eVGA 6800GT AGP to Ultra BIOS

[Nubius]

Does changing the GT to an ultra simply require a bios flash using an ultras BIOS?

What does that BIOS actually do? Just changed the device ID to read as an Ultra or does it actually do anything beneficial to OC'ing as well?

I haven't a 6800GT as of yet, have a 6600GT, but I'm gonna use eVGAs step up program and go to the 6800GT and I just wanted to know what was the best steps to take to making it be all it can be. Thanks to anyone with info :toast:

[mr_knowitall15]

from what i understand, the GT is the same core as the Ultra, but with different BIOS. the BIOS gives it the slower clock speeds, and heres the key, 1.3V. Ultras get 1.4. so yes it should definately give you more OCin headroom.

[J-Mag]

the ultra BIOS also use slower RAM timings... If you compare an ultra and a gt at the same clcoks the gt will be slightly faster...

[Nubius]

Hmm....So J-Mag...in a way it's not even better to flash to the Ultra bios then? But rather just OC the memory to and (in most cases) past that of the Ultra and technically it'd be faster?

Of course the thing that will keep the core down is the diff in voltage....however Nibitor can change that although I haven't actually changed the VGPU and flashed my card to see if it indeed was successful.

[grimREEFER]

Hmm....So J-Mag...in a way it's not even better to flash to the Ultra bios then? But rather just OC the memory to and (in most cases) past that of the Ultra and technically it'd be faster?

Of course the thing that will keep the core down is the diff in voltage....however Nibitor can change that although I haven't actually changed the VGPU and flashed my card to see if it indeed was successful.
u could flash to the ultra, and then overclock it. that would probably give the best results. tell us how it goes.

[Nubius]

tell us how it goes. hehe, well I don't have it yet. Gonna use the eVGAs step up program and go from a 6600GT to the 6800GT.....my card didn't come with a manual though so I wrote them to ask if they are going to stick that '15% card value reduction' BS on me. Says the card needs to be returned in all original packaging and everything it came with for reselling otherwise they'll take 15% off the value. Mine didn't come with the manual so they'd better not do that, as getting the 6800GT is already like $30 more expensive from them than to go to any reseller, plus a lame $10 shipping fee, the last thing I want is to be charged $30 for a stupid manual not being there

u could flash to the ultra, and then overclock it. that would probably give the best results. Yeah but if the timings are faster on the GT, then a GT clocked the same as the Ultra should technically perform better according to J-mag...the only difference would be the voltage, inwhich I can probably change that via nibitor

[J-Mag]

Hmm....So J-Mag...in a way it's not even better to flash to the Ultra bios then? But rather just OC the memory to and (in most cases) past that of the Ultra and technically it'd be faster?

Of course the thing that will keep the core down is the diff in voltage....however Nibitor can change that although I haven't actually changed the VGPU and flashed my card to see if it indeed was successful.

Yeah exactly, although the slower RAM timings might actually help improve clock rates, I have never been to concerned with this because the performance gains between the GT and Ultra timings are minimal, but it would be interesting to see a comparison of MAX Speed of a GT @ 1.4v vs a GT with an Ultra BIOS.

[Nubius]

Hmm sounds like something worth investigating. Probably be a couple weeks before I get the card. Gotta get paid, put in the forms for the step up, ship out the 6600GT, wait for them to ship back the card...then I like to give it a good week or more to burn in. My 6600GT didn't want to go past 999MHz memory, 1001 was pushing it....after a good week of benching and burning in, it hit 1113MHz like a champ :D

I just might have to give it a week or so like I said, see what it's capable of, do some benches, flash to Ultra, run the same core and memory speed, and see how one does over the other and see if I can get a higher OC with the ultra.

Mind you if a GT is faster than an Ultra at say 1.1GHz then the Ultra might possibly would need to be OC'd to 1.12GHz just to break even with the other...of course this is just speculation and that is of course simply the memory. The core is where it's at in terms of performance so the extra volt should help out there

[Tony420]

Dont bother...I have an ultra and I flash to the GT...the GT bios is MUCH faster and its gonna overclock the same either way (as long as your using same voltage on each bios). There is really no sense in using an Ultra bios even if you have an ultra :)

[Nubius]

Aright cool tony....are you changing the voltage in the BIOS using something like nibitor?

Are you able to simply change the hex from 8C to 96 to accomodate a 1.5v for VGPU?

[Tony420]

Yes I use nibitor...no hex. Just click extend voltage table and select 1.5. I would strongly advice you against using 1.5V bios on your GT...I hear its been killing cards left and right...and they dont benefit from it anyway because you only have 1 molex connector.

