Geforce Pro, I gained 1000 pts. in 3DMark 2001!

[rogue1979]

I just recently bought a new Gainward Geforce2 Ti500 which I also modded to a Quadro2, just like my old Gainward Pro 450.
I experimented with several different bios and found the generic Nvidia Geforce2 Ti was the fastest, it allowed my core clock to raise about 10Mhz. Well, I whipped out the old Geforce Pro and flashed the bios, loaded the 23.11 (even though there is a couple of older game issues) and proceeded to clock it to 220/467. Before I was never able to run a 167MHz fsb or fastwrites, but it was either the bios or the older 8.03 driver because it now ran rock solid stable at the high fsb speed with fastwrites on. My 3DMark score was running about 4000, about average for a Geforce Pro from what I have seen around here. I crapped my pants when I hit 4900! Jeez, I thought it was reasonably fast before, but this is a fantastic gain. My current card is at 275/522 now and hits 5400, but that Gainward Pro 450 can be had at newegg for $102 shipped!

 

[sep]

Cool! I'm still running on my GPro2 450 and would love the increase, without losing the stablitly. Where can I get bios upgrades & directions?

Thanks!

 

[rogue1979]

Go here to get the bios http://www.x-bios.3dgames.ru/ Enter the archive and choose the Nvidia reference bios. I used the Q2pro for the Quadro 2, but they also have one for a Geforce Pro. Make a floppy with the correct rom file, NVflash and dos4gw. Make sure to unzip and use the actual files only. Restart in DOS mode or just use a Windows Boot up floppy. At the A/: type NVflash Q2pro.rom (or whatever bios rom file you will be using), hit yes a couple of times and reboot. Locate resistors R121 thru R124 on the back of the video card. Move the tiny resistor R121 to the empty spot on R122. Move R123 to the empty spot at R124. You now have a Quadro 2 Pro. Use a 15-20 watt soldering iron with a fine tip. Just heat up the tiny bit of solder on the resistor and use a jewelers screwdriver to gently pry the resistor loose, do not lose it, it is very small. Place in position and resolder. It might be a good idea to get an old piece of equipment with the same resistors (103) and have extras. It is very small and tedious, but not really dangerous. It can even take several tries to get a good connection, so don't panic if you card won't boot. You can resolder back to normal if you are careful not to overheat the solder points and lose all the solder there. A few people have reported that the have put too much heat on the resistors and burned them up, so collect a couple of extra and don't put the iron directly on the resistor. It sounds hard, but with a steady hand and a magnifying glass it is easier than you think. Good luck, direct your questions here and I will help promptly.

 

[Hardmage]

i must admit: those are some kickass scores!!!

 

[rogue1979]

It was pretty exciting to get 4900 out of a Geforce Pro on the defualt benchmark. Too bad I owned it for 4 months and didn't figure this out until after I bought a new card! That is about a 25% increase in speed for free, it really made a big difference in gaming. While the Geforce2 Ti 500 is definately faster, the 450 Pro is really in the same league. If I needed a good gaming card under $150 I would pick the Gainward 450 for $102 shipped instead of the Ti 500 for $136 shipped. I really think the bang for the buck is the Gainward Geforce2 Ti 450 (it is really the new name for the Pro 450). The only competitor in this price range is the Radeon 7500, and I think the Pro 450 is faster with better driver support for a few bucks less. I did see a Leadtek 32MB version with 5ns ram for $79 shipped at newegg. It seems to over clock to 225/440-450 no problem. I think I might grab one to play with and try to get 4500-4700 out of 3Dmark 2001. Man, this stuff is cheap, I am having alot of fun!