Essentials of GeForce/GeForce2 to Quadro/Quadro2 Modification (Second Edition)
tnaw_xtennis 2001.01.21
It's been more than six months since we first described our method of modifying a GeForce to into a Quadro. Now that we have accumulated considerable experience with this modification, and additional information about it, we would like to present a more convenient and comprehensive edition of the Quadro/Quadro2 modification guide.
The Quadro/Quadro2 is designed for professional graphics users, and is much more expensive than the GeForce/GeForce2. The Quadro/Quadro2 supports several professional graphics features that the GeForce/ GeForce2 doesn't support. What makes the GeForce/GeForce2 to Quadro/Quadro2 modification possible is that the core graphics processor architectures on both the GeForce/GeForce2 and the Quadro/Quadro2 are completely identical.
It is quite easy to perform a GeForce/GeForce2 to Quadro/Quadro2 modification. All you need to do is solder and shift several SMD-resistors on your GeForce/GeForce2 card. The picture below shows a modified Creative GeForce 2 GTS. In this case, we turned the card into a Quadro2 Pro by just soldering and shifting 2 SMD-resistors on the card-- from R121 to R122, and from R123 to R124 respectively.
A Creative GeForce 2 GTS modified into a Quadro2 Pro
For your convenience, over 50 successful modifications of all different types and brands are listed in Table 1. Since the overwhelming majority of GeForce/GeForce2 cards use the nVidia reference design, you can easily determine which SMD-resistors need to be shifted by just looking them up in Table 1. Though this table is the most up-to-date list on the net, you may be unlucky enough to have a card that is not listed. In that case, read the "GeForce/ GeForce2 -> Quadro/Quadro2 Guide", and I am sure you will find the information you need to make the modification there. If you are worried about soldering your video card, read our "Soldering Guide". It's written specifically for soldering SMD-resistors on a PCB (printed circuit board), and perhaps it will help you increase your confidence in your soldering work.
Table 1. Resistors to be Shifted in GeForce/GeForce2 to Quadro/Quadro2 Modification
Video Processor
Brand
Resistor Shift
GeForce 2 Ultra
Creative Annihilator 2 Ultra
Hercules 3D Prophet II ULTRA R121 -> R122
or
R121 -> R122
R124 -> R123
GeForce 2 GTS
(using NVIDIA's reference design)
Abit Siluro GeForce 2 GTS
ASUS V7700 GeForce 2 GTS
ASUS 7700 Deluxe
Asus 7700 DDR Pure 64mb
Chaintech GeForce 2 GTS 64MB
Creative Labs 3D Blaster Annihilator 2
ELSA GLADIAC GeForce 2 GTS
GUILLEMOT HERCULES 3D Prophet II
Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS 64Mb
Leadtek WinFast GeForce 2 GTS
Leadtek Winfast GeForce 2 GTS 64 MB
MagicPro GeForce 2 GTS 64MB
MS-8815 GeForce 2 GTS
Visiontek Geforce 2 GTS 64MB R121 -> R122
R123 -> R124
GeForce2 MX
(using NVIDIA's reference design)
Abit Siluro GeForce2 MX
ASUS V7100 GeForce2 MX
Asus V7100T GeForce2 MX
Creative 3D Blaster Geforce2 MX
ELSA GLadiac MX
Gainward CARDEXpert GeForce2 MX
Hercules Prophet II MX OEM (7ns RAM)
Inno3D Tornado GeForce2 MX
Leadtek WinFast GeForce2 MX
MSI Starforce 817 GeForce 2 MX
Sparkle SP6800 GeForce 2 MX R121 -> R122
R123 -> R124
GeForce DDR
(using NVIDIA's reference design)
ASUS V6800 GeForce DDR
ASUS V6800 Pro64 GeForce DDR 64MB
Chaintech RI71 GeForce DDR 64MB
Creative Labs 3D Blaster Annihilator Pro
ELSA ERAZOR X2
HERCULES 3D Prophet DVI DDR
Leadtek WinFast GeForce DDR
Leadtek WinFast GeForce DDR revB
Sparkle Geforce DDR R102 -> R98
GeForce SDR
(using NVIDIA's reference design)
Chaintech RI70 GeForce SDR
Creative Labs 3D Blaster Annihilator
GIGABYTE GA-GF2560
Leadtek WinFast GeForce SDR R101 -> R97
R102 -> R98
Others
(not NVIDIA's reference design, etc.)
