How to enable 256bit memory on L shaped mem Radeon 9500 128meg?

[Jugernot]

I tried to do the hack to enable the extra 4 piplines, but it resulted it lots of artifacts and would lockup my machine. So, since I have a L shaped 9500 128meg model, I should be able to still get 256bit memory out of the thing. How do I enable this without enabling the other pipelines?

Thanks

 

[Killrose]

The mod enables the 4 pipes. Then you flash your card with a 9700 non-Pro overclockable bios. I'm assumming thats what you did and you had artifacts? What were your core/mem clocks after the mod and bios flash?

Your card by design has 256-bit, but only 4-pipes. Are you actually after an un-locked bios for a 9500 non-Pro so you can overclock?

 

[Jugernot]

I thought only the 9700 cards have 256bit memory (with 8 pipes) and the 9500 Pro has the 8 pipes (with 128bit memory), correct? I have a 9500 128meg with the original 9500 bios, therefore 4 pipes with 128bit mem.

I was just wondering if there was a patch that would enable only the 256bit memory and not the other 4 pipes. I'm pretty sure the 4 extra pipes on my card are hosed as it won't even fully boot into windows when I apply the soft9700 hack through Rivatuner.

As for being overclockable... this is a Saphhire card. Overclocking is possible direct from the factory.

 

[Cuular]

The 9500 non pro, has the 256bit memory bus. Any of the ATI cards with 128MB memory have it. The 9500 Pro, which has 64MB memory has the 128bit memory bus. There is no hack required to get the 256bit memory bus. The hack was to enable the extra pipelines, and let you over clock the card to closer to 9700 speeds.

 

[Guspaz]

The Soft9700 hack does not require any special Bios.

If you are getting visual artifacts, you are either using a version of the Catalyst drivers that has protection against the hack, (Try 3.0?), or your card's additional pipelines are broken and nothing can be done.

 

[WarSong]

You can try wizzards hack, too. Initially I had problems with one but not the other. Like the other guys said, if you have the 9700 PCB (L-shaped memory) and 128MB, then you already have 256-bit bus without having to do anything. You probably don't need to flash the bios. I just applied Soft9700 then OC'ed to 330/297. You only need to flash if you are unable to OC.

 

[Jugernot]

Originally posted by: WarSong
You can try wizzards hack, too. Initially I had problems with one but not the other. Like the other guys said, if you have the 9700 PCB (L-shaped memory) and 128MB, then you already have 256-bit bus without having to do anything. You probably don't need to flash the bios. I just applied Soft9700 then OC'ed to 330/297. You only need to flash if you are unable to OC.

Hmmm, ok... Any chance you could point me to Wizzards hack? I only knew about the Rivatuner hack...

EDIT: Nevermind, I found it here