How-to: Pencil mod your HD 3870!

[sneekypeet]

For resistance and pencil'ing I always had the card out of the machine.

[Cold Storm]

Freak, never be sorry for asking question over and over.. its something you haven't done, and no way you want to kill the card.. So all is good. and good so far

[freaksavior]

is this the resister?

http://img.techpowerup.org/080318/IMG_0089.jpg

edit and should i use the 4 h or 4b/ i got both

[sneekypeet]

no

http://img.techpowerup.org/080318/0aaa.jpg

Check it against RM's pic in post #1

[freaksavior]

http://img.techpowerup.org/080318/IMG_0089693.jpg

??

[sneekypeet]

Yes sir I do believe you have it correct now! I called RM to come and correct us!

[Random Murderer]

http://img.techpowerup.org/080318/IMG_0089693.jpg

??

correct, r1222.

[freaksavior]

ok. thanks. Now, i have it set to omega 2k and its not reading anything. the card is just sitting on my desk....i feel like an idiot lol

@ random, u should use that pic in your post so its a little easier to find the R1222 resister.

[Dr. Spankenstein]

That's right. It coincides with the labeling screened above it the three vertically arranged resistors are from top to bottom:R1222, R685, and R684. The one you originally pointed to has C1221 screened on the PCB in the same orientation as the resistor.

Maybe take a breather for a few and come back. I can tell you are chomping at the bit to use your new "Rampage". Take it slow, my brother...

You should try to use the extreme tips of the leads on the ends of the resistors. It is hard to get and keep a steady reading on such a small contact area.

[sneekypeet]

I had to read mine funny by setting it on top of each side instead of on the sides....get my drift?

[freaksavior]

i dont need to plug in the card do i? its not reading it...

[Cold Storm]

it takes some time to find the right way to hold it in order to get it to read.. this mod takes time to do.. worst thing about it!

[DanishDevil]

No. When measuring resistance, a small electrical charge is sent from the multimeter through the resistor to the other wire, and that is how the multimeter gets its reading. It should not be plugged in.

One thing that may help that I did was taking a nail file and trying to lightly scrape off some of the epoxy or whatever it is that they love to spray these cards with. I think that's the reason you're not getting a reading. It's gotta be bare metal to bare metal. And yes, use the very tips.

You may also try placing them here:

[x]llllll[[x]

rather than on the edges. Though, I found the edges easier, as I've got big hands.

[Dr. Spankenstein]

^^Listen to him in regards to this! And remember to change the setting on your DMM to Vm when checking core volts!

No power is required. You are only testing the resistance.

Like I said, it's kinda tough to just contact the ends of the resistor. Try not to get too flustered!

[freaksavior]

it says 1.9.

[DanishDevil]

Which card are you working on first?

If it's the HIS, these are some results I got:
http://img.techpowerup.org/080318/voltages.jpg

Also, a trick when shading. If you press too soft, nothing happens. If you press too hard, you'll scrape graphite off and get less of a reading. Play with it. Listen to some good music while you do it. It's really very mechanical of an operation once you get going. And if you would like, you could make a voltage/resistance chart like I did.

[freaksavior]

his card

1.620 for the diamond

[Random Murderer]

ok. thanks. Now, i have it set to omega 2k and its not reading anything. the card is just sitting on my desk....i feel like an idiot lol

@ random, u should use that pic in your post so its a little easier to find the R1222 resister.

done.

[Dr. Spankenstein]

Yeah, 1.89 is about standard for stock resistance.

[DanishDevil]

I'd start with the HIS, as the readings from the Diamond are a little different than stock. See what kind of results you get!

[freaksavior]

ok so 1.9 for his and 1.62 for diamond. now i guess i just lightly rub the pencil across it measuring it each time.

[Dr. Spankenstein]

You got it. Here is where some "technique" come into play. Some like to use a wide lead (like if you drew back and forth on a sheet of paper while so as to make the tip as wide as the resistor) then you could shade in one stroke.

Some like a super sharpened pencil and make lots of tiny parallel lines from end to end, some do circles. (I think you can end up removing as much as you're applying with too ramdom of a pattern.)

Go with whatever works for you.

[freaksavior]

its at 1.186 and does it matter if the pencil dust hits the other points?

[Dr. Spankenstein]

Um, yes. It does! Ask DanishDevil.;)

If you have some compressed air, try and blow the excess graphite away from any other components or it will act upon them the same way it does on the resistor you're shading.

Keep it clean.:toast:

Shoot for 1.00 on your resistance.

[freaksavior]

its at .95

the dust is clear but i think i shaded around the resister also so other spots have the lead on it.

[DanishDevil]

I tried to erase anything not on the resistor. Just cut the tip off an eraser and use the edge to clean up around there. I'd blow the dust off too.

And I thought I killed my card once. It took a full rubdown of alcohol to get it working again, so I think graphite was the killer, and I was God.

[DanishDevil]

I tried to erase anything not on the resistor. Just cut the tip off an eraser and use the edge to clean up around there. I'd blow the dust off too.

And I thought I killed my card once. It took a full rubdown of alcohol to get it working again, so I think graphite was the killer, and I was God.

That'll do it.

[Dr. Spankenstein]

If you just shaded "around" the resistor to get that reading, you should be o.k..

Just make absolutely sure you removed the excess dust from everywhere else.

Boot up, measure volts (you did change your DMM back to "Vm" @ 20, right!), and watch those temps!

[freaksavior]

1.097

time to stick it back in

1.39v on start up.

[Dr. Spankenstein]

Lookin' good. Spin up those fans!

[freaksavior]

one down.

both have a vcore of 1.39 and 1.36

[freaksavior]

Ok so i cant hit 860 core or even 1260 memory, 3dmark fails.

so yeah...i don't know. do i need to ad more?

[DanishDevil]

It might be that clock limiting bios. And yes, you could need to add more. What are your temps like?

[freaksavior]

46 for his 38 for diamond thats idle

i flashed my bios with the newer one and the his is a newer revesion so it should have the new bios.

[DanishDevil]

Yeah the HIS doesn't have the lock.

Let's see...it took me...on my HIS card, about 1.43V to get much above what stock volts would give me, and I got from about 830 to 870. Any more volts was unstable.

Run FurMark in Stability mode for 30 mins to see your load clocks.

[freaksavior]

oh, well when i get home, more volts

[freaksavior]

whats is the safest vcore for the 3870?

[DanishDevil]

I wouldn't go over 1.55V if you can even get there. Esp. on air.

[MagnusLL]

Hi. I own a 3870 Powercolor PCS (which uses a non reference board), and I'm interested in modding it to add a little more voltage.

I've read the thread and found back at page 17 the images reporting the pencil mod spot (though it's different from the one reported on xtremeforums for this same model, I guess both are valid) and the vcore measuring points (which I just tested and they seem to work, though my multimeter for some reason doesn't feel like stabilizing itself).

A couple quick questions: does anyone know the solder point should I want to go the trimmer route? What about memory modding and measurements?

Thanks.

[croni-x]

Hey guys, i want to do a pencil mod with my PowerColor HD3850, too. But i've not found any picture of my layout so i took a photo of it, and hope you can help me.

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3365/p1000914mk4.th.jpg (http://img219.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1000914mk4.jpg)

[ghost101]

Hey guys, i want to do a pencil mod with my PowerColor HD3850, too. But i've not found any picture of my layout so i took a photo of it, and hope you can help me.

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3365/p1000914mk4.th.jpg (http://img219.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1000914mk4.jpg)

http://img.techpowerup.org/080319/p1000914mk4.png

I think. Its a shame there isnt a resistor there though.

[croni-x]

Can i measure the resistance here ? And i just have to connect the two pins via pencil and measure up the resistance until i got a good value ?

