Anyone knows how exactly Bios Switch works on GPUs ?

BenchAndGames · Jan 2, 2021

Anyone knows how exactly Bios Switch works on Video Cards ?

I mean is always some bios set as default in case that something going wrong ? like lets say, the switch will be broke, the graphic is dead ? or will still works with default bios ?
Or dirrectly the card will be so silly and will not know which bios to read ?

nuggdoctor · Jan 2, 2021

Are you talking about a physical switch like i have on my ftw3 1080 ti hybrid? or having 2 different bios on a card at once?

ThrashZone · Jan 2, 2021

Hi,
Dual vbios yeah just power off completely and flip the switch.
Power up and on and you may have to reinstall the driver usually best too.

nuggdoctor · Jan 2, 2021

backup your current bios to a thumbdrive or external hdd. so if it doesnt work properly, or you decide it wasnt worth the switch, it makes it easier to switch back. And make sure that the bios are compatible with your gpu or you CAN brick it. And that will void your warranty. And if you plan on doing overclocking then be sure that when you power off your system you unplug it for a few seconds and push the power button and hold it for a few seconds to clear any residual power from your system. then plug it back in and boot it up. thats an easy trick to get from the 117 to 127% power

ThrashZone · Jan 2, 2021

Hi,
Using gpu-z you can upload your existing vbios here.

nuggdoctor · Jan 2, 2021

I use the standard issue evga bios and drivers for my ftw3 1080 ti hybrid gpu. NOTHING custom or "LEAKED". just officially approved bios and drivers. I just fine tune both sets. one with the factory setting switch on. and then I switch the physical switch to the oc bios and run afterburner and run a custom fan curve. I dont run any of the modded stuff like the guys that run kingpins ln2 aka liquid nitrogen overclock bios.

BenchAndGames · Jan 2, 2021

I dont want to flash anything, Im just asking how the mechanism work on the card, if someone knows, if the card is capable of reading 1 bios as default, or this DIP switch are acting like a jumper, and if lets say it will broke, the card will be completly dead as a consecuence that will dosent know how to read the bios.

freeagent · Jan 2, 2021

BenchAndGames said:
Anyone knows how exactly Bios Switch works on Video Cards ?

I mean is always some bios set as default in case that something going wrong ? like lets say, the switch will be broke, the graphic is dead ? or will still works with default bios ?
Or dirrectly the card will be so silly and will not know which bios to read ?

On my card my bios switch has three positions. first position is out of the box, 0 fan mode. Fan kicks in around 60c. Second bios is oc mode, fans are enabled and have a nice curve, opens up extra power available to use. Third mode is LN2 mode, says not to use it on air. I have.. didn't help lol.

Anyways.. I think that's what you were asking about..

nuggdoctor · Jan 2, 2021

and for cpu im running an 8700k delidded at 5.1Ghz on 1.365 volts.

the ln2 mode is for liquid nitrogen. that means youve got a hall of fame or kingpin edition

You can have 2 sets of bios if you want but it can get stuck and brick the card. ive seen it a couple times.

better to just run 2 sets of settings. one as a daily driver and one as extreme oc. thats how i use mine

I use my regular for everything. and then my oc when im gaming/streaming. save a lot on electricity and life of components.

ThrashZone · Jan 2, 2021

BenchAndGames said:
I dont want to flash anything, Im just asking how the mechanism work on the card, if someone knows, if the card is capable of reading 1 bios as default, or this DIP switch are acting like a jumper, and if lets say it will broke, the card will be completly dead as a consecuence that will dosent know how to read the bios.

Hi,
Depends on which manufacture
Some will have two/.. vbios chips and yes it is just a simple switch.

Jacky_BEL · Jan 2, 2021

I guess there isn't a standardized way the manufacturers implement this VBIOS switch feature, so yes it depends on the manufacturer.
But lets assume these are designed by intelligent people, so that there will always be just one VBIOS selected, no matter what position the switch is on, or even when the switch gets broken.
This must somehow be done by a logic circuit, which translates switch position to VBIOS selected

Shou Miko · Jan 2, 2021

ThrashZone said:
Hi,
Dual vbios yeah just power off completely and flip the switch.
Power up and on and you may have to reinstall the driver usually best too.

