Updated firmware for EVGA all 2gb GTX 670 cards

[cmdrdredd]

I doubt it is a prelude to a 685. Nvidia has nowhere to go with the GTX 680. The card's memory is the bottleneck as shown by results of 1300+core clocks not gaining anything performance wise.

680 gains more from memory overclocks than anything else. I guess they could put out a factory clocked 6500 or higher memory card, but just doesn't make sense.

I think GK110 will have to be waited on for them to deliver anything better than the 680. In terms of the actual core of the 680, there is nothing more there to offer.

I was joking because the other reason for Nvidia to start pushing new BIOSes to reduce overclocking is they will break down over time.

 

[notty22]

I was joking because the other reason for Nvidia to start pushing new BIOSes to reduce overclocking is they will break down over time.

I think you are jumping to conclusions, imo. My motherboard had 10 bios updates. These card updates aren't put there to F you. If you don' have any problems well then, maybe don't bother. But there is alot of finesse in software with turbo boost and all the inputs that effect it, along with countless m/b's these cards end up in, which might need VGA bios tweaking.

 

[3DVagabond]

Flashing a GPU is nothing to be taken lightly and shouldn't be done by the inexperienced. It's too easy for something to go wrong and then your system won't even boot to try and fix it.

I recommend if you aren't experiencing any problems with your card to leave well enough alone. It's not like updating your mobo. You can't just reset it by clearing the CMOS and try again.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Flashing a GPU is nothing to be taken lightly and shouldn't be done by the inexperienced. It's too easy for something to go wrong and then your system won't even boot to try and fix it.

I recommend if you aren't experiencing any problems with your card to leave well enough alone. It's not like updating your mobo. You can't just reset it by clearing the CMOS and try again.

Recovermethods on most mobos is far from clearing CMOS.

Anyway, this thread is full of the usual conspiracy tinfoil wearing people. Just sad.

 

[3DVagabond]

Recovermethods on most mobos is far from clearing CMOS.

Anyway, this thread is full of the usual conspiracy tinfoil wearing people. Just sad.

Clearing the CMOS always worked for me. Maybe I've never truly borked anything with my mobo?

What conspiracy? I'm just stating that if your card isn't broken don't try and fix it, because flashing a GPU can break it. What's your problem?

 

[Silverforce11]

Recovermethods on most mobos is far from clearing CMOS.

Anyway, this thread is full of the usual conspiracy tinfoil wearing people. Just sad.

Except here they even stated themselves:

Q. What are the changes in this new firmware?
Improved stability
Improved compatibility with DELL XPS 8300 systems

What part of stability don't you understand? There's no conspiracy, just speculation to what is affecting stability (and stated by EVGA forums its to throttle more aggressively) and why (this is the speculation).

 

[ShintaiDK]

I fully understand stability. But here it seems stability on graphics cards from nVidia can only be downclocking in some way. The endless wild running speculation and fearmongering is just pathetic. nVidia blocking overclocking, cards will break down, nVidia forcing AIBs to add BIOS updates etc.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I think you are jumping to conclusions, imo. My motherboard had 10 bios updates. These card updates aren't put there to F you. If you don' have any problems well then, maybe don't bother. But there is alot of finesse in software with turbo boost and all the inputs that effect it, along with countless m/b's these cards end up in, which might need VGA bios tweaking.

Remember that nvida flat out blocked msi from software voltage control and wss sending out a bios to lock it out? Tell me again I am jumping to conclusions when MSI hasbone of the best built cards out there and the pcb could handle the voltages and temps easily. Why would nvidia want to block enthusiasts?

I fully understand stability. But here it seems stability on graphics cards from nVidia can only be downclocking in some way. The endless wild running speculation and fearmongering is just pathetic. nVidia blocking overclocking, cards will break down, nVidia forcing AIBs to add BIOS updates etc.

Its pathetic when the same dsy msi has afterburner working with voltage control nvidia issues a pr release basically telling everyone they are not allowed to do that. It is Bs...even releasing a new bios as I said to shut it down. Threads have been made about this before I am sure you know.

 

[blackened23]

Remember that nvida flat out blocked msi from software voltage control and wss sending out a bios to lock it out? Tell me again I am jumping to conclusions when MSI hasbone of the best built cards out there and the pcb could handle the voltages and temps easily. Why would nvidia want to block enthusiasts?

This didn't happen BTW. It was "rumored" to happen by guru3d but didn't - all of the BIOS' in use on the MSI lightning allow for software overvoltage up to 1.35V. The new BIOS employed on the MSI lightning simply disables the dust removal tech on bootup...

But with that said...it does seem that EVGA wants to block users from OC''ing too much - there is no other explanation for them adding a power throttle to their cards. Cards aren't support to throttle unless they pass the power %, now the new EVGA BIOs power throttles even before reaching the max....pretty stupid.

 

[cmdrdredd]

It still keaves a sour taste in your mouth when there are so many limits in place on yout hardware. I prefer how AMD handles overclocking the gpu.

 

[blackened23]

It still keaves a sour taste in your mouth when there are so many limits in place on yout hardware.

That it does. I can see why they do it but I don't like it - locking this stuff out is probably good for the non power user, but for power users its terrible. I kinda wish nvidia offered separate SKUs with unlocked voltage / overclocking / no throttling - kinda like what intel did with "K" SKUs. Win win for everyone involved - they don't get an over-abundance of RMAs from OEMs and power users can be happy with their overclocking.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Yep, anyway these cards I have won't do much more than I have them at now anyway so I don't even know why it bothers me at all lol. I guess the principal of the whole thing.

 

[Termie]

BTW, I have a theory on why EVGA made this change to the firmware. I have a feeling that the original firmware would potentially lead to a situation where the voltage was reduced upon reaching the power limiter a split second before clocks were dropped. That would lead to a crash.

With this change, EVGA is cutting clocks preemptively, and my hunch is that it's to avert a crash once the voltage drop follows.