Wednesday, August 30th 2017
AMD RX Vega 56 to Vega 64 BIOS Flash - No Unlocked Shaders, Improved Performance
A ChipHell forum user has done what probably others have already done in relative obscurity: trying (and succeeding) to flash a Vega 64 BIOS onto a Vega 56 graphics card. The result? Well, apparently the shaders won't unlock (at least not according to our very own GPU-Z), but interestingly, performance improves all the same. The lesser amount of shaders on the Vega 56 silicon (3585 Shaders / 224 TMUs / 64 ROPs compared to Vega 64's 4096 / 256 / 64 apparently doesn't hinder performance that much. It appears that the improved clockspeeds of Vega 56 after the BIOS flash do more than enough to offset performance loss from the lesser amount of compute resources available, bumping RX Vega's clock speeds of 1471 MHz core boost clock and 800 MHz HBM2 memory up to Vega 64's 1545 MHz core boost clock and 945 MHz HBM2 clock.
This means that Vega 56 can effectively become a Vega 64 in performance (at least where 3D Mark Fire Strike is concerned), which isn't unheard of in the relationship between AMD's top tier and second-best graphics cards. Now naturally, some Vega 56 samples may even be further overclocked than Vega 64's stock clocks, which means that there is the potential for Vega 56 to have even better performance than Vega 64. The BIOS swap should allow Vega 56 to access higher power states than its stock BIOS allows, which is one of the reasons it can unlock higher core and memory clocks than an overclocked, original BIOS Vega 56 would. However, the fact that a Vega 56 at Vega 64 clocks and a Vega 64 deliver around the same score in benchmarks definitely does raise questions on how well the extra computing resources of Vega 64 are being put to use.
Sources:
ChipHell, via Videocardz
This means that Vega 56 can effectively become a Vega 64 in performance (at least where 3D Mark Fire Strike is concerned), which isn't unheard of in the relationship between AMD's top tier and second-best graphics cards. Now naturally, some Vega 56 samples may even be further overclocked than Vega 64's stock clocks, which means that there is the potential for Vega 56 to have even better performance than Vega 64. The BIOS swap should allow Vega 56 to access higher power states than its stock BIOS allows, which is one of the reasons it can unlock higher core and memory clocks than an overclocked, original BIOS Vega 56 would. However, the fact that a Vega 56 at Vega 64 clocks and a Vega 64 deliver around the same score in benchmarks definitely does raise questions on how well the extra computing resources of Vega 64 are being put to use.
60 Comments on AMD RX Vega 56 to Vega 64 BIOS Flash - No Unlocked Shaders, Improved Performance
Possible that it does unlock and the SW isn't able to detect, but cool nonetheless. 56 can match 64 at similar clocks due to the power draw limiting 64's potential. Less shaders, less power/heat, higher average clocks.
Sounds very familiar.
Though it would be interesting to see if it fares as well in compute favouring games. Perhaps this sort of lateral thinking would help AMD reach better power envelopes, higher clocks and faster chips in general. Ditch the 4096 core model and develop a leaner one......
In FSE:
11200 Graphics score
+50% power
Stock Core/1020mhz memory
630w Peak
17.8 points per watt
9740 Graphics score
-25% power
-8% core/1020mhz memory
380w Peak
25.6 points per watt
At 25.6 PPW, at 630w, we'd be at 16,128 graphics score (or 1080ti levels). Vega, like Ryzen, has a frequency wall that requires double power to cross.
What is this? How am I supposed to know what that means?
Oh...I'm not supposed to know. I'm supposed to navigate to another site for a definition. Convenient.
I really wish that they would try and make an optimized version of GCN where we wouldn't ask ourselves where is going that additional compute power, and power draw. Simplier chip= cheaper to make = even better price/performance ratio. Vega 56 could have been their big dog, and a further cut down vega could have filled the gap between the gtx 1060 and the gtx 1070. That's where most of the money is.
With the radeon HD 4000 they were pragmatic, and that was one of their biggest hit. They need to bring that mindset back.
AMD must have read this book
The point is, these little "Easter eggs" that sucker people into buying their crap are on the same level as the "prize" in a Cracker Jack box that causes people to pay a dollar for 2 cents worth of stale popcorn.
Let's be straight here, the only people doing this are the .00001% of enthusiasts. It isn't advertised by AMD, it's just something fun the community does.
BTW. Does Vega 56 have 2xBIOS'es just like Vega 64?
When you flash the bios you do just one at a time?
If you flash just one and it's broken can you use other one instead and it's all good then you can do roll back to previous bios?