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BIOS Flash on Sapphire 4850 ?

Cesar67

Cesar67

Cesar67

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Will i need to flash another vendors BIOS onto my Sapphire 4850 to get past the 700 core wall ?

I cant find any software O/C'ing tools that work over 700 so, I am thinking a BIOS flash is required right ?

The last time i looked into it, The Sapphire's had a 'Locked' BIOS ? Is this right ? Or, Does the -f command force the flash OK ?
 
Techpowerup's Radeon BIOS Editor (RBE) has an option to remove the 700mhz limit, on the last tab I believe. You can save your card's BIOS with that or GPUZ and then modify it to remove the limit. Make sure to keep a backup of your BIOS file just in case.
 
I forgot to mention it might be a cleaner solution to change the frequencies in the BIOS, that way you can decide what settings to use for the power saving frequencies too. Just make sure you do some reading on the voltages etc before flashing a modded BIOS. When overclocking mine I downloaded loads of stock BIOS files from the Techpowerup archive and looked at them in RBE to see what settings the mfgrs were using on factory overclocked cards. Not all cards support all voltages so check RBE to see what your card supports.
 
thebigak said:
Techpowerup's Radeon BIOS Editor (RBE) has an option to remove the 700mhz limit, on the last tab I believe. You can save your card's BIOS with that or GPUZ and then modify it to remove the limit. Make sure to keep a backup of your BIOS file just in case.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, I just want to remove the limit so i can try to clock over the 700.

I did have a look at RBE last year but, I read Sapphire has a locked' BIOS that cant be flashed, Do you know anything about this ?

Powerplay settings would be a good way to keep temps down inside my case as i have two, One is a newer Sapphire card and one is the older model, I might screw one of them up so removing the limit is really all i am after just now.

Cheers again fella :)
 
No probs happy if I was of some assistance. I didn't know Sapphire had locked some of their BIOSs, I only modded two Powercolor cards so far. If the BIOS is locked, does it just reject being flashed?
 
thebigak said:
No probs happy if I was of some assistance. I didn't know Sapphire had locked some of their BIOSs, I only modded two Powercolor cards so far. If the BIOS is locked, does it just reject being flashed?
Click to expand...

Well, I successfully flashed my newer model Sapphire (Without -f command) first time.

sapphire_hd4850_dualslot.jpg


My slave card which is the older type Sapphire 4850 wont flash.

sapphire_radeon4850_cards.jpg


The checksum is the same on the modified BIOS and the original, I never changed the vender ID either.

Running both in crossfire i need both to clock the same obviously so, I dont want to force flash so i think i need to read up and see why it wont flash.

Yes, I thought Sapphire had locked these cards, Obviously not, Suppose it has saved me from flashing the card i have on RMA just now, My warranty would have been void :)

Anyway thanks again, I'm half way there :D
 
That older model looks like an old reference design like my original Powercolor, I am surprised it won't flash. What error message does it give? Do you have it in slot 1 as the only card in the PC?
 
On the mobile atm mate but, I think the error was F010 - crc mismatch.

The crc was the same according to RBE.

I dont really want to force flash.
 
I have used the force option when flashing a 3850 with diff mfgr BIOS and I had no problems, but I can understand your reluctance! Did you try both the Windows and DOS versions of the ATI flashing software?
 
Only DOS, I might try forcing it then, I still have another card to try to fix it if it goes wrong.

The only thing that is making me reluctant to force is that this cards memory is reported different in CCC when overclocking, When adjusting the memory frequency it will never be on par with my other card i.e, New model might sit at 1053 and the old model will only move to 1050 or 1055. Might this be a problem ?

As far as i know they both have 512MB of DDR3, Why the difference ?

I've heard so many bad stories with people flashing through windows.
 
I just used TechPowerUp GPUTool which takes my core past 700, when I then check CCC it has those settings as as the max
 
Kerazee said:
I just used TechPowerUp GPUTool which takes my core past 700, when I then check CCC it has those settings as as the max
Click to expand...


That never worked for me mate.

Got the second card flashed, Seems to be working normal and clocking past 700, Happy days.

Cheers thebigak, I just went for it :D


/END OF THREAD
 
Cesar67 said:
That never worked for me mate.

Got the second card flashed, Seems to be working normal and clocking past 700, Happy days.

Cheers thebigak, I just went for it :D


/END OF THREAD
Click to expand...

YAY! Sometimes you just have to go for it! I know how tempting it is when you have two different cards and want to get them going in Crossfire, makes it worth the risk to get that performance jump! Keep an eye on the GPU temps as Crossfire can make the first card run hotter than normal I believe.
 
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