OK - know how to flash xp bios onto 9800pro - but what are the benefits of doing it?

[rayik]

Read the excellent thread started by DDR-PIII (How to: Softmod your 9800NP/Pro into XT). Looks as easy to do as flashing the MB bios. Searched and read other threads on same subject.

Simple question - What benefit does flashing a 9800xt bios onto the 9800pro give?

Is is just increasing the core / memory clock? If that's all, can't you just do that by oc with atitool?

Are there other benefits gained? Is it worth flashing the bios rather than just oc the card?

Thanks for any insight.

[glock19owner]

Originally posted by glock19owner


9800 Pro Default: 16608 (http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=7574467[/url)

9800 Pro to XT Default: 16672 (http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=7579492)

Also, I tried the XT speeds...had slight artifacts, but checked out the memory that was on the PC XT's and it matched the memory I have on my Pro, so I gave it a shot...after the fash...no artifacts at XT speeds and can now OC to 475/388 on stock cooling and no ramsinks...before flash...410/360 was max without artifacts...

This leads me to believe that the timings are better in the XT's BIOS compaired to the Pro's...so there is more to it then just renaming the card...

Not saying this works for everyone...but if you are lucky enough to have the Samsung GC2A (2.8ns) you have a excellent chance of getting more out of it with just the core/memory increase.

I don't know how people have been doing with the 3.3ns memory chips though...so I dont know if the flash is working the same on them...

Typeo-Correction: 480/377 in quote...

ADDED: the 9800 XT score is with the Pro memory/core timings

[BalliN]

Glock19owner........I looked on my card and I see

HY5DU283222
AF-28 342A

Would you happen to know what kind of chips these are?
And also what speed (ns)?

BalliN

[Gautam]

2.8ns Hynix, should be good up to about 370-380MHz.

I don't think that there would be any benefits to flashing to an XT; may just loosen your memory timings further, but probably won't help at all on the core, and may end up hurting a little in overall performance.

[BalliN]

Ok thanks Gautam for the info ;)

Peace,

BalliN

[glock19owner]

Originally posted by Gautam
2.8ns Hynix, should be good up to about 370-380MHz.

I don't think that there would be any benefits to flashing to an XT; may just loosen your memory timings further, but probably won't help at all on the core, and may end up hurting a little in overall performance.

read my post above...

the flash let me increase BOTH core and memory

and if it did just the memory timings..then why the increase in score when both set at the same timings...(378/337.5 (675))?

In my case there was a benefit to the flash...

[BalliN]

But it wont work if you don't have samsung chips?

[iLLestOne]

Originally posted by BalliN
Glock19owner........I looked on my card and I see

HY5DU283222
AF-28 342A

Would you happen to know what kind of chips these are?
And also what speed (ns)?

BalliN

My AF-28 330A Hynix chips scream along at 403mhz (no artifacts). Have even got higher on cold days :)

I run them at 395mhz 24/7 though, NEVER artifacts.

[Strida]

Which ram do you have Glock? The RA or the 8E?

Which 9800 XT BIOS would work best with the RA type of ram? (its an OEM Sapphire 9800 Pro).

There's sooooo many different BIOSes out there I don't know which is for what.

[glock19owner]

I have the Samsung GC2A's (2.8ns) on mine...

Ballin...it should work on the hynix, not promising the same results as me since they are 2.86ns

Strida...person to ask your question too would be DDR-PIII (http://www.ocforums.com/vb/vb/private.php?s=&action=newmessage&userid=14110)...he is more familiar with what would work better for your card...I run a Powercolor 9800 Pro...

[Strida]

There's 2 different types of the GC2A ram I thought. The RA kind and the 8E..

[login211]

perhaps teh xt bios provides more volts for the core and mem letting ppl oc their cards higher than before??

[glock19owner]

Originally posted by Strida
There's 2 different types of the GC2A ram I thought. The RA kind and the 8E..

Havent read anything about a 8E GC2A...

I have the K4D26323RA-GC2A's

[BalliN]

iLLestOne..........wow thats really good to hear..........is that stock bios and what drivers do you use.

