Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/05 17:55I have a Dell XPS M1730 with a GeForce 8800M GTX SLI and twice 512MB. For a better overclock I would like to reflash the original BIOS's backed up with nvFlash with the same ones but with the voltage tweaked with NiBiTor. Currently NiBiTor supports GeForce 8800M GTX, I am however unsure of how to change the default 1.00V voltage in Extra setting to 1.05V. I would appreciate an advise on this. Also, due to having two cards in SLI what would be the nvFlash parameters to successfully flash both cards? I have attached the original BIOS's. Thank you. Dell GeForce 8800M GTX 512MB Edition - Memory : 512MB - Bus Type : PCI Express
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Mavke
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/06 09:55nd4spd wrote: Currently NiBiTor supports GeForce 8800M GTX, I am however unsure of how to change the default 1.00V voltage in Extra setting to 1.05V. I would appreciate an advise on this. Also, due to having two cards in SLI what would be the nvFlash parameters to successfully flash both cards? Indeed the latest version of NiBiTor supports the GeForce 8800M GTX and you can tweak the settings of the BIOS as such. The only thing is that the mobile BIOS are always a bit more different and that means require just that bit further thinking on how to set the voltage. As you might have noticed there are seven voltage levels with only four that are known. So that means that you might need to first some settings in the voltage table editor...
That means you need to play with the VID levels in the BIOS. Now if you don't know anything about that don't start changing whatever you think is logic as it will always be wrong, and that we know by experience. Now, when we look at the VID levels we can see that the default GeForce 8800M GTX uses currently VID 03 to VID 06 as voltage that can be selected. Now from the BIOS it also looks as VID 02, which is not yet available is representing the 1.05V you are looking for. So what needs to changed first is the available VID levels. And that I have done for you.
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Mavke
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/06 10:05Okay so that is one part, this BIOS has the VID levels a bit shifted which means I have actually dropped VID 04 level which would give 0.95V. And instead we now have next to VID 03 which gives 1.00V also VID 02 which is normally 1.05V. However you will still have to select the voltage on the Extra mode, but I would first want to see if the laptop will work with this BIOS which is still set to function at Extra mode at 1.00V.
Related to the flashing, what you first will need to do is have a bootable DOS media which you need to fit with nvFlash v5.57 or newer, this can be either a floppy or a USB memory stick. Once done you will first use nvFlash to once again backup the BIOS with the commands provide below which will allow us to find out how to flash the correct BIOS's to each of the two GPU of the GeForce 8800M GTX SLI config.
nvFlash v5.xx Commands... "nvflash -b -i0 oldbios1.rom" (Backup Original BIOS of Card #1) "nvflash -b -i1 oldbios2.rom" (Backup Original BIOS of Card #2)
Once you have that you once again go and startup your system and use NiBiTor to check which is which BIOS, and you can do that as easy as checking the version number. Once you know which version is linked to which "-ix" index you can which BIOS to flash with which index using nvFlash. Then you check if all works still fine as nothing was really changed except adapted the voltage table. If that works we can go to the next step.
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nd4spd
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/06 10:20Thank you very much. It's all clear now. The original BIOS's I attached were actually taken using latest nvFlash in DOS mode and using the given above parameters as you said. I will flash today with the BIOS's kindly modified by you and come back with feedback. Much appreciate your help. Thanks.
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nd4spd
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/06 14:05Glad to come back writing this from my laptop. First I have flashed your BIOS's just as you advised to see if it is working. Everything worked fine so I proceeded with editing your BIOS's with NiBiTor to change in Extra mode the 1.00V default voltage to 1.05V. I saved both BIOS's with these settings and changed the defaults clocks with higher ones while at it, then I flashed both cards with the new BIOS's. I am happy to report that the cards are working fine and with the modified BIOS's I am stable now at 700/2088MHz with a shader of 1750MHz clocks.
My best stable clocks prior to flashing were 640/2088MHz with shader at 1600MHz and default is 500/1600MHz and shader at 1250MHz. Although I would love to also try the 1.10V voltage which I believe is available as VID 01, I am bit concerned about the excess heat the 1.10V voltage might generate. Even with the excellent cooling this Dell laptop provides so I might not try it. Still can you have a look on this? Thank you again for your kind help, I am really grateful.
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Mavke
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/06 14:32Okay mate, excellent stuff and yes indeed the VID 01 is available as well and the tables does show it would give 1.10V, so what I have done now is again updated the available table for you and now you can select next to 1.00V and 1.05V also the requested 1.10V... What I would suggest you to do is first run a couple or hours non stop some benchmarks with the 1.05V settings and check the temps, and if all okay you can try the 1.10V if you feel you can get more out it.
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nd4spd
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/06 18:58Okay, I couldn't resist the temptation. Now the cards are flashed to 1.10V. Heat is definately higher by 10% at least, I guess in the range of 80-85°C. I am still testing though. My guess is that in the summer I would have to reflash with 1.05V... The cards are running now at 725/2088MHz and a shader of 1812MHz. I played Call of Duty 4 for over one hour with these clocks.
Now, in order to help with the overall heat generated in the laptop I am undervolting the Intel Penryn X9000 CPU using RightMark CPU clock. Mavke, thank you again very much for your help, I am probably now the fastest laptop user in the world graphics wise. And makes me feel very good...
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Mavke
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/06 20:00nd4spd wrote: Now, in order to help with the overall heat generated in the laptop I am undervolting the Intel Penryn X9000 CPU using RightMark CPU clock. Mavke, thank you again very much for your help, I am probably now the fastest laptop user in the world graphics wise. And makes me feel very good... You are welcome, I am glad I could help and also that you are so willing to try it out and that it did increase the voltage, as sometimes the extra VID levels don't make a difference as the voltage circuitry doesn't know thos VID levels. So these GeForce 8800M GTX's are really great to increase the voltage and performance.
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nd4spd
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/30 00:24So after almost one month of using my cards at 1.10V in all sort of games the final stable clocks are 740/1900MHz and 1850MHz shaders. Yeah I thought memory can go higher but it seems not so with such high clocks on the graphics core. I am now ready for the next and last level and I'd like to try the 1.15V voltage if you kindly can have a look again on the BIOS's. I think aiming for 800MHz core is possible in this laptop. Thanks once again!
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Mavke
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Re:Flashing a GeForce 8800M GTX, laptop running SLI configs? - 2008/04/30 12:15Okay mate, thanks for the update. I will check this later on as I am just back from a business trip and I have tons of emails and things to sort out first. But I will get around it and see what can be done with the BIOS for you as requested.
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