New PowerColor X800Pro VIVO not flashable!!

Not trying to get bad habits double-posting & that but I wanted to share my findings on the core of this new X800Pro VIVO that can't be modded to an X800XT in any way...

As stated in my last post, I was just waiting to get home from work to have a look at the core of this card to see if it has the tell-take laser cut.

Well, I took the hsf off & had a look at the core.

Guess what??

No laser cut at all. Didn't have a look at the numbers as I ain't changing the stock thermal paste in case I need to RMA the card.

Seems like an X800XT but with a special code in the bios that farks the ASIC code up when you use any different bios apart from the orginal one.

If anyone has a PowerColor X800XT PE bios, can they send it my way??

Need to test it with the same make X800Xt to see if this card can be modded.

If not then I hate to say this fellas, bad news for all if I'm correct.

These new X800Pro VIVO come with unflashable bios.

I repeat:
THESE NEW X800PRO VIVO COME WITH UNFLASHABLE BIOS!!

BE WARNED!!

Don't usually do capitals either but this card has got me pulling hairs...

DAMN Manufacturers:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :mad: :mad: :rolleyes:

Minnyboy

*offtopic* what's the difference bethween X800XT PE's , and X800XT's?

X800XT is the PCie downclocked version of the X800XT PE PCie version if ya get what I mean.

X800XT PCie is clocked at 500/1000 & X800XT PE is 526/1120. Both have 16 pipelines.

There is no AGP8X version of the X800XT. Most of the times when ppl refer to X800XT in AGP version, they're actually refering to the X800XT PE.

Hope this helps.

Confusing isn't it??

Cheers,
Minnyboy

good to know

are the x800xt PE's alot better than the x800xt's?

Quote:

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Originally posted by Stinger
and who cares about overdrive????????????

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DONT´T mess with overdrive... it´ll OC your core from 520Mhz to a mindblowing 529Mhz!!! :p:




Minnyboy:
I would very much like to know what your core-stepping says, cause my X800Pro VIVO died today, and im RMA´ing it. If i get a unmoddable card in return, I´ll get real pissed off. therefore i would like to know if i shpuld ask for a real XT instead. The Sapphire XT cost about 50$ more, but its worth it if the Pro cant be flashed to an XT. :)

Quote:

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Originally posted by Spider
are the x800xt PE's alot better than the x800xt's?

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IMHO, the X800XT PE & X800XT are the same.

People are confusing the X800XT which is a PCIe verxion with the X800XT PE...

Then again, here are the product specs:

AGP 8X:
X800Pro = 475/450 - 12 pipes
X800XT PE = 520/560 (526/573) - 16 pipes

PCIe:
X800XT = 500/500 - 16 pipes
X800XT PE = 526/573 - 16 pipes

Specs for PCIe version of X800XT PE may change as it wouldn't be worth it getting an X800XT PE over an X800XT for an extra 26/73 on the core/mem.

So to answer your question, no, the X800XT PE isn't worth it over an X800XT.

Then again, you might be comparing an AGP8X with a PCIe version... Which is bl00dy confusing on ATI's behalf...

Formann, I'll check the card out for numbers a bit later today when I clean my rig up a bit. Didn't want to do it because I can't get the same paste in case I want to RMA the $ucker but I guess AS5 will do the trick.

I'll be back...

edit: I'm back....

To my surprise, the numbers on this farked up X800Pro VIVO is:

215RADCGA11F
GB8808.1
0422AA

Looks like ATI & their partners have found a way of disabling the bios flash to enable the 4 pipes...

Minnyboy

dont kill the card, even if you get to rma it, its dishonest and causes higher prices for all of us. Just ebay it, youll have no trouble breaking even if not for profiting. so many people still cant get one they pay $50+ more on ebay for one! If I was ati, I would also make them unmoddable to xt's cause this costs me when people buy pros and get free xt's outta them. a real xt isnt that much more anyway and has faster 1.6ns ram anyway plus higher clocks

Quote:

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Originally posted by saaya
it has diferent chips on the back?

the memory chips on the front are sometimes soldered onto the board together with the gpu and manufacturers sometimes leave the back of the card blank waiting for cheap memory. has happened before on geforce4 cards.

but no overdrive is weird!

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Actually, this is a knwon issue with "powercolor"

I'm sitting here on a 9600xt that doesnt have overdrive/ :mad:

Never buying a powercolor again.

don´t see any sense in magic overdrive. x800xt overdrive is astonishing 6mhz more lmao. just tweaking with rivatuner or ati tool makes more sense at all

Quote:

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Originally posted by Geforce4ti4200
dont kill the card, even if you get to rma it, its dishonest and causes higher prices for all of us. Just ebay it, youll have no trouble breaking even if not for profiting. so many people still cant get one they pay $50+ more on ebay for one! If I was ati, I would also make them unmoddable to xt's cause this costs me when people buy pros and get free xt's outta them. a real xt isnt that much more anyway and has faster 1.6ns ram anyway plus higher clocks

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Blah, blah, blah, blah...

Just talking, did NOT say I was going to do it.

If you read my past threads, you'd notice that I too am against killing something intenionally or by modding it & trying to RMA it.

I remember a 9800pro, 9800XT as well as a few CPU's where I never tried to RMA it because I killed them...

Might have talked bout it but never did it. A joke's a joke. Whether being sarcastic or not.

Now, spreadin $h!t bout this hardware & that hardware & becoming Nostradameus is another thing.

edit:
speeling...

