X800 Pro VIVO mod 12P to 16P

[NRP]

Hello,
I recently purchased a Sapphire X800 Pro VIVO card. I just read W1zzard's article on modifying the card's BIOS to unlock the extra 4 pipes, and I have a couple of questions.

First, how can I tell if I have successfully unlocked all the pipes?

Second, if I install the X800 Pro VIVO 16P 256 MB BIOS (I don't want to overclock the card), I understand that WinXP will recognize the card as an X800 Pro. Do I have to do anything special so that the Catalyst drivers (or games I play) recognize that the card now has 16 pipes instead of 12 pipes?

I apologize if these are dumb questions, but I'm new to vidoecard mods. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[W1zzard]

check with atitool ...

nothing special has to be done when using the 16p bios

[NRP]

W1zzard,
Someone on another forum (Beyond3D) told me that the the X800 Pro VIVO 16P 256 MB Bios doesn't work with Sapphire cards, and many people are having problems (blank screens after flashing, etc) with this particular Bios on Sapphire cards. Have you heard of this problem?

If this is true what Bios should I use? I understand that installing an XT Bios sets the core and memory clock speeds to 520/560. I have a couple of concerns about installing an XT Bios: Will the stock cooling handle these speeds, and does the card have enough voltage to handle the core/mem speed increases (I heard that one can increase the card's voltage (something about a "pencil mod"?), but I have no idea how to do it).

All I really want to do is enable the extra pipes.

[Urlyin]

NRP

I had the same concerns as you and the same card and did successfully flash it to a XT. I tried serveral BIOS and found the ATI XT BIOS worked best. I did do the pencil mod which helped with early instability I had. But if all you want is to enable the 4 pipes but not use the Pro 16 pipes BIOS then I would suggest first try to have an PCI card handy just in case. MAKE SURE YOU BACKUP YOUR ORIGINAL BIOS. Next use the Gigabyte BIOS which will enable the 4 pipes then flash back to your original BIOS which should then still have the 16 pipies enabled... as for the stock fan I replaced mine with a ZM80D-HP Zalman. The stock HSF did reach 70c with ATITool... But with just the pipes enabled you should be okay...

[NRP]

Urylin,
Thanks for the info. Do you know where I can find more info about the voltage modification for this card?

[Urlyin]

Urylin,
Thanks for the info. Do you know where I can find more info about the voltage modification for this card?

http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=817&s=1 is where I went... I also read the 9800xt vmod as well... on my card the voltage was 1.39 before mod and 1.45 after... I did use the 2b pencil and it only took a couple swipes to go from 418ohms to 400ohms( resistor resistance ) which is where I stopped ... the card can run at 526\573 but doesn't oc much higher... I thought it was easy enough to do if you have the digital multimeter and follow instructions ;)

[W1zzard]

voltmod info is here as well: http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/voltmods/101

[Spooky_uk]

Hoping someone can offer ome ideas for me- I have flashed my sapphire x800pro following the article and everything is fone in windows etc. When loading a game however, it will get to the intro of whichever game it is then the monitor will switch off into standby and a reboot is needed to get the pc up and running again.

Any ideas ?

[netranger6]

Power supply? Enough juice running to your card? Just a guess.

[W1zzard]

spooky: you flashed a pro or a pro vivo?

[PH8]

My VGA: HIS IceQII Radeon X800 Pro - VIVO 256MB

Ok, so I loaded up the Flashrom.exe (along with the other two files in the .zip) and the new HIS[1].X800XT.256.Samsung16.bin file onto a freshly formatted floppy... Correct way to proceed? Or does the Flashrom program need to be on a seperate disk to the new BIOS?

I am using Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2 so I went to the command prompt and changed to the A: directory and typed 'flashrom.exe'. I get the message: 'Please reboot to DOS and run again' I then rebooted my machine. Went into the system BIOS and selected 'Boot from floppy', thinking that this was what it meant by 'Booting to DOS'. Still no joy. I then rebooted into Windows Safe Mode with Command Prompt and attempted to run the flashrom.exe program again. Nope.

How do you get this to run? :confused:

Any help you could give would be, well, helpful :D

[PH8]

I created the DOS startup disk and got the program to run, but I'm not at all sure what it means or how to go about it. I get the follwing information when I run the flashrom -i command and have no idea what it means:

ADAPTER: 0*
bn: 02
dn: 00
dID: 4A49
asic: R420/M18
flash: -
ID: -
Flash Type: ST M25P05/c
remap: -
lock: yes
ROM size: 0x10000

Maybe someone can tell me if flashing is possible, and if so, how to do it - I haven't attempted this before and am completely lost. I won't proceed unless 100% sure. I don't want to bugger up $900 worth of video card ;)

[Urlyin]

PH8... did you verify that you card can handle the XT speeds?? Use the ATITool to set your core\mem to the XTspeeds of 520 core \ 560 mem and run some benchmarks to make sure card can handle the speeds before you flash it...

[Quazi]

http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=817&s=1 is where I went... I also read the 9800xt vmod as well... on my card the voltage was 1.39 before mod and 1.45 after... I did use the 2b pencil and it only took a couple swipes to go from 418ohms to 400ohms( resistor resistance ) which is where I stopped ... the card can run at 526\573 but doesn't oc much higher... I thought it was easy enough to do if you have the digital multimeter and follow instructions ;)

Just FYI, I took the ohms down to 380. This gives me a voltage of 1.55 to my X800Pro. No problems.

[ronsha]

I did the bios flash and this happend !

In atiTool I still have 12 pipeline's
My default core is 520 / memory 560

After flashing I should have 16 pipeline's, or not?

By the way, I have the HIS IceQII Radeon X800 Pro - VIVO 256MB
Temp by idle is 42 degrees, under full load 60 degrees.

Benchmarks are doing fine, no problem with that!

Help needed, how can I fix this, for getting 16 pipeline's ?????

Thanks,

Ronshaundefined :confused:

[PH8]

PH8... did you verify that you card can handle the XT speeds?? Use the ATITool to set your core\mem to the XTspeeds of 520 core \ 560 mem and run some benchmarks to make sure card can handle the speeds before you flash it...

Thanks for your help Urlyin ;)

Yeah, I didn't do that before, and it seems to be a good idea to check it out so I just used the ATiTool to see what's happening. Here's how it went...

I upped the core from 499.75 MHz to the required 520 (.71) Mhz. The memory I increased from 470 to 559.29 MHz. I used the 'Scan For Artifacts' option and had 'No Errors' for 1154 seconds. I stopped it at this point. If you let it go, does it stop at a set time or do you have to stop it manually? I noticed that in this test, the cube didn't spin. It remained stationary. Is this normal?

After Scanning for Artifacts, I then opened the '3D View' and had a 316 FPS average. I let this run for about 10 minutes and had no crashes or artifacts. The temperature got up to 66°C. Is this OK?

Awaiting your reply... :)

**EDIT**
I just completed a run of 3DMark2001 and scored a lower score than I had registered previously. WTF?? :confused: I had achieved a score of 16,676 but when I ran it with the XT clock/mem settings, I got 15,260. I know it's not a huge difference, but I'm just wondering why this may be...

[Urlyin]

Just FYI, I took the ohms down to 380. This gives me a voltage of 1.55 to my X800Pro. No problems.
Quazi I think you went close to the max I think at 1.57 the card will shut off... the overvolt protection kicks in... there's a mod for that too ( W1zzard has X800pro vmods listed on the website)... don't quote me on that 1.57, just thought you'd like to know that it will shut off... watch the temp :)

[Urlyin]

Thanks for your help Urlyin ;)

Yeah, I didn't do that before, and it seems to be a good idea to check it out so I just used the ATiTool to see what's happening. Here's how it went...

I upped the core from 499.75 MHz to the required 520 (.71) Mhz. The memory I increased from 470 to 559.29 MHz. I used the 'Scan For Artifacts' option and had 'No Errors' for 1154 seconds. I stopped it at this point. If you let it go, does it stop at a set time or do you have to stop it manually? I noticed that in this test, the cube didn't spin. It remained stationary. Is this normal?

After Scanning for Artifacts, I then opened the '3D View' and had a 316 FPS average. I let this run for about 10 minutes and had no crashes or artifacts. The temperature got up to 66°C. Is this OK?

Awaiting your reply... :)

**EDIT**
I just completed a run of 3DMark2001 and scored a lower score than I had registered previously. WTF?? :confused: I had achieved a score of 16,676 but when I ran it with the XT clock/mem settings, I got 15,260. I know it's not a huge difference, but I'm just wondering why this may be...

Thank W1zzard for posting the tools and steps :D
Right now the max core\mem doesn't work correctly for the X800pro :(
So setting your core\mem( one or the other not both at the same time) speed then select scan for artifacts does run until you tell it to stop. What you look for is that the clock doesn't reset and start over. This would mean that an artifact was found ( you can check the log as well) or if the running time doesn't match the no errors for xx:xx.

As for the slower benchmarks make sure that the ATITool has set them and has not reset back to default. Which BIOS did you use? I noticed I get better benchmarks with the ATI BIOS and actually better all round performance/stability ... as for the temp ( someone correct me if I'm wrong) I would be concerned if it went over 70c but I have heard people with stock HSF running upwards of 77c ... hope this helps

[PH8]

Thank W1zzard for posting the tools and steps :D

THANKS W1ZZARD!! :D

Right now the max core\mem doesn't work correctly for the X800pro :(
So setting your core\mem( one or the other not both at the same time) speed then select scan for artifacts does run until you tell it to stop. What you look for is that the clock doesn't reset and start over. This would mean that an artifact was found ( you can check the log as well) or if the running time doesn't match the no errors for xx:xx.

Yep, I checked the logs and there were no errors or artifacts found. As far as I know, I have set ATiTool to apply my 'XT Settings' (what I saved the profile as) at Windows startup.

As for the slower benchmarks make sure that the ATITool has set them and has not reset back to default. Which BIOS did you use? I noticed I get better benchmarks with the ATI BIOS and actually better all round performance/stability...

No, they are still set to 'XT Settings', it doesn't revert back to default.

Again, as far as I know, I'm using the standard BIOS that came with the card - I haven't flashed anything yet - so I guess it's the HIS[1].X800PROVIVO.256.Samsung16 BIOS. Is this what you mean?

[Urlyin]

PH8... I saw W1zzards reply in which it seems we have a double thread going... but what he said was " set xt pe clocks and PLAY your favourite games .. that the best test imo .. atitool artifact detection on x800 isnt that great yet ..

should have no power/heat issues when going to 16p .. pro vivo is physically the same card as xt pe "

He would know better than me what works best... Sorry I had assumed that you had already did the flash... not sure why your score would get lower :confused: If you're not getting atifacts during 3Dmark or game play ( mine would reboot if I had the core set to high and artifact city if mem was to high) then your ready to do the flash... make sure you follow the instructions and if at all possible have a pci card handy...

[PH8]

...then your ready to do the flash... make sure you follow the instructions and if at all possible have a pci card handy...

I need to refer you to an earlier post I made in this thread and it can be found here (http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=1445&postcount=12).

