sapphire hd 6950 2gb (ref cooler)

[Rik1254]

Just bought one and noticed it has a switch. Now on other sapphire cards....this is either a duo bios switch or an unlock shaders switch. The manual says nothing about this though. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[mranderson]

Run GPU-Z at this setting and take a screenshot. Remove the card and move the switch to the other position. Restart the PC and if it boots take another GPU-z snapshot and compare. It might have a second BIOS with unlocked shaders but unless you do some testing you will not know if they are all functional ie without artifacts.

 

[dwskillz]

If its reference then its most likely a dual bios switch

 

[Rik1254]

Switch does nothing

Might look into flashing the Bios or something

 

[Tealc]

Dual bios cards will have identical settings in both until you modify the changeable one. Trouble is you'd need to flash and potentially risk the volatile Bios to determine.

As above though if it is an early reference card with the big black and red cooler with the blower fan then it should have the dual. Most non reference did away with the switch or put a different profile on it.

 

[Rik1254]

So if it has the switch and it doesnt show any extra shaders, it does have the dual bios?

If I was to flash the second bios, would the first be ok?

 

[dwskillz]

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/159

 

[kingy666]

So if it has the switch and it doesnt show any extra shaders, it does have the dual bios?

If I was to flash the second bios, would the first be ok?

That is why the card has a dual bios, you can flash one of them to unlock the shaders. I can't remember which setting you have the switch on before flashing as one bios is locked and the other can be flashed. If something goes wrong with the flashed bios you just flick the switch back to the locked bios and the card will work. Don't try and put a 6970 bios on a 6950 as the memory is different and you can "burn out" the memory so just flash a modded 6950 bios for the extra shaders. Good luck.

 

[tommybhoy]

Really easy to do, just don't flash 'bios 2'.

It's all in here:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18221844

There's just 1500+ posts to read through!



@mranderson, you don't need to remove the card from the PC to flick the switch at all, the PC should be off to play it safe, strictly speaking it can still be flicked when the PC is on.

 

[Rik1254]

Well just flashed it to a 6970 (well modded 6950 bios) and its great....Skyrim doesnt dip below 57 (6950 sometimes hit 48 in the same areas) and cinebench went up a whole 10 points (if I remember rightly anyway).


Now just for a new cooler....the standard cooler is a beast.