[DanishDevil]

Don't think so. Your card wasn't designed to bridge your core voltage between those two points. You might fry your card.

Try the second pencil mod...it's somewhere deep in the pages here. It involves bridging two points like that, but elsewhere. I would wait until RandomMurderer had a look, though.

[Random Murderer]

http://img.techpowerup.org/080319/p1000914mk4.png

I think. Its a shame there isnt a resistor there though.

yea, if there was a resistor there, it would work. i've notice a lot of the newer 38x0 cards that don't have an r1222... surely this is because they caught wind of the pencil mods?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Bobdole666/p1000914mk4.jpg

[croni-x]

That one should work ? Dont want to grill my card ;)

[DanishDevil]

Not sure. It could just be that they're going a different route with PCBs to improve on the reference design. Maybe it is. Maybe we have moles in our forums that are feeding out every post to these companies right now :wtf:

Edit: If RandomMurderer posted it, then it should work. He knows his stuff.

[croni-x]

Okay thanks. I'm carefull because i'm doing such a mod my first time, so i want to ensure all should be right ;) So i just draw a line between the both ends of the resistor and measure until i got the right resistance. Should i draw the line round the resistor or on it ?

[DanishDevil]

On it. You don't want any extra pencil lead anywhere but on the resistor. After you're done shading, blow the extra graphite off, and if you like, use an eraser VERY GENTLY to remove excess lead from around the resistor. It's tough, since the little buggers are so small, but you'll get the hang of it. Start slow, and don't get flustered.

[Cold Storm]

There is no telling who has seen this thread, or what has been talked about because of this thread. Its been seen, we can tell by the 28,713 views that there is a few people other then us who have seen it. Just don't know if the cards now have been done up because of it. Just like any other mod, its going to be found, and done if thought about. Just wish it wasn't a pain in the ass mod! lol.. But is good mod at that!

[DanishDevil]

Well, I haven't done the soldering trimpot version, but I personally think the pencilmod isn't hard. I think it's fun! Like lapping a heatsink :D Even if I got like 40MHz out of it.

[Cold Storm]

Yeah, it didn't take me long to do mine. The million times I have done it. But, after time, you gotta do it again.. thats the thing that I don't like.. Trimpot thing looks great, just have to get it on here again.. lol... RM Your "new" baby is going to want a reshadding, when she gets into your hands!

[DanishDevil]

I was thinking that there might be a way to make it more permanent. I have no idea what the electrical conductivity of candle wax is, but if it's nothing, then a little dab of hot candle wax over the shaded resistor would just about make it permanent, no?

[sneekypeet]

clear nail polish!

[Cold Storm]

That would keep the mod in tacked? tell me more wise one!

[DanishDevil]

Well, the graphite sitting on top of the resistor is what's allowing more voltage to jump from one end of the resistor to the other, right? And I assume that the graphite's effects fade over time because it's knocked or blown or brushed off. Pencil lead never needs replacing because it "spoils" in pencils, so I doubt it spoils in conducting electricity, as nobody reported that new pencils work better than old ones.

So, get something like that epoxy crap that most of us had to scrape off to get good adherence to the resistor and/or PCB and cover the shaded resistor with it. I haven't tried it, but it should work in principal.

[DanishDevil]

clear nail polish!

Can you confirm that it's not electrically conductive? I guess I could make a puddle of it on a piece of metal, let it dry, and test its resistance. I will this weekend.

[sneekypeet]

its like polyurathene...make a hard non conductive permanent cover for the Vmod done in pencil.

I stress permanent tho....acetone may remove it but its not a guarantee.

just need a little drip on the end of a toothpick.

At Danish devil....woldnt a dob of it applied to anything show a reading if it was conductive.
I can put a dob on a piece of marble and test with my DMM to see if it is or not!

[DanishDevil]

Well you could probably just pop it off with a careful hand and a knife, no? That's what my mom used to do whenever she spilled nail polish on the counter :) And after a while, that stuff just chips off your fingers anyway. I doubt it'd rip the resistor off with it.

[Cold Storm]

yeah, but I don't know how if you get that knife to scratch that resistor.. thats my worry for it. I mean, if you got the volts you want, then hell yea on nail polish... I know I could never send mine into RMA. LOL. RM your something else!

[sneekypeet]

Well you could probably just pop it off with a careful hand and a knife, no? That's what my mom used to do whenever she spilled nail polish on the counter :) And after a while, that stuff just chips off your fingers anyway. I doubt it'd rip the resistor off with it.

Agreed on the "pop off" factor. I guess it depends on how well it gets cleaned prior to application.

[DanishDevil]

Well, I used a thing that I used to use when I built those little model kits of cars and airplanes, kind of like a small nail file. I used that to scrape the short way against the resistor so that the graphite would fill in the small gaps made by it when I shaded it the long way.

[sneekypeet]

just tested it on the block of stone...it shows absolutely no conductivity!

[DanishDevil]

Thanks! I think that should do for a permanent pencil mod. Anybody daring enough to do it before I get home on Friday and risk the card I thought I killed already? :D

[Cold Storm]

RM might do it to his new one?!?! well mine... He's all ready killed it, and voided warr. so why not that?!?! But, its up to him, and probably won't be till this weekend.

[DanishDevil]

That'd be sweet. BTW - who said you had to reapply it anyway? I'd like to ask them why you'd have to. There may be a reason other than the graphite coming off the resistor.

[croni-x]

yea, if there was a resistor there, it would work. i've notice a lot of the newer 38x0 cards that don't have an r1222... surely this is because they caught wind of the pencil mods?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Bobdole666/p1000914mk4.jpg

I measured the resistor and its value is 2,66kOhm, is that okay ? I found a thread about pencil modding a HD3850 and that guy talked about a resistance of 5,5 Ohm (wtf??). In which steps should i lower the resistance and measure the VGPU not to risk my hardware?

greets
croni-x

[DanishDevil]

I can't give you an Ohm to Voltage comparison for your card, but a few things you need to make sure of first.

When measuring resistance, have your multimeter set to the 2k resistance, and to measure voltage, have it set to the 20 V setting. Measure resistance with the card out of the case, and measure voltage during boot.

We need to find a vGPU measure point for you. You want the red touching the vGPU measuring point, and the black touching the bare metal of your case. It's going to be one of the raised bumps to the left of your resistor (near the left border of the picture) I'm guessing. I'd have RM double check that.

RM! We need a vGPU measuring point for our non-reference 3850 owner here! :toast:

[Random Murderer]

RM might do it to his new one?!?! well mine... He's all ready killed it, and voided warr. so why not that?!?! But, its up to him, and probably won't be till this weekend.
sure, why the hell not?
I can't give you an Ohm to Voltage comparison for your card, but a few things you need to make sure of first.

When measuring resistance, have your multimeter set to the 2k resistance, and to measure voltage, have it set to the 20 V setting. Measure resistance with the card out of the case, and measure voltage during boot.

We need to find a vGPU measure point for you. You want the red touching the vGPU measuring point, and the black touching the bare metal of your case. It's going to be one of the raised bumps to the left of your resistor (near the left border of the picture) I'm guessing. I'd have RM double check that.

RM! We need a vGPU measuring point for our non-reference 3850 owner here! :toast:

i need a pic of the back of the card.

[DanishDevil]

You need more than this?

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3365/p1000914mk4.jpg

[Cold Storm]

Hey, its your card now! lol.. happy b-lated birthday.... Thats what I wanted to give ya for your birthday man... Dang tax returns

[Random Murderer]

You need more than this?

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3365/p1000914mk4.jpg

yep.