I get the above information when I run flashrom -i. I dont know what command to run to actually flash the card and the instructions that come with Flashrom are really confusing for me as I have never done this before. It says 'Lock: Yes' I was thinking that maybe the BIOS is locked and it can't be flashed. See? That's how lame I am at this.... :rolleyes:

If it can be - I need to know the exact command to do it. I have the new XT BIOS on the same floppy as the Flashrom program. Is this how it's done?

[Urlyin]

I need to refer you to an earlier post I made in this thread and it can be found here (http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=1445&postcount=12).

I get the above information when I run flashrom -i. I dont know what command to run to actually flash the card and the instructions that come with Flashrom are really confusing for me as I have never done this before. It says 'Lock: Yes' I was thinking that maybe the BIOS is locked and it can't be flashed. See? That's how lame I am at this.... :rolleyes:

If it can be - I need to know the exact command to do it. I have the new XT BIOS on the same floppy as the Flashrom program. Is this how it's done?
Yes the files needed are the bios and flashrom.exe on a Bootable floppy
The correct command is flashrom -f -p 0 BIOS.bin
Bios.bin being the name of the bios you are flashing with..
The -I display information ... more reading here http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/34

[NRP]

I posted this in another thread, but, since I started this thread, I thought I should include it here.

My X800 Pro VIVO also locked up during benchmarks after the X800 XT Bios flash. I increased the card's voltage from 1.396V to 1.44V, which solved the lockup problems (Thanks, Urlyin).

However, my card still can't handle core/mem speeds of 520/560 - ATI Tool shows artifacts after about 2 minutes of "Artifact Scanning". Artifacts are also very noticeable in 3DMark03 at 520/560. I'm not sure if the artifacts are heat-related. With stock HSF it hits 84C during benchmarking (I've ordered a VGA Silencer 4). However, at 520/520, with stock HSF (and 80C+ GPU temps) the Artifact Scan runs 15+ minutes without errors (which W1zzard defines as a "stable" overclock). So for the time being, I am running at 475/450 with 16 pipes. Even at stock X800 Pro speeds the GPU still hits 80C+ during gaming and benchmarking, but no artifacts are present in either ATI Tool or 3DMark03. From others' reported GPU temps, I think mine is WAY too high. Nevertheless, I'm not even sure if better cooling will allow me run at 520/560. My card's components (it does have 1.6ns memory) might just be at the low end of the specification so it can't handle XT speeds, so they slapped an X800 Pro VIVO sticker on it.

It's still pretty freakin' fast though! The extra four pipes at stock X800 Pro speeds are worth about 5-7 fps in HaloPC and Doom 3 timedemos and about 1,000 points in 3DMark03. Now if W1zzard would just make an ATI X800 > XT Bios with 500/500 speeds I'd be set!

I have been playing with ATI Tool and found the memory speed seems to be the cause of the artifacts. The maximum stable memory speed for my card is 544.5 (the core seems to be stable up to around 550). If I go any higher on the memory speed I get artifacts after about 5 minutes.

Do you guys think that ram sinks would help to achieve stable operation at the X800 XT's default memory speed of 560? If so, what type(s) can you recommend? I've ordered a VGA Silencer 4 (not sure if it has ram sinks), so I may have some clearance issues on the GPU side of the board.

By the way, I thought I had ordered a Sapphire card, but I was sent a PowerColor X800 Pro VIVO. Oh well, no matter - I was able to successfully unlock 16 pipes and the card runs fine (if a little too hot). It would be nice to run at the default XT speeds, but overall I am quite pleased with the card's performance with 16 pipes at X800 Pro speeds of 475/450.

[Urlyin]

NRP, Don't rely soley on the finding from the ATITool...W1zzard has noted that the ATItool doesn't work well with the X800pros... I would assume some of the issues are heat related. Did you flash with the ATI BIOS? Do you have any AS5(artic silver5)? The HSF may not have seated very well, maybe a new paste job would help until the VGA silencer comes in ... sometimes poor airflow in the case can cause heat problems... try it with the side cover off

[NRP]

I installed the VGA Silencer 4 today - what a difference! My card now idles @ 41C and peaks @ 68C under extreme loads. This thing is virtually silent, even at 100% fan speed! I am very impressed - this is an excellent product!

However, the card still isn't stable at any memory speed over 544.5 (even with the VGA Silencer and an open case). I really think that some of my memory chips are at the low end of the manufacturing specification and just can't handle a 560 memory speed, and I'm certain that's why my card is a Pro VIVO and not an XT.

Therefore, I just used ATI Tool to create a custom profile that sets the core/mem speeds to 520/540 at startup. This configuration has been rock solid so far, and is only very slightly slower than XT speeds (11,595 3DMarks versus 11,695 for 520/560). I am also using the ATI X800 XT Bios.

[PH8]

Yes the files needed are the bios and flashrom.exe on a Bootable floppy
The correct command is flashrom -f -p 0 BIOS.bin
Bios.bin being the name of the bios you are flashing with..
The -I display information ... more reading here http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/34

Worked up the courage to enter the command and this what I got:

Error 0FL01: Press '1' to continue

After changing my pants, I composed myself and realised that I didn't break it - the flash just didn't work!

Any ideas what that code is about? :confused:

[Urlyin]

make sure you typed in the correct BIOS name and the -f -p are lower case and it's a zero not the letter O for port 0

flashrom -f -p 0 BIOS.bin

[PH8]

make sure you typed in the correct BIOS name and the -f -p are lower case and it's a zero not the letter O for port 0

flashrom -f -p 0 BIOS.bin

I knew it was a zero and not an 'o', and all the other parameters are right. ;)

Tried it again, double checking everything and I got the same message BUT what I didn't include before was some info above the error code. The error was in red and it caught my attention - I didn't even see the stuff above it...

This is the other message that was with the code:

Serial ROM
"HIS[1].X800XT.256.samsung16.bin" File open error.

Other than that - I have no idea... I followed all instructions so far but to no avail.

Thanks for your continuing help Urlyin ;)

[Wombat]

When you are using a boot floppy you should use the naming specification of this mode.
8 letters and extension. Just rename the rom file.

Wombat

[Urlyin]

When you are using a boot floppy you should use the naming specification of this mode.
8 letters and extension. Just rename the rom file.

Wombat
Wombat is correct ....

a:\ren HIS[1].X800XT.256.samsung16.bin hisxt.bin

a space between the names ...

or change it from in windows ...

DID YOU BACKUP THE ORIGINAL???

[PH8]

Thanks guys! I'm about to give it a go...

I thought I'd write this now as opposed to maybe not at all if things go pear-shaped. I don't have a spare PCI card, so if things F-up, well, you know....

[PH8]

SUCCESS!

Now cookin' with 16 pipes! Ran a suite of tests (i.e. 3DMark01, ATiTool and AquaMark03) and came up sweet as! No heat issues or artifacts of any kind thus far.

I just wanted to give a HUGE 'TY' to Urlyin for his continued help on this, without which, I probably would have just given up on it... ;) :D :cool:

Thanks must also go to Wombat for the last piece of the puzzle, renaming the file on the floppy. ;)

[Urlyin]

PH8 Great JOB!!! WOOHOO!! Now you're cookin :D
Still all the thanks go to W1zzard... I wouldn't have tried it if not for his flashrom and empty BIOS... least I could do was to help others like he helped me...

[Urlyin]

I installed the VGA Silencer 4 today - what a difference! My card now idles @ 41C and peaks @ 68C under extreme loads. This thing is virtually silent, even at 100% fan speed! I am very impressed - this is an excellent product!

However, the card still isn't stable at any memory speed over 544.5 (even with the VGA Silencer and an open case). I really think that some of my memory chips are at the low end of the manufacturing specification and just can't handle a 560 memory speed, and I'm certain that's why my card is a Pro VIVO and not an XT.

Therefore, I just used ATI Tool to create a custom profile that sets the core/mem speeds to 520/540 at startup. This configuration has been rock solid so far, and is only very slightly slower than XT speeds (11,595 3DMarks versus 11,695 for 520/560). I am also using the ATI X800 XT Bios.

NRP... Mine will only oc to about 533\567 without starting to artifact. So I just use the Overdrive that comes with the ATI driver which sets the core to 526. I'm ocing my 3.0e to 3.75 at 5:4 mem which gives me 13,393 in 3dmark03. I noticed that ocing to the 533 core didn't buy much in FPS in games or benchmarks.

[RicK]

Can I do that mod to a built by ati x800 pro?

[Urlyin]

Can I do that mod to a built by ati x800 pro?
Must be a VIVO.... look for the Rage theater chip on the back...

[RicK]

I didn't know there was the vivo and the non-vivo version of built by ati x800 pro, I don't have the card yet because I pay the ground shipping but probably is not the vivo version

[NRP]

I thought I'd post this bit of additional info for anyone who's curious. After trying several XT Bioses in my Powercolor X800 Pro VIVO and playing around with ATI Tool's artifact scanner, I finally found a Bios that allows my card to run at greater than XT PE core/mem speeds with no artifacting.

I finally tried the ATI X800 XT PE 526/573 Bios, and it works! The Artifact Scanner ran for almost an hour before I got bored watching it and stopped it. No artifacts in the Ruby tech demo, 3DMark03, or any games I play. For the longest time I didn't even consider this Bios because the ATI X800 XT PE 520/560 Bios caused artifacts at any memory speed above 544.5, so I thought that the 526/573 Bios obviously wouldn't work either. However, Mustrum suggested I try it because he thought it had less "aggressive" memory timings and may work for my board. Well, he was correct! So if anyone has a VIVO card that can't quite handle the XT PE 520/560 Bios, I suggest you give the XT PE 526/573 Bios a try.

With Overdrive enabled in the Control Panel the core clocks to 533 with no problems so far. One thing though: if I allow the Bios to control the fan speed, the card hits 78C during benchmarking (enough for the control panel to cut the core speed back to 520). Since that's a little too hot for comfort, I have to use ATI Tool to set a custom fan speed profile. Now the card never goes above 67C during benchmarking.

At least now I've got a "real" X800 XT PE! It's so damn fast that my cpu is now the bottleneck (increasing resolution up to 1600 x 1200 doesn't affect framerate!), so I'm upgrading my 2.6 GHz P4 to a 3.4 GHz P4 (Northwood).

I would encourage anyone who is considering getting an X800 Pro VIVO and modding it to an XT PE (before all the VIVOs are folded into the X800 XT sku) to definitely go for it. With the help of people like W1zzard, Urlyin, and Mustrum, this mod was very easy (even fun).

[netranger6]

guys, could you please list detailed instructions, compiled, with links to bios? I just stumbled across this forum, and believe I have a VIVO as well. The labels says "Radeon x800 PRO 256 MB/ V/VO/D. Came with DVI/SVideo and all that crap, but I am tearing her apart now to look for the Rage Chip.

[netranger6]

guys, could you please list detailed instructions, compiled, with links to bios? I just stumbled across this forum, and believe I have a VIVO as well. The labels says "Radeon x800 PRO 256 MB/ V/VO/D. Came with DVI/SVideo and all that crap, but I am tearing her apart now to look for the Rage Chip.

nevermind, looked on the back of the card, where the silver brace bar is that holds the fan, and no big processor back there, just some ram chips. damn it.

