don't work.

 

[Flash]

Hi and thank you for the reply.

I have repaired the links and also uploaded my BIOS (CHANGE .TXT TO .RAR!)


And here is what Riva Tuner reports:

$ffffffffff ----------------------------------------------------------------
$ffffffffff ATI specific display adapter information
$ffffffffff ----------------------------------------------------------------
$0900000000 Graphics core : RV770 (800sp)
$0900000002 Memory bus : 256-bit
$0900000001 Memory type : DDR5 SGRAM
$0900000003 Memory amount : 512MB
$0900000004 Core clock : 200.000MHz
$0900000005 Memory clock : 500.000MHz (2000.000MHz effective)
$0900000006 Reference clock : 100.000MHz
$ffffffffff ----------------------------------------------------------------
$ffffffffff ATI VGA BIOS information
$ffffffffff ----------------------------------------------------------------
$0a00000000 Title : RV770XT PCIE 512M/256B GDDR5 DVI-I/VO/DVI-I 900M/750E
$0a00000001 Date/time : 10/15/08 21:47
$0a00000002 Core clock : 750.000MHz
$0a00000003 Memory clock : 900.000MHz
$0a00000004 Reference clock : 100.000MHz
$0a00030000 PowerPlay state 0 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V/boot
$0a00030100 Performance level 1 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030200 Performance level 2 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030001 PowerPlay state 1 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V
$0a00030101 Performance level 1 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V
$0a00030201 Performance level 2 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V
$0a00030002 PowerPlay state 2 : 500MHz/500MHz/1.20V/UVD
$0a00030102 Performance level 1 : 500MHz/500MHz/1.20V
$0a00030202 Performance level 2 : 500MHz/500MHz/1.20V
$0a00030003 PowerPlay state 3 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V/3D
$0a00030103 Performance level 1 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030203 Performance level 2 : 750MHz/900MHz/1.26V
$0a00030004 PowerPlay state 4 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V/thermal
$0a00030104 Performance level 1 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V
$0a00030204 Performance level 2 : 200MHz/500MHz/1.08V
$0a00000008 Memory type : GDDR5

 

[Flash]

Ok, I think I understand now, my BIOS and whoever created it, IS SCREWED! (well, not in the literal sence).

First they also lower the memory when not in 3D (which btw, I really did not notice any fliker), then they keep the same clocks on the line for all 3, low, medium, high modes.

So I'm guessing RT seens only 200/500 because RT is a windows program (i'm just hitting blind with this statement) and in windows all 3 modes low, medium, high are 200/500 (instead of rising like yours)

Now, the accelerated 3D mode is only trigged in Full screen, while window mode, is still considered windows, and that's why EVE runs with 200/500 when in window mode (also I noticed ACDsee Crop tool lags A LOT!, so I'm guessing again because it uses only 200/500, even tho it's an intense program).

So yea, I guess my only option is to flash
Also can I safely assume your Riva Tuner sees your correct 750/900 cores and you can OC with it?

 

[nafets]

I'm taking a look at your BIOS and Rivatuner report right now. I'll update in a few minutes with my thoughts...

Yes, Rivatuner sees my correct clocks and is fully functional for under/overclocking and under/overvolting. I have had my HD4870 since the card was first released, so I'm very familiar with it and with all of the BIOS settings. I use Rivatuner to set my 2D speeds of 160/225/1.0375v, for maximum power savings.

Update. Ok. I see the problem. As you also figured, your BIOS is way out of whack. I can't believe HIS would sell the card with such an error filled BIOS. The reason you don't see the flickering (caused by GDDR5 memory speed changes) is because your card is always at 200/500 (even during windowed gaming!) unless you are fullscreen gaming. Since the flickering happens upon memory speed changes, you wouldn't see this problem as it only happens once, when you enter the game, and once when you leave the game.

For your current BIOS;
Clock info #'s 00, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12 are all correctly set.
Clock info #'s 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06 are all incorrectly set.

Current settings (what your funky HIS HD4870 has):
2D (and windowed 3D) - 200/500/1.083v
3DLP (UVD) - 500/500/1.203v
3DHP (Fullscreen 3D) - 750/900/1.263v
Thermal (Usually unused) - 200/500/1.083v

Proper settings (what I have for my Sapphire HD4870):
2D - 500/900/1.083v
3DLP (UVD) - 750/900/1.263v
3DHP (Windowed and Fullscreen 3D) - 750/900/1.263v
Thermal (Usually unused) - 200/500/1.083v

Not being able to use the card at it's full speed in windowed 3D mode is totally unacceptable. Not to mention if you do any UVD stuff, that too will be at an underpowered state.