LOL

Until we see another card like this, it's only an isolated experience ...

We don't know that ATi is doing this on purpose yet, and as always, there might be a way around it if that's the case ;)

dont make a generalized statement like taht minnyboy. for all we know this could be the only card like this, or powercolor could be the only brand doing this. we just dont know, so dont scare people away from a good deal.

Yeah, sorry if it sounds like I'm making a statement like that...

I'm just $hattered, that's all.

Just stay away from PowerColor atm as I've seen with my own eyes how they "save" money by mixing compnents...

2ns & 1.6ns on the same card...

Most of the successes have been with Sapphire X800Pro & Gigabyte X800Pro VIVO cards.

Heard that the Gigabyte ones come with 16pipelines enabled as default...

I too am hoping that my case is an isolated case & NO other cards are affected....

Here's to hoping:toast:

Minh

the X800 pro DOES have Overdrive, its in the ATi control panel where it always is. I have one and have OD enabled at this very moment, and the Core speed is at 506mhz.

I have had three & only 2 of them have Overdrive.

I can't say I'm 100% sure as i never really gave the first VIVO card a chnace before I flashed it to know if had OverDrive w/out the X800XT bios.

There have been numerous ppl w/out OverDrive from Rage3D forums.

I will flash my good card back to X800Pro 2nite to see whether I have OverDrive or not.

Cheers,
Minnyboy

a lot of RMA'ing talk here. If you RMA a card you break you are a Theif. Simple as that.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Tedinde
a lot of RMA'ing talk here. If you RMA a card you break you are a Theif. Simple as that.

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Even though I have talked a lot about RMAing the card under suspicious reasons, I have to say that I agree with you Tedinde.

Like I have said before, I have done a few things to compnents where I could've returned the components for RMA, I refused to do so as I know that ain't right.

In other words, you will hear no more of me saying how I'm "going" to RMA this or that.

As a Mod here, you may have read up on me & my "magic" touch. Have I RMAed anything that I have farked up myself??

I'll go back & edit all my posts relating to RMAing stuff under suspicious circumstances.

Minnyboy

Quote:

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Originally posted by Minnyboy

Formann, I'll check the card out for numbers a bit later today when I clean my rig up a bit. Didn't want to do it because I can't get the same paste in case I want to RMA the $ucker but I guess AS5 will do the trick.

I'll be back...

edit: I'm back....

To my surprise, the numbers on this farked up X800Pro VIVO is:

215RADCGA11F
GB8808.1
0422AA

Looks like ATI & their partners have found a way of disabling the bios flash to enable the 4 pipes...

Minnyboy

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Thanks :)

You have the same stepping as I did, just i had 0420AA .. i think.

Im going to give PowerColor another try.. hope I wont regret it.


BTW: Mine did not have overdrive with any catalyst until I flashed it.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Formann
Thanks :)

You have the same stepping as I did, just i had 0420AA .. i think.

Im going to give PowerColor another try.. hope I wont regret it.


BTW: Mine did not have overdrive with any catalyst until I flashed it.

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I've been a bit of a PowerColor boy for a while.

Had 1 x 9700pro, 3 x 9800pro's, and now 3 x X800Pro's.

50% chance ain't that bad if i don't consider the first X800Pro a dud...

Could've persuaded the distributor to RMA the dead card for me but morals held me back.

At least I have a "one-of-a-kind" card.

Who else has got a card with 2 different speed RAM & non-flashable bios??:rolleyes:

Minnyboy

honestly even at x800 pro speeds, its still fast as heck. the x800s are so cpu limited, you wont notice the difference at pro or xt anyway :) look at your 3dmark, you only gained 1k and thats all in nature alone!

Geforce4ti4200,

Gotta admit it, you're right after all.

Just had high expectations from it.

Even if I couldn't enable the extra pipelines, I at least wanted XT speeds as well as OverDrive.

Not for the OC, for the temp measurements, that's all.

Oh well, can't win'em all can ya??

Anyways, got meself an Asus TI4600 (methinks) to play with for a week or so.

Last time I had a TI4600 was back in the Leadtek days when 9700pro's were nothing but a myth...

Let's see what it can do on the stock cooler. Big difference is 4.17Ghz of CPU power compared to 1.7Ghz back then...

Cheers,
Minnyboy

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:ing lame-ass powercolor... ARGH!!!!

Got mine today... 2.0ns on the frontside and 1.6ns on the backside!! I :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:ing HATE powercolor.


:mad:



Update
With the "stock" Pro bios I got to 518Mhz (core) before the system locked up. No sign of artfifacts, it just froze.

I tried to flash the Gigabyte bios, and reinstalled the drivers. No problems, except the card wont run XT speeds. Not even close.


Update2:
Tried the Retail AT X800XT bios, but no change.
Max speeds are 497/530 .. Thats REALLY bad. Must be the worst x800 VIVO ever made.

I should have listened to you Minnyboy.. cause this really sucks :mad:

OK so I think this issue is only with PC cards and with the newer ones!

Okay, I was wrong when I said I had a "one-of-a-kind" card.

Damn, I thought I was special:rolleyes:...

So the solution to this problem that's arising is this:

STAY AWAY FROM POWERCOLOR X800PRO VIVO CARDS!!!

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:EN CHEAP-A$$ BASTARDS!!!

Now I'm PISSED... Thought I was the only "LUCKY" one but nope, it ain't so...

POWERCOLOR = DOGS...