[Urlyin]

NRP... did you do any benchmarks before and after the XT 526\573 BIOS? There is something to be said about each BIOS having different memory timinigs... Glad to see your card is cranking and you're having fun :D ... I will try the BIOS myself and let you know Thanks

quick note to those who might be interested. I swapped cards with a friend at work. He has the BFX6800GT and from my system the cards run neck and neck. The GT hits 96fps in Doom3 the XT hits a 92, Frycry the XT wins by a frame 78 to 77 all at 1024X768 no AA/AF... The GT cranks at 72,xxx and the XT 68,xxx in Aquamark3. While the XT ranks higher in 3DMark03 at 13,809, GT 12,774 and finally the 3DMark2001SE the XT at 24,414 with the GT running at 21,404... interesting enough he has a AMD64 3800 OC and he can score higher in Doom3 with the XT than I can with the GT... check out the benchmark scores at www.doom3benchmarks.com. I did have the best X800 score... till he beat me with my own card... dirty dog :mad:

[picachuX]

PH8 Great JOB!!! WOOHOO!! Now you're cookin :D
Still all the thanks go to W1zzard... I wouldn't have tried it if not for his flashrom and empty BIOS... least I could do was to help others like he helped me...

Why wouldnt u have tried it without W1zzard's flashrom & empty bios?


1. Im curious if it would be worth it just enabling 16pipes @ Pro Stock Speeds w/Built By Ati x800 Pro ViVo?

2. With the modified flashrom does one still need to initially use the gigaby flasher+bios to unlock the 16pipes?

3. Say i unlock the 16pipes and they turn out bad, how is it determined which block of pipes is shutoff when going back to 12pipes?

4. If i flash to XT and get severe problems, flash back to original backed up bios and rma the card will ATI be able to tell i messed with the bios?

Thanks in advance for your time, alot of questions from a nervous noob. :o

[Urlyin]

Picachux... Read the instructions here http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=188&page=1&pp=10 and be sure to back up your original BIOS. You do not need to use the Gigabyte BIOS. That was what people used orginally and did not allow you to go back to 12 pipes. With the Flashrom tool here at techpowerup it doesn't matter you can still go back to 12 pipes. Read through the instructions you'll find lots of info and lots of help :) read through this sticky from the begining as well... as long as you have a VIVO you should be fine...

[caleb]

bad post sorry :P

[NRP]

NRP... did you do any benchmarks before and after the XT 526\573 BIOS? There is something to be said about each BIOS having different memory timinigs... Glad to see your card is cranking and you're having fun:D ... I will try the BIOS myself and let you know Thanks

Urlyin,
Yes, I did run some comparative benchmarks:
Connect 3D X800 XT (500/500)
3DMark03: 11,106
HaloPC timedemo: 52.18 fps (1600x1200)

ATI X800 XT PE (520,560) - ATI Tool detects artifacts immediately
3DMark03: 11,695 (artifacts detected)
HaloPC timedemo: 53.87 fps (1600x1200)
Doom 3: 47.2 fps (1600x1200, high quality)

ATI X800 XT PE (526/573)
3DMark03: 11,852
HaloPC timedemo: 54.12 fps (1600x1200)
Doom 3: 48.1 fps (1600x1200, high quality)

I read that the X800 XT PE really needs a powerful cpu to maximize its performance (more so than the nVidia 6800 series cards), so it makes sense that you friend's A64 runs faster with your card. The best cpu for an XT PE is an A64 FX-53. I'm upgrading to a 3.4 GHz P4 (the fastest cpu my motherboard can handle), but some have said this still isn't enough cpu.

By the way, what kind of cpu cooler do you use on your overclocked P4? Any recommendations for my 3.4 GHz P4, in case Intel's HSF does cut it? My 2.6 GHz P4 hits 62C under load, and the spec sheets say to keep the 3.4 GHz P4 under 68C.

PicachuX,
I had the same questions as you, and most are answered somewhere in this thread. I'll try to give you some answers, as well as some idea of the differences I observed:

1. Yes, just enabling 16 pipes at stock X800 Pro speeds (475/450)
provides a noticeable improvement:

Powercolor X800 Pro VIVO (475/450 @ 12P)
3DMark03: 9,763
HaloPC timedemo: 43.22 fps (1600x1200)

ATI X800 Pro VIVO (475/450 @ 16P)
3DMark03: 10,431
HaloPC timedemo: 49.18 fps (1600x1200)

But, really, why stop there? If your card is a VIVO, it can almost certainly handle more even with stock cooling (MUCH more with better HSF).

2. No, you don't need the Gigabyte Flasher/Bios at all. W1zzard's "modified" flashrom and one of the Bioses from this Forum are all you need (along with a bootable floppy disk).

3. When you save a copy of your original Bios before flashing (which you SHOULD DO!!!), the saved Bios contains all of the original configuration data, including which quad (group of 4 pipelines) was disabled. If after flashing to 16 pipes it becomes apparent through benchmarking that some pipes are physically defective, W1zzard's "modified" flashrom allows you to totally reset your original Bios configuration, including which quad was disabled. So your card will work like you never flashed it in the first place.

4. Well, I'm not sure if the manufacturer has a way of knowing if the Bios was flashed. However, W1zzard has created an "empty" Bios that, when used with the "modified" flashrom, completely erases all traces of the previous Bios. Then you can reflash your original Bios and it should be "clean". Keep in mind, however, there is a fair amount of risk doing mods like this, so if you're not comfortable don't try it. Nevertheless, if your card is a VIVO, you have a good chance of success.

[Urlyin]

Well NRP I tried the higher BIOS and I now remember I had tried it before. When in the ATI contol panel Overdrive would still say 519 and when selected it goes up to 546 which my core can't handle. I shouldn't say can't but it locks on 3dmark03. I can up the memory to 600 but does nothing for benchmarks or FPS maybe a 1 FPS still get better benchies with the regular ATI BIOS with the 4.8 cat drivers... Your right the ATI cards pass off more to the CPU than the Nvidia cards. My CPU temp dropped 5c when I used the 6800GT. I have a 3.0e Presscott OC'd to a 3.8 and I use a zalman 7000 cu which does a desent job but after seeing the results the Coolermaster Hyper6 Heat pipe does on my friends AMD64 939 which had his CPU idle at 95f I'm leaning towards going to the Hyper6...

[NRP]

Urlyin,
Yes, I too think the ATI XT PE 520/560 Bios is the fastest. The games I benchmarked and played showed it was slightly faster than the 526/573 Bios (which I downclocked to 520/560 with ATI Tool to compare), but I can't use it because of the memory speed issue.

If I need it, I may try Thermalright's XP90 heatpipe heatsink. Overclockers.com gave it a great review: here (http://www.overclockers.com/articles373/p4sum.asp). The nice thing about this HSF is that it's not too large and it works with the standard P4 socket assembly (no need for a back bracket or anything). It's fairly inexpensive too, ~$40 (US), but it doesn't come with a fan.

Wow! Your Doom 3 score of 91.7 with your OC'd P4e and X800 is awesome! You've got the fastest Intel rig on that website. I ran the timedemo at the required settings with my 2.6 GHz P4c (800 MHz fsb) and X800 and scored 56.4. I wonder how much I will gain going to the 3.4 GHz P4c? I'll know Monday evening.

[Urlyin]

The XP90 would be a good choice. I'd still opt for the fan though. I had a 3.0 Northwood before I purchased the Presscott and it didn't OC as well as the 3.0e. I hope to increase that score with some OCZ PC4000 rev2 memory which I can run at 500mhz :) ... With the 3.4 I would expect to see you hit mid to high 70FPS...

[rikit_zap]

I did the 16 pipe flash with stock speeds on my x800 pro which turned out to be a VIVO to my surprise. No markings on box. Runs great. Core at 523, Mem a little low at 544 but have a ZM80D sitting here just begging to be put on. This is toooo much fun:)

I installed the xp90 with fan on my 2.6c. OC'd to 3.1 with stock air at 56C with Prime95 2 hours. It now never goes above 45C at the same OC. Idle hovers around 31C-32C down from 38C-40C. Haven't tried to go higher yet. I did lap the xp90 and processor. Don't think I would recommend lapping the xp90. Looked bumpy but as soon as I set it on the sandpaper it suctioned up to it, but it was too late. Seems like pure copper underneath as I put a pretty deep scratch in the base with just my fingernail. You can see the processor and xp90 holding up the glass when I was polishing them.

XP90 Suction (http://www.allrgeeks.com/images/xp90_lap.jpg)
2.6C Suction (http://www.allrgeeks.com/images/26c_lap.jpg)

[NRP]

Alright, I installed the P4c 3.4 GHz cpu, and here are some comparative benchmarks:

P4c 2.6 GHz:
Doom 3 (1024x768, Med): 56.4
Doom 3 (1600x1200, High): 47.4
Halo PC (1600x1200, High): 54.12
3DMark03 (default): 11,852

P4c 3.4 GHz:
Doom 3 (1024x768, Med): 66.6
Doom 3 (1600x1200, High): 51.9
Halo PC (1600x1200, High): 60.05
3DMark03 (default): 12,491

Nice increases, actual gameplay is noticeably improved. However, I was kind of expecting more . . .

so . . .

I'm building a new system based on an AMD64 FX-53 (socket 939) cpu and an ASUS A8V Deluxe motherboard. At this point in my life, I've got more dollars than sense, but I just want to see how much of a difference the fastest cpu/motherboard combo currently available will make with my videocard. Everyone says the X800 XT PE needs a fast cpu to really perform. We'll soon see.

[cmberry20]

woot! :D

Mod worked fine!
Bought a Connect3D X800 Pro VIVO & modded the BIOS, card is now a X800XT-PE @ 520 x 560. No volt mod required.

Benchmarks to follow.

:(
R.I.P
One Softmodded ATI 9500 128Mb
Finally passed away on 28/09/04
Will be sorely missed by all & will be remembered for pi**ing all over cards 4 times the price.
May its score of over 6100 in 3dMark'03 be noted in the History books
:(

[NRP]

Alright, I installed the P4c 3.4 GHz cpu, and here are some comparative benchmarks:

P4c 2.6 GHz:
Doom 3 (1024x768, Med): 56.4
Doom 3 (1600x1200, High): 47.4
Halo PC (1600x1200, High): 54.12
3DMark03 (default): 11,852

P4c 3.4 GHz:
Doom 3 (1024x768, Med): 66.6
Doom 3 (1600x1200, High): 51.9
Halo PC (1600x1200, High): 60.05
3DMark03 (default): 12,491

Nice increases, actual gameplay is noticeably improved. However, I was kind of expecting more . . .

so . . .

I'm building a new system based on an AMD64 FX-53 (socket 939) cpu and an ASUS A8V Deluxe motherboard. At this point in my life, I've got more dollars than sense, but I just want to see how much of a difference the fastest cpu/motherboard combo currently available will make with my videocard. Everyone says the X800 XT PE needs a fast cpu to really perform. We'll soon see.

