How to enable additional shaders on Radeon HD 6950

[alick]

That's why I got my asus 6950 from memory express. They did a 10% price beat for local store and they have an IPR program which I bought. I got a 3 year instore new replacement plan. So I don't have to send card to the manufacturer. Plus replacements are new or of they don't have that model I get a free upgrade to the newer model of that card out. Best of both worlds. As long as the cards don't have physical water damage its all good.

I buying all my computer stuff from there. The Irp are great. Cost about the same as shipping with rma so way better deal if your local to memory express in canada

 

[Thassodar]

I sent in a ticket to XFX this see if it is safe to flash the crads

3/16/2011 3:13:45 AM] I have been reading on techpowerup website about a possible bios flash for the 6950 is this safe on the card??

[BRIAN 3/16/2011 5:06:40 PM] Hi, there was a BIOS going around when the card first came out. However, on the newer revisions of the card, it will actually brick the card. If you aren`t having any issues with the card, then flashing the BIOS is not necessary. Video cards are not like motherboards and the BIOS that is on them will typically be the only BIOS for that card in its lifespan. Thanks, Brian.

he did not say it was unsafe? just that newer cards will brick..

I think that's funny because on PowerColor's website it has, on the front page mind you, unlocking alllllll over it for the 6950. It's almost as if they WANT you to unlock the shaders. Mine is in the mail and should be here in less than a hour. Then it's time for unlocking goodness !

 

[shwazemoto]

I think that's funny because on PowerColor's website it has, on the front page mind you, unlocking alllllll over it for the 6950. It's almost as if they WANT you to unlock the shaders. Mine is in the mail and should be here in less than a hour. Then it's time for unlocking goodness !

unlocking shades or full unlock to 6970?

 

[Thassodar]

unlocking shades or full unlock to 6970?

I suppose they mean just the shaders, check it out on their site: http://powercolor.com/us/default.asp

To the far right if you watch the little flash animation about the 6950 it mentions "Unlocking Performance". Maybe I'm misunderstanding their meaning but when everyone and their grandma knows about unlocking the shaders why not make it a selling point?

 

[shwazemoto]

I suppose they mean just the shaders, check it out on their site: http://powercolor.com/us/default.asp

To the far right if you watch the little flash animation about the 6950 it mentions "Unlocking Performance". Maybe I'm misunderstanding their meaning but when everyone and their grandma knows about unlocking the shaders why not make it a selling point?

there talking about the 6950pcs++ the card is pre modded to full 6970 (minus mem speed which is at 1250) with the switch on the card you can run at 6950 or to modded 6970

 

[jayc]

And take a look at the specs for the Powercolor 6950 PCS++ ...
Extention Power Connector - One 6-Pin and One 8-Pin PCI Express Power connectors

It uses the 8pin PCIE power connector just like a 6970.

Note: both bios' on the Powercolor PCS++ is LOCKED. However, with a 6950 and 6970 feature, you don't need to flash it anyway. BUT !!! you can't use something like RBE to change voltages in bios either.

I'd rather just spend the extra few dollars for a true 6970.

 

[Sk1nner]

clock´s

i have a powercolor 6950 with the shaders mod only, oced to 880/1400 1.16 (catalist 11.4)
when i´m in windows the clocks change to 500/1400 but then i play a video(youtube or in media player) the clocks change to 500/1250, isn't suppose to remain at 500/1250 in windows also? and then change to 880/1400 in more demanding gpu applications. Anyone know if this is a driver problem or just related to some configuration? thanks
*sorry for the bad English

 

[cadaveca]

driver forces the 500/1250 speed(UVD clocks).

Real idle clocks are 250/150 here.

 

[Sk1nner]

driver forces the 500/1250 speed(UVD clocks).

Real idle clocks are 250/150 here.

here the clocks never lower from 500/1400 , unless when a video is playing (500/1250), shouldn't drop to 250/150 in windows?

 

[alick]

Well I notice if you have two monitors hooked up it will stay at 500core but if you only have one hooked up it drops to 250 MHz core. That is what happens when I unhook my second monitor.

 

[jayc]

alick is correct. If you have more than 1 monitor, the driver detects this and sets your clocks to 500/1250.

Why yours is 500/1400? I'm not sure.
Probably a quirk or conflict of the driver (500/1250) and the application you are using to overclock (880/1400).

let me guess, are you running Afterburner?

 

[cadaveca]

He could be running eyefinity.


Done MUCHO testing with unlocked shaders and game performance.


Have to use 3rd party tool to set fan curve with unlocked shaders, but even with stock fan profile, and stock 1.1v, I can get at most 860mhz.

Tested VS. 860MHz with locked shaders, unless you are running above 1920x1080, or 8xAA, 6950 2GB with stock bios is just fine, and unlock adds very little, although, I did not ever OC memory.

I flashed my card back. $259 for this performance is just fine with me.

