9500 to 9700 SOFTWARE HACK HERE

[Killrose]

Just read this at Rage3d. This guy has beaten Rivatuner to the Punch releasing this beta.
READ HERE

 

[hollowman]

Yea, just saw that.

Anyone would like to confirm that the software indeed works?

 

[DeRusto]

Go here for more info

 

[Powersupply]

I've tested it, AND IT WORKED!! YEAA!

get it from: http://www.maxdownloads.com/~ian/wizzard/

 

[hollowman]

Powersupply, is your Radeon overclockable?

Can anyone find the link to the hacked bios so the Radeon9500 can be overclockable?

 

[jaybee]

My results? Artifacts, just like with the hardware mod. Powersupply, what is your equipment? Standard bios also?

jaybee

 

[Killrose]

If you have artifacts, you are allway's going to have them. But the good news is he is also working on software to controll the Pipes, so you can knock-out the defective one.

 

[CHAOSMAN]

so anyone know which card is the one that has 256 bit, and where we can order one? I heard the sapphire but the one on newegg is not the 256bit one, or is it?

 

[Powersupply]

Here's some info for you:

Sapphire 9500 non-pro 128Mb bought from www.komplett.se (Swedish and out of stock)
Infineon 3.3ns memory
Standard BIOS
Not tried to hardwaremod
Running on an Abit KT7A rev 1.0 (worked after A LOT OF TRUBBEL, contact me if you got trubble with R9500+KT7A)
VIA Hyperion 4in1 drivers v4.38
Windows XP


Tomorrow I will try to overclock it (it's 2:10 AM in Sweden now)!
/ PowerSupply

 

[Powersupply]

Here's the truth:

Radeon 9500 non-pro version with 128Mb memory and a PCB with the correct layout (NOT 4-memory-modules in a row)
can be modded to a Radeon 9700. May then be overclocked to perform lika a Radeon 9700 Pro.

Radeon 9500 non-pro version with 64Mb memory can be modded to a Radeon 9500 Pro with 64Mb memory.

What brand it is doesn't matter as long as the PCB is right.

That's all
/ PowerSupply

 

[Killrose]

Originally posted by: CHAOSMAN
so anyone know which card is the one that has 256 bit, and where we can order one? I heard the sapphire but the one on newegg is not the 256bit one, or is it?

That's the one I got last week. Saphire 9500 OEM 128mb non-pro. All 128mb 9500's are 256 bit, they have 4 pipes instead of the 9700 Pro's eight pipes. The mod enables the other 4 pipes on the 9500 128mb non-pro.

If you are lucky, and don't have artifacts afterwards.

 

[ectx]

Read the most recent story from xbit lab.

They claim 70% success rate in Russia ...

 

[jaybee]

Please post your results to my poll.

jaybee

 

[kmmatney]

So it looks like the best thing to do is just to enable the 8 pipelines by software and see how things work out. If all works well, then it would be worth it to mod the card and flash to the BIOS to a 9700 BIOS.

In the future it may be possible to enable/disable each pipeline, so only the bad pipline can be disabled...

The Radeon 9500 Pro already has 8 pipelines enabled, so what's to keep this from being a 9700? I thought that the 9500 Pro only had 128-bit memory bus...How do you get it to 256? (I'm getting confused....

 

[Killrose]

Originally posted by: kmmatney
So it looks like the best thing to do is just to enable the 8 pipelines by software and see how things work out. If all works well, then it would be worth it to mod the card and flash to the BIOS to a 9700 BIOS.

In the future it may be possible to enable/disable each pipeline, so only the bad pipline can be disabled...

The Radeon 9500 Pro already has 8 pipelines enabled, so what's to keep this from being a 9700? I thought that the 9500 Pro only had 128-bit memory bus...How do you get it to 256? (I'm getting confused....

You are correct. The 9500 Pro does only have a 128-bit interface. But the 9500 OEM 128mb NON-PRO has a 256-bit. This is the one we are talking about. To enable the 4-non enabled pipes for a total of 8, effectively making it a 9700.

If the software hack works, I see no need to use the permanent method.

 

[Killrose]

Originally posted by: Killrose

Originally posted by: kmmatney
So it looks like the best thing to do is just to enable the 8 pipelines by software and see how things work out. If all works well, then it would be worth it to mod the card and flash to the BIOS to a 9700 BIOS.

In the future it may be possible to enable/disable each pipeline, so only the bad pipline can be disabled...

The Radeon 9500 Pro already has 8 pipelines enabled, so what's to keep this from being a 9700? I thought that the 9500 Pro only had 128-bit memory bus...How do you get it to 256? (I'm getting confused....

You are correct. The 9500 Pro does only have a 128-bit interface. But the 9500 OEM 128mb NON-PRO has a 256-bit. This is the one we are talking about. To enable the 4-non enabled pipes for a total of 8, effectively making it a 9700. But this only works on the PCB that is shared between the two cards. Everone expects this to be changed.

If the software hack works, I see no need to use the permanent method.

 

[mtnbikerjeremiah]

Over in the Hardocp forums, many people are reporting checkerboard backgrounds with all 8 pipelines enabled with either the software/driver modification only, hardware mods(resistor soldering/BIOS flash) or both.

Those few 9500NP owners that were sucessful in the process did not obtain checkerboard backgrounds with various graphics tests just used only the software/driver modifcation. Different drivers to obtain different results were also used from the website below:

http://www.maxdownloads.com/~ian/wizzard/

Here are picutres to confirm this "checkerboarding" effect in UT 2003 and 3DMark 2001 SE as from the Hardocp forums thread below:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread...stid=1024262089


Most of the 9500NP owners in the thread up above, had also suggested that as future batches of 9500NP GPU's are released it could reveal better yields, thus lowering the number of potentially deffective pipelines.

Xbitlabs has a more detailed article explaining this below:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/story.html?id=1042408060


Anyone here at anandtech obtained good success with these modifcations on the 128mb 9500NP? I would really like to dump my capacitor blown Ti4200 for the 9500NP to save a bundle in the future. Or perhaps I could wait until the FX is realeased from nVidia? Can anyone here in forums resolve these described issues? I know for a fact that only a 9500np with 128mb red PCB say from Sapphire could be used to convert this into a 9700.

What is the successrate. I do see there is a poll but I am curious to what else could be done.

 

[Killrose]

I see Rivatuner is out now. 2k/xp support only. You can check the details..
HERE

 

[EdipisReks]

i think i'm just going to get a 9500 Pro. shame that this mod didn't turn out to be more reliable.

 

[aircasper]

Originally posted by: EdipisReks
i think i'm just going to get a 9500 Pro. shame that this mod didn't turn out to be more reliable.

i'm beginning to think the same thing. i'd still like to hold off until the geforce fx comes out though. any ideas on shipping dates? i'd like to see a little competition push the ati prices down some more.

 

[WheelsCSM]

i'm beginning to think the same thing. i'd still like to hold off until the geforce fx comes out though. any ideas on shipping dates? i'd like to see a little competition push the ati prices down some more.

I would like to know the same thing. I was thinking of doing this mod, but with the success rate I am seeing, I think the extra $20 for the 9500 Pro may be worth it. I don't want to buy one now though if the FX is just around the corner, I made that mistake with my current card (Geforce 2).