![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
cornelious0_0
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2003
- Messages
- 12,783
As the name implies, I just finished modding my 6800GT's BIOS, and it couldn't have been easier. There are a few things you can accomplish by going through the general process I've outlined below.....and I'll distinguish between them after the "step by step". What I was going after was an increase to my cards core voltage, to try and get a little more OC out of my baby before I did my cooling mods. By default the 6800GT carries a core voltage of 1.3v.....whereas the Ultra comes with a stock voltage of 1.4v.....guess where I'm going with this. 
*** Before I go any farther let me just say that while this mod WAS extremely simple.....nothing is gauranteed, and I have still heard of/seen things go wrong with something this straight forward. I will take no responsibility for anything that happens as a result of anyone trying the below mod(s) and I urge you to proceed at your own risk. ***
That being said, here's what I just went through to get my core running at 1.4v:
1) Download nVflash here.
2) Extract nvflash and put the contents on a floppy disk. Use a bootdisk on startup and when you're at the command prompt with the nvflash disk in the drive type "a:\nvflash -b backup original.rom" without the quotes......this will backup your cards current BIOS to disk, we'll work with this in a second.
3) Get back on the net and download OmniExtremeEdit FX v1.5.
4) Next we'll be using OmniExtremeEdit to open the ROM file on the floppy, which is your cards factory BIOS.....make a backup copy of the original BIOS if you'd like.
5) Load OmniExtremeEdit and load up the ROM file you saved......on the left hand side of the screen where it says "VGPU" change the 3D value to 1.4v.
6) Save the moddified BIOS with a simple name like "modded.rom" or something you can remember and copy it to the floppy disk with nvflash.
7) Go back through your boot sequence and get to the command prompt again.....this time type "a:\nvflash modded.rom" (if you named your saved BIOS something else, simply insert your filename instead of "modded".
8) Confirm the flash, and it'll let you know when it's done.....restart your comp, and when you boot up, your card will be running at a 3D voltage of 1.4v. What this means is that when you run over to overclock the "3D clock" on your card, you SHOULD have some extra headroom to work with.
A good way to quickly check if the mod worked is to do an Auto-Detect of your clock rates in Coolbits, hopefully you'll be pleasently surprised. Personally, my card went from a stock Auto Detect of 366/1025 all the way up to an Auto Detect of 425/1150.....and I couldnt be happier.
I found this a LOT easier then downloading a BIOS for my card that was already set with the voltages I wanted, and there are actually a couple other things you can use this same procedure to accomplish.
- During step 5, instead of altering the VGPU, look farther to the right where it says "Clock Rates"
- If you are 110% sure that you already have a certain overclock on your card nailed down, you can enter it into the 3D fields.....essentially making your desired numbers into your new stock 3D clock speeds.
- The same thing can be done to alter the 2D clock, but I have yet to really find a use for this.
As I said, these mods are not going to be for everyone, but those of you who come away with a successfull "run" here should be more then pleased, just as I was.
I strongly urge people who do NOT have water cooling not to go above 1.4v on the GPU, jumping to 1.5v seems to raise even idle temps by about 10C.....putting that much more load on that poor little aluminum cooler. Anyone running an extravagent air cooler or h2O on their GT's might want to try out 1.5v to see how much more they gain out of it.....but as I said before, proceed with caution.
I hope that this was at least a little helpfull or informative for anyone who might have been thinking about this, and I'm proud to be here as living proof that even someone who hasn't had very much luck modding video cards can walk away from this with a smile on their face.
*** Before I go any farther let me just say that while this mod WAS extremely simple.....nothing is gauranteed, and I have still heard of/seen things go wrong with something this straight forward. I will take no responsibility for anything that happens as a result of anyone trying the below mod(s) and I urge you to proceed at your own risk. ***
That being said, here's what I just went through to get my core running at 1.4v:
1) Download nVflash here.
2) Extract nvflash and put the contents on a floppy disk. Use a bootdisk on startup and when you're at the command prompt with the nvflash disk in the drive type "a:\nvflash -b backup original.rom" without the quotes......this will backup your cards current BIOS to disk, we'll work with this in a second.
3) Get back on the net and download OmniExtremeEdit FX v1.5.
4) Next we'll be using OmniExtremeEdit to open the ROM file on the floppy, which is your cards factory BIOS.....make a backup copy of the original BIOS if you'd like.
5) Load OmniExtremeEdit and load up the ROM file you saved......on the left hand side of the screen where it says "VGPU" change the 3D value to 1.4v.
6) Save the moddified BIOS with a simple name like "modded.rom" or something you can remember and copy it to the floppy disk with nvflash.
7) Go back through your boot sequence and get to the command prompt again.....this time type "a:\nvflash modded.rom" (if you named your saved BIOS something else, simply insert your filename instead of "modded".
8) Confirm the flash, and it'll let you know when it's done.....restart your comp, and when you boot up, your card will be running at a 3D voltage of 1.4v. What this means is that when you run over to overclock the "3D clock" on your card, you SHOULD have some extra headroom to work with.
A good way to quickly check if the mod worked is to do an Auto-Detect of your clock rates in Coolbits, hopefully you'll be pleasently surprised. Personally, my card went from a stock Auto Detect of 366/1025 all the way up to an Auto Detect of 425/1150.....and I couldnt be happier.
I found this a LOT easier then downloading a BIOS for my card that was already set with the voltages I wanted, and there are actually a couple other things you can use this same procedure to accomplish.
- During step 5, instead of altering the VGPU, look farther to the right where it says "Clock Rates"
- If you are 110% sure that you already have a certain overclock on your card nailed down, you can enter it into the 3D fields.....essentially making your desired numbers into your new stock 3D clock speeds.
- The same thing can be done to alter the 2D clock, but I have yet to really find a use for this.
As I said, these mods are not going to be for everyone, but those of you who come away with a successfull "run" here should be more then pleased, just as I was.
I strongly urge people who do NOT have water cooling not to go above 1.4v on the GPU, jumping to 1.5v seems to raise even idle temps by about 10C.....putting that much more load on that poor little aluminum cooler. Anyone running an extravagent air cooler or h2O on their GT's might want to try out 1.5v to see how much more they gain out of it.....but as I said before, proceed with caution.
I hope that this was at least a little helpfull or informative for anyone who might have been thinking about this, and I'm proud to be here as living proof that even someone who hasn't had very much luck modding video cards can walk away from this with a smile on their face.