True, with the shut down, even with my old Sapphire PULSE RX 5700 XT I could do it through the Sapphire Trixx software which is also possible for some cards if their vendor has made application for this.

ThrashZone · Jan 2, 2021

puma99dk| said:
True, with the shut down, even with my old Sapphire PULSE RX 5700 XT I could do it through the Sapphire Trixx software which is also possible for some cards if their vendor has made application for this.

Hi,
EVGA says drain all power too so, unplug and hold power button down for 45 seconds or so and then flip switch
Think that is overkill but doesn't hurt to be safe

DeathtoGnomes · Jan 2, 2021

BenchAndGames said:
Anyone knows how exactly Bios Switch works on Video Cards ?

R.T.F.M.

Unless you bought 2nd hand (and without the manual that comes with it), then check the Manufacturers website to download the manual to check for specific procedures.

BenchAndGames · Jan 2, 2021

Exactly my question is on terms of circuit, how exactly the switch will chose what bios tu run, I guess is working as a jumper between 3 pins, at least is what I can see that all this common switches with 2 positions they have 3 pins, so I guess with position A will bridge 1 and 2 pins, and with position B will bridge 2 and 3.

But here is coming my question, what happens if the switch broke and cannot be able to bridge those pins, the card will just broke aswell cuz no posibility of reading any bios ?

ThrashZone · Jan 2, 2021

Hi,
I'm sure TPU has reviews/ tear downs about gpu's with dual bios so just search for some.

BenchAndGames · Jan 2, 2021

Yeah I know but in reviews does not talkign about what Im asking, its just saying that with X position will load one bios, with other position will load the second bios.

Im asking here in case some guy has the necessary knowledge for what I'm asking.

ArdWar · Jan 3, 2021

One thing I'm fairly sure is that most implementation of dual BIOS is not a simple switchover SPDT switch (or switchover jumper). There's only one trace leading out from the switch, so most likely it's a pulldown or pullup SPST switch (or any switch working such way). If that's the case then there's no case where the position is neither in one of the two selection, even if the switch is broken midway. There would be "default position" wherever the line is pulled up/down.

As for the actual implementation, IDK, I never have dual BIOS card. BIOS is just SPI flash which can be simply paralleled. Switching, or gating the CS line would be quite simple.

freeagent · Jan 3, 2021

ThrashZone said:
Hi,
EVGA says drain all power too so, unplug and hold power button down for 45 seconds or so and then flip switch
Think that is overkill but doesn't hurt to be safe

That's exactly what I do :toast:

Zach_01 · Jan 3, 2021

Just curious @BenchAndGames
Why are you asking this about the a GPU BIOS switch? I find it unlikely for this switch to be broken, unless you flip it 100 times a day, for many days...
Or maybe you want to remove it your self from PCB?

Fouquin · Jan 3, 2021

ThrashZone said:
Hi,
EVGA says drain all power too so, unplug and hold power button down for 45 seconds or so and then flip switch
Think that is overkill but doesn't hurt to be safe

AMD cards just flip between the two EFI tables and will actually read out the BIOS from whatever position the switch is set to, without ever powering off. Makes it really easy to plug in a modded card and flip the switch to check if it still has a factory UEFI on it or if it's been overwritten, dump both to files and then do all the flashes.

R-T-B · Jan 3, 2021

BenchAndGames said:
I dont want to flash anything, Im just asking how the mechanism work on the card, if someone knows, if the card is capable of reading 1 bios as default, or this DIP switch are acting like a jumper, and if lets say it will broke, the card will be completly dead as a consecuence that will dosent know how to read the bios.

I don't know. If the switch breaks you'd probably be stuck on whatever you set it to last, I'd assume. I really doubt short of physically removing the switch it would brick, however.

