ati unlocks stream processors via bios update.

[TBallS]

did anyone else notice that after HiS's small mess of releasing a batch of ati 4830's with a reduced number of stream processors, that the solution has been to release an updated BIOS update to fix the problem? to unlock the missing stream processors. custom pc

The reason this kinda excites me is that they have done what i thought wasn't possible, unlocking stream processors via a BIOS update, I thought all of this was locked by hardware??? does anybody else think that maybe you might be able to unlock all 800 stream processors, making it near enough a 4850 with a small BIOS update?

do you think it might be possible?

 

[Cairnsey]

Didn't HIS lock them in the BIOS in the first place? I don't know and CBA to read the link. Also, hate to rain on your parade but wouldn't you rather buy a HD4850 for an extra tenner anyway?

 

[Lanz]

The 4830's are binned 4850's, they have their processors disabled for a reason. Yeah some might work with a bios update, but tbh, for the sake of £15, you might as well buy a proper 4850 rather than risk a bios update. It would be different if they were really cheaper, then it might be exciting news, but with the tiny price difference I dont see the point.

 

[sarge78]

The 4830's are binned 4850's, they have their processors disabled for a reason. Yeah some might work with a bios update, but tbh, for the sake of ?15, you might as well buy a proper 4850 rather than risk a bios update. It would be different if they were really cheaper, then it might be exciting news, but with the tiny price difference I dont see the point.

Thats interesting, I thought the RV770 55nm process produced great resuslts and didn't have much logic testing/binning? Wouldn't they've been around from launch if they had many chips with faulty sectors? (Like the G200)

If prices drop I might try and find out
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VOLCANO VAPORIZERS

 

[Lightnix]

From what I've been reading, general consensus is that ATi physically fuse parts of the processor from the core to prevent them from working. The reason that some 4830's only had 560 stream processors enabled was just an early test bios revision, so apparently the 4830 "560" can be fixed with a new BIOS because it has all 8 SIMD units intact.

 

[lay-z-boy]

Not possible, both nv and ati laser cut the 'pipes' in their lower end models. Making it impossible to unlock anything.
That said, a few models of the 9600 gso that had 8 instead of 6 ram chips could be unlocked to an 8800gts'.