I've got the new system up and running, and here are the results as well as some conclusions:

AMD64 FX-53 (Socket 939 @ 2.4 GHz) w/1 GB PC3200 RAM:
Doom 3 (1024x768, Med): 91.5*
Doom 3 (1600x1200, High): 56.8
Halo PC (1600x1200, High): 67.15
3DMark03 (default): 12,827

*Since Doom3 is cpu-limited at low resolutions, I think this benchmark score is most indicative of how much faster the FX-53 processor is compared to the P4c 3.4 GHz. All of the other benchmarks are basically evaluating the graphics card.

As soon as I got this thing running I immediately ran benchmarks, and, admittedly, I was initially disappointed by the results. These benchmarks seem to show that it isn't worth dropping ~$1,500 (US) on a new FX-53 based system. I guess I was expecting larger benchmark score differentials.

Then I started to play games. Three words best describe the new system: Hol-E-Crap! The actual gameplay feels like a "night-and-day" difference. Basically, the framerate dips are much smaller now, even at 1600x1200 resolution with the highest settings. I guess when you throw in Havoc physics and destructable environments (I love shooters), the FX-53 really shines.

What did I learn from all of this?
1. Well, benchmarks don't tell the whole story (everyone always says this, and I just spent a lot of money to learn it's true).

2. Above a certain minimum specification (a 2.6 GHz P4c cpu in my case), a good video card is more important than a good cpu.

3. The best benchmark is to play your favorite games. If your current system experiences large variations in in-game framerates, then upgrade your videocard first, cpu second. Unlike cpus, the latest videocards are so much faster than the last generation it's ridiculous.

I know I'm not really telling you people anything you don't already know, but if you're like me, you don't necessarily believe everything you read. I actually spent the money and did the research. I hope this experiment will be helpful to someone.

Oh yeah,
4. Far Cry and Painkiller are a hellava lot more fun to play than Doom3.

[NRP]

Congrats on your successful mod, cmBerry20! Get ready to enjoy insanely high resolutions and never-seen-before special effects.

[cmberry20]

Cheers NRP,
Just been playing Doom3 on 1280 x 1024 with 8AA on High - Very nice. The visuals look sooo much better than my 9500. Its so smooth now.

Benchmarks:
3dmark 03 = 12734
3dmark 05 = 4634
on a 2500 mobile @ 2.5Ghz (200 x 12.5) & 1Gb Corsair Ram (2 x 512Mb)

[Quazi]

Just a bit more FYI about my VIVO mod. I purchased a Sapphire X800Pro VIVO. The first thing I did was to bring the cards voltage up to XT PE standards. I posted this info on page two or three. I was told that I may be close to the max. Probably right. I took the resistance down to 380 ohms on resistor #1597. This brought my cards voltage up to 1.55v's. The next thing I did was use W1zzards edited flashrom and the Sapphire X800XT PE bios, and then flashed the bios. No problems at all. I noticed the heat increased by 5C from the idle to the load temps. But still yet, never got above 76C under load. The best oc I could attain here was 527/567. Then I installed a Zalman ZM80D-HP with the ram sinks and the fan. Load temps stay below 60C now. And my max oc is 543/591, with load temps still under 60C. I could oc the core more, if I bring the memory down. But memory = frame rates. And at that speed, the core can handle all the eye candy maxed out at 6x AA and 16x AF. With a 3.06GHz cpu @ 533MHz FSB, 3DMark03 score is 12,010. 3DMark05 score is 5,087. Seems the Sapphire XT PE bios is another good one to use. I am getting decent over clocks, but I am sure some of that has to do with the vmod.

[Urlyin]

NRP ... did you enjoy doing the testing and upgrades? I see you have your system running pretty good... nice benchmarks :D

[Fahim]

I posted this in another thread, but, since I started this thread, I thought I should include it here.



I have been playing with ATI Tool and found the memory speed seems to be the cause of the artifacts. The maximum stable memory speed for my card is 544.5 (the core seems to be stable up to around 550). If I go any higher on the memory speed I get artifacts after about 5 minutes.

Do you guys think that ram sinks would help to achieve stable operation at the X800 XT's default memory speed of 560? If so, what type(s) can you recommend? I've ordered a VGA Silencer 4 (not sure if it has ram sinks), so I may have some clearance issues on the GPU side of the board.

By the way, I thought I had ordered a Sapphire card, but I was sent a PowerColor X800 Pro VIVO. Oh well, no matter - I was able to successfully unlock 16 pipes and the card runs fine (if a little too hot). It would be nice to run at the default XT speeds, but overall I am quite pleased with the card's performance with 16 pipes at X800 Pro speeds of 475/450.

Which memory type your card comes with? 2.0ns or 1.6ns?

[cowboyb]

I been noticing that on every internet discription of the x800 pro says that it works up to 16 piplines. Have they increased it or are they lieing. They cant lie can they?

[NRP]

NRP ... did you enjoy doing the testing and upgrades? I see you have your system running pretty good... nice benchmarks :D

Yes, it was fun to build a new computer from the ground up. I think I got a little too caught up in all the benchmark nonsense (which ultimately made me decide to build a new system), but my new machine really kicks ass! I've been playing games and having a blast. My old computer is just used for day-to-day stuff (e-mail, word processing, screwing around with C++, etc), and I've put together a wireless network in my home (two PCs and an XBox).

On that note, I'd like to thank everyone on this forum. This place has been the best hardware-related forum I've ever seen. Everyone here is smart, helpful, and no one flames anyone. W1zzard produces excellent articles and reviews. In a word, this place is fantastic!

[NRP]

Which memory type your card comes with? 2.0ns or 1.6ns?

It has Samsung 1.6ns memory.

[Urlyin]

NRP ... I see you almost edged me on the Doom3 benchmark... :D Glad to hear you had fun ... catching the OC bug is like being a crack addict... gotta go faster ... just one more FPS ... where's that mod .... hehe

[NRP]

I been noticing that on every internet discription of the x800 pro says that it works up to 16 piplines. Have they increased it or are they lieing. They cant lie can they?
All X800 series cards are based on the same R420 gpu, which is built with 16 pipes (four groups of four pipes). Sometimes some of these pipes are faulty due to the manufacturing process, but the rest of the chip is perfectly functional. If only one group of pipes is defective, the manufacturer simply disables the defective group of four pipes (leaving the gpu with 12 functional pipes) and sells it as an X800 Pro.

Sometimes, all 16 pipes are functional but either the gpu or the memory can't run at the X800 XT PE speeds (520 core/560 memory). In this case, the manufacturer simply disables one group of pipes in the card's Bios (again, leaving the gpu with 12 pipes) and sells the card as an X800 Pro VIVO (475 core/450 memory), or leaves all 16 pipes active and sells the card as an X800 XT (500 core/500 memory).

Even now, it is nearly impossible to purchase an X800 XT PE (very low supply). So the least expensive option is to purchase an X800 Pro VIVO and perform the modifications described in this thread (and all the other threads) to make it an X800 XT PE. You can now also purchase an X800 XT (which has 16 pipes enabled) and increase it's speeds as described in this thread, but these are more expensive than the X800 Pro VIVOs.

In summary, it isn't lying or false advertising on the manufacturer's part. It's just a way to still make a profit from slightly out-of-spec parts (it's a good business strategy, and it's good for us hardware enthusiasts also). If you want to do this, you must purchase an X800 Pro VIVO, not a regular X800 Pro. Keep in mind that you are taking a risk because some of the pipes may infact be physically defective so if you unlock them you'll get visual artifacts. However, the success rate for X800 Pro VIVOs seems to be very high, so I think it's a good risk. On the other hand, if you buy an X800 XT, you're guaranteed to get 16 fully functional pipes but you'll pay extra for it.

[NRP]

NRP ... I see you almost edged me on the Doom3 benchmark... :D Glad to hear you had fun ... catching the OC bug is like being a crack addict... gotta go faster ... just one more FPS ... where's that mod .... hehe
Yeah, I almost beat your score, but I needed an $800 (US) cpu and a $160 (US) motherboard to get anywhere near you. You definitely have an awesome system! It looks like the Prescott cpus are very formidable when properly overclocked.

On a related note. I'm using the Thermalright XP-90 heat sink (with a 92mm fan) on my A64 FX-53 (stock speed - 2.4 GHz). I don't know how hot this cpu runs with the stock HSF, but mine idles at 33C - 35C and never gets above 50C during absolutely grueling benchmarking or gaming sessions. This heat sink isn't too large, and it works with the stock intel heat sink bracket (it comes with a spare bracket for AMD cpus). I highly recommend it!

[Urlyin]

But that AMD64 will still be cranking when my OCed 3.0 is smoldering ... I was looking at those heat pipes but the Cooler master Hyper6 caught my eye... maybe I need to give the XP another look...

[slash0r]

i'm about to flash my asus x800 pro vivo to an xt but i have some questions

1) what should give best results, the ati X800 xt bios or an asus X800 xt bios ?
2) also i already ran the atitool artifacts detector with xt speeds (520/560) and it
detected one unmatched pixel. it doesnt do that with 510/550. is there a way
to permanently change the bios values to 510/550 ?
3) whats the maximum 'safe' temperature ? atitool reported a max of 72/55 when
scanning for artifacts

greets

[Fahim]

I mod my ASUS AX800 PRO/TVD to 16 Pipe. Running successfully. I check with ATI Tool for 1 hr. This forum & this site helped me a lot in this matter. Congrates everyone...

[NRP]

i'm about to flash my asus x800 pro vivo to an xt but i have some questions

1) what should give best results, the ati X800 xt bios or an asus X800 xt bios ?
2) also i already ran the atitool artifacts detector with xt speeds (520/560) and it
detected one unmatched pixel. it doesnt do that with 510/550. is there a way
to permanently change the bios values to 510/550 ?
3) whats the maximum 'safe' temperature ? atitool reported a max of 72/55 when
scanning for artifacts

greets
I'm not sure which X800 XT Bios is best. You'll probably have to try them all to see for yourself. I'm not aware of any way change the Bios clocks by increments any smaller than 6.75 MHz, so the closest you could get is 506.5/546.75. ATI claims the gpu can run up to 100C safely, but most people like to keep the temp below 70C just to be safe. Good luck with your mod!

[NRP]

But that AMD64 will still be cranking when my OCed 3.0 is smoldering ... I was looking at those heat pipes but the Cooler master Hyper6 caught my eye... maybe I need to give the XP another look...
If you have to dissipate a lot of heat, maybe the XP-90 isn't the best choice (it only has 4 heat pipes). The Hyper6 has 6 heat pipes, so it can no doubt handle larger thermal loads. I actually saw one of the Hyper6 heat sinks - it is HEAVY and tall! So much so that I was worried about mounting it in a tower case (cantilever beam stresses). Thermalright also makes an XP-120 with 6 heat pipes, but this thing is freakin' huge! You may have clearance problems. If it does fit, the advantage is the 120mm fan flows more air and is quieter than the 80mm fan(s) of the Hyper6.

If your 3.0e gets fried, I hear there will soon be a 3.6e. With that one, you could probably get to 4.5 GHz! I'm sure Intel will keep the Prescott prices low to compete with the AMD64s.

