X800-X850 AGP/PCIx POSSIBLE EXTRA PIPE UNLOCKING

[SPHERE]

About X850XT PCIx and X850PRO the cores are equal but are marked with gold/silver dots. Gold means 16 working pipes, silver 12 working pipes. The last quad is disabled by removing of two - core power supply elements (XT - 8, PRO - 6). You can't unlock the pipes by flashing BIOS. It is probably possible if some enthusiast adds the missing components. Even here I don't believe that the pipes are fused but for sure it means that ATI predicts the option to switch off every quad (or at least last) separately!!!!
In R420 probably such option is not foreseed but there is some way to block the last quad (laser cut, BIOS lock, PCB resistor configuration and finally fuseing )

It would be interesting to see RivaTuner results from X850XT PCIx and X850PRO Non VIVO or other with unlockable pipes.

But I don't see any interest of the people even doing soooooo easy operation like starting the command line in RivaTuner and posting these fuc.....g results which can help to somebody searching the answers .

no offence dude but i think you are asumeing way too much :/

 

[dolf]

Again very constructive criticism but just criticism. If everybody really knows but really knows even one little part of these cards (even one resistor is responsible for what) and to keep that for himself it is "offence". I really hope that to think is still no offence. Just look the cards dude and if you find out something so wrong in the above kill me.

OK enough efforts from my side to discover the wheel or "even" to fly. The human body is designed for walking but not but not for flying . I will fully agree with this .

 

[kurik]

I have a x800pro vivo pci-e (built by ati) that i have tried to unlock pipes on. I have connected the bridge (lasercut) but that ofc didnt work out, so if this is a new idea to unlock, NICE. But and this is a big but.... i cant say i have the skills to unsolder and solder back the resistor as I have never done anything like that before, and if my card would break I couldnt afford a new one at this point, so I dont dare to try, and as always nobody wants to be the one trying first unless u grow d0llars on trees. I really hope someone tries this out tho, to confirm.

 

[klootzakje]

i sent u an email dolf... might be interresting plz read it and reply :O

 

[dolf]

Yes klootzakje it would be interesting for me to see pictures of the PCB (core) of your card (please also attach the PN of your PCB). What type is your card PCIx or AGP?
After receiving of the photos I will see what I can do for you

Please also start the RivaTuner (how you can see on the previous pages) and send me the result .

 

[klootzakje]

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4392/front17rd.jpg

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/9222/front24ug.jpg

if u want more, just ask

u want me to do the rivatuner thing? i'll have to mount my cooler onto my card again and stick it in my pc... so i'd rather first hear if the pics are good?


edit :
here's my rivatuner info,

 

[dolf]

Pictures of the back side please .

 

[klootzakje]

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7972/back11ff.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/796/back23fl.jpg

here you are... hope they're good enough, if not, i'll take out my card again

 

[Shyska]

Is this Powercolor's x800gt? If so i could take my boards photos, it's Sapphires x800gt with 423 core. I haven't tried to do anything with it cause my rr990 = eff3bfff, also i'm so green in this area, that i'm afraid to turn my card green as well (supposedly i do it all alone, i will definitely screw it up...)

 

[klootzakje]

no my card is a club3d x800rx(gt)

 

[Shyska]

no my card is a club3d x800rx(gt)

And they sold one that i have ordered.. Ghrrr... If i find out this Sapphire is 432...

 

[Freddy23]

According to Rene Froelecke (Technical Marketing Manager) from ATI, unlocking extra piplines from the X800GT should be possible!

English Translation...sry, i'm not an interpreter

Translation interviewer: Do we need a hardware-mod to enable the pixelpipelines or will it be possible with a tool like RivaTuner?

Translation RF: I don't know how we disabled the pixelpipelines. In the past we did it with a substate, but I'm not sure how we solved the "problem" with the GT's. But those, who really want to enable the extra pipelines will surely be able to do so.


Entire Interview in german is available here:
http://www.ati-news.de/HTML/Berichte/GC/2005/GC2005-Teil3-Seite1.shtml

 

[Shyska]

According to Rene Froelecke (Technical Marketing Manager) from ATI, unlocking extra piplines from the X800GT should be possible!

English Translation...sry, i'm not an interpreter

Translation interviewer: Do we need a hardware-mod to enable the pixelpipelines or will it be possible with a tool like RivaTuner?

Translation RF: I don't know how we disabled the pixelpipelines. In the past we did it with a substate, but I'm not sure how we solved the "problem" with the GT's. But those, who really want to enable the extra pipelines will surely be able to do so.


Entire Interview in german is available here:
http://www.ati-news.de/HTML/Berichte/GC/2005/GC2005-Teil3-Seite1.shtml

OMG! i'm taking that fan right away!

 

[Shyska]

Ok, there is my baby:

front


back


Riva



And i'm a little bit confused there - it says X800SE!??

 

[Shyska]

Hehe, connected laser cut and there are my 12 pipes, will try other dots for another 4 later D

 

[dolf]

Klootzakje I have inspected your pictures carefully and compare them with X850XT PCIx but can't find difference in resistor configuration. The PCB's are equal at the first look but in fact are a bit different. Your does't have two elements on the right-top side of the back (VIVO and some elements responsible for VIVO). I presume that is the core energy supply elements (could you please chech whether these chips are electricaly connected each by the other in parallel or they are separate by pairs and conected to core? You SHOULD remove the card from the PC).

