Flashing XFX 5850 with different clocks

[aggressor]

Is there a way to dump the bios on my card, alter the clocks and voltage, and then flash it back with the new settings?

I don't want to run a third party tool since the 3D detection isn't all that great, and I can't use the CCC because my new clocks are way above what it offers.

 

[eggrolls]

maybe this?

http://www.techpowerup.com/rbe/

 

[Hauk]

RBE is the program. I originally wrote the quick guide below for modding minimum fan speed; but you could use it to mod clocks as well. Here's the full tutorial: http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/154

***

This is a quick guide for adjusting minimum fan speed via bios flashing. This is NOT something I recommend for the faint of heart. It's easy enough, but there's the risk of "bricking" your card due to bad flash. You can usually recover with a blind flash using the original bios, but it's a pain in the ass. The risk is there, but if you're savvy, it should be very minimal.

I recommend working with RBE and a trash bios file for practice. Here's one:
http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/63278/XFX.HD5870.1024.091126_1.html


So you're ready, on to modding..

First download GPU-Z:
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1709/TechPowerUp_GPU-Z_v0.3.8.html

Launch, click the icon circled below, select save to file. Default name for 58xx is Cypress.bin:

Safeguard your original file! Create a copy and name it something different, 5870mod.bin for example. Don't mess with your original bios.bin file.

Download and run RBE BIOS EDITOR:
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1748/TechPowerUp_Radeon_Bios_Editor_v1.24.html

Open your saved mod file with RBE, navigate to the fan settings tab and:
1) Click "set all fan settings to recommended values"
2) Adjust the default min duty cycle to desired value.

35% is a suggested starting point, though depending on your rig's noise level, 40% may be tolerable. I suggest using CCC prior to all of this to get an idea of what min fan speed works for you. Remember, fan will run at this minium from here out.

With my 4870s and 5870s, 35% meshed very well with other case noise, 40% was audible over other fans, and anything higher was noisy.

Here's a pic of the RBE tab you'll be working in:

**And for modding clocks where voltage adjustments are necessary, a pic and key info**

Bios' will vary! In this example, the 3D clock is in box 00, which is also the boot clock. Many bios' will have a default boot clock in 00, and a 3D clock in box 03. You'll change the clock speeds on the 3D clock box only, which should light up red. Do not change voltages on the main page. Use the registers tab. In the registers tab, the highest voltage listed is associated with the 3D clock. Apply your tested voltage here.

Once modding is complete, save the file. Note that RBE changes the extenstion to .rom. You can leave it or change it back to .bin. ATI flash will work with either extension.

Make a USB boot drive per instructions. You can also do CD/DVD, or floppy:
http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/34/5

Download ATI Flash. DO NOT use the Windows version. It's not as reliable as the DOS version:
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1731/ATIFlash_3.79.html

Print ATI flash instructions:
http://www.techpowerup.com/articles//overclocking/vidcard/34/8

Unzip and move atiflash.chg and atiflash.exe to the bootable USB.
Copy modded biosfile to the bootable USB.


Notes on ATI flash:
A card in primary PCI-E slot is card 0. A card in secondary PCI-E slot is card 1.

Typical command prompt for a single card flash:
atiflash -f -p 0 biosname.bin

Change mobo bios settings to boot using your USB drive. Pretty much one command as noted above and you're done.

Considerations:
Most feel bios modding is physical tampering which voids the warranty. Perhaps so. I've flashed and flashed back to factory specs dozens of times. While a simple fan speed adjustment may be overlooked or unimportant to a tech evaluating an RMA, modded voltages and clocks is certainly a different story. I'm sure it all depends on the circumstances, the manufacturer, etc. Many support software overclocking, perhaps sensible bios overclocking is not a deal breaker. It's your game, play it wisely.

 

[aggressor]

That looks like it's exactly what I need. Thanks!

 

[OCGuy]

Wow, very helpful post Hauk!

 

[Hauk]

Wow, very helpful post Hauk!