Thanks for the info glock19.........I'm abit worried about this considering I juss bought this card.........got to give it aleast a mo or two I think :D

Peace,

BalliN

[iLLestOne]

Yea, stock bois, no mod's or anything and I'm using cat 3.10's for now. I might try the 4.2's if I hear more good things about them.

I've also tried omega's and have liked them. I just need to do more searching to see which one is truely better.

[glock19owner]

Originally posted by BalliN
iLLestOne..........wow thats really good to hear..........is that stock bios and what drivers do you use.

Thanks for the info glock19.........I'm abit worried about this considering I juss bought this card.........got to give it aleast a mo or two I think :D

Peace,

BalliN

I had my card about 5 hours before I tried the flash ;)

[glock19owner]

Originally posted by iLLestOne
Yea, stock bois, no mod's or anything and I'm using cat 3.10's for now. I might try the 4.2's if I hear more good things about them.

I've also tried omega's and have liked them. I just need to do more searching to see which one is truely better.

The 3.7's are better benchmarking drivers...the 4.2's are great for games...

[rayik]

glock19owner, I have the samsung K4D26323RA-GC2A's rams also. What bios did you use? Was it the "HIS & Sapphire 128MB "XT" BIOS" or the "Sapphire 128MB "XT" Lite E-Die BIOS" (both found at: http://my.tbaytel.net/panthor/files/HIS.9800XT.128MB.Samsung.bin)

Looks like it relaxes the timings for ram and maybe, possibly, up the voltage to the core (assuming it is adjustable). That's just my assumptions. Does anyone know if that is really what the XT bios does (as compared to the PRO bios).

[Strida]

In the other thread I think he said that he used the Powercolor BIOS that had (super fast) or something like that in parenthesis behind it.

[BalliN]

I'm pretty sure you have to use the bios for your card. I could be wrong. But I believe glock19 has a powercolor card. If you have a sapphire......then I think you have to use thier XT bios

Glock19.........you have more guts then me lol


iLLestOne.........thanks again for the info


Peace,

BalliN

[rayik]

But I believe glock19 has a powercolor card. If you have a sapphire......then I think you have to use thier XT bios

Thanks BalliN. I just assumed glock19 had a sapphire. I was just trying to be lazy and not have look really hard to find out what would be the right bios for that sapphire.

I'm not convinced there is any real benefit to flashing the xt bios. I don't really care about making improvements to get higher benchmark scores. But if it improved everyday performance I wouldn't hesitate to flash the bios.

(But ater saying that 3dmark 2003 scores- with a ti4200 - 13xx; with a 9800pro at xt speeds- 52xx. This on a p3 celeron based system [see specs below].

[tweaker]

Originally posted by rayik
glock19owner, I have the samsung K4D26323RA-GC2A's rams also. What bios did you use? Was it the "HIS & Sapphire 128MB "XT" BIOS" or the "Sapphire 128MB "XT" Lite E-Die BIOS" (both found at: http://my.tbaytel.net/panthor/files/HIS.9800XT.128MB.Samsung.bin)

Looks like it relaxes the timings for ram and maybe, possibly, up the voltage to the core (assuming it is adjustable). That's just my assumptions. Does anyone know if that is really what the XT bios does (as compared to the PRO bios).

lol..its funny you say that we flashed ours to the 256 version xt,damn and it did make a difference for a min..i was able to take the memory up to 392,and i thought to myself damn do i want to push her anymore,so i shut it down.next day we booted up and had lines everywhere:( ,needless to say she died but the card performed well over our expectations for a long time..a new card is on order.

later radman

[pkrew]

Honestly, I'd say there's probably very little benefit to flashing to the XT bios. Probably just like flashing a np to the pro bios. The memory timming were looser and you could overclock the memory higher, but the looser timmings gave you a lower score per memory clock. In the end the top score was minimally higher if any. As far as gaining 64 points in 2001se the test itself is so variable you could get more than that difference from run to run with the exact setup. I've seen 200-300 point swings using the same system from run to run and rebooting each time. The increase is within the margin of error for the test. Even if the increase is real, you'd be risking a $200 dollar and above card for a .38% increase in score. What needs to be looked at is top overclock score for each compaired and the tests looped at least 5-10 times. Then see if its worth the risk.