If you have any knowledge of working with Radeon Bios Editor, you can fix your current BIOS and reflash your card. I can guarantee all your problems will be resolved, and Rivatuner will be fully functional for you too. Here are the settings you need to change with Radeon Bios Editor (use the latest version).

Clock info # 01, 02 should be set at 500/900/1.083
Clock info # 03, 04, 05, 06 should be set at 750/900/1.263

Just save the BIOS and use ATIWinflash or Atiflash to update your video card. If you have any other questions, let me know.

Edit: Your BIOS edited with the proper settings is available below. You can check it out in Radeon Bios Editor just to make sure.

 

[Flash]

Super. Now I hope everything will work out flashing it. I think however I will set the volts for the info # 01, 02 to 1.263. The card had 1.203 for 500/500, so I kinda think 1.083 might be to low. I mean it's better to have the juice if it needs it rather than not right?

It's a bit of gamble too isn't it. If I flash it, and the card will have any problems in the future, my warranty is void (even tho it's 1 year only), all because of their wanky BIOS.

Is it ok to assume that all HIS GPU's (at least the most current ones) bear the same BIOS version? (as in thinking of RMA it)

Btw, before I flash, do you OC your card? If yes, how.

 

[nafets]

Save you current BIOS somewhere safe. If you have any problems in the future, with the card, you can reflash your card with the original (crap) BIOS. Your card will absolutely still be warrantied, within the allotted time period, of course.

BIOS versions for the HD4870 have differed quite a bit since the card was first released. General functionality has been the same, but small things like lowered 2D voltage settings, the thermal state I talked about, and even higher stock voltages were added. The BIOSes between different manufacturers are all pretty much the same, and do not change the functionality of the card. IE.......I could flash my card with your BIOS and it would work just fine (although I'd have your weird 2D/3D clocks). Certain Asus cards have a BIOS that doesn't play nicely with other HD4870s, but that's pretty much it.

Yes, I OC my card with Rivatuner. My 3D setting is 810/1135/1.263. I haven't done any overvolting yet to see if my OC can increase, just undervolting in 2D. I'm still working on that though.

Also, after you flash your card, it's probably a good idea to uninstall Rivatuner and the ATI drivers/CCC (if you're using it), and reinstall both. If everything works fine and your clocks are properly detected, then great, no need to do that. If you do reinstall, I recommend installing just the ATI drivers, and then Rivatuner. Make sure that Rivatuner is seeing the new BIOS info, and that everything is functioning properly. After that you can install CCC, if necessary. CCC is only needed for changing the DirectX and OpenGL settings, monitor settings, and the like. It is not needed for proper 2D/3D state switching, as that's done soley by the driver.

 

[Flash]

So do you manually change your volts and clocks with RivaTuner when idling on desktop (or at least have a scheduler to do it)? Because from what I understood, RT disables changing between states.

Other than that, can you confirm it's ok to set 1.263v for the 500/900 clock info 01, 02. Also, I'm thinking of choosing to Fix the spinup bug and use the recommended fan settings. What do you think?

 

[nafets]

For maximum performance and control I have two shortcuts (using RT's launcher! - sorry, I had the wrong thing here) on my Start button;
2D (160/225/1.0375v/0% fan speed) and
3D (810/1135/1.263v/36% fan speed).

I also have the 2D shortcut in my Startup folder. When Windows boots the 2D settings are automatically applied (without having Rivatuner opened). When I want to game/benchmark or anything that requires 3D I click the 3D shortcut, and the settings are applied. When I'm done gaming, and I'm back on the desktop, I click the 2D shortcut. If you're looking for something automatic, the shortcut method may be too involved.

I do this because;
1. I don't like having the fan go up and down based on the GPU temperature. My shortcut way keeps the fan constant.
2. When in either 2D or 3D the GPU/MEM speeds are constant and never change unless I click on the shortcuts. During normal operation the HD4870 will constanly change between 2D and 3D modes, even if you're not gaming. If you have memory speeds that are different in 2D and 3D this would lead to constant flickering (if they were set like this in the BIOS). Since your BIOS has the 2D and 3D memory speeds both at 900, you won't see any flickering. But your GPU will still go from 500 to 750 every now and then. This is normal and is not a problem.

You can keep the 01 and 02 voltages at 1.263v. It really doesn't matter. It's perfectly safe to have them at 1.083v also. It's just a power saving measure.

