Tuesday, May 14th 2013
GeForce GTX 680 Can Be Flashed to GTX 770?
No you can't, but read on. When we learned that NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 770 uses a GPU not unlike the GeForce GTX 680 in specifications, we overlooked one possibility, that it uses the same exact chip, the GK104. We assumed that NVIDIA could release a new ASIC codenamed "GK114" or "GK204," which features higher energy-efficiency, and GPU Boost 2.0.
A Reddit user claims that a simple BIOS flash of the GeForce GTX 680 could turn it into a GeForce GTX 770. The BIOS ROM image, which probably works with reference-design GTX 680 boards was posted, along with a GPU-Z screenshot of a "GeForce GTX 770" obtained this way. The BIOS runs the card at 1059 MHz core, 1125 MHz maximum GPU Boost, and 1752 MHz (7.00 GHz GDDR5-effective) memory, yielding a memory bandwidth of 224 GB/s. The BIOS file can be found here (try it at your own risk). We tested the BIOS with some of our own GTX 680 cards, and found it to be nothing more than a modified GTX 680 BIOS (for increased clocks) with a modified driver INF file that makes the GeForce driver display a different model name. The BIOS just has made-up clock speeds that could run on some GTX 680 cards, but could be unstable on most.
We created four additional GPU-Z screenshots to serve as evidence that just by modifying the INF file, you can make the card appear as anything you want. The string from the INF file is used in Windows for display purposes only; the graphics driver does not use it for anything else; certainly not feature detection.
When your GTX 680 manages to be stable with the new BIOS, the higher clock speeds obviously work to get you that 5-7 percent performance increment. Third-rate companies often get away selling rebranded fake graphics cards in developing markets using this method. For example, they buy cheap GeForce 210 cards and sell them as GT 630 for twice the money. Even between officially rebranded NVIDIA graphics cards (such as GeForce 8800 GT to 9800 GT), the device ID is changed, so there's no reason why NVIDIA won't do the same with the GTX 770. In conclusion, this "GTX 770" mod is nothing more than a combination of a custom GTX 680 BIOS that adds higher clock speeds, and a custom INF file that changes the card's name string.
A Reddit user claims that a simple BIOS flash of the GeForce GTX 680 could turn it into a GeForce GTX 770. The BIOS ROM image, which probably works with reference-design GTX 680 boards was posted, along with a GPU-Z screenshot of a "GeForce GTX 770" obtained this way. The BIOS runs the card at 1059 MHz core, 1125 MHz maximum GPU Boost, and 1752 MHz (7.00 GHz GDDR5-effective) memory, yielding a memory bandwidth of 224 GB/s. The BIOS file can be found here (try it at your own risk). We tested the BIOS with some of our own GTX 680 cards, and found it to be nothing more than a modified GTX 680 BIOS (for increased clocks) with a modified driver INF file that makes the GeForce driver display a different model name. The BIOS just has made-up clock speeds that could run on some GTX 680 cards, but could be unstable on most.
We created four additional GPU-Z screenshots to serve as evidence that just by modifying the INF file, you can make the card appear as anything you want. The string from the INF file is used in Windows for display purposes only; the graphics driver does not use it for anything else; certainly not feature detection.
84 Comments on GeForce GTX 680 Can Be Flashed to GTX 770?
IMO, CD is a joke, for him everything about NVIDIA is bad, bad, bad, and everything about AMD is good, great, and better.
I bet he doesn't even remember about 6770, 6750, 7670 (OEM), and the whole 8000 OEM series.
Sometimes a non-article is worth a thousand words.
*I think AMD actually attempted to deflect early criticism by announcing that the cards would be OEM only parts...so much for that.
I can just OC my 680's from the sound of it.
Flashing will yield no higher performance correct?
MOAR GIGAHURTZZ PL0X!!!
Back to the GTX680 to 770 flash... It should be do-able and though not any big thing over clocking it yourself. The real big deal would be new Boost algorithm which will probably bring more granularity. And while you might flash to the new clocks and boost setting, on a GTX680 with reference ASIC chip and perhaps not the quality of memory modules all that’s going to happen is the new algorithm will just pull back on clock as it sees heat. Meaning the flash might show you can “attain” such setting, but it depends on the PCB/cooling and quality of the chips on your GTX680 determine how much or how often. The up side is the new Boost algorithm will probably protect a flashed GTX680 better than the dynamic clock profile that came with the first version.
The big downside you fry it after the flash and send it in for warranty they can read the Bios and say so sorry, do you what to pay to have us ship your $450 brick back?
Thanks for the update W1zz, chances are the 770 will end up using an updated version of GK104, but for now this is only speculation, I'm glad the TPU gang was able to debunk this hoax, but maybe this kind of articles shouldn't be posted in the front page until further investigation has been made?
Plus AMD/ATi drop prices and now include a buttload of games! :pimp:I'd be happy to see an Nvidia card for sale at "MSRP" :laugh:
And I am only bothered because ive seen it, despite my advice my mate bought a sodding army of 9800 respins but he is a tard.
Oh and I make me chuckle too after some of the debating I've done here.
where's the "SLI" lockout device based or device id located if not in the video bios W1zzard?
the driver itself should be moddable too to force some sort of sli-chaotix mode ^^