[MagnusLL]

I hate redoing this, but... any help for soldier points for a trimmer gpu vmod on the Powercolor 3870 (and vmem soldier and measure points, if at all possible)?

I'll relink the images originally posted by Cuboard:

http://aycu36.webshots.com/image/44115/2001540848232954587_rs.jpg

http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/45573/2001517665537361363_rs.jpg

[croni-x]

The vGPU Point are no problem i found several of them almost equal to other references, i have 1,24V on there. Okay i will measure the resistance again, but this time i will take the card out of the case. My multimeter finds the range it's self, so there is no setting for 2kOhm or 20V, but it worked fine on other resistors.

[freaksavior]

Maybe someone can help.

I got the vcore up to 1.45. and every 3d app crashes. any idea? btw stock frequencies

[DanishDevil]

Anything above 1.44V on my HIS and I get the same thing. Is it immediate or does it happen after a short period of time, like 10 seconds? Mine was the latter.

The vGPU Point are no problem i found several of them almost equal to other references, i have 1,24V on there. Okay i will measure the resistance again, but this time i will take the card out of the case. My multimeter finds the range it's self, so there is no setting for 2kOhm or 20V, but it worked fine on other resistors.

Sounds good. What I would do is make a chart like I did, and plot what voltage you get from what resistance. Just be sure to blow off the pencil dust. That stuff almost killed my card, and I wouldn't want it on my motherboard!

[freaksavior]

i had it at 1.4, 1.42, 1.45 and they all did it.

should i go up or down for the vcore?

[DanishDevil]

I still need to know whether or not it was an instant crash or not.

If they displayed 3D for a little bit, then crashed, it might be temps. If they crashed right away, like flipping a switch to 3D caused it, then I think the HIS cards just might not like extra voltage. We've already seen that they operate at a slightly different voltage than most other cards, so maybe they kinda put in an inhibitor for a pencil mod or voltmod.

[freaksavior]

it crashes instantly

[DanishDevil]

Hmm. Is this one card or are you using both in CF? I'd try to back it down and shoot for about .4V over stock and see if it does the same thing. Also check to be sure that there's no graphite lying around on the card. When I thought I killed mine, I dabbed the entire card down with 70% isopropyl alcohol with cotton swabs and dried it with an air compressor, and that saved it. Also, test the voltages while you're trying to enter 3D Mode. I found that 3D voltages are usually .1V higher than bootup voltages, so maybe yours are quite a bit higher. See what they do. If they go from 2D voltages to nothing, then your card might not be able to be pencil modded.

[freaksavior]

just one. the diamond is dead in rma

[freaksavior]

i hae rubbing alcohol

[DanishDevil]

Did you kill it pencil modding? I would try the isopropyl alcohol. It saved my card. Take off everything, including the stickers, and give that baby a good swab-down!

Try watching the voltages the entire time, from boot to 3D mode. Let me know what you find.

Edit: Have or hate? Rubbing alcohol should work. Check the concentration percent. Anything 70+ should work great. You want more alcohol than water, for obvious reasons.

[freaksavior]

i sent the card to rma already.

so i should just rub it down and air for what volts?

[DanishDevil]

I hope you at least took the graphite off the resistor!

Yeah, I'd do a rubdown. Just to be safe. Let's see...your stock volts for the HIS was...

[freaksavior]

umm....i tried to.

ill rub it down

[DanishDevil]

Since your stock volts on the HIS was 1.24V, I would aim for 1.35V since you're having troubles in the 1.4s. When RM did his, he went from like 1.35 to 1.44. That's a 6.7% jump. I went from 1.3 to 1.44, an 11% jump. You went from 1.24 to 1.4-1.45, a 13-17% jump. You were probably overdoing it for that specific chip.

[freaksavior]

ok, just took it off and the stock volts 1.25

[DanishDevil]

K. Shoot for 1.35.

[freaksavior]

its at 1.4 in 3d

[DanishDevil]

Is that working allright? You should be able to get a few more MHz with that.

[freaksavior]

it still crashes

[DanishDevil]

Balls! Hmm. You could try to RMA it...lmao.

Your card just might not like being messed with. Try to get like 1.37 or something and see if it's stable.

[freaksavior]

do you think i messed it up?

its at 1.333 idle and i think it was like 1.396 load but it crashes after about 3 sec into the app

[DanishDevil]

You could have, but that's really weird. Did you scratch up the resistor? If you did, maybe you did too much.

[freaksavior]

hmm well i used my knife to GENTLY scrape off some of the lead around the resister...and i made sure i didn't cut any traces.

i got about half way through 3dmark with the 1.4v and it crashed. i think it crashed at cpu though.

ill test when i get home.

If nothing else, when my diamond gets back, i'll rma the his

[DanishDevil]

Damn, bad luck for ya. I'd sell you my HIS if you could return rather than RMA (premodded) good to about 877, but I doubt you can still return these...

I think the HIS cards plain just don't like more voltage.

[Dr. Spankenstein]

They changed SOMETHING, cause mine are happy to run @ 1.56 and a little beyond with the right cooling. Granted, these were the first ones they released before Christmas last year. Pure reference design.

[sneekypeet]

They changed SOMETHING, cause mine are happy to run @ 1.56 and a little beyond with the right cooling. Granted, these were the first ones they released before Christmas last year. Pure reference design.

Are those hard or pencil modded Spankenstein?

1.56V on stock cooler? I ask as I see there is a water option!:D

[Dr. Spankenstein]

Yes to the hard mod. 100% fan on stock cooler gets no hotter than 70c. Not great, but not frightening.

I'm struggling with my loop right now as I'm switching mobos (GA-X38-DQ6) and the Silent Cool heatpipe needs it's "day in court" before I rip it off. If it's o.k., I'll get some Maze4 for the GPUs. Although the EK blocks look tempting...

[sneekypeet]

I was really impressed with what the Maze4 did with mine (http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=46287).....Good to know tho that I can pencil some pretty good voltages potentially tho!

[freaksavior]

Damn, bad luck for ya. I'd sell you my HIS if you could return rather than RMA (premodded) good to about 877, but I doubt you can still return these...

I think the HIS cards plain just don't like more voltage.

i seem to have bad luck with mods and oc

[DanishDevil]

:( Sowwy.

[freaksavior]

ok so when i get home, im going to rub the card down and reset the bios and hope i can run 3dmark

[sneekypeet]

well boys I finally grew a set and put the pencil to her.
Low voltage read is 1.36V at desktop.
3D voltage is at 1.49V to the core.

Im just starting out so lets see what a .10 of a volt is good for on OC'ing!

[DanishDevil]

Good luck man! Watch those temps! I set my fan to 100% via RivaTuner while testing at high voltages.

[sneekypeet]

It ends up I can now run 3D06 at 918/1386 (http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=710093&postcount=1337). Netted me about 30 points more than my previous best, which was run at 3.8GHz previously. This run was at 3.6GHz.

I really want to break 13,000 just to say I did it ....not sure if the grapes are big enough.

[DanishDevil]

Dude your CPU make WAY more of a diff. than your GPU! Get your CPU to 3.8 and BENCH THAT PUPPY!

If you're nervous, set up a few fans near the 3870 to keep it cool. Keep in mind, ATi set the reference cards's fans to kick in at 90C...

[sneekypeet]

well I tried booting beyond 920 core and it pooped...needs more voltage. Im happy with the card temps. but the windows were open this winter in Ohio to boot 3.8 previously. Altho on a different mobo. I shall see what I can do over tonight !

[DanishDevil]

Attaboy! You want to know the best way to cool your entire system? Ancient Chinese Secret:


Remove side panel
Acquire industrial floor fan (you know, the ones meant to dry carpets)
Place snugly next to case with fan set to blow air into case
Set to high
OC your heart out

[Steevo]

I am assuming that BIOS has the 860Mhz fix and works with almost all reference design ATI HD3870s?