Applying the spinup bug fix is recommended.

If you don't have any knowledge with the fan settings, I'd recommend leaving them alone. If you're really a tweaker, you can mess with them and find something that works for you. This takes trial and error for the most part, unless you know exactly what you want.

Since I use Rivatuner to set my constant fan speeds, the BIOS fan settings are rendered moot. Add to that most everything from the BIOS is rendered useless for me, since Rivatuner overrides it for GPU/MEM/voltages.

I should add; if you're looking for a replacement for CCC, you can give Ati Tray Tools a shot. It's an excellent program. It has many of the features of Rivatuner like GPU/MEM under/overclocking, automatic application of custom GPU/MEM speeds, monitoring, voltage changing (only within the limits of the BIOS settings), and fan control. In addition you can change DirectX and OpenGL settings, monitor settings and many other tweaks.

I only use Rivatuner, as it doesn't need to be open for my shortcuts to work. Ati Tray Tools has to be open at all times (can be minimized to the system tray though), for it to properly function.

Sorry, if I'm a bit too thorough with my answers. I tend to drag on and make things too complicated.

 

[Flash]

Thanks a lot.

For some reason I feel more comfortable to use Riva Tuner. Ati Tray Tools looks to complicated for me. And I mean I really love your idea of making 2 schedulers, one for 3D and one for 2D when i'm in Windows and don't use any video acceleration. Plus Riva Tuner has so many monitoring variables, GPU, CPU, including clocks, usage, load, volts, and temperature (basically I use it to monitor both my GPU and CPU parameters).
And with your help in being able to lower my voltage for a 2D mode, I'l like it even more

However, the Fan spin-up still exists even with RivaTuner (when fan is set to Auto, before 35% Fan is kicking in; I use Auto for <50c and 35% for >58c), especially when you stay in the mobo BIOS (for some reason it heats up the GPU, as when i'm returning to desktop it is 65c rather than 35c from a cold start-up). Do you also have it, or your Sapphire does not suffer from this bug?

Oh and lastly, do you have a good tutorial how to create a bootable CD to pure DOS. google is not very helpfull. I did found this would DOS6.22_bootdisk.iso be the correct one?
If yes, once I burn that image, how do I add ATIFlash to the disk? (Using Nero, Burn Image to Disk for the DOS6.22 image)

 

[nafets]

Yeah, Rivatuner is pretty great, and very simple, even with the many things you can do with it.

Once you get settled, you can read about how to change voltages on your HD4870 using Rivatuner. A good guide can be found here; http://www.ocxtreme.org/forumenus/showthread.php?t=4427

I can't comment on any fan spin-up bugs that occur when using Rivatuner, with the fan set to Auto. My 2D and 3D speeds are set to a constant speed, so there is never any erroneous fan spin ups in Windows. It's definetly possible that if and when you update your card with the newer BIOS these fan spin-ups will not be present anymore when using Rivatuner and the Auto fan settings.

When I'm in my motherboard's BIOS or during boot up (before Windows loads) the BIOS of the HD4870 is controlling the GPU/MEM speeds and fan speeds. So yes, I do get weird fan spins ups and downs then, and the GPU does get hotter than usual. This is normal though, as it's how the card is supposed to operate, when not using options like Rivatuner or ATT.

Sorry, I don't have any info on making bootable CDs for DOS. I use a bootable USB flash drive for any DOS stuff.

From what I read you should be fine, using the Dos 6.22 ISO image. First you would obviously burn the .iso to a CD, to make it a bootable CD. Then you just add whatever files you want (using Nero - add to data CD), like the most recent version of Atiflash, your current bios, and the new bios. You can also throw on some other programs like Memtest or other diagnostic programs that need to be run in DOS.

 

[phanbuey]

i can link you a file called FlashCD.iso... burn that to a CD.

Also put whatever Flashing tool you use and the bios on a USB... when you boot from the CD with the USB drive in you will get Dos and be able to access the USB disk.

Flash away!

here is the CD link
http://www.bootdisk.com/plan40/flashcd.zip

 

[Flash]

The Flashcd .iso is empty
Also I tried to create a DOS CD with Nero following CrackerJack's thread, but I'm having problems, I posted into that thread.