Thanks. It's been a while, but I've flashed lots of nV cards too. I just like running a tuned card without the need for 3rd party stuff. Until NiBiTor is updated for Fermis, I'd use EVGA Precision.

Critical data still needed, but I'm locked and loaded. I'm grabbing a couple flagships for multi-gpu fun. Red or Green, still losing sleep over color.

 

[aggressor]

I have a question regarding this screenshot I took:

www.aggybong.com/temp/clocks.png

In your screenshot, it shows that Clock Info 00 are the 3D settings and Clock Info 03 is unlabeled. However, on my card, a factory overclocked XFX XXX 5850, the Clock Info 00 settings are the non-OC speeds but the Clock Info 03 has the actual speeds that are applied when playing games (verified).

In my case, do I modify the Clock Info 03 settings instead? Also, what is the difference between setting the voltage by the Voltage registers instead of by the Voltage dropdown under each associated Clock Info XX area? Do I need to change both?

 

[Hauk]

Yes your 3D clocks are in box 03. Box 00 is the boot clock. Don't change the boot clock, just box 03. I can explain more on the modes if interested. It's all color coded though, red is the 3D clock. In your case, only 03 should light up red.

Don't mess with voltage directly under the clocks in box 03, use the registers box. It appears your 3D voltage is tied to 0x17 and NOT 0x18. Good thing you asked.

Basically, you'll enter tested clocks in box 03, leave voltage alone, and apply tested voltage in registers tab 0x17. Make sense? I'll check back later.

 

[aggressor]

Okay, I changed Clock Info 03 to 900\1175 and then changed the 0x17 register to 1.125v

Everything looks like it's working after the flash. I still idle at 157\300, but as soon as I launch a 3D app, it kicks in to the correct 3D settings. I redumped the BIOS and loaded it up in RBE again and it still shows 1.088 under Clock Info 03, but the gpu register setting is at 1.125v, and it appears that's all that matters.


Side note, and something I should have asked earlier: What's a good amount of time to run Furmark for stability testing? I ran it at my current settings for 8 hours with no artifacts or crashing, so I figured that was good. I have overclocked a lot of CPUs and usually stick with the standard 24 hours of Prime95, but I've never really overclocked a video card this much so I wasn't sure.

More random info on voltages:

157\500 .95 = Idle speeds with single monitor
400\900 1.0v = DXVA (GPU accelerated video) with single monitor
400\1125 1.0v = Dual Monitors enabled
400\900 1.0v = Dual monitors + DXVA (weird how it drops the memory down)
900\1175 1.125 = 3D speeds

I can't seem to get 550\900 or 550\1125 at 1.038 to ever trigger. Do you happen to know what those clocks are for?

 

[Hauk]

Great, I'm glad it worked. The voltage tab on the main page will always read the default as the voltage is hard locked by the manufacturer. The registers tab hacks it I guess.

Also, copy your original bios to the USB so you can flash back to factory if/when needed.

I don't mess with Furmark, though the way it stresses cards, 8 hours sounds pretty damn good to me. Others?

 

[MagickMan]

Thanks guys, this thread helped me setup a bad-ass BIOS for my ASUS 5850.

 

[Tempered81]

I can't seem to get 550\900 or 550\1125 at 1.038 to ever trigger. Do you happen to know what those clocks are for?

Throttling clocks

 

[Apocalypse23]

Thanks guys, this thread helped me setup a bad-ass BIOS for my ASUS 5850.

What changes did you make to the Asus Bios? I can oc just fine without limits on the default Asus bios. Let me know.

 

[bryanW1995]

yeah, I thought that the main benefit of the asus was the voltage tweak software.

 

[MagickMan]

What changes did you make to the Asus Bios? I can oc just fine without limits on the default Asus bios. Let me know.

I changed the default clocks and voltages to get rid of some flicker on dual monitors. The throttling back to 157/300 when OCing was causing problems. This isn't an issue with a single display. I kept a copy of the original BIOS just in case I ever need it.