Ability to unlock x800 pro

Hey guys,
I just got my newest upgrades up and running. One of them is my new vid card. ATI x800 pro. I've read several reviews saying that these are the same boards as the xt's pretty much which has 16 pipes vs. the 12 on the x800 pro. One site I read (this was a few weeks ago so I have no links...sorry) said that the 4 pipes could be unlocked on the Sapphire x800 pro with a simple bios mod. My card definately isn't a sapphire, and everything that I read saying the extra 4 pipes could be unlocked referred to the sapphire. My question is, does my card have these other 4 pipes and can I unlock them? I hope so...... and also.... how... it'd be nice to get some xt specs or close to out of this thing without tearin it up.

Thanks.

Brad

Welcome to the forums, Brad

A small piece of advice to get you started: A lot of these forums have "subsections" that deal with vendor-specific items. As a good example, your question deals with ATI video cards very specifically. In the future, you would want to post this question in the "ATI" video forum so that the more ATI-specific people will see your issue and help you resolve it. Make sense?

As for unlocking the extra pipes on an X800Pro...

Nearly all the "standard" X800Pro cards were hard-locked and could not be changed. However, nearly all the X800Pro Vivo cards were unlockable by way of a bios update using a special flashing utility. If your card is not a Vivo model (video in, video out) then you can be pretty sure that it's hard-locked and unchangeable.

There is a good thread about this in the ATI subsection of the video forums... Look at the top for "stickies", or threads that have been permanently stuck at the top. There is a thread specifically about unlocking the pipes on lower X800 cards.

I couldnt have said it better, however he missed the part where it doesnt HAVE to be a sapphire. Read around, if you do infact have a vivo then its worth a shot. Just make sure the cooling is decent, these x800s heat up rather fast.

If you do not have a vivo I would say for you (no offense intended) that it is entirely unchangable. I consider myself really good with computers (as I'm a technician) but I wouldnt perform a hardmod (actually modifying the board to add the pipes, not a simple bios flash) on a 500$ card. As much as I do trust myself, I dont have that kinda cash lying around. Good luck though!

I recently started working for an IT group and own and operate my own set of forums. I got in late last night and just wanted to get my question out for input. That's why I didn't even notice the ati subsection. I'm not illiterate, I promise. I'll have the cooling. ATI Silencer 4 will be going on as soon as I get the time to do it. Its sitting in my room. I believe I only have TV out, so

I'm like you. Hardmodding a 400 dollar card while its brand new is just scary. Guess I'll just clock it up a little and let it do its thing. Thanks for the replies, however.

Brad