 

[nafets]

Sorry to see you're still having problmes. I spent some time and did a little testing.
I found a link to making a bootable CD that worked for me. Check it out here; http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/#clean

1. Just download the 'clean20.zip' file, and extract it to a folder.
2. Put your Atiflash.exe file, the original HD4870 BIOS, and the new HD4870 BIOS in the cds\clean\bootdisk folder.
3. With a CD-R or CD-RW in your CD/DVD-ROM drive, click on the 'build-clean.cmd' in the main folder. It will automatically create the .iso and burn it to your CD-R or CD-RW.
4. Reboot your PC and boot from the CD/DVD-ROM drive. Also, if you have them, make sure you enable detecting USB keyboards/mice in your motherboard BIOS (if you have that option).

Good luck!

 

[Flash]

I did exactly that. How long are you suppose to wait tho.

All I got was 1. FD 2.88 mb System Type - (13)
Loading FreeDOS...
ROOT FAT KERNEL GO!

Now the blinky just stays there and blinks and nothing more for several minutes. I restarted after that.
I just wish ATIFlash would be bootable, I can't believe my biggest obstacle yet is to start DOS with ATIFlash and .rom attached.

 

[Flash]

Ok I finally manged to flash my card in BIOS (after I set my DVD-RW to Disable for SATA/RAID, and Legacy mode, for some wired reason when set on the Gigabyte SATA controler and set to IDE it would not see the drive in Caldera DOS). Also my USB keyboard is not working even tho I have it enabled in mobo BIOS and Caldera BIOS says USB's are installed, so lucky I had a PS2 keyboard.

Anyway, I think I know now why they set all my windows 2D including the 3D to the same clocks. Even tho the info clock 1 and 2 is the same at 500/900 and clock 3 at 750/900, every type of "motion" in windows, as in scrolling the web up and down, will trigger the clock 3 info. So now now core keeps jumping between 500 and 750 core clock.

Also I modified the fan settings just a bit (only in decreasing the Tmin from 58 to 50, and rising the fan from 0% to 10%,) yet the fan is still as lazy as before, as in it will have 18% at 64c when it should be 33% compared to the BIOS slope.

 

[nafets]

Glad to hear you got it flashed!

Don't worry about that GPU clock changing. It's perfectly normal and safe...

 

[Flash]

Well as you said, it's a bit irrelevant as long as I will be using Riva Tuner .

I have read the guide throughly about changing voltage with Riva Tuner, however, I do not know how to apply that voltage on my clocks. Nor how I can create desktop shortcuts for the clocks (EDIT: Ok, found it, just right click on the launch entry ), without having to have Riva Tuner running. Also how did you got your fan to 0%, the minimum is 25% in Low-level. Only way I could have set mine to 0% was to actually set the fan to Auto.

Would love to hear from you the steps required to do that with RT if you can, especially now that it finally sees my 3D clocks with my brand new modified BIOS.

 

[nafets]

For setting your voltage for a Launcher shortcut;

Click on the Launcher tab. Right click on your menu item and select the edit icon. You should see a Regular menu item editor window. At the bottom check the Associated application box. In the Path section, put the path to your Rivatuner.exe executable. In the Command line section, put the command line used to set the voltage (For example "/wi1,70,18,41" which would set a 1.26v voltage for me; don't use quotes). Normal priority class is fine, and don't check the Restore settings... box.

For lowering the fan limit in Rivatuner, it's pretty much the same as before;

Click on the Power User tab. Go to the Rivatuner \ Fan section. Next to 'MinFanSpeedLimit' right click in the value area and select the grey light bulb (or just put in a zero). You should now be able to set the fixed fan duty cycle to as low as 0%. For the reference HD4870 (mine anyways) any setting from 0% to around 20% results in approximately the same fan speed. But it's still better/quieter than 25%.

 

[Flash]

And to set up 1.03v for your 160/225, do you edit the same register (in your case 18) and give it a hex number that with the formula will result in 1.03v?

3oh6 in his thread was talking about an idle register and load register, but since when you using Riva Tuner and power play is disable, I guess you only use 1 register right?

And to make your 160/225 to autostart at windows, do you just place your shortcut in Startup folder in Porgrams? I am also guessing that "Apply overclocking/fan settings at windows startup" in Low-level system tweaks where you set clocks and fan is also un-checked?

P.S. Is there a reason why it's 160 and not 150?

 

[nafets]

Just be sure to follow the instructions in the voltage guide carefully, and you'll be fine. It can be confusing, but after fooling around with it, it's very easy to figure out.

Since I'm using the launcher shortcut method, I just use one register, the load register; which for me is the "18" one you refer to. I found that using the 15, 16, and 17 registers (various IDLE) didn't alter the voltage, so the 18 register is the one to use for me. The value you would change is the last number. To get around 1.03v you set it to 2F. Find what's optimal/stable for your card.