INSTG8R · Jan 3, 2021

With most cards one is “Quiet Standard” the other being the “performance” BIOS

BenchAndGames · Jan 3, 2021

Zach_01 said:
Just curious @BenchAndGames
Why are you asking this about the a GPU BIOS switch? I find it unlikely for this switch to be broken, unless you flip it 100 times a day, for many days...
Or maybe you want to remove it your self from PCB?

Just out of curiosity, nothing special. There have been some things that I had seen on the internet, and I was curious what might happen in that case.

Anyway thanks all for the answers

delshay · Jul 28, 2021

I've modded my Vega 56 Nano from single BIOS to dual BIOS, by adding the missing switch, extra BIOS chip & moved a jumper, but the second BIOS is still not working. I've made an error somewhere so as soon as I have the second BIOS up & running I will post photos what I changed to convert card from single to dual BIOS. ...I just know it's got something to do with pin 1 or pin 3 why the second BIOS is not recognized/detected

System Name	BUILD
Processor	INTEL® CORE™ i7-13700K
Motherboard	MSI MPG Z790 CARBON WIFI
Cooling	NOCTUA NH-D15 chromax.black
Memory	32GB G.SKILL 5600 MHz
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 4070 Ti GAMING X TRIO
Storage	2TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO
Display(s)	GIGABYTE M27Q 1440p 170Hz IPS
Case	PHANTEKS ECLIPSE P500A DRGB
Power Supply	ORSAIR RM1000x SHIFT
Mouse	COOLER MASTER MM711
Keyboard	CORSAIR K70 RGB TKL OPX

Processor	delidded 8700k oc 5.1Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X
Cooling	corsair h100 rgb pro 240mm aio
Memory	16gb (2x8) corsair vengeance 2400mhz stock oc to 3000
Video Card(s)	EVGA ftw3 1080 ti hybrid with custom oc
Storage	500gb samsung 970evo m.2
Display(s)	acer 25 inch with 75hz refresh rate
Case	cuk mantis that i customized for airflow
Power Supply	evga 850BQ
Mouse	Razer lancehead tournament edition
Keyboard	Razer blackwidow v2
Software	just basic windows 10 and msi afterburner
Benchmark Scores	firestrike 24,690

System Name	Ghetto Rigs z490\|x99\|Acer 17 Nitro 7840hs/ 5600c40-2x16/ 4060/ 1tb acer stock m.2/ 4tb sn850x
Processor	10900k w/Optimus Foundation \| 5930k w/Black Noctua D15
Motherboard	z490 Maximus XII Apex \| x99 Sabertooth
Cooling	oCool D5 res-combo/280 GTX/ Optimus Foundation/ gpu water block \| Blk D15
Memory	Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb \| Trident-Z 3200c14 4x8gb
Video Card(s)	Titan Xp-water \| evga 980ti gaming-w/ air
Storage	970evo+500gb & sn850x 4tb \| 860 pro 256gb \| Acer m.2 1tb/ sn850x 4tb\| Many2.5" sata's ssd 3.5hdd's
Display(s)	1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
Case	D450 \| Cherry Entertainment center on Test bench
Audio Device(s)	Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
Power Supply	EVGA 1000P2 with APC AX1500 \| 850P2 with CyberPower-GX1325U
Mouse	Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard	G710+x3
Software	Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores	Are in the benchmark section

Processor	delidded 8700k oc 5.1Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X
Cooling	corsair h100 rgb pro 240mm aio
Memory	16gb (2x8) corsair vengeance 2400mhz stock oc to 3000
Video Card(s)	EVGA ftw3 1080 ti hybrid with custom oc
Storage	500gb samsung 970evo m.2
Display(s)	acer 25 inch with 75hz refresh rate
Case	cuk mantis that i customized for airflow
Power Supply	evga 850BQ
Mouse	Razer lancehead tournament edition
Keyboard	Razer blackwidow v2
Software	just basic windows 10 and msi afterburner
Benchmark Scores	firestrike 24,690