I might try a bit of a pencil mod and see where this card goes.

[DanishDevil]

Go for it. If it has R1222 on the card in the same place, you may as well give it a shot. Just follow all our recommendations and you should be fine.

[Steevo]

Flash first and see how much higher I can take this card, I am bumping up against the BIOS limit currently.

[sneekypeet]

Attaboy! You want to know the best way to cool your entire system? Ancient Chinese Secret:


Remove side panel
Acquire industrial floor fan (you know, the ones meant to dry carpets)
Place snugly next to case with fan set to blow air into case
Set to high
OC your heart out


See we got ancient Ohio secret here....WINTER...lol

I open my windows , take the side off of my Antec900 and let ambients get to about 5*C...lol

@ Steevo...worked for my Visiontek. I had the lock , and its obviously gone now!

[DanishDevil]

Who wants to game with their nuts frozen to their chair :wtf:

I'll stick to Cali and get worse OCs, but when I get pissed I'll just walk to the beach and surf it off :D

[sneekypeet]

I just go with a hat and coat...only bench runs anyways....but I do use Heinekens to keep warm!

[DanishDevil]

Well ya see there's the problem. I'm 18, and booze is expensive :p

What you need is the Ancient Chinese Ohio Secret:


Purchase industrial fan and air-conditioning duct
place fan at side of PC with side panel off
duct the air from an open window during winter in Ohio directly to the fan
Hope that your fans don't freeze

[sneekypeet]

Well ya see there's the problem. I'm 18, and booze is expensive :p

What you need is the Ancient Chinese Ohio Secret:


Purchase industrial fan and air-conditioning duct
place fan at side of PC with side panel off
duct the air from an open window during winter in Ohio directly to the fan
Hope that your fans don't freeze


I close off room and put an AC in the window....usually about 20*C in here all summer. Shadey side of the house too.:D

Well im off to try for 13000 just to say so!

[Steevo]

885 Core on stock voltages after the flash.

[Steevo]

I thought the new BIOS also upped the fan speed?

[DanishDevil]

No. If you want to mess with fan speeds, use RivaTuner.

[Steevo]

Lockup @ 913Mhz in 3D06 part way through the first run. Much hotter running, and this BIOS seems to not even run the fan.

[DanishDevil]

Use RivaTuner!!!!! When I upped my voltage, I set my fan at 100%, and added a high flow 120mm and 92mm fan to all directly cool the card.

913's not too shabby though :toast:

[sneekypeet]

the lockup point seems about right...~900 is good for stock volts.

[Steevo]

Use RivaTuner!!!!! When I upped my voltage, I set my fan at 100%, and added a high flow 120mm and 92mm fan to all directly cool the card.

913's not too shabby though :toast:

I don't like the noise. So for 885 Ths stock is seeming OK, but I am going to start a 3D window and let it run and watch temps for a bit and see what it does.

[DanishDevil]

Use FurMark. I've gotten my card to its hottest by running that for about 40 mins.

[sneekypeet]

I don't like the noise. So for 885 Ths stock is seeming OK, but I am going to start a 3D window and let it run and watch temps for a bit and see what it does.

Steevo I use 70% fans, and it is just more audible than my case fans. It keeps the card I have at 59*C load with 1.5Vcore!

[Steevo]

The only way i know my system is on is the keyboard and monitor lights and the occasional blink on the hard drive lights. Noise that is out of place bothers me during gaming too.

[trog100]

The only way i know my system is on is the keyboard and monitor lights and the occasional blink on the hard drive lights. Noise that is out of place bothers me during gaming too.

this bios works okay.. no noise during 2 d but some during gaming.. it targets 70 C.. and runs as as fast as it has to to try and maintain it..

the default bios targets 90 C.. less noise but hotter..

the furbench cooks cards far more than games or a 3dmark.. the fan will be noisier during a fur bench run than a game.. overvolting means some noise.. if u dont want the noise run your card slower..

trog

[Steevo]

Shows Corrupt folder when I try to extract.

[trog100]

Shows Corrupt folder when I try to extract.

its not a zip file just renamed.. the upload system wont accept .bin files.. its the actual bios file with the extension changed from .bin to .zip.. just rename it to 3870fanfix.bin..

i forgot to mention it.. sorry..:)

trog

[SpookyWillow]

i cant seem to find a guide for my triplex 3870 and i've searched for a couple of days now lol,

i got some pics of my card but its a completely different layout, measuring points are easy to find but i dont know where to pencil as i dont have an R1222 resistor.

i really need to do this mod to see if the card is faulty, i sent back a X1950pro on the last day of its warranty and got sent the 3870 as a replacement but its not running properly.

in my pc all my games stutter and i get lower fps than i did with the x1950pro but it runs fine in my bro's pc. i thought it may be something else in my pc but my bro's 8800gt runs fine in my pc lol

on top of that i get CTD's with a driver stopped responding error unless i drop the core to 750 from 775 so im thinking its not getting enough juice maybe.....cooling is fine.

[Nazzrath]

I just bought a Diamond 3870 and noticed I don't have the R1222 resistor. It's marked on my PCB but there's just 2 solder points there. I tried measuring for resistance there but I didn't get any readings. I thought maybe the resistor is on the other side of the board, but that didn't turn out to be the case. I tried the alternate pencil mod from the Dutch forum (linked earlier in this thread) but I put a ton of graphite on the designated point and got no change in resistance. Any ideas on how I could up the voltage on this board?

[DanishDevil]

Try scratching up (lightly) the area between the two points for the second pencil mod.

The cards are covered in a sort of coating, and graphite doesn't like to stick to it. Use the edge of a nail file or something and just rough it up a bit so the graphite will adhere.

[freaksavior]

I just bought a Diamond 3870 and noticed I don't have the R1222 resistor. It's marked on my PCB but there's just 2 solder points there. I tried measuring for resistance there but I didn't get any readings. I thought maybe the resistor is on the other side of the board, but that didn't turn out to be the case. I tried the alternate pencil mod from the Dutch forum (linked earlier in this thread) but I put a ton of graphite on the designated point and got no change in resistance. Any ideas on how I could up the voltage on this board?

i hope this isn't true when i get mine back

[DanishDevil]

True. That would blow...

Always try a drunken rubdown before RMAing.

[Dr. Spankenstein]

Doesn't this sound like the reason behind the big price drop?

In my best "Soup Nazi" voice: "No free megahurtz for you!"

Guess there is still the hard way...

[DanishDevil]

ROFL. That's an interesting idea. It very well may be, but have we even seen the price drop really take effect yet? I guess it'll take a while, cuz stores will have to sell what they've already bought at their old price at a premium to still make money, then they can order more for the lower price.

[eidairaman1]

advanced users may want to use this instead of a Pencil

http://www.altex.com/product_info.php?cPath=197&products_id=6259

Also dont forget the cleaners

http://www.altex.com/product_info.php?cPath=197&products_id=6260

http://www.altex.com/product_info.php?cPath=197&products_id=6293

[Dr. Spankenstein]

Hmm, cool product (I used one for my mobo) but how does one vary the amount of conductivity?

Seems like it would make a 100% bridge, which is not of much use even under extreme cooling. More for replacing/creating traces. Our needs require more finesse, hence the pencil....

[DanishDevil]

Maybe lay it down and dab it with a cotton swab? Iunno, just an idea.