[Nubius]

Yes I use nibitor...no hex. Just click extend voltage table and select 1.5. Yeah I just downloaded the GT BIOS to have a look, the extended tables jumps from 1.4 to 1.6 though! no 1.5, but yeah the warning even says the 6800's have been sensitive to voltage changes...

Hmmm soooo basically I'm left with simply water cooling it for high OC and if I want to go even higher I'd need to do a hardware volt mod with a variable resistor eh?

Lookin to be I just gotta get water cooling and see how high I can get it :p

Hope the core will hit atleast 425 like the ultra, but of course I would like a bit more hehe

The memory should easily do 1100MHz though, the 6600GT's I have goes from 900MHz to 1100 no problem so I'm thinking after a good burn in time the GT should run at 1200MHz or so

EDIT: You said you used nibitor? Did you change the voltage or no?

[J-Mag]

Yes I use nibitor...no hex. Just click extend voltage table and select 1.5. I would strongly advice you against using 1.5V bios on your GT...I hear its been killing cards left and right...and they dont benefit from it anyway because you only have 1 molex connector.

I have heard alot of 6800GT's gettin the axe even at 1.4v! SCARY!

However, you mention the molex connector (not to mention different placement of Caps and other components) possibly causing the GT's to not be able to take the strain of the higher volts... My question is what about PCI-E??!?!?

The Ultra and GT have the EXACT same PCB layout as far as I can tell (at least reference cards). So i wdoner if the PCI-E 6800GT's can handle the increase in volts...

[J-Mag]

Hope the core will hit atleast 425 like the ultra, but of course I would like a bit more hehe

The memory should easily do 1100MHz though, the 6600GT's I have goes from 900MHz to 1100 no problem so I'm thinking after a good burn in time the GT should run at 1200MHz or so

EDIT: You said you used nibitor? Did you change the voltage or no?

Ultra's are standardly 400core (although BFG and a few others ship them out as 425)

I run both my 6800GT's at 425 1150 24/7 and it seems to be fine with stock volts and the vf700-cu's mounted on to replace the crappy GT coolers...

I am assuming tony upped his volts to 1.4... It would be dumb to switch to a GT BIOS and not run @ 1.4v if your card normally runs at 1.4v!!!

[Nubius]

The Ultra and GT have the EXACT same PCB layout as far as I can tell (at least reference cards). So i wdoner if the PCI-E 6800GT's can handle the increase in volts... Yeah they do really, if you study the pictures you can tell exactly where the missing capacitors, mosfets, SMD's, and resistors are....I just don't think anyways tried or bothered soldering all that crap and moving them around lol.

If I had good solder skills and a lot of time and money to waste i'd do it for shytes and giggles lol

[Nubius]

Ultra's are standardly 400core (although BFG and a few others ship them out as 425)
Believe eVGA does too..lemme check their site........

Nope nevermind, it is 400, I coulda sworn the other day while I was checking it said 425, maybe that's the PCI-E or something? Now clue, the Ultra EXTREME EDITION BS is 450/1200

That's pretty good, but hell some GT's can get it up that high, possibly not the core without real good water cooling and/or volt mod though

[Tony420]

I am assuming tony upped his volts to 1.4... It would be dumb to switch to a GT BIOS and not run @ 1.4v if your card normally runs at 1.4v!!!


I selected 1.6

[t-max]

I selected 1.6
wow Tony do u run it at 1.6v ??? how does it it preforme there ??
i flashed my 6800gt pcie to 1,4 volt and i am running 462 / 1196 as maks stable (rock stable) i have watercooling at the care and ram.

i am considering flashing to 1.5 but i have some baad experience with at 6800LE wich crapped out at 1.5.

I have seen a lot of 6800U running 475 core and thats imposible with 1.4v at my GT core, eny have have some experiense ??

[Nubius]

Well tony was saying a lot of the cards were biting the dust when the Vcore was changed through the BIOS....does it seem safe to run my 6800GT at 1.4v? Not that that voltage is all that bad but I mean using nibitor and changing it to that.

[t-max]

I used nibitor to change my voltage no probs there, on both my LE and my GT pci-e both ran smooth whit 1,4v as evryday voltage

[Tony420]

I heard AGP GT's not liking 1.4v but I can't be for sure. I own an Ultra. And I think the pci-e GT's and Ultra's have the same power...

[J-Mag]

but I can't sure for sure.

Me thinks tony hasn't gone the way :rehab: went...

[Tony420]

lol...how nice of you to be a compulsive error checker. I fixed it :slap:

[Nubius]

Hmm, well....I'm not gonna risk it then. I'll just leave it at the stock voltage then, and if I decide I need to change the power i guess I will just have to do a volt mod. But I guess if I can get it to Ultra speeds that will be pretty good.