[GoLLuM4444]

i'm about to flash my asus x800 pro vivo to an xt but i have some questions

1) what should give best results, the ati X800 xt bios or an asus X800 xt bios ?
2) also i already ran the atitool artifacts detector with xt speeds (520/560) and it
detected one unmatched pixel. it doesnt do that with 510/550. is there a way
to permanently change the bios values to 510/550 ?
3) whats the maximum 'safe' temperature ? atitool reported a max of 72/55 when
scanning for artifacts

greets

1) Assuming you have Samsung 1.6ns memory they should be almost exactly the same but you can try both and see if one performs slightly better.

2) The BIOS database on this site does not yet allow you to download x800 BIOSes with modified default frequencies (and i doubt it does elsewhere cause this site is the best :) ). However you can set atitool to load on startup with a profile with saved frequencies 510/550 and this will have the same effect as changing the bios values (assuming you dont mind running atitool on startup).

3) If the max is 72C then i would think that's fine.

[pcjm84]

help bios radeon 7000 dead

[GoLLuM4444]

help bios radeon 7000 dead
You're quite right the radeon 7000 is dead.
Get a new card. :cool:

[mR Yellow]

2) The BIOS database on this site does not yet allow you to download x800 BIOSes with modified default frequencies (and i doubt it does elsewhere cause this site is the best :) ). However you can set atitool to load on startup with a profile with saved frequencies 510/550 and this will have the same effect as changing the bios values (assuming you dont mind running atitool on startup).


Is it possible to edit the bios using RaBit and then flash it?
Reason: I have a Asus x800 TD (non vivo) and want to use the Asus x800xt PE bios and modify the core and mem speed and disable vivo feature. Then flash it with this bios to unlock xtra pipes?

What do u experts say?

[GIGGLA]

The 16p mod successfully worked on my sapphire x800 pro 4A49 1.6N WITH ATI X800 PRO VIVO 16P. memory also went up from 513 max to 531. Thanks Wizz. best stable clock 521/531.

[Urlyin]

Is it possible to edit the bios using RaBit and then flash it?
Reason: I have a Asus x800 TD (non vivo) and want to use the Asus x800xt PE bios and modify the core and mem speed and disable vivo feature. Then flash it with this bios to unlock xtra pipes?

What do u experts say?

The softmod only works on a PRO VIVO, to unlock the just the pro involves connecting the laser cut on the GPU ...

[mR Yellow]

The softmod only works on a PRO VIVO, to unlock the just the pro involves connecting the laser cut on the GPU ...

Thats my plan...im going to join the laser cuts ;)

[Urlyin]

Good Luck Yellow, I haven't used any of the BIOS editors to turn off VIVO, you can change the core/mem though. The Doom3 Hot fix Beta 4.9 drivers didn't load VIVO drivers, something to try...

[mR Yellow]

Good Luck Yellow, I haven't used any of the BIOS editors to turn off VIVO, you can change the core/mem though. The Doom3 Hot fix Beta 4.9 drivers didn't load VIVO drivers, something to try...


I heard u can use a bios with vivo...no problem! The only thing that happens is that u get a error in device manager saying that the vivo drivers aren't installed.

[zodden]

Thanks for the guide and for providing the bios' to flash

I used a Sapphire X800Pro Vivo that I got from Newegg a few days ago. Flashed to 16 pipes no problem at all :)

Tried the XT PE Bios from ATI and kept getting 1 artifact in ATI Tool testing. Just 1 lol, but 1 is more then I like. I was not getting any artifacts in 3dmark2003 though or Max Payne 2, which is the only things I have had time to try.

I flashed to the Connect 3d XT 500/500 bios instead and then overclocked stable without any artifacts to 544/549

It benches a little higher at 544/549 then the PE bios at 520/560 and I broke 12,000 in 3dmark03 for the first time with it. I still am annoyed by that one artifact every 1min or so with the PE bios lol. 1 is so little but I am obsessive so I had to flash to the 500/500

Anyway thanks for the great guide and the bios selection

[IIDX]

Is there a guide anywhere that tells me exactly how to flash a bios...what steps and precautions to take, and just how to do it?

I'd like to try my hand at 16 pipelines on my Sapphire x800 pro VIVO, but I haven't the first clue when it comes to flashing bios'. Thanks.

[ojaneka]

XT mod

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/100

[ojaneka]

Has anybody tried to unlock 16p`s on CLUB 3D X800 Pro ViVo card!?

I dont have a floppy drive. So does any have good STEP by STEP inst. to mod with cd-rom?

Thanks

[IIDX]

Do I have to uninstall my current ATi drivers before flashing the card? I have the 4.12b's installed right now, should I get rid of them and flash it on a no-driver windows setup?

[themeat]

The softmod only works on a PRO VIVO, to unlock the just the pro involves connecting the laser cut on the GPU ...


Urlyin i have a ati x800pro. If i connect the lazer cuts what happens? does that make it a vivo or does that enable the 16 pipes. There has got to be a way for us x800pro guys :mad:

[Micha76]

Hi!
Since I just want the 16 pipes and not overclock my card, Im looking for the modified bios with 16 pipes enabled, but the standard core/memory clocks for x800pro.

This bios has been mentioned numerous times in this thread, but I cant find it on the bios download page. Where can you download it?

[ojaneka]

ATI bios is the right one, only 16P and core 475/450.
http://www.techpowerup.com/bios/
ATI X800 Pro VIVO 16P (AGP) 256 MB: file

[Urlyin]

Urlyin i have a ati x800pro. If i connect the lazer cuts what happens? does that make it a vivo or does that enable the 16 pipes. There has got to be a way for us x800pro guys :mad:

It Enables the 16pipes and to have VIVO you'll have to have the ATI Theater chip, which the pros do not. If you succeed in patching the lazer cut to enable 16 pipes you still get the VIVO device error in device manager. No biggy though, if you want more info on the lazer cut try here (http://www.pcunleash.com/bbs/zboard.php?id=MyItemReview&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=26)

Edit: of course if you use the pro 16pipe BIOS I don't think you get the VIVO error

[Urlyin]

Has anybody tried to unlock 16p`s on CLUB 3D X800 Pro ViVo card!?

I dont have a floppy drive. So does any have good STEP by STEP inst. to mod with cd-rom?

Thanks

Hi Orjaneko, did you review W1zzards info link (http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=11&page=1)

[Urlyin]

Do I have to uninstall my current ATi drivers before flashing the card? I have the 4.12b's installed right now, should I get rid of them and flash it on a no-driver windows setup?

IIDX .... it should detect the new device after you flash and want to install new drivers ... you can clean out the drivers before the flash or after... I would wait till after to make sure all goes well ... good luck

[Micha76]

Ok.. sorry.. I really WAS blind. :-)

ATI bios is the right one, only 16P and core 475/450.
http://www.techpowerup.com/bios/
ATI X800 Pro VIVO 16P (AGP) 256 MB: file

[ojaneka]

Hi Orjaneko, did you review W1zzards info link (http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=11&page=1)


Yep, i have read those articles many many times, but i still dont understand what programs need 2 use..

I need a program that boots my comp. @ DOS. :confused: How do i do it? I dont have a floppy. I have visited bootdisk.com........ DOS is familiar a bit....

[Urlyin]

Yep, i have read those articles many many times, but i still dont understand what programs need 2 use..

I need a program that boots my comp. @ DOS. :confused: How do i do it? I dont have a floppy. I have visited bootdisk.com........ DOS is familiar a bit....
hmmm... that's a good one, since you need the boot files from the floppy to create the boot.bin files on the cd ... there has to be an image out there that will allow you to create a bootcd. If I get time I'll try to create an image for you... do you have easycd creator or nero? PM me a email address that I can send it too, in the mean time I'll try to browse to see if there's a image iso file you can download, anyone else know of one?

[IIDX]

Woohoo! I finally worked up the guts to hit enter, and everything worked great. The 16 pipes are up and going, and my 3dmark 05 went up about 400, and my 03 went up about 1000.

I am still not ready to overclock it too much, but just knowing I'm getting a little more juice for free is nice :P

[Urlyin]

Woohoo! I finally worked up the guts to hit enter, and everything worked great. The 16 pipes are up and going, and my 3dmark 05 went up about 400, and my 03 went up about 1000.

I am still not ready to overclock it too much, but just knowing I'm getting a little more juice for free is nice :P


Good for you IIDX ... enjoy the new speed :D

[IIDX]

Guys...I have a question. Does upgrading to the XT 16pipe bios kill the VIVO function on the card?

I have been trying to get my damned video in to work for like an hour, then I suddenly realized that it's probably because I flashed my BIOS...is this what the problem is??? Thanks.

[ojaneka]

hmmm... that's a good one, since you need the boot files from the floppy to create the boot.bin files on the cd ... there has to be an image out there that will allow you to create a bootcd. If I get time I'll try to create an image for you... do you have easycd creator or nero? PM me a email address that I can send it too, in the mean time I'll try to browse to see if there's a image iso file you can download, anyone else know of one?


Hi there!

Thanks for ur answer. Been busy with other things... Theres no rush with this matter... (Some day i will do the mod..)

Maybe i should just buy a floppy. i have nero, but when i make bootable cd and boot, DOS says that gate(way) A20 is allready enabled or something like that... I have tryed 2 make it only a few times on a rw disk.

I Have a bluetooth keyboard and mice.... usb must boot first..

[Urlyin]

Guys...I have a question. Does upgrading to the XT 16pipe bios kill the VIVO function on the card?

I have been trying to get my damned video in to work for like an hour, then I suddenly realized that it's probably because I flashed my BIOS...is this what the problem is??? Thanks.

IIDX... VIVO is controlled by the ATI Rage Theater chip and is generally used by software. Verify the software that came with your card and it sees the theater chip as a capture device ...

[IIDX]

Hmmm...I was pretty sure that last time I simply downloaded ATi Multimedia Centre, plugged something into the S-video IN and away I went....but now it doesn't seem to work at all. Is there any way I can verify that it is working?

Also, I remember I formated recently, and then instead of installing the stuff from the CD that came with the card, I just installed the 4.12b's...could that have made a difference? Did I have to install the base drivers first or something? Thanks.

[Urlyin]

Hmmm...I was pretty sure that last time I simply downloaded ATi Multimedia Centre, plugged something into the S-video IN and away I went....but now it doesn't seem to work at all. Is there any way I can verify that it is working?

Also, I remember I formated recently, and then instead of installing the stuff from the CD that came with the card, I just installed the 4.12b's...could that have made a difference? Did I have to install the base drivers first or something? Thanks.

The Beta drivers do not install the VIVO drivers ... AFAIK

[IIDX]

hmm...I just reinstalled the 4.11's after doing a driver cleaner clean up, then installed the multimedia centre and it still doesn't work... I'm doing it just like before, plugging my playstation into the s-video in, then turning it on, and going to the multimedia centre, and there is no line in option.

EDIT: FIXED...it was a combination of me having two mistakes, and never trying to fix both at the same time :S ah well it's fixed now.

[mR Yellow]

I tried the mod.

Joined the connectors. flashed with xt bios.
But still 12p :confused:

My card device id is 4A49. Apparently these cards have a 3rd protection ie hardware lock???
Is this true?

Has anyone had this problem?

[LouieV]

Success !!!
I bought one of BB ATI X800 Pros being sold by COMPUSA. The box says it's a standard Pro, but a Pro VIVO is actually what was inside. It has the Rage Theater Chip and GC 16 RAM.