System Name	Ghetto Rigs z490\|x99\|Acer 17 Nitro 7840hs/ 5600c40-2x16/ 4060/ 1tb acer stock m.2/ 4tb sn850x
Processor	10900k w/Optimus Foundation \| 5930k w/Black Noctua D15
Motherboard	z490 Maximus XII Apex \| x99 Sabertooth
Cooling	oCool D5 res-combo/280 GTX/ Optimus Foundation/ gpu water block \| Blk D15
Memory	Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb \| Trident-Z 3200c14 4x8gb
Video Card(s)	Titan Xp-water \| evga 980ti gaming-w/ air
Storage	970evo+500gb & sn850x 4tb \| 860 pro 256gb \| Acer m.2 1tb/ sn850x 4tb\| Many2.5" sata's ssd 3.5hdd's
Display(s)	1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
Case	D450 \| Cherry Entertainment center on Test bench
Audio Device(s)	Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
Power Supply	EVGA 1000P2 with APC AX1500 \| 850P2 with CyberPower-GX1325U
Mouse	Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard	G710+x3
Software	Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores	Are in the benchmark section

Anyone knows how exactly Bios Switch works on GPUs ?

BenchAndGames

nuggdoctor

Attachments

ThrashZone

nuggdoctor

Attachments

ThrashZone

nuggdoctor

Attachments

BenchAndGames

freeagent

Moderator

nuggdoctor

ThrashZone

Jacky_BEL

Shou Miko

ThrashZone

DeathtoGnomes

BenchAndGames

ThrashZone

BenchAndGames

ArdWar

freeagent

Moderator

Zach_01

Fouquin

Staff

R-T-B

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

BenchAndGames

delshay

Processor	AMD R7 5800X3D
Motherboard	Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling	Thermalright Frozen Edge 360, 3x TL-B12 V2, 2x TL-B12 V1
Memory	2x8 G.Skill Trident Z Royal 3200C14, 2x8GB G.Skill Trident Z Black and White 3200 C14
Video Card(s)	Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC
Storage	WD SN850 1TB, SN850X 2TB, SN770 1TB
Display(s)	LG 50UP7100
Case	Fractal Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s)	JBL Bar 700
Power Supply	Seasonic Vertex GX-1000, Monster HDP1800
Mouse	Logitech G502 Hero
Keyboard	Logitech G213
VR HMD	Oculus 3
Software	Yes
Benchmark Scores	Yes

System Name	MSi Coffee Lake
Processor	i7-8700k
Motherboard	MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC
Cooling	NZXT something AIO loop
Memory	16GB Kingston HyperX 2133 C14 Fury Black
Video Card(s)	TITAN Xp Jedi Order Edition
Storage	Samsung 960 Evo NVMe
Display(s)	Medion 23'
Case	Cooler Master Stryker
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	BeQuiet 600W
Mouse	Logitech Trackman T-BB18
Keyboard	Generic hp
Software	Windows 10

System Name	Lynni PS \ Lenowo TwinkPad L14 G2
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Raphael (Waiting on 9800X3D) \ i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake-U
Motherboard	ASRock B650M PG Riptide Bios v. 3.10 AMD AGESA 1.2.0.2a \ Lenowo BDPLANAR Bios 1.68
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black (Only middle fan) \ Lenowo C-267C-2
Memory	G.Skill Flare X5 2x16GB DDR5 6000MHZ CL36-36-36-96 AMD EXPO \ Willk Elektronik 2x16GB 2666MHZ CL17
Video Card(s)	Asus GeForce RTX™ 4070 Dual OC (Waiting on RX 8800 XT) \| Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
Storage	Gigabyte M30 1TB\|Sabrent Rocket 2TB\| HDD: 10TB\|1TB \ WD RED SN700 1TB
Display(s)	KTC M27T20S 1440p@165Hz \| LG 48CX OLED 4K HDR \| Innolux 14" 1080p
Case	Asus Prime AP201 White Mesh \| Lenowo L14 G2 chassis
Audio Device(s)	Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless
Power Supply	Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750W Goldie \| 65W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeedy Wireless \| Lenowo TouchPad & Logitech G305
Keyboard	Ducky One 3 Daybreak Fullsize \| L14 G2 UK Lumi
Software	Win11 IoT Enterprise 24H2 UK \| Win11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2 UK / Arch (Fan)
Benchmark Scores	3DMARK: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/89434432? GPU-Z: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/details/v3zbr