ASUS V6600 GeForce SDR
R64 -> R63
R66 -> R65
ASUS V6600 Pro64 GeForce SDR 64MB
R49 -> R48
R47 -> R51
ASUS 6800 Deluxe GeForce DDR
Asus V6800 Pure R64 -> R63
ELSA ERAZOR X GeForce SDR
R101 -> R97
R102 -> R98
or
R558 -> R557
R568 -> R567
ELSA ERAZOR X2 GeForce DDR R102 -> R98
or
R558 -> R557
HERCULES 3D Prophet GeForce SDR
HERCULES 3D Prophet GeForce SE SDR
R101 -> R97
R102 -> R98
removed R103
Hercules 3D prophet II GeForce 2 R121 -> R122
R123 -> R124
or
R121 -> R122
removed R123
Prolink Pixelview GeForce2 MX
Typhoon GeForce2 MX R45 -> R44
R46 -> R47
R49 -> R48
SUMA Platinum GeForce2 MX R18 -> R19
R20 -> R21
R22 -> R23
SUMA GeForce 2 GTS R65 -> R66
R63 -> R64
Top Solution Technology GeForce2 MX R45 -> R44
R51 -> R49
It's not necessary to flash a new video card BIOS for the Quadro/Quadro2 modification to work. Insert the modified card, power on your PC, and the card will be automatically recognized as a Quadro/Quadro2 when booting into Windows. However, some people flash the BIOS of their modified cards in order to enable the use of professional graphics drivers from original Quadro/Quadro2 manufacturers. This BIOS flash may change the speed of video chip and memory of the card, as shown in Table 2 and Table 3, and thus may cause instability. In practice, most of the professional graphics drivers from original Quadro2 manufacturers can be used with Quadro2 modified GeForce2 based cards without doing any BIOS flashing.
Table 2. Default Chip and Memory Speeds of GeForce and Quadro Based Cards
Card GeForce SDR Quadro SDR GeForce DDR Quadro DDR
Default Video Chip Speed by BIOS (MHz) 120 135 120 135
Default Memory Speed by BIOS (MHz) 166 166 150x2 150x2
Tabel 3. Default Chip and Memory Speeds of GeForce2 and Quadro2 Based Cards
Card GeForce2
MX Quadro2
MXR GeForce2 GeForce2
Pro GeForce2
Ultra Quadro2 Pro
Default Video Chip Speed by BIOS (MHz) 175 200 200 200 250 250
Default Memory Speed by BIOS (MHz) 166 183 166x2 200x2 230x2 200x2
tnaw_xtennis 2001.01.21
It's been more than six months since we first described our method of modifying a GeForce to into a Quadro. Now that we have accumulated considerable experience with this modification, and additional information about it, we would like to present a more convenient and comprehensive edition of the Quadro/Quadro2 modification guide.
The Quadro/Quadro2 is designed for professional graphics users, and is much more expensive than the GeForce/GeForce2. The Quadro/Quadro2 supports several professional graphics features that the GeForce/ GeForce2 doesn't support. What makes the GeForce/GeForce2 to Quadro/Quadro2 modification possible is that the core graphics processor architectures on both the GeForce/GeForce2 and the Quadro/Quadro2 are completely identical.
It is quite easy to perform a GeForce/GeForce2 to Quadro/Quadro2 modification. All you need to do is solder and shift several SMD-resistors on your GeForce/GeForce2 card. The picture below shows a modified Creative GeForce 2 GTS. In this case, we turned the card into a Quadro2 Pro by just soldering and shifting 2 SMD-resistors on the card-- from R121 to R122, and from R123 to R124 respectively.
A Creative GeForce 2 GTS modified into a Quadro2 Pro
For your convenience, over 50 successful modifications of all different types and brands are listed in Table 1. Since the overwhelming majority of GeForce/GeForce2 cards use the nVidia reference design, you can easily determine which SMD-resistors need to be shifted by just looking them up in Table 1. Though this table is the most up-to-date list on the net, you may be unlucky enough to have a card that is not listed. In that case, read the "GeForce/ GeForce2 -> Quadro/Quadro2 Guide", and I am sure you will find the information you need to make the modification there. If you are worried about soldering your video card, read our "Soldering Guide". It's written specifically for soldering SMD-resistors on a PCB (printed circuit board), and perhaps it will help you increase your confidence in your soldering work.