I flashed the card and enabled the four extra pipelines with no problems. Though I decided to use the X800 Pro VIVO/16P bios. It runs at default clock speeds but keeps the additional pipelines active. I'll need additional cooling before moving up to XT PE clock speeds.

I used the modified flashrom 237 and Bios files located in the article below. Worked great!

http://www.techpowerup.com. Look under articles for X800 Pro VIVO to XT PE Bios Mod by W1zzard.


3Dmark01 went from 27,290 to 27,920
3Dmark03 went from 10,520 to 11,610
Aquamark went from 66,690 to 68,588

[mR Yellow]

@ Wizzard or anyone who knows,

Ive got a ASUS x800pro (non vivo). I flashed the card with x800xt bios (after connecting the lasercuts).

The device ID b4 flash is 4A49 (using ATI Tool)
The device after flash still reads as 4A49 (using ATI Tool)

But if i use rabit to check out the bios it reads 4A50? :confused:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/jakogvp/mR%20Yellow/Rabit.jpg

BTW i wasn't able to unlock xtra pipes. ATI tool still reads it as 12.
So maybe their is some other hardware lock. That doesn't allow u to change device ID even when the bios ID reads as 4A50!

Any insight will be appreciated

[Si D]

Hi there, I'm told you guys invented this mod - so hope you can help;

I have an ATI X800Pro with the Rage Theatre chip and no laser cut. I've flashed the BIOS with 3 differing BIOS from Techpowerup.com, but still only have 12 pipes :confused:

The clocks have changed on the card, and artifacts are few and far between using the ATItool, but Windows XP didn't recognise any new hardware. I forced a new windows driver and selected XT Platinum Edition, and all works fine.

Any suggestions for how I can get at those extra pipes?
Cheers!

[GoLLuM4444]

Hi there, I'm told you guys invented this mod - so hope you can help;

I have an ATI X800Pro with the Rage Theatre chip and no laser cut. I've flashed the BIOS with 3 differing BIOS from Techpowerup.com, but still only have 12 pipes :confused:

The clocks have changed on the card, and artifacts are few and far between using the ATItool, but Windows XP didn't recognise any new hardware. I forced a new windows driver and selected XT Platinum Edition, and all works fine.

Any suggestions for how I can get at those extra pipes?
Cheers!

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/100

[polox36]

Well i just bought i new system amd xp3200 400MHX FSB, ASUS A7NX8E-DX MB, I GIG DUAL DDR 400 RAM and a powercolor x800 pro vivo. Been reading all the previos posts and all the help i need to open the extra 4 pipes is well detailed. I have never done a mod before so it's a bit scary but there are no posts that show anyone having any problems. Is my video caard gonna be limited my processor speed?
This seems like i great forum i guess i found the best one on my first search, still debating on the bios mod.....

also will i need extra cooling?

[GoLLuM4444]

I had problems! It all worked fine until my card randomly broke but I RMAd it and now I'm getting a better one. :-D Seriously though I think there was an unrelated problem with the card.

To answer your question though you can modify the 16 pipe bios to have the same frequencies as your current bios (using RABiT or something similar) and then use ATiTool to see if your card can handle that bios's original frequencies without extra cooling. Then if it can, flash to the regualr xtpe bios.

-GoLLuM

[ioc]

First off, thanks for the excellent mod. You guys rock!!

Ok, I'm flashing a built-by-ATI X800 Pro vivo, and it appears to have come off without a hitch. However, the only bios that did NOT work, was the lastest X800 XT bios XXX0609.bin. After I flash this bios, I have no display upon boot or in Windows. Not being the first time I've done this, I had my old bios on the floppy, along with the XT PE April version, the 16 pipes only version, and the 526/573 version.

Since the latest version didn't work, I ran through all versions, and they all work fine except for that one. Any idea why? I even downloaded it again, just in case it was corrupt. Same deal.

Also interesting to note is that when I run ATI tool with the April version of the XT PE bios, I can change the fan speeds to whatever I like, but it doesn't get any faster, and the temp climbs on up to about 68 degrees. Right now I'm running the 526/573 version and I can increase the fan speed to 80% and bring the temps down to 39/35.

It's working great though. I haven't done any benchmarks yet, but MOHPA runs without a hitch at max everything. Of course, I've got 2 GB DDR at 400Mhz 2-3-3-8 on an AMD 3500+, so that helps a bit. :)

If you have any ideas why it didn't like that particular bios, please let me know.

Thanks.

[ryboto]

@ Wizzard or anyone who knows,

Ive got a ASUS x800pro (non vivo). I flashed the card with x800xt bios (after connecting the lasercuts).

The device ID b4 flash is 4A49 (using ATI Tool)
The device after flash still reads as 4A49 (using ATI Tool)

But if i use rabit to check out the bios it reads 4A50? :confused:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/jakogvp/mR%20Yellow/Rabit.jpg

BTW i wasn't able to unlock xtra pipes. ATI tool still reads it as 12.
So maybe their is some other hardware lock. That doesn't allow u to change device ID even when the bios ID reads as 4A50!

Any insight will be appreciated

Did you happen to find anything out about the problem??? I heard of this...I have a non-vivo pro too, and did the hard mod, and am waiting to do the flash until someone figures out why even after altering the bios the pipes are still locked, and the device ID isn't changed...could it be in the drivers? Anywho, any updated info you get on this, let me know, as I've been searching for quite some time..

[runmc]

Great thread guys, this is the best guide I've seen. I saw a good deal on a VIVO card so I thought I'd buy it and give the mod a try.

Thank you Wizzard for sending these great article our way. The ATITool Rev seems to have some great new additions. I can wait to try it. :D

[Mad-Matt]

I think RaBit might actually be missing something when editing the bios. As an example, when i tried to make PE bios into an XT bios by first Loading in PE bios and changing device ID to 4A4B (X800 XT) and setting the clocks to 500/500, after flashing this everything appeared to work ok, drivers installed relevent drivers and card was being picked up as an xt (well, plain x800 series as ATI dont have an XT name in their drivers as i dont think they actually sell a bba xt.) The oddity is that Overdrive still thinks its a PE and shows default clock at 520 (AtiTray sees its as set in bios though, so overdrive is lying at this point) when activating overdrive though it knocks the speed upto 527 (i think) which isnt to good as my card cant take it on stock cooler. PE is stable just long enough to bench on my asus card with default cooler. So I do wonder if rabit is missing something. theres something left in the bios for the drivers (well just overdrive) to still detect it as a pe.

Currently Im using the Sapphire XT bios edited to show as made by ati so I can use the MMC (which does only work when bios says card is by ati). Overdrive picks up that its an xt and works normaly.

[Urlyin]

I think RaBit might actually be missing something when editing the bios. As an example, when i tried to make PE bios into an XT bios by first Loading in PE bios and changing device ID to 4A4B (X800 XT) and setting the clocks to 500/500, after flashing this everything appeared to work ok, drivers installed relevent drivers and card was being picked up as an xt (well, plain x800 series as ATI dont have an XT name in their drivers as i dont think they actually sell a bba xt.) The oddity is that Overdrive still thinks its a PE and shows default clock at 520 (AtiTray sees its as set in bios though, so overdrive is lying at this point) when activating overdrive though it knocks the speed upto 527 (i think) which isnt to good as my card cant take it on stock cooler. PE is stable just long enough to bench on my asus card with default cooler. So I do wonder if rabit is missing something. theres something left in the bios for the drivers (well just overdrive) to still detect it as a pe.

Currently Im using the Sapphire XT bios edited to show as made by ati so I can use the MMC (which does only work when bios says card is by ati). Overdrive picks up that its an xt and works normaly.

Interesting Matt, Overdrive is like ASUS SmartDoctor and it's 3D excellerator... it doesn't set the clock at that speed it adjust as demand for the GPU rises or lowers with that being the max... There may also be settings in the BIOS that Rabbit does see and like the MMC which only works for ATI cards which you can change, I noticed that the SmartDoctor for ASUS doesn't work for a non ASUS card even if you use the ASUS BIOS... so there may be something else there that isn't being changed. As for your PE not being stable may not be your temps( check out the begining of the X800 voltmod article on temps) it may be the card needs some more juice to reach PE speeds .. .

[Mad-Matt]

Its a pro vivo ive flashed to XT (at pe its unstable), but have given the voltmod some thaught. On previous radeon cards, sighns of being pushed to far was some kind of display corruption. On this card its just a right out freeze, no visual signs of being pushed to far, so maybe some extra juice is just what it needs. Is it known if the Asus pro cards are lower voltage then the pe counterparts ?.

As for smartdoctor, I cant really test how well it works on non asus as I have only an asus card to test with. But I have noted that in various forums that there have been issues even getting smartdoctor to run on asus cards. As far as this goes I have no issues when using the Asus bios, but only specific versions can be run. The asus download list for ax800 is abit of a mess and it includes smartdoctor versions not ment for the card. one of the versions i tried (from ax800 section) said no nvidia hardware found lol. One of the downloadable updated versions worked, i cant remember which. Solution is to get em all and try em. I think its the lowest version in the download section that worked.. (I thaught it was odd that there were 3 versions released on same day.

Additional note: Smartdoctor 4.55 is the one ive got saved in driver backup folder so ill assume this is the download that worked. Havent tried the latest 4.60. 4.56 and 4.57 didnt work.

[Urlyin]

Your right about the X800 freezing, I'm sure that was driving W1zzard crazy with ATITool initially, during overclock it would just freeze... I use to love the SmartDoctor with the 9800XT I had... I might try the ASUS BIOS again to see if it was just the wrong version, it would tell me it did not detect an ASUS card... If you're happy with the performance with the card as it is now then later for the voltmod, but the pencil mod is fairly easy to do... here (http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=194&page=1) ... the AGP X800 usually runs default at 1.39 or 1.40 regardless of the OEM. Most cards are made by ATI and Sapphire, even for the other OEM PCB ...

[mR Yellow]

I think RaBit might actually be missing something when editing the bios. As an example, when i tried to make PE bios into an XT bios by first Loading in PE bios and changing device ID to 4A4B (X800 XT) and setting the clocks to 500/500, after flashing this everything appeared to work ok, drivers installed relevent drivers and card was being picked up as an xt (well, plain x800 series as ATI dont have an XT name in their drivers as i dont think they actually sell a bba xt.) The oddity is that Overdrive still thinks its a PE and shows default clock at 520 (AtiTray sees its as set in bios though, so overdrive is lying at this point) when activating overdrive though it knocks the speed upto 527 (i think) which isnt to good as my card cant take it on stock cooler. PE is stable just long enough to bench on my asus card with default cooler. So I do wonder if rabit is missing something. theres something left in the bios for the drivers (well just overdrive) to still detect it as a pe.

Currently Im using the Sapphire XT bios edited to show as made by ati so I can use the MMC (which does only work when bios says card is by ati). Overdrive picks up that its an xt and works normaly.

U might be on to something here...
I have the same problem. Have overdrive but no 16p :(

[Winterwind]

non vivo can also be modded to XT

read these links:
http://www.pcunleash.com/bbs/zboard.php?id=MyItemReview&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=26
http://www.overclockers.ru/news/newsitem.shtml?category=1&id=1086648687
http://www.ixbt.com/video2/rx800-3-p3.shtml

sure with hardmod and not all of them become XT but it is worth of trying? :p


edit: sorry, it was written here already... but nice links...