[trog100]

Maybe lay it down and dab it with a cotton swab? Iunno, just an idea.

a bad one.. its a direct short.. bad news.. the pencil just decreases resistance slightly..

trog

[sneekypeet]

Well it seems I am tapped out. I set the pencil to her one more time and got the resistance to 0.998 and put her in. Booted the ATItool cube and saw 1.51V to the core. That is another tenth since yesterday , and all I could produce was a 931 core.

Not sure what to try as temps are ok ...bearly breaking the low 60's.

Any ideas other that more voltage to stabilize this core?

[Dr. Spankenstein]

I have run into an issue similar to this only not at such a low voltage/core speed.

Seems that (with these smaller dies) they are less tolerant to temps the faster they are run.

Have you tried dropping the mem speed back to default or below. The mem seems to be the wild card/hindering factor when OCing these cards.

Have you reapplied any thermal paste? Have you felt the bracket (on the underside) that holds the cooler. If it's getting hot and your temps don't reflect that, you may need to point a large fan at the PCB.

[intel igent]

can we get this mod working on 3850 AGP's?

my sapphire board looks similar from what i can see

:toast:

[Dr. Spankenstein]

Got a high-res pic of the back of your card?

[intel igent]

Got a high-res pic of the back of your card?

no i dont :o

but im shure i could find one as its just the standard reference sapphire card

[SpookyWillow]

any help with my card? http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=712077&postcount=641

[sneekypeet]

I have run into an issue similar to this only not at such a low voltage/core speed.

Seems that (with these smaller dies) they are less tolerant to temps the faster they are run.

Have you tried dropping the mem speed back to default or below. The mem seems to be the wild card/hindering factor when OCing these cards.

Have you reapplied any thermal paste? Have you felt the bracket (on the underside) that holds the cooler. If it's getting hot and your temps don't reflect that, you may need to point a large fan at the PCB.

I did try to default the ram speed and got it to boot over 940 but ATItool crashed it!

Maybe I should try furbench instead?

I did just get done with Crysis for ~an hour @ 900/1350 absolutely no issues!!!

[Megasty]

I did try to default the ram speed and got it to boot over 940 but ATItool crashed it!

Maybe I should try furbench instead?

I did just get done with Crysis for ~an hour @ 900/1350 absolutely no issues!!!

God, those speeds are getting ridiculous. My Diamond runs perfectly even w/o a pencil mod @ 900/1370. I was thinking about the mod since the bios is unlocked to 1ghz but its with my x2 now & they really don't need any OCing.

[sneekypeet]

God, those speeds are getting ridiculous. My Diamond runs perfectly even w/o a pencil mod @ 900/1370. I was thinking about the mod since the bios is unlocked to 1ghz but its with my x2 now & they really don't need any OCing.

was having issues with game stability in the 850MHz range previously!

[DanishDevil]

That's definitely an improvement :toast: It looks like my HIS has given the least performance increase from this mod :cry:

[Steevo]

Tried that new BIOS Trog, works a charm. Stable and cool at 875 core, and the fan isn't so loud that I notice it. The only downside COD2 has artifacts at anything above this, no other game does so, nor 3D06. Reps anyway.

[DanishDevil]

Did anyone end up trying that clear nail polish over the pencil mod???

[eidairaman1]

Well it seems I am tapped out. I set the pencil to her one more time and got the resistance to 0.998 and put her in. Booted the ATItool cube and saw 1.51V to the core. That is another tenth since yesterday , and all I could produce was a 931 core.

Not sure what to try as temps are ok ...bearly breaking the low 60's.

Any ideas other that more voltage to stabilize this core?

Better cooling, either modifying the Heatsink or getting a new one, warning modifying heatsink could cause void in warranty.

[DanishDevil]

I already lapped it and ran it at 100% :D

[eidairaman1]

how about the Fan Shroud Trick CPU mag did to get a few more clocks out of the 2900XT

[DanishDevil]

Linky?

[sneekypeet]

Did anyone end up trying that clear nail polish over the pencil mod???

I did test it to see if it was conductive...which it isnt!

But I didnt find the need to drop it on the card yet as my pencil doesnt seem to be wearing off yet!:D


eidairaman1...you really think 60*c is too hot to clock any further?

[trog100]

Tried that new BIOS Trog, works a charm. Stable and cool at 875 core, and the fan isn't so loud that I notice it. The only downside COD2 has artifacts at anything above this, no other game does so, nor 3D06. Reps anyway.

just bear in mind the core clock actually jumps in 13mhz increments.. quite a large jump..

its works this way.. the core is at.. 850.. 864.. 877.. there are no in betweens.. only the three core speeds.. with the CCC overdrive at 870 or 875 the core is still at 864..

with the overdrive at 880.. the core jumps to the next speed.. 877.. your card wont do that..

artifacts are usually memory overclocks too high.. core speeds too high mostly cause a driver crash or lock-up..

also for people who aint gaining much from volt increases.. i think its PCB design.. ten layer.. eight layer or praps even six layer on the cheaper cards.. cross chatter at the high speeds these chips are running at can play a part.. it aint just down to how fast the gpu will go..


trog

[Steevo]

Same clock on the memory as before, but it seems to have little effect, so I will try with lowering the memory setting.

[SpookyWillow]

found out the way to do triplex 3870 after shading a resistor here and there :D

initial resistance is 7.14 ohms across R650, volts were 1.30. dropped resistance to 7.00 and volts went to 1.37.

cod4 and dirt no longer crash with driver stopped responding error :D

so whats the max voltage for these cards under water? :rockout:

http://img.techpowerup.org/080323/PICT0338.jpg

[Dr. Spankenstein]

Glad you found one. Did you get a resonse at XS? I saw your post threre...

For me and my stock reference cooler @ 100%, I don't have any issues running 1.56V for hours.

But you must consider the quality of parts (PCB, RAM, capacitors) that Triplex is using in order to produce a lower priced card, and determine how hard you want to push them vs. how long you need your card to live.

Certainly, water will help keep the core temp down, but other component generate heat at increased voltages as well. Consider investing in some tiny heatsinks for exposed ICs and running a fan across the PCB if you are going to apply more volts via a pencil mod. There is no on/off adjustment.

[SpookyWillow]

nah no response at XS so i messed about myself as i couldn't wait any longer as it wouldn't run dirt or cod4 at stock speeds.

got the voltage at 1.44 now but it can only do 810 or so at that. 1.5v or more gives a black screen due to OCP so thats my next point of call, any idea how to do it?

yeah i know its a cheap card (thought they sent me some crap X600 or something when i saw it lol ) but i got it as an RMA replacement for an x1950pro so im not too fussed lol

[Random Murderer]

nah no response at XS so i messed about myself as i couldn't wait any longer as it wouldn't run dirt or cod4 at stock speeds.

got the voltage at 1.44 now but it can only do 810 or so at that. 1.5v or more gives a black screen due to OCP so thats my next point of call, any idea how to do it?

yeah i know its a cheap card (thought they sent me some crap X600 or something when i saw it lol ) but i got it as an RMA replacement for an x1950pro so im not too fussed lol

even being a crap card, that's a hell of an upgrade from a 1950pro!
my crossfired 1950pro's couldn't even score as well as my single 3870, let alone play actual games as nicely.