System Name	Dumbass
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7800X3D
Motherboard	ASUS TUF gaming B650
Cooling	Artic Liquid Freezer 2 - 420mm
Memory	G.Skill Sniper 32gb DDR5 6000
Video Card(s)	GreenTeam 4070 ti super 16gb
Storage	Samsung EVO 500gb & 1Tb, 2tb HDD, 500gb WD Black
Display(s)	1x Nixeus NX_EDG27, 2x Dell S2440L (16:9)
Case	Phanteks Enthoo Primo w/8 140mm SP Fans
Audio Device(s)	onboard (realtek?) - SPKRS:Logitech Z623 200w 2.1
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000i
Mouse	Steeseries Esports Wireless
Keyboard	Corsair K100
Software	windows 10 H
Benchmark Scores	https://i.imgur.com/aoz3vWY.jpg?2

System Name	Asus X450JB
Processor	Intel Core i7-4720HQ
Motherboard	Asus
Memory	2x 4GiB
Video Card(s)	nVidia GT940M
Storage	2x 1TB

System Name	PC on since Aug 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600 + ASUS ROG RX580 8GB >> MSI Gaming X RX5700XT (Jan 2020)
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X (July 2022), 220W PPT limit, 80C temp limit, CO -6-14, +50MHz (up to 5.0GHz)
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F39b, AGESA V2 1.2.0.C
Cooling	Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm Rev7 (Jan 2024) with off-center mount for Ryzen, TIM: Kryonaut
Memory	2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo GTZN (July 2022) 3667MT/s 1.42V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:280, B-die
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ RX 7900XTX (Dec 2023) 314~467W (375W current) PowerLimit, 1060mV, Adrenalin v24.10.1
Storage	Samsung NVMe: 980Pro 1TB(OS 2022), 970Pro 512GB(2019) / SATA-III: 850Pro 1TB(2015) 860Evo 1TB(2020)
Display(s)	Dell Alienware AW3423DW 34" QD-OLED curved (1800R), 3440x1440 144Hz (max 175Hz) HDR400/1000, VRR on
Case	None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s)	Astro A50 headset
Power Supply	Corsair HX750i, ATX v2.4, 80+ Platinum, 93% (250~700W), modular, single/dual rail (switch)
Mouse	Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard	Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software	Windows 11 Home 64bit (v24H2, OSBuild 26100.2161), upgraded from Win10 to Win11 on Jan 2024

System Name	Pioneer
Processor	Ryzen R9 9950X
Motherboard	GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory	64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s)	XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage	Intel 905p Optane 960GB boot, +2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s)	55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case	Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s)	TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard	WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software	Gentoo Linux x64 / Windows 11 Enterprise IoT 2024

System Name	Hellbox 5.1(same case new guts)
Processor	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard	MSI X570S MAG Torpedo Max
Cooling	TT Kandalf L.C.S.(Water/Air)EK Velocity CPU Block/Noctua EK Quantum DDC Pump/Res
Memory	2x16GB Gskill Trident Neo Z 3600 CL16
Video Card(s)	Powercolor Hellhound 7900XTX
Storage	970 Evo Plus 500GB 2xSamsung 850 Evo 500GB RAID 0 1TB WD Blue Corsair MP600 Core 2TB
Display(s)	Alienware QD-OLED 34” 3440x1440 144hz 10Bit VESA HDR 400
Case	TT Kandalf L.C.S.
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster ZX/Logitech Z906 5.1
Power Supply	Seasonic TX~’850 Platinum
Mouse	G502 Hero
Keyboard	G19s
VR HMD	Oculus Quest 3
Software	Win 11 Pro x64