[ojaneka]

SUCCESS!

Ojaneka has finally done it... Club3D X800Pro ViVo is runing with 16 active pipes.

Needed to purchase a floppy drive, and 4 bios flash with flashrom 3.7.

Flashes in this order:
1st: ATI:s 16P 475/450,
2nd: ATI:s XT bios 520/560,
3rd: Gigabytes X800 Pro VIVO (AGP) 256 MB bios (This bios doesn`t PRESERVE ROM SETTINGS)
4th: ATI:s ViVo 16P 475/450 bios

3DMark scores:
03: 12056p.
05: 5815p.

PEOPLE WHO DON`T HAVE A FLOPPY DRIVE, CHECK OUT THIS:
Ultimate Boot CD 3.1
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4019.html

THANKS FOR THIS FORUM

AMD 3200 64 (754) @ 2.4, ZALMAN ALCu 7000 fan
1g TwinMoss 3200 DualChannel @ 214 (2.5-3-3-8)
MSI K8N platinum ed.
Club3D X800Pro ViVo - Running with 16pipes @ 475/450(when playing @ 520/560), ATI Silencer 4
Seagate 80g, SATA RAID 0
Maxtor 160g, UATA RAID 0
Antec 380w PSU

[Mad-Matt]

Im pretty sure it would be much easier to skip items 1, 2 and 3, and just shoot for number 4. Using the Flashrom version available on this site will enable the 16pipes that are stored in the 16p ati pro bios.

That gigabyte flasher looks like it can do some nasty stuff like not checking for correct hardware before it flashes.

Its best to backup your original bios with the 16p flasher i think so that it saves the original 12p settings if there needed. dont know if the other flashers pic that info up or not.

[pig_vomit]

just flashed my powercolor x800 to a x800xt pe,
verified the settings with ati-tool (800xt pe / 16pipelines)
ran 3dmark 2005 and a couple of stress tests in CS:S,
upped the agp voltage 0.1v and started to play ET when it started to show corrupt textures and finally locked up.

i have now backed off the voltage and reflashed with the ati x800 16pipes bios from here, now the core / mem are reset it runs perfect. :p

[Urlyin]

just flashed my powercolor x800 to a x800xt pe,
verified the settings with ati-tool (800xt pe / 16pipelines)
ran 3dmark 2005 and a couple of stress tests in CS:S,
upped the agp voltage 0.1v and started to play ET when it started to show corrupt textures and finally locked up.

i have now backed off the voltage and reflashed with the ati x800 16pipes bios from here, now the core / mem are reset it runs perfect. :p

Pig ... the agp voltage will not help the X800 ... try the X800XT BIOS with speeds of 500/500. It should be able to handle those speeds ... congrats on opening the 4 pipes ...

[conan]

Can anybody help me here? I've bought a Sapphire X800Pro VIVO second hand that is already flashed with XT PE bios. The card came from a guy who had a TEC on it so was running a lot cooler. I now have the stock cooler so it heats up and becomes unstable when I'm gaming. I can get through benchmarks but anything longer and it crashes out on me:(

I want to re-flash with the standard bios then OC from there and see what is stable for me. When I try to flash using atiflash or the Gigabyte flash utility neither of them seem to detect my card? With ATI flash, when I use atiflash -i it tells me there is no ati card present. With the Gigabyte util doing the same I get the first message "ati video card" then the same ati card not present. If I try to run the flash anyway it crashes out telling me that "adapter 0 is not present"

Can anybody point me in the right direction? If I use the -f option to force will this make any difference? I guess not if it can't find the card but I'm stumped:(

Thanks in advance for any helps guys.

[Urlyin]

Can anybody help me here? I've bought a Sapphire X800Pro VIVO second hand that is already flashed with XT PE bios. The card came from a guy who had a TEC on it so was running a lot cooler. I now have the stock cooler so it heats up and becomes unstable when I'm gaming. I can get through benchmarks but anything longer and it crashes out on me:(

I want to re-flash with the standard bios then OC from there and see what is stable for me. When I try to flash using atiflash or the Gigabyte flash utility neither of them seem to detect my card? With ATI flash, when I use atiflash -i it tells me there is no ati card present. With the Gigabyte util doing the same I get the first message "ati video card" then the same ati card not present. If I try to run the flash anyway it crashes out telling me that "adapter 0 is not present"

Can anybody point me in the right direction? If I use the -f option to force will this make any difference? I guess not if it can't find the card but I'm stumped:(

Thanks in advance for any helps guys.

Conan ... use the flashrom tool here (http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/100/images/flashrom16p.zip) use flashrom -f -p 0 biosname.bin remember dos 8 character naming limit and that is a zero after the -p ... try one of the XT800 XT BIOS of 500/500 there is a Sapphire one .. Also do you have an on board video card ?

[conan]

Hi Urlyin, thanks for the reply. I'll give that a go, I don't have onboard VGA, using an Asus A7N8X Dlx-E. Will let you know how I go on.

[conan]

Hey Urlyin, it worked a treat, thanks man:) Now working up from stock on my OC rather than down from XT PE speeds.

Thanks again.

[Urlyin]

Hey Urlyin, it worked a treat, thanks man:) Now working up from stock on my OC rather than down from XT PE speeds.

Thanks again.

Great News Conan... you may want to put the TEC back on... Use ATITOOl to set fan at 100% and thanks go to W1zzard .. :D

[conan]

Great News Conan... you may want to put the TEC back on... Use ATITOOl to set fan at 100% and thanks go to W1zzard .. :D

Well, I just took my watercooling out because I'm going shuttle so I think I'll have to stick with the stock HSF. Been clocking tonight and am up to 530 core and 550 mem so far, rock solid for benchies and gaming. Getting artifacts above 555 mem so gonna see how far the core will go. Still pretty pleased though on stock cooling:)

[frozenamigo]

Hi guys, I'm really new at this flashing stuff, and I have been working on it for a long time with no luck. I have a x800 pro vivo. Saving the old bios I have no problem, but when I try to flash to a the new one it gives me this error. "x800xt.bin" File Open Error" then underneath in red it says ERROR 0FL01. I have done everything under the sun to try to get this working, still without luck. I am using the dos 5.0 boot disk and flash flashrom 16p. I get all my roms off of tech powerup. I have been using the ATI version of it since I do not know what brand it is. I do know that the chip is 1.6. If anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it. ;)

[conan]

Sounds like it might be a problem with the bios file itself. Have you tried flashing with a different bios file? Maybe just try flashing with the original bios you backed up? This will give you some direction for the problem.

[frozenamigo]

Yeah, I have tried probably about 4 different bios's but I still get the same error. But that is a good idea to try the one I backed up. Do you think it has to do with the command I am typing in? I am using flashrom -p 0 newbios name.bin -f. I don't know if this is right or not. I am just trying different ones that I see online. But thanks for your idea conan.

[Urlyin]

Yeah, I have tried probably about 4 different bios's but I still get the same error. But that is a good idea to try the one I backed up. Do you think it has to do with the command I am typing in? I am using flashrom -p 0 newbios name.bin -f. I don't know if this is right or not. I am just trying different ones that I see online. But thanks for your idea conan.


Should be -f -p 0 biosname.bin .... dos 8 character names and that is a zero for port 0

[ventrix]

Is there any difference, in terms of performance or OC limit, between the various bios'? For example, given the same core/mem speed; is an x800xtpe bios any better than a 16 pipe pro bios?

[frozenamigo]

HEY guys, I got it working. Thanks for your help. I was just naming the file wrong. In windows I had it named x800xt.bin and I wasn't putting an extra .bin after the x800xt.bin. Anyways I just named it x800xt and it worked just fine. The only thing that i'm not happy about is after I flashed the bios it made my startup logo(ASUS logo in the begining for my mobo) to look a little choppy. I don't know how flashing the bios has to do with that but anyways, thanks guys for your help.:)

[gamer87]

try uninstalling and reinstalling all the catalyst drivers. :)

[Christer]

I have a rpoblem which I haven't found anyone else has on the 14 pages of this thread...:)

I have made a bootable CD with Atiflash, my old Powercolor ATI X800Pro Vivo bios on, and the new modified 16P X800 Pro bios on it (I don't want to run XT speeds, I will overclock afterwards). When I run Atiflash -i I get the message ATI Radeon Adapter not found. When I run Atiflash -p 0 xxxxxx.bin I get the message Adapter 0 not found. Any ideas on why that is? Obviously the 'adapter' is there because the rig boots and all works well. I get the same message by the way if I use the -f -p command as well....any help would be appreciated...

[IIDX]

I might not remember right Christer, but don't you have to use flashrom -p etc, and not atiflash -p etc etc?

Since it's the modified flashrom.

[Christer]

Aaaarrgg....sigh....so I don't need to use ATIFLASH at all? Why the f**k are they all underneath the Flashroms. I am sure I read in the articles somewhere that if you have an ATI card you use the....oh s**t...thats just for ATI native cards right...so with my Powercolor X800 I should use the FLASHROM....? Sigh....I'll try it again with a new .iso image over the weekend....what an idiot...

[conan]

Christer, I had exactly the same problem, you sure you read all the thread? ANyway, Urlyin answered in the first post on page 13 of the thread. Worked fine for me:)

[Urlyin]

Christer, I had exactly the same problem, you sure you read all the thread? ANyway, Urlyin answered in the first post on page 13 of the thread. Worked fine for me:)

Thanks Conan ... I think it's time to consolidate the information strung out through a couple long threads, we're starting to see alot of the same questions. It's alot to read and filter through. So hopefully time permitting and completing a task for W1zzard. I'll try to gather the info into one article of Q&A ... suggestions welcomed, just PM me ...

[IIDX]

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=122341

If you read the guide there you will see exactly what to do and type :)

Good luck.

[Christer]

Well I changed it so I didn't use the ATI Flasher but the Modified Flasrom. Got the error message as someone else got above then just forced it with the -f function and it worked....or so I thought. I rebooted and it came up with 'error: ATI Tray not loaded, no driver found' or somethign like that. Reinstalled the driver from the Disc I got with the card and now the computer boots up and after 10 secs reboots itself....repeat ad nauseum......so....wtf?

[Christer]

I reflashed the old BIOS so now the computer came back with 'The system has recovered from a serious fault'...so I will have to ponder this one.

[Christer]

OK, so I have tried the above again with the X800XT Powercolor Bios and I get the same thing. The computer asks me if I want to search for a driver, when I say yes on automatic mode it doesn't findone. So I thought I would try the latest Radeon Family driver from the Powercolor wensite....is this the right way to go? Sigh....:(

[Urlyin]

OK, so I have tried the above again with the X800XT Powercolor Bios and I get the same thing. The computer asks me if I want to search for a driver, when I say yes on automatic mode it doesn't findone. So I thought I would try the latest Radeon Family driver from the Powercolor wensite....is this the right way to go? Sigh....:(

Christer ... slow down bud. What type of card is it a XT800? AGP PCIe? Yes you can use the one from there or the ATI site ...