Yes, just place the 2D shortcut in your Startup folder. I do not check the "Apply overclock...." box, as this is not needed.

160MHz for the GPU is just an arbitrary value I decided upon. Back last year when the HD4850 came out, soon after, a newer BIOS was available that lowered 2D GPU speeds to 160MHz. Since the manufacturers and/or ATI deemed this a viable 2D GPU speed, I figured why not for the HD4870? Testing I've done shows that there is little to no power savings or heat reduction in going from 500MHz to 160MHz in 2D IDLE (around 1W savings). Set it at whatever you're comfortable with. In 2D IDLE the most power savings and heat reduction comes from aggressively lowering the MEM speed. This is something you should try and lower to a stable speed. Your card may not go to 225MHz, or it may go lower. You need to figure this out yourself...

 

[Flash]

Ok, it works great from what I can see

Got my 2 shortcuts, with the 2 clocks settings. Maybe soon I will try to see for some OC . Don't know if I have the guts to actually try to increase a bit the voltage and try higher clocks

What I did notice tho is that when switching from 900 to 500 memory and vice versa my screen is not flickering. Yet if I switch from 900 to 300, it will flicker, but not from 300 to 900. Is there some memory values that if switched to, the screen is not flickering? Obviously 900 and 500 is, any other below 500?

 

[nafets]

I have noticed this occurence also when using Rivatuner.

But if you set it in the BIOS, for example, 2D GPU/MEM @ 750/899 and 3D GPU/MEM @ 750/900, it will flicker incessantly with every PowerPlay state change, even with just a 1MHz difference. It's possible this has changed since I tested it last over six months ago. I might fool around a bit and test it again with some modified BIOSes...

When using Rivatuner to override PowerPlay this flickering effect is minimized for reasons I'm unsure of. I'm sure that there is a point where you can go from 2D to 3D and vice versa, with no flickering (as you've seen this is ~500MHz), when using Rivatuner. But since you're already underclocking, why not just go as low as is stable, and get the maximum power savings and heat reduction? It's all personal preference...

UPDATE. I just used some BIOSes I modified myself. I've found that there is no flickering at all when going from 450MHz to 900MHz (and vice versa) for the memory. This is pretty great. Either this is something I overlooked during my original testing, or something changed in the drivers. Either way, it's a pretty neat discovery. So if you're looking for something totally automatic it's possible to set your BIOS with the following settings:

2D - 500/450/1.083v (Clock info #'s 01 and 02)
3DLP (UVD) - 750/900/1.263v
3DHP (Windowed and Fullscreen 3D) - 750/900/1.263v
Thermal (Usually unused) - 200/500/1.083v

This should result in no flickering when moving from 2D to 3D state and vice versa, if not using Rivatuner or ATT. Good stuff...

 

[stinger608]

Hey Nafets,

I am a new user to the whole Radeon scene, as I have been using Nvidia cards for several years now, so I have read through this whole thread, and found it to be awesome man!
I just acquired a HIS HD 4870 Turbo and wondering if Riva Tuner settings will work the same way as you describe?
I haven't installed the card yet, as I am waiting on a motherboard to come back from RMA, but I am pretty excited to get it installed and give some games a try!

Also, what Catalyst drivers do you suggest, the 8.12, or the new 9.1? I have read some posts here at TPU that people are experiencing problems with the new 9.1's. Is it there settings, do you think?

Any suggestions is very appreciated man!!!

 

[Flash]

UPDATE. I just used some BIOSes I modified myself. I've found that there is no flickering at all when going from 450MHz to 900MHz (and vice versa) for the memory. This is pretty great. Either this is something I overlooked during my original testing, or something changed in the drivers. Either way, it's a pretty neat discovery. So if you're looking for something totally automatic it's possible to set your BIOS with the following settings:

2D - 500/450/1.083v (Clock info #'s 01 and 02)
3DLP (UVD) - 750/900/1.263v
3DHP (Windowed and Fullscreen 3D) - 750/900/1.263v
Thermal (Usually unused) - 200/500/1.083v

This should result in no flickering when moving from 2D to 3D state and vice versa, if not using Rivatuner or ATT. Good stuff...

Is it totally OK for the memory and voltage to also keep changing like the core between modes so often?
I'm thinking of setting the 2D to 200/450/1.083v for clocks 01 and 02, and the 750/900/1.263v for clock 03 thru 9 (up to thermal)