[SpookyWillow]

yeah i know im quite impressed with it on some games but on some its just worse, i could play cod4 on my 1950pro on all high settings with 4xaa @ 1280x1024 and it would be smooth but on the 3870 s quite jerky and i rarely go above 40fps.

crysis is just as bad, too much stuttering compared to my 1950pro yet the fps are nearly anything from 50-100% higher.

does the 3870 use more power than the 1950pro? my cpu score has gone down in 3dmark06 from 2050 to 1889 since i put this card in and im wondering if my psu is struggling.

some crysis results at 775/1125

Run #1- DX9 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 27.81
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 20:44:52 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX9 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 64 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 28.585
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 20:50:37 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX10 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 64 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 21.595
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 21:05:34 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX10 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 23.085
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 21:23:08 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX9 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: Medium ~~ Overall Average FPS: 43.09
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 21:36:02 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX9 1400x960 AA=No AA, 64 bit test, Quality: Medium ~~ Overall Average FPS: 35.395
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 21:41:24 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX9 1400x960 AA=No AA, 64 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Last Average FPS: 27.06

NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 22:13:15 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX10 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~ Last Average FPS: 13.81

NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 22:23:25 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX10 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~ Last Average FPS: 13.85

[trog100]

yeah i know im quite impressed with it on some games but on some its just worse, i could play cod4 on my 1950pro on all high settings with 4xaa @ 1280x1024 and it would be smooth but on the 3870 s quite jerky and i rarely go above 40fps.

crysis is just as bad, too much stuttering compared to my 1950pro yet the fps are nearly anything from 50-100% higher.

does the 3870 use more power than the 1950pro? my cpu score has gone down in 3dmark06 from 2050 to 1889 since i put this card in and im wondering if my psu is struggling.

some crysis results at 775/1125

Run #1- DX9 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 27.81
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 20:44:52 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX9 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 64 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 28.585
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 20:50:37 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX10 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 64 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 21.595
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 21:05:34 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX10 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 23.085
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 21:23:08 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX9 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: Medium ~~ Overall Average FPS: 43.09
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 21:36:02 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX9 1400x960 AA=No AA, 64 bit test, Quality: Medium ~~ Overall Average FPS: 35.395
NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 21:41:24 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX9 1400x960 AA=No AA, 64 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Last Average FPS: 27.06

NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 22:13:15 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX10 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~ Last Average FPS: 13.81

NEXT BENCH RUN- 22/03/2008 22:23:25 - Vista 64


Run #1- DX10 1280x1024 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: VeryHigh ~~ Last Average FPS: 13.85

u need some more system ram.. badly.. ;)

trog

[SpookyWillow]

i have 2gb, forgot to update that when i did my card lol but yeah i could still do with more considering DX10 runs eat up 1800mb or so and it only stops at that cos theres none left :D

on a side note, i have noticed that Dirt is far moe sensitive to overclocking than 3dmark06 or crysis. i just ran 3dmark06 at 850 on the core just fine but Dirt wont even start unless its at 810 :/

[trog100]

i have 2gb, forgot to update that when i did my card lol but yeah i could still do with more considering DX10 runs eat up 1800mb or so and it only stops at that cos theres none left :D

on a side note, i have noticed that Dirt is far moe sensitive to overclocking than 3dmark06 or crysis. i just ran 3dmark06 at 850 on the core just fine but Dirt wont even start unless its at 810 :/

can u slow it down more.. stability is more important than the odd extra frame per second.. u are right about stability being different in different things.. i can run 2006 at higher clocks than i can game at.. i can run the furbench even higher.. in fact i recon near 50mhz difference between benching and stable gaming..

trog

[Random Murderer]

can u slow it down more.. stability is more important than the odd extra frame per second.. u are right about stability being different in different things.. i can run 2006 at higher clocks than i can game at.. i can run the furbench even higher.. in fact i recon near 50mhz difference between benching and stable gaming..

trog

actually, i found the same thing. my crysis stable clock(891) was significantly lower than my fur clock(945ish).

[eidairaman1]

if its not gaming or windows stable its not a True Clock

[SpookyWillow]

i do slow it down, but tbh i dont usually run overclocked while gaming, like you said, its only a couple of fps most of the time.

i've not finished with it yet though, i just got it a week or so ago but it wouldn't run at stock speeds on dirt and i couldn't rma it as it was an rma replacement that i managed to get in on the last day of its warranty and as the warrany goes off the original card it has now expired sadly. cant sell it unless someone wants a hard modded card (got to get some bits before i do it)

just trying to get past the OCP atm and i posted this over at XS but they dont talk to newcomers over there i dont think lol, can any of you guys help?


sorted the voltmod but the problem is im now stuck with OCP kicking in at 1.5v, i've never even tried to figure out how you guys work this stuff out but i have been reading up and from what i gather you have to reduce resistance between the pins VREF and OCP and according to the pdf for the nexsem chip that would be the resistor R659 (just 2 solder points on the pic ) http://www.nexsem.com/pdfs/2415DS.pdf

http://www.spookywillow.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/IMAGES/PICT0338.JPG

would i also have to do the OVP aswell? i think thats either R656 or R657.

if im way off the mark please tell me as im just figuring this stuff out for myself

[eidairaman1]

usually a Cards RMA lasts for 1 year, i assume that time has passed?

[SpookyWillow]

yeah i called the shop on the last day of the warranty and got my RMA number, thank god it decided to die then and not the next day :D

[eidairaman1]

oh your talking about the retailers RMA, i trust the Manufacturer more than the Retailers.

[SpookyWillow]

yeah i spose i could get away with sending it back to them :)

[Wile E]

oh your talking about the retailers RMA, i trust the Manufacturer more than the Retailers.
Unless it's Newegg. Newegg's RMA process is spectacular. lol.

[trog100]

if its not gaming or windows stable its not a True Clock

my answer to that one is to have several clocks.. i have a furbench clock.. a 2006 clock and a gaming clock..

the 3870 card is an odd card in this respect.. a huge not quite stable speed range.. never known a card like it before..

mostly if a card made 2006 stable it would game stable.. not the 3870.. its an odd one.. i think its the very high frequencies being used.. odd things happen that never used to happen at lower frequencies..

i forgot one.. i have a lower still crossfire clock.. he he

trog

[Wile E]

my answer to to that one is to have several clocks.. i have furbench clock.. a 2006 clock and a gaming clock..

the 3870 card is an odd card in this respect.. a huge not quite stable speed range.. never known a card like it before..

mostly if a card made 2006 stable it would game stable.. not the 3870.. its an odd one.. i think its the very high frequencies being used.. odd things happen that never used to happen at lower frequencies..

trogMy 8800GT and 2900XT are like that, too. Those are the first cards that I have had be that way as well. I remember that my X1800XT was gaming stable at whatever was 06 stable.

[trog100]

My 8800GT and 2900XT are like that, too. Those are the first cards that I have had be that way as well. I remember that my X1800XT was gaming stable at whatever was 06 stable.

my last one was the 1900xtx.. if it ran 2006 stable it gamed stable.. life was simpler in those days..he he

its something worth noting thow for all these new tweakers..

trog

[P4-630]

I have a Gigabyte 3870 and it runs in one simple soft tweak @ 900 core and 1100 mem stable.
I did not try any higher clocks, but I'm sure that this card can oc much higher then this.
It was rather a quick test and there was no pencil mod needed to achieve this.


http://img.techpowerup.org/080324/gigabyte3870oc-900-1100.jpg

[Random Murderer]

I have a Gigabyte 3870 and it runs in one simple soft tweak @ 900 core and 1100 mem stable.
I did not try any higher clocks, but I'm sure that this card can oc much higher then this.
It was rather a quick test and there was no pencil mod needed to achieve this.


http://img.techpowerup.org/080324/gigabyte3870oc-900-1100.jpg

2200 is pretty damn good for gddr3.

[SpookyWillow]

ok i sorted the OCP on my card, i dont know what the max voltage i can run but its running 1.65 (1.63 under load) had to put the water block back on as temps shot to 90c instantly with the stock cooler but they are around 55c now on water.

to get past OCP with a pencil mod i shaded a few resistors, the 2 marked in the blue box and the one to the right of the smaller blue box.

http://www.spookywillow.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/IMAGES/PICT0338.JPG

R657 initial resistance 6 ohms - lowered to 4.3 ohms
R659 initial resistance 6 ohms - lowered to 4.3 ohms

R658 initial resistance 100 ohms - lowered to 46 ohms

off to do some testing :D

[Random Murderer]

nice work. i'm sure others with the same board as you will appreciate the work you have done.