 

[Sk1nner]

alick is correct. If you have more than 1 monitor, the driver detects this and sets your clocks to 500/1250.

Why yours is 500/1400? I'm not sure.
Probably a quirk or conflict of the driver (500/1250) and the application you are using to overclock (880/1400).

let me guess, are you running Afterburner?

now i have afterburner running to set a custom fan curve, but to overclock i was using amd overdrive in ccc , and edited the bios to get more voltage because at normal voltage i cant get past 850.

 

[Hebbe]

Hello

Im having a huge truble trying to flash my Sapphire 6950. I've done the steps that is on page one but it says "Can't Erase ROM", but when I try to flash it via CMD it just says that it can't find the specified path. It can't even find my desktop.

Can anyone please help me?

 

[Hebbe]

And I've tried to restore it. I've done the steps that is at the bottom of the page.

 

[cadaveca]

Hebbe:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2134576&postcount=19

 

[Sk1nner]

alick is correct. If you have more than 1 monitor, the driver detects this and sets your clocks to 500/1250.

Why yours is 500/1400? I'm not sure.
Probably a quirk or conflict of the driver (500/1250) and the application you are using to overclock (880/1400).

let me guess, are you running Afterburner?

yes, i have 2 monitors, not in eyefinity, only in extended mode because is different resolutions(1920*1080(22) and 1680*1050(20)).
I set custom profiles for 2D and 3D on msi afterburner and the problem is solved for now, the only problem that remains is that when i lunch game with a browser page open for ex on youtube the UVD clocks dont change, have to close the browser, maybe just bug in the drivers.

 

[Hebbe]

Hebbe:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/sh...6&postcount=19

I have tried that but it still doesn't work.

 

[cadaveca]

I have tried that but it still doesn't work.

Make sure to try the unlock first, and if it doesn't work with switch in position #1, try #2.

 

[Hebbe]

Make sure to try the unlock first, and if it doesn't work with switch in position #1, try #2.

If I click the CMD prompt normally it can find the files but if I right click it and press "Run as Administrator" it can't find anything.

 

[cadaveca]

Did you put winflash folder on desktop, and rename it to "winflash"?

I did not have this issue, sounds like you're missing a step, or something else is fouling things for ya.

 

[Hebbe]

I have named it winflash. I've tried to delete everything and downloaded it again and made a new folder twice but it still doesn't work :'(

 

[cadaveca]

I sent in a ticket to XFX this see if it is safe to flash the crads

3/16/2011 3:13:45 AM] I have been reading on techpowerup website about a possible bios flash for the 6950 is this safe on the card??

[BRIAN 3/16/2011 5:06:40 PM] Hi, there was a BIOS going around when the card first came out. However, on the newer revisions of the card, it will actually brick the card. If you aren`t having any issues with the card, then flashing the BIOS is not necessary. Video cards are not like motherboards and the BIOS that is on them will typically be the only BIOS for that card in its lifespan. Thanks, Brian.

he did not say it was unsafe? just that newer cards will brick..

I call shens. Lies, even. Checked thier website, almost every single one of thier cards currently for sale has a bios update available, if not many of them

Bricking the card? Totally possible. Why they would spend money to do that, I dunno, but OK, if that's what they want to say, then fine. I wonder myself though, if the card has the switch, how can they really stop you? Are they purposefully modding the cards so a flash kill 'em? How is that possible? And they expect people to want to buy them? LOL WHUT?!?



I guess they never heard of "infernal devices", nor thier legality.

 

[shwazemoto]

I call shens. Lies, even. Checked thier website, almost every single one of thier cards currently for sale has a bios update available, if not many of them

Bricking the card? Totally possible. Why they would spend money to do that, I dunno, but OK, if that's what they want to say, then fine. I wonder myself though, if the card has the switch, how can they really stop you? Are they purposefully modding the cards so a flash kill 'em? How is that possible? And they expect people to want to buy them? LOL WHUT?!?



I guess they never heard of "infernal devices", nor thier legality.

mine flashed fine I had no issues I flashed back to 6950 using cat 11.4
cause with cat 11.4 using the 6970 bios my minimum memory speed was 1375 but in cat 11.2 I was able to but my mem down to 1250 which was safer, performance is the same with cat 11.4 oc 6950 as the 6970 bios with clocks at 880/1250 in cat 11.2 so might as well stick with stock 6950 and oc, I tried the shader unlock mod thing but it messed up my pc, the eplorer.exe file was affected and I was not able to open any files I had to do a system restore,

 

[manofthem]

I have named it winflash. I've tried to delete everything and downloaded it again and made a new folder twice but it still doesn't work :'(

Don't know if it'll help, but instead of putting it on my desktop, I put the winflash folder right on the C: drive. (C:\winflash) I did that because it was easier to navigate to in CMD. Maybe it'll work for you