6800LE/NU BIOS Vmod fries your card eventually!

I found out the hard way and am typing this using a GF-MX400 while there's a dead 6800LE that fully unlocked sitting on my desk.

I've always ran her at 380gpu/760mem, 16pipes 6 vertex no problem. Then I started reading up about the BIOS Voltmod. Tried it succesfully and already had the card upto 450gpu/900mem. It was benchmarking 3DMark03 without any artifacts when my system shut off out of the blue. After that my PSU woudn't start unless I removed the molex from the 6800LE. When I tried to put the molex back in I got blue spraks and PSU shutdown. Also tried this in another rig so I guess the card is fried, grrr!

I think I was between GT and Ultra speeds, but these cards all seem to have 2 molex connectors. So I guess my card simply tried to draw the Amps needed over that single molex and it's PWM section wasn't up to such a load?! Also I got a new 660W EPS PSU this week of which I'm sure contributed to this cuz all molexes are on a dedicated 14A +12V rail...

In other words WATCH OUT VMODDING YOUR 6800 with a single molex!!!

648 mhz, in a computer only on a few hours a week, or stock voltages in the 475mhz range... I think you know what choice most people here would go for!

how many volts were you feeding your card any way? What cooling?

Pretty aggresive O.C.'s, Too bad to see your card died. I still have a 68nu sitting around that unlocked perfectly, Pretty solid cards when they unlock!

Stock for this card is 300gpu/700mem, 8pipes, 4vertex. I modded the BIOS from 1,1 to 1,3V and ran it at 450gpu/900mem, 16pipes, 6vertex and the GPU was watercooled. I really believe the extra Amps needed for these settings killed the cards Power Management Section cuz (as stated above) 6800GT and Ultra have 2 molex connections...

Sorry for your card. It's known that the power circulation on 6800NU/LE/GT is not as powerful as the one on the Ultra card so this is why this happens.

Did you plug in the molex WHILE the PSU was on?

shard said:

Did you plug in the molex WHILE the PSU was on?

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Yes, in my rig with 660W EPS PSU and in another rig with 460W PSU running, blue spark on the molex connector and PSU shutoff...

Lancelot said:

Yes, in my rig with 660W EPS PSU and in another rig with 460W PSU running, blue spark on the molex connector and PSU shutoff...

Click to expand...

You shorted your card out dude. It didnt die from the OC.

"It was benchmarking 3DMark03 without any artifacts when my system shut off out of the blue. After that my PSU woudn't start unless I removed the molex from the 6800LE."

How can I short out the card like that?! It's SOME component that couldn't bare the load and prolly shorted out DUE TO OVERCLOCKING!

1.3V and it died? I kind of think not... Seeing at that was the voltage my 6800NU (same board as the LE) came stock at 1.3V. Esp if you were water cooling.

Sounds like the regs on it (or the capaciters) just took a dump on you. Nothing you did, it probably would have happened any way.

Lancelot said:

Yes, in my rig with 660W EPS PSU and in another rig with 460W PSU running, blue spark on the molex connector and PSU shutoff...

Click to expand...

No this is what I was refering to. PUTTING the molex in while the PSU was on. That would surely cook your card.

I had my 6800NU overclocked at 1.5v from stock 1.3v and eventually it died. I wouldn't recommend voltmodding these cards.