[SpookyWillow]

thanks :D

i just did a 3dmark06 run @ 945/1125 and got 9214, is that any good? my cpu score is about 200 points lower than normal

[freaksavior]

thanks :D

i just did a 3dmark06 run @ 945/1125 and got 9214, is that any good? my cpu score is about 200 points lower than normal

*25* 10332 - reverze - Athlon X2 @ 3.0ghz 3870 @ 857 Core 1251 Mem - XP
*26* 10059 - -=CrAnSwIcK=- - Athlon X2 @ 3.0Ghz 3870 @ 820 Core 1044 Mem - XP
*27* 9574 - Steevo - Athlon X2 @ 2.7ghz3870 @ 855 Core 1201 Mem - Xp
*28* 9567 - Makaveli - Opteron @ 2.8ghz 3870 @ 776 Core 1125 Mem - XP
*29* 9530 - Joe23 - Athlon x2 @ 2.8ghz 3870 @ 810 Core 1225 Mem - XP
*30* 9402 - Steevo - Athlon X2 @ 2.6ghz 3870 @ 816 Core 1224 Mem - XP
*31* 8541 - 0elemental0 - Athlon X2 2.4ghz 3870 @ 777 Core 1125 Mem - XP

[SpookyWillow]

Hmm not good then judging by those scores, steeve's score is similar yet he's 100mhz slower on the cpu and 130mhz slower on the gpu :( time for a c2d upgrade.....

[freaksavior]

oc the cpu and you should boost your score to 10k

[SpookyWillow]

i cant, 2.7 is the limit on this mobo. something is wrong in my pc anyway, my cpu scores have gone down and my games stutter really badly compared to when i had my 1950pro.

cod4 is always around 30-40fps with lots of stuttering regardless of settings.

[eidairaman1]

hmm have you cleaned out all dust?

[SpookyWillow]

watercooled ;)

[cdawall]

watercooled ;)

well than i for one hope that there is no dust :nutkick:


i might be getting a sapphire 3850 256mb soon will one of these mods work with it?

[Random Murderer]

well than i for one hope that there is no dust :nutkick:


i might be getting a sapphire 3850 256mb soon will one of these mods work with it?

yes. definitely. if there's not one in this thread that will work, take me some high res pics of the card and i'll work it out for you.

[MagnusLL]

yes. definitely. if there's not one in this thread that will work, take me some high res pics of the card and i'll work it out for you.

Any hope of getting that trimmer mod for the pcs 3870?

..wait, let me rephrase that: can I use the stock trimmer points for the pcs 3870 (the ones originating from the 13th leg of the P6201AQ) even if it's not reference? The pencil mod I'm using works by shading one of those points. Stock resistance is about half that of the reference cards (2.54 vs 5.12) so a 100k pot should be fine, I think.

[Random Murderer]

Any hope of getting that trimmer mod for the pcs 3870?

..wait, let me rephrase that: can I use the stock trimmer points for the pcs 3870 (the ones originating from the 13th leg of the P6201AQ) even if it's not reference? The pencil mod I'm using works by shading one of those points. Stock resistance is about half that of the reference cards (2.54 vs 5.12) so a 100k pot should be fine, I think.

sounds good, but i'd like pics.

[MagnusLL]

sounds good, but i'd like pics.

Here's one, straight from you ;):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Bobdole666/2001540848232954587_rs.jpg

Correct me if I'm wrong, but: the soldier point is the upper one of the two bridged by the pencil shading (or any other one on the same PCB trace). Second soldier point is any ground point, of course.

[Random Murderer]

Here's one, straight from you ;):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Bobdole666/2001540848232954587_rs.jpg

Correct me if I'm wrong, but: the soldier point is the upper one of the two bridged by the pencil shading (or any other one on the same PCB trace). Second soldier point is any ground point, of course.

you're correct.

[cdawall]

well than i for one hope that there is no dust :nutkick:


i might be getting a sapphire 3850 256mb soon will one of these mods work with it?

if the seller still has it (which i doubt @$70 for the card) it will be mine soon if not i have an 8600GTS....wahoo :cry:

[Cold Storm]

Hope ya get it man! I'd like to see an AMD ATI on that Avatar!

[eidairaman1]

Ya im thinking of the Visiontek 3870 Myself and possibly buying a second stock cooler for it for modification, so in event of total failure i can reattach the non modded heatsink.

[SpookyWillow]

random can you give us a bit of help m8?

i need to hard mod my card as it wont run on stock voltage (1.29v) where do i need to put the pot? do i just solder it on to the resistor i shade?

http://www.spookywillow.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/IMAGES/PICT0338.JPG

[toptap]

palit hd 3850 it not mod pencil

[SpookyWillow]

do you have a good close up pic of the card?

[Random Murderer]

random can you give us a bit of help m8?

i need to hard mod my card as it wont run on stock voltage (1.29v) where do i need to put the pot? do i just solder it on to the resistor i shade?

http://www.spookywillow.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/IMAGES/PICT0338.JPG

that's something i can't say without having the card on hand.
if you want, pm me and i can walk you through how you would find the point.

[freaksavior]

i got some rubbing alcohol but its 50% isopropyl....is that good enough or should i get it with 70%

[DanishDevil]

I used 70. I think 50's probably fine, but I would use an air compressor on like 10PSI to blow it dry. The more alcohol the quicker it evaporates into the air, so I would just be sure it was dry before I stuck it back in.

You hear bout your Diamond RMA yet?

[Random Murderer]

i got some rubbing alcohol but its 50% isopropyl....is that good enough or should i get it with 70%

don't use anything less than 70%. 50% has too high of a water content; when the alcohol evaporates, you'll be left with little water droplets on whatever surface you were cleaning.

[freaksavior]

i used 91% and it works now.

[DanishDevil]

Woohoo! Rubbing alcohol saves all! :D

[freaksavior]

i wish i had my diamond to try it on.

[DanishDevil]

Well you know for next time at least :p

[Dr. Spankenstein]

It makes me think of the classic arcade game, Altered Beast: *nearly unintelligible* "Rise-from your grave..."

[toptap]

sorry my pic i it ....bad

[SpookyWillow]

that pic is no good, you need to be able to make out resistor numbers,

[DanishDevil]

I don't even see any resistor numbers...

Try snapping another. I think you've got the right area, though. Keep in mind, some cameras don't like close-up pictures.

[Bakerman]

Hi,

Can you guys please help me??

I want to pencil mod my Sapphire 3850 256MB.
I can get 810/1100 with bios mods but I need more voltage.

What resistor should I shade?
Is it he R1222?

[SpookyWillow]

does the board look the same as the ones at the start of this thread? or any of the other cards posted in this thread?

[DanishDevil]

If you take a high resolution picture of the back of the card (be sure to get the area to the left of the metal GPU retention clips all the way to the back of the card, then we can either confirm which resistor to shade, or have RM see if he can figure it out.

[DaPhreak]

Hi Guys,

Maybe someone of you could help me vmod this Card, it looks different to the other pics posted here.

This are the pics
http://www.xh-clan.de/asus3870/1.jpg

http://www.xh-clan.de/asus3870/2.jpg

[SpookyWillow]

can you get a pic of the other end of the card, just take pics around the areas where the capacitors are and then we can see what we need.