[Christer]

Yes I needed to slow down.....sometimes its too easy to get a bit....well yeah....

OK, so it is now working. I first of all actually flashed the PCI-E Powercolor X800 Pro 16P bios and as I said there was then a problem with the PC finding new hardware and requiring drivers. I reinstalled from the ATI drivers disc that came with the card, but there was also 'unknown' hardware that had been found and asking for drivers. After that, I was unsure which hardware it had found and assumed it was something to do with the display adapter so basically uninstalled all graphics drivers, rebooted but flashed the X800Pro card that I have with the X800XT Bios from the collection. I rebooted and reinstalled all drivers. So far so good. Then, the machine said it had found 'unknown' hardware again.....so I had a think about it and looked on the devie manager. It would seem that a USB Controller is now lacking a driver and subsequently does not work.....so nothing to do with the graphics card at all.....but why would that happen? Coincidence? It still asks me to put in a manufacturers disc when I rebbot now but I am cancelling it for now - I'll figure it out later.

So the good news is that I now have a an X800XT (500/500) with 16 pipes instead of the X800Pro (475/450) that I had before!:) I did some benchmarks:

With X800Pro 12pipes OC to 520/520 3dmark03 11185 3dmark05 4698
X800XT 16 pipes 500/500 3dmark03 11900
X800XT 16 pipes 520/536 3dmark03 12760

So, really good gains actually - very happy. I was surprised that my card would go to 520/536 without any problems although I did override the fan and set to 100% in ATI Tool. I am getting some more 'extreme' cooling for case and VGA soon, so I will probably create an extreme profile in ATI Tool to keep for when I need more power. Of course at the moment I don't need to run anything other than the standard settings in any situation anyway...

Thanks to all for your help and patience!:):):):):)

[n0mj121]

Did you use the PCI-E bios on an AGP card? What happened?

[Christer]

First of all mine is a PCIe card, and in any case I think it had more to do with the fact that after the initial problems I started XP in safe mode and removed all the ATI drivers and reinstalled.....

[Maniac_Martin]

sorry to cut anyone out, its slightly desperate, lol...
alright, I got my X800 Pro ViVo 1.6ns etc, etc... proceeded to flash the bios, sucess... partly, it unlocked the pipes for me, BUT they are either cut or damaged pipes, highly likely they are cut, but seems highly improbably due to the fact everyone elses card works with 16 pipes unlocked, it is possible that my BIOS is corrupt... I believe this becuase my card is running its original X800P bios, BUT only partly, the clocks and timings are that of a pro, but the votex pipelines are still unlocked.
I`ve been looking for a bios for hours to possibly LOCK the pipelines back up, for I fear Sapphire will deny my request for a RMA with no recipt. if anyone could link me to a website with a few bios' I could try, that would be more then enough help. thanks in advance.

[Tek]

Hello,

Sorry I am noob at this whole OCing, but I am looking to purchase an AGP X800 Pro Vivo since the X800 XT PE is very overpriced and hard to get...

Now I have been reading on a couple of forums in regard to people's success in overclocking the X800 Pro Vivo by flashing bios to enable the extra 4-pipelines, and the result seems very promising (and more cost effective than buying the PE)

I would like to know which company makes the most overclockable agp vivo card right now? Some of the threads I read said that the Gigabyte X800 Pro Vivo is actaully PE, but I can't seem to find one anywhere... So I am looking to find a stable card that is easy to overclock without ruining the card.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[Maniac_Martin]

the Sapphire is a very overclockable card, from stock 473/904 I was able to get it to 583/1250 with the stock cooler still installed, unfortunatly I may never see these clocks again... I`m still waiting for someone to contact me about getting an original bios from there X800... I know it might not work but I`ll try anything at this point... the card itself has become unstable even while only running windows... random reboots and artifacts even when in DOS... if someone could score me their original BIOS I would greatly apriciate it... just add me to your instant messenger and let me know you can send me your original bios...

[Urlyin]

the Sapphire is a very overclockable card, from stock 473/904 I was able to get it to 583/1250 with the stock cooler still installed, unfortunatly I may never see these clocks again... I`m still waiting for someone to contact me about getting an original bios from there X800... I know it might not work but I`ll try anything at this point... the card itself has become unstable even while only running windows... random reboots and artifacts even when in DOS... if someone could score me their original BIOS I would greatly apriciate it... just add me to your instant messenger and let me know you can send me your original bios...


Use the flashrom tool here (http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/100/images/flashrom16p.zip) and read the flash instructions here (http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/100) . I assume you did not backup your original one, check the BIOS BIN here (http://www.techpowerup.com/bios/) . There is a Sapphire Pro VIVO BIOS you can download that should work. You may want to try the latest ATI XT at 500/500 to see if it can handle those speeds. Use the flashrom tool here and the BIOS should get you back to 12 pipes ... Let us know how you make out ...

[Urlyin]

Hello,

Sorry I am noob at this whole OCing, but I am looking to purchase an AGP X800 Pro Vivo since the X800 XT PE is very overpriced and hard to get...

Now I have been reading on a couple of forums in regard to people's success in overclocking the X800 Pro Vivo by flashing bios to enable the extra 4-pipelines, and the result seems very promising (and more cost effective than buying the PE)

I would like to know which company makes the most overclockable agp vivo card right now? Some of the threads I read said that the Gigabyte X800 Pro Vivo is actaully PE, but I can't seem to find one anywhere... So I am looking to find a stable card that is easy to overclock without ruining the card.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Tek .... I would suggest getting the XT, mostly depends on the luck of the draw as far as ocing not OEM specific. The waffer bin for the Pro VIVO may be a little low on quality waffers since the XT introduction. The XT at 500/500 will flash into a PE without issues ... IMHO the X800XL is the best bang for the buck right now, not AGP though ....

[Tek]

That is why I am trying to find out which card is more possible to be flashed with XT PE bios... I think that if I am able to get the Pro Vivo at the same speed as the XT PE, then I have myself a great deal since the PE cards are extremely hard to come by and rare too.

But since a lot of the forum posts that I read about the bios flashing are dated back from last year, I am not sure if the manufacturers have done something different with the Vivo cards that maybe it's hard to flash it with modified bios?

I don't want to purchase a card online and find out later that the memory spec is not 1.6ns samsung gram and have to end up returning the card...that's a hassle.

So if anyone knows any reliable Pro Vivo cards in the markets right now that can be flashed...please post some links.

[chuckied]

sapphire x800 pro i got mine off of zipzoomfly.com i flashed mine and it works like a charm :cool: and on zipzoomfly no tax or shipping :D

[henk]

I read all the forums but I cannot find
the answer WHY a NON-VIVO card cannot be flashed to an XT and/or unlock 16 PIPES ... what has a VIVO-chip to do with pipelines and stuff ??

Greets,

Henk.

[ju1es]

I've just purchased a Sapphire x800 pro VIVO (PCI-E) and notice I have Samsung memory but with a 'GC20' code on it. Does this stand for 2.0 and not the 1.6 memory that is talked about in this forum? If so can I still unlock to 16 pipes? Is it a case I may not be able to achieve higher core and memory MHz of the XT PE cards?

[Urlyin]

I read all the forums but I cannot find
the answer WHY a NON-VIVO card cannot be flashed to an XT and/or unlock 16 PIPES ... what has a VIVO-chip to do with pipelines and stuff ??

Greets,

Henk.

Because the non VIVO have the laser cut which keeps you from enabling the 4 pipes ...

[Urlyin]

I've just purchased a Sapphire x800 pro VIVO (PCI-E) and notice I have Samsung memory but with a 'GC20' code on it. Does this stand for 2.0 and not the 1.6 memory that is talked about in this forum? If so can I still unlock to 16 pipes? Is it a case I may not be able to achieve higher core and memory MHz of the XT PE cards?

Ju1es .. that is correct 2.0ns mem and some of the PCIe cards had the laser cut, some did not ...

[ju1es]

Well fingers crossed mine hasn't got the laser cut. I tried flashing it last night (with PCI-e, 2ns memory, xt bios) but now realised I wasn't using a modified flashrom and the 12 pipes were being maintained. I will try again tonight.

[ju1es]

Used the modified flashrom and xt bios but it would only see 12 pipes. Windows thought the card was an x800SE. It put the clocks at 500/500 but still only 12 pipes :( Must have a laser cut :(

The card is very willing to run higher core and mem MHz so maybe I will stick with uping this.

[henk]

To bad jules, bet luck next time :D

[ju1es]

I'm going to be fitting an arctic cooler to my x800 pro real soon. Will I be able to check for the laser cut then?

[Rattle]

Hey guys this incredible thread is making my mouth water for an X800.
I was contimplating the vivo scenario and the chance I might not get a vivo if I buy a true ATI X800 pro.

I was looking at the Sapphire X800 Pro vivo, cuz this seems like a sure thing as far as the vivo goes.

Is this as good a card as the TRUE ATI X800 pro?

What it is the best X800 pro to flash to a true XT?

I'm thinking of getting this one

http://www.computerhq.com/Sapphire_ATI_X800_PRO_100580VIVO/hardware/partinfo-id-487473.html

Its $400 at zipzoomfly but this site has the good pic of the vivo.

Can I flash this badboy to a true XT PE ? :)

[Urlyin]

Hey guys this incredible thread is making my mouth water for an X800.
I was contimplating the vivo scenario and the chance I might not get a vivo if I buy a true ATI X800 pro.

I was looking at the Sapphire X800 Pro vivo, cuz this seems like a sure thing as far as the vivo goes.

Is this as good a card as the TRUE ATI X800 pro?

What it is the best X800 pro to flash to a true XT?

I'm thinking of getting this one

http://www.computerhq.com/Sapphire_ATI_X800_PRO_100580VIVO/hardware/partinfo-id-487473.html

Its $400 at zipzoomfly but this site has the good pic of the vivo.

Can I flash this badboy to a true XT PE ? :)

That is the first card I had and flashed to a XT PE but I needed the volt mod to run at PE speeds ... It will run fine on a XT 500/500 BIOS and may clock higher for you ... just remember that the quailty of waffers for the Pro VIVO is lower due to ATI adding the XT 500/500 series ..

[Urlyin]

I'm going to be fitting an arctic cooler to my x800 pro real soon. Will I be able to check for the laser cut then?

Yep ... you'll be able to check it then ..

[Rattle]

That is the first card I had and flashed to a XT PE but I needed the volt mod to run at PE speeds ... It will run fine on a XT 500/500 BIOS and may clock higher for you ... just remember that the quailty of waffers for the Pro VIVO is lower due to ATI adding the XT 500/500 series ..


So which is the best card to Flash to true XT PE ?

Going back to the original sapphire not running at XT PE speeds, will a voltage incease help that out, maybe if I bumbed it up .

Thnx for the info ;)

[Rattle]

Just something I was wondering also, this card is red and its says open GL 2.0.
http://www.computerhq.com/Sapphire_...-id-487473.html


this card is same but blue and says Open GL 1.5
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-490&depa=0

i'm confused hehe, Obviously I'd want the one that was 2.0 but are they stating correct info? Is there a difference in the blue and red board ?

[Rattle]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1104920&CatId=935


i spoke to a guy from tiger di