I think that you can forget about last quad (16 pipes) but 12 you should have. I hope that you flashed with PRO BIOS useing "modified" flashrom. If not try with this modified flashrom which you can find here http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/100 and post results.
I will inspect it once again during the weekend to see can I find something interesting.

 

[dolf]

Shyska you shouldn't have second laser cut . But if somehow you discover it please report about the result after connecting. I am almost convinced that you will haven't got the last 4 pipes due to some missing elements on the back (top-right) side of the PCB and probably (according my theory) resistor R577 should be moved on position R576.

But it is great that you achieve 12 pipes because it fall in with my idea about PRO and XT PCB's. You have classic PRO board designed for 12 pipes and laser cut on the right is has applied to disable the 3th quad (8 pipes). After connecting the bridge you have the pipes.

 

[klootzakje]

@ shyshaomg nice !!

 

[klootzakje]

Klootzakje I have inspected your pictures carefully and compare them with X850XT PCIx but can't find difference in resistor configuration. The PCB's are equal at the first look but in fact are a bit different. Your does't have two elements on the right-top side of the back (VIVO and some elements responsible for VIVO). I presume that is the core energy supply elements (could you please chech whether these chips are electricaly connected each by the other in parallel or they are separate by pairs and conected to core? You SHOULD remove the card from the PC).

I think that you can forget about last quad (16 pipes) but 12 you should have. I hope that you flashed with PRO BIOS useing "modified" flashrom. If not try with this modified flashrom which you can find here http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/100 and post results.
I will inspect it once again during the weekend to see can I find something interesting.

you want me to measure something? if so, could you plz show me in one of my pics what to measure?

 

[dolf]

Klootzakje, look your last picture of the back side. There are 6 chips and two empty places (top-right).
1. What is writen on the chips?
2. Please if you can measure whether these chips are electriaclly connected in parallel or are separate and are connected to the core?
They all can be connected also to GND or power supplay also!

Finally what flashrom did you used when flashed PRO BIOS? If not try with modified flashrom and post your result (I think that you should have 12 pipes)

 

[Pinksteady]

Hi all, this does make interesting (and baffling) reading! I've got a Gigabyte X800Pro 256Mb and am always up for a bit of modding and tweaking! Not sure I can do this soldering myself though, so if someone lives in the south of England, then let me know and they can have a go trying out this mod on my card! I can put pics up if you like, would be nice to know if ANYONE has tried this succesfully though!

All I know is that some cards have 12 and some have 16 and the spare 4 can be unlocked. That is the extent of my technical know-how on this topic!

(I might add that with a Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 4 rev.2 I overclocked this baby to 540/540 and it didn't even go over 40C!)

 

[fresko995]

Resistor Mod done....

Hi Dolf

sorry for my late answer. the guy who could the soldering work for me was on holiday last week.
this evening, he performed the mod, exactly as you instructed me: connecting the lasercut using conductive pen and moving the resistor from position 577 to position 576 (right below = also the fourth position from the left).

before the mod i had reflashed my original x800pro-bios from sapphire. after the mod i directly went into atitool and.... no luck! still 12pipes!! afterwards i tried to flash a modified X800XT-bios (without ragetheater-chip-stuff) using the most recent atiflash-tool and the "-newbios"-switch in order to not preserving the old asic-settings. guess what? still only 12 pipes!!!! the soldering work was done very carefully using a binocular and a professional smd-soldering-iron. the good thing is, the card works as well as before. no lockups in 3d-games. so i guess i don't have to resolder the resistor.

earlier in this thread i had posted my rivatuner-register-results. now the actual results are posted below. only the last digit in register 994 has changed.
enclosed is also a not very sharp image of the backside of my X800Pro (after the resistor mod was done). you should be able to see the new position of the resistor.

I'm beginning to believe that ATI might build indeed "TRUE" X800Pro's with 4 pipelines disabled on the GPU itself! and this chip could also be the base for other variants which only have 8 pipelines. so that one could only activate 4 more pipes. meaning they have produced 16-pipes gpu's and 12-pipes gpu's.
or do you have some other ideas about resistor-re-positioning?

 

[W1zzard]

fresko: 994 changed by only moving the resistor? you did nothing else? ie. flash another bios

 

[4g0ny]

i have the same (r420) card but with a red pcb?
anyway , Dolf, dont you have an electric component scheme of x800 pro 420 or Klootzakje's r480 ?
(btw im a friend of Klootzakje)
i watched Klootzakje measure the chips via webcam, giving instructions as he went on,
i couldnt see whether the chips are parallel or direct, but measuring gives weird values and isnt really reliable, do you know any other way to discover whether the last quad is there or not? and do you know anything for my card?
i can probably solder the resistor but if it doesnt work, i dont know if i can put it back..
plz , answer!

 

[fresko995]

yes, wizzard, register 994 has changed (last bit) from "e" to "f", by performing the resoldering of resistor. the laser-cut-"reconnect" had been done before the resistormod (when i posted my first rivatuner diag results).
that would at least mean, that actually something HAS changed but that it did not unlock the 4 pipes