[DaPhreak]

OK sry,

Better?

http://www.xh-clan.de/asus3870/3.jpg

http://www.xh-clan.de/asus3870/4.jpg

http://www.xh-clan.de/asus3870/6.jpg

[Bakerman]

I just did a pencil mod on my Sapphire 3850 256MB with a HB pencil. I cut the end of the pencil so that it was flat and used the figure 8 method to finaly get a result.
I don't have a multi meter, but judging from experience I'm at +-1.4V. I'm running 100% stable at 840/1080, temps are 65 with stock cooler at 80%.

[sneekypeet]

so how do you test voltage by experience?

Seems slightly suicidal to me....that card could go by by with one little slip of your experience.

[SpookyWillow]

so how do you test voltage by experience?

Seems slightly suicidal to me....that card could go by by with one little slip of your experience.

exactly what i thought, pencil modding is so risky as it , the results are just too random.

[Bakerman]

I can safely judge it by looking at my temps and what other people got with the same card at 1.4 volts, at 1.5 volts the temps go way up and I should get 860 on the core.
I didn't just do it all at once.
I would add a little more clock and pencil more and then benchmark, add a little more clock and pencil more and benchmark etc.
Yes it is a bit risky! But it works fine! hehe

[sneekypeet]

must be the coolers, because im runnin 1.5V and 70% fans and at 900/1350, Crysis or any test wont put my card above 60*C

See why I say its more of a lucky guess,than experience. Every card reacts differently.

Be very very careful with your way of measuring voltage.

Oh and BTW one swipe with my HB pencil took my resistance to 0.862, if I had booted without checking resistance first , I may have booted at 1.6V on stock cooling!

Not trying to single ya out baker, just trying to keep ya in the game with less kills is all!

[Bakerman]

On average I have seen that a 3870 runs much cooler than a 3850 when overclocking.
I have a very thin cooler and a tiny fan.
Yes I know how crazy this all sounds to you. But I did do my research and said my prayer before doing it. It was only for 1 hour though to run a few benchmarks.
I'm back to my normal 1.3v with a BIOS mod, running @ 770/1100.

And yes I am crazy. I have ran a poor E2140 @ 1.6 volts at 3.6GHz with a stock cooler. Temps were 90+! I sold that chip (yes the guy knew about it). So the damage I did aint my problem.

[eidairaman1]

You are also an idiot for intentionally damaging the CPU if any by using stock cooling, im pretty sure the unit didnt run as fast as it was stock due to the system throttling
On average I have seen that a 3870 runs much cooler than a 3850 when overclocking.
I have a very thin cooler and a tiny fan.
Yes I know how crazy this all sounds to you. But I did do my research and said my prayer before doing it. It was only for 1 hour though to run a few benchmarks.
I'm back to my normal 1.3v with a BIOS mod, running @ 770/1100.

And yes I am crazy. I have ran a poor E2140 @ 1.6 volts at 3.6GHz with a stock cooler. Temps were 90+! I sold that chip (yes the guy knew about it). So the damage I did aint my problem.

[thoughtdisorder]

You are also an idiot for intentionally damaging the CPU if any by using stock cooling, im pretty sure the unit didnt run as fast as it was stock due to the system throttling

Idiot is a bit harsh, but decent fans are relatively cheap nowadays, so there's no excuse for crazy high temps. Get some better air movement for sure and always watch your temps. Prayers don't usually work as well as a Zalman.......

[eidairaman1]

if you know the risks of overclocking with stock cooling but do it anyways then thats an idiot, now if the cooler was modified partially then thats a different story.

[Bakerman]

Its a E2140!!! Not a dam expensive CPU so who cares? I did it to break my old Supi record.
The chip is still running fine to this day and can do 3.2GHz on stock voltage

[philbrown23]

ok so I have a bit of a dilema here, I got my DMM measured my volts= 1.30 under 3d06 full load, yurned it off, checked resitance =1.929!! wtf so I did the pencil mod and got no change??? I just ordered some new pencils thinking maybe thats the issue, we'll see. oh yeah I have 2x his iceq hd3870's watercooled.

[DaPhreak]

Well guys, is there a chance to pencil mod my asus 3870 or not?

[SpookyWillow]

its hard to say DaPhreak without having the card, i can't find any info on your cards pwm controller at all anywhere and i'm not about to start taking guesses at your cards expense.

hopefully someone will know or have some info on that chip

[erocker]

You are also an idiot for intentionally damaging the CPU if any by using stock cooling, im pretty sure the unit didnt run as fast as it was stock due to the system throttling

If your name calling continues, there will be consequences. I don't stand for that kind of crap.:shadedshu

[Random Murderer]

Well guys, is there a chance to pencil mod my asus 3870 or not?

i've been searching, that's not the same pwm as reference cards.

[eidairaman1]

If your name calling continues, there will be consequences. I don't stand for that kind of crap.:shadedshu

Sorry if my personality is too blunt and to the point for you and the rest of the community

[kenkickr]

So many people are just to damn defensive these days!

I am still having issues measuring resistance. Any help would be much appreciated!

[Random Murderer]

So many people are just to damn defensive these days!

I am still having issues measuring resistance. Any help would be much appreciated!

try touching the end of the probe to the end of the resistor, with the very tip of the probe touching the solder pad on the board.

[kenkickr]

Do I do this with just the positive and the ground touching the case? I do not need the system on correct?
Do I set the multi meter to 200, 2000, or 20k?

[Cold Storm]

RM your up! like the song I tapped on your window?!?! Can you guess what it was!?
If you do what RM says, there won't be anything that will hurt your card... it takes some time to get it right, but once you do, you can do it blind folded!

[Random Murderer]

Do I do this with just the positive and the ground touching the case? I do not need the system on correct?
Do I set the multi meter to 200, 2000, or 20k?

system off, correct. the positive on one side of the resistor and the negative on the other.
the proper way is to start with the dmm on the highest setting and gradually move down as needed, but we have a general idea of what the resistor should measure, so just set it to 2k.

[kenkickr]

Whoa!!! Finally I go it! Does 1.63 sound about right?

[Random Murderer]

Whoa!!! Finally I go it! Does 1.63 sound about right?

yup, sounds exactly right.

[eidairaman1]

system off, correct. the positive on one side of the resistor and the negative on the other.
the proper way is to start with the dmm on the highest setting and gradually move down as needed, but we have a general idea of what the resistor should measure, so just set it to 2k.
Rule of thumb i know, never measure resistance with voltage applied, can get a nice zap out of it with damage to the meter or the PC, even a charge for yourself heh.

[kenkickr]

Sounds shocking! LOL

[kenkickr]

I have a 4B pencil and trying it. I run the pencil across it a couple times, blow it off with an air compressor, and check the resistence. Right now I have it @ 1.613 from 1.63. Does it take forever to get it to drop down .5?

[Random Murderer]

I have a 4B pencil and trying it. I run the pencil across it a couple times, blow it off with an air compressor, and check the resistence. Right now I have it @ 1.613 from 1.63. Does it take forever to get it to drop down .5?

it takes a while, yes. just don't be afraid to apply a little pressure STRAIGHT DOWN onto the resistor. if you apply pressure at an angle, you run the risk of snapping the resistor off of the board.

[SpookyWillow]

you dont need to use compressed air either, just give it a quick blow to remove any excess.

[slugzkea]

http://img.techpowerup.org/080102/hd3870pmodsl4828.png

Apparently the second pencilmod point works better.

I combined BOTH these vgpu mods, which resulted in 1.62volts for my core!

At first i was afraid to post, but i took the risk. Temps were pretty high, but i have the 900 case so air flow was good.

I was able to get the core as high as 980.

[eidairaman1]

you dont need to use compressed air either, just give it a quick blow to remove any excess.

ya aslong as you dont have saliva goin.