Table 1. Resistors to be Shifted in GeForce/GeForce2 to Quadro/Quadro2 Modification
Video Processor
Brand
Resistor Shift
GeForce 2 Ultra
Creative Annihilator 2 Ultra
Hercules 3D Prophet II ULTRA R121 -> R122
or
R121 -> R122
R124 -> R123
GeForce 2 GTS
(using NVIDIA's reference design)
Abit Siluro GeForce 2 GTS
ASUS V7700 GeForce 2 GTS
ASUS 7700 Deluxe
Asus 7700 DDR Pure 64mb
Chaintech GeForce 2 GTS 64MB
Creative Labs 3D Blaster Annihilator 2
ELSA GLADIAC GeForce 2 GTS
GUILLEMOT HERCULES 3D Prophet II
Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS 64Mb
Leadtek WinFast GeForce 2 GTS
Leadtek Winfast GeForce 2 GTS 64 MB
MagicPro GeForce 2 GTS 64MB
MS-8815 GeForce 2 GTS
Visiontek Geforce 2 GTS 64MB R121 -> R122
R123 -> R124
GeForce2 MX
(using NVIDIA's reference design)
Abit Siluro GeForce2 MX
ASUS V7100 GeForce2 MX
Asus V7100T GeForce2 MX
Creative 3D Blaster Geforce2 MX
ELSA GLadiac MX
Gainward CARDEXpert GeForce2 MX
Hercules Prophet II MX OEM (7ns RAM)
Inno3D Tornado GeForce2 MX
Leadtek WinFast GeForce2 MX
MSI Starforce 817 GeForce 2 MX
Sparkle SP6800 GeForce 2 MX R121 -> R122
R123 -> R124
GeForce DDR
(using NVIDIA's reference design)
ASUS V6800 GeForce DDR
ASUS V6800 Pro64 GeForce DDR 64MB
Chaintech RI71 GeForce DDR 64MB
Creative Labs 3D Blaster Annihilator Pro
ELSA ERAZOR X2
HERCULES 3D Prophet DVI DDR
Leadtek WinFast GeForce DDR
Leadtek WinFast GeForce DDR revB
Sparkle Geforce DDR R102 -> R98
GeForce SDR
(using NVIDIA's reference design)
Chaintech RI70 GeForce SDR
Creative Labs 3D Blaster Annihilator
GIGABYTE GA-GF2560
Leadtek WinFast GeForce SDR R101 -> R97
R102 -> R98
Others
(not NVIDIA's reference design, etc.)
ASUS V6600 GeForce SDR
R64 -> R63
R66 -> R65
ASUS V6600 Pro64 GeForce SDR 64MB
R49 -> R48
R47 -> R51
ASUS 6800 Deluxe GeForce DDR
Asus V6800 Pure R64 -> R63
ELSA ERAZOR X GeForce SDR
R101 -> R97
R102 -> R98
or
R558 -> R557
R568 -> R567
ELSA ERAZOR X2 GeForce DDR R102 -> R98
or
R558 -> R557
HERCULES 3D Prophet GeForce SDR
HERCULES 3D Prophet GeForce SE SDR
R101 -> R97
R102 -> R98
removed R103
Hercules 3D prophet II GeForce 2 R121 -> R122
R123 -> R124
or
R121 -> R122
removed R123
Prolink Pixelview GeForce2 MX
Typhoon GeForce2 MX R45 -> R44
R46 -> R47
R49 -> R48
SUMA Platinum GeForce2 MX R18 -> R19
R20 -> R21
R22 -> R23
SUMA GeForce 2 GTS R65 -> R66
R63 -> R64
Top Solution Technology GeForce2 MX R45 -> R44
R51 -> R49
It's not necessary to flash a new video card BIOS for the Quadro/Quadro2 modification to work. Insert the modified card, power on your PC, and the card will be automatically recognized as a Quadro/Quadro2 when booting into Windows. However, some people flash the BIOS of their modified cards in order to enable the use of professional graphics drivers from original Quadro/Quadro2 manufacturers. This BIOS flash may change the speed of video chip and memory of the card, as shown in Table 2 and Table 3, and thus may cause instability. In practice, most of the professional graphics drivers from original Quadro2 manufacturers can be used with Quadro2 modified GeForce2 based cards without doing any BIOS flashing.
Table 2. Default Chip and Memory Speeds of GeForce and Quadro Based Cards
Card GeForce SDR Quadro SDR GeForce DDR Quadro DDR
Default Video Chip Speed by BIOS (MHz) 120 135 120 135
Default Memory Speed by BIOS (MHz) 166 166 150x2 150x2
Tabel 3. Default Chip and Memory Speeds of GeForce2 and Quadro2 Based Cards
Card GeForce2
MX Quadro2
MXR GeForce2 GeForce2
Pro GeForce2
Ultra Quadro2 Pro
Default Video Chip Speed by BIOS (MHz) 175 200 200 200 250 250
Default Memory Speed by BIOS (MHz) 166 183 166x2 200x2 230x2 200x2
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