RivaTuner plugin supporting GT2xx and HD4870 Voltage Tuning

[jcool]

Very nice. Anyone with a 4870X2 checked whether OVP kicks in above 1,37V (as we know it does), or if the plugin can display that? Unfortunately I am away from my Mainrig right now.

[Cold Fussion]

GPU=0, VID=CBh, Voltage=0.000v...

Same problem here.

[Solus Corvus]

Very nice. Anyone with a 4870X2 checked whether OVP kicks in above 1,37V (as we know it does), or if the plugin can display that? Unfortunately I am away from my Mainrig right now.

Well it says that OVP stays off all the way up to 1.5v (as far as I dared so far). I don't have a way to verify that the voltages are actually what they say they are or to check OVP so I only have what rivatuner reports at the moment.

[mikeyakame]

Same problem here.

I can find and fix the problem but that's dependent on whether the author will release his source to me to make changes to!

It's hard to troubleshoot and fix problems that you can't replicate yourself I know that much from time programming.

[jcool]

Monitoring the current and power draw of the card/computer, we already know that it won't give more than 1,37V to the 4870X2's GPU core by software. So it just doesn't display it right, much like w/o the plugin.

[dinos22]

wow man good work

[DMH]

I think that specidfic gainward card does not have the reference nvidia design, so it might not have the Volterra 1165 voltage regulator, that's why it isn't working, filho...

No it does
It's straight reference,hell all GTX260/280/285 and 295 for sale are reference design,and it works with AwardFabrik and that other guy voltage vmod,just not with this plugin but hey I got up from 712/1512/1100 to 734/1566/1100 with 1,08V(0,02V over default)

[mikeyakame]

No it does
It's straight reference,hell all GTX260/280/285 and 295 for sale are reference design,and it works with AwardFabrik and that other guy voltage vmod,just not with this plugin but hey I got up from 712/1512/1100 to 734/1566/1100 with 1,08V(0,02V over default)

Do me favor if you have Everest installed. Right click on bottom of window, goto Video Debug -> ATI SMBUS Dump, save it to a file and post it so I can take a look at it.

Would someone with a GTX 285 care to do the same as well for me.

Thanks.

[fatguy1992]

It doesn't work on my 4870

Dam, prob cause its a non reference PCB

[Protocol_48]

Tested on my BFG GTX 295 in Vista X64, working fine

[ColonelCain]

It doesn't work on my 4870

Dam, prob cause its a non reference PCB

More than likely, most, if not all non-reference 4870's do not utilize the reference Voltera controller, as the majority of non-reference cards use analogue PWM.

[sb1racing]

Working great on Windows 7 x64 with EVGA GTX 295, THANKS!!!!
(181.22 Drivers)

[msimax]

thank you for this tool

[largon]

I wonder if anyone will ever see "1" appear as a OCP -state...
But atleast it is absolutely certain OVP will never, ever trigger and give "1" when using this plugin. Really, OVP monitoring has no purpose at all.

[M-XXXX]

Guys I have a problem...



Vista 64bit, and CF sapphire 4870 (one with blue, and one with red PCB), RivaTuner never asked me if I want to change only one or multiple GPU-s...

[fgw]

mikeyakame
have seen posts here were people are able to use the plugin successfully on w7 x64!

anyway, in your RivaTuner installdirectory, where you copied the plugin into \PlugIns\Monitoring there is a logfile VT1165.log.
close Hardware monitoring window, delete the logfile and restart Hardware monitoring again. try to change the voltage to get some information into the logfile, upload the logfile somewhere and post the link. pls don't post the logfile here directly as this would put a lot of mess in this thread! anyway, would be interesting to figure out whats going on there.

i also added a tread on my forum, you can upload the logfile to this thread so i have all the information in one place.
but as its a forum, you have to register in order to be able to upload ...

Cold Fussion
pls do the same and get me a logfile!

M-XXXX
looks like you are using the wrong plugin! look on the source setup window (the lowest window on your screenshot), you can find the name of the plugin at the top besides Data Provider. you are using the VT1103 plugin!
click on [Setup] in the graph window and then on the [Plugins] button. here you can uncheck VT1103.dll and check VT1165.dll instead!

[fgw]

regarding the discussion on OVP and OCP:

first of all, i still dont have a datasheet for the vt1165! all my knowledge is based on the information in various forums, mainly the posts from Unwinder and some private conversation with Unwinder.

so my understanding of this is:

OVP is triggered as soon as the output voltage exceeds the programmed voltage plus a certain, via resistors, predefined margin.
if its working this way, we will never see OVP kicking in when using the registers to change output voltage, as output voltage can hardly exceed the voltage we set by registers.

e.g. if the register defines 1.15V and the margin is set to 0.2V then OVP would kick in when output voltage exceeds 1.35V

if we now change the register to a reflect voltage of 1.30V and add our margin of 0.2V we get also a changed value of 1.50V where OVP would kick in! so, no matter what voltage is defined via the register, OVP would always kick in if output voltage exceeds this value by the margin, which simply would not happen.

this is totally different when using a hard mod: here the voltage set by register remains unchanged, thus the base for OVP. a hardmod forces the voltage increase by changing some resistors externally, thus output voltage plus margin is likely to exceed the unchanged predefined voltage in the register.
so using the example above, no matter what output voltage you set via a hardmod, the OVP reference level remains unchanged at 1.35V (1.15V + 0.2V) and thus let OVP kick in as soon as output voltage exceeds 1.35V.

OCP is a different story, as there is no register involved here. OCP will kick in when a certain current draw is exceeded! i have no idea at what point this will be. if my plugin works correctly we probably will see this sooner or later.

implementing OVP and OCP status in the plugin was no big deal and was, the above said in mind, targeted to hard mods mainly, tough OCP might be seen even when soft modding.

[Jamesrt2004]

my vrm's die at anythign over stock on 4870 lols they go like 114 degrees then CRASH BANG WALLOP

[M-XXXX]

M-XXXX
looks like you are using the wrong plugin! look on the source setup window (the lowest window on your screenshot), you can find the name of the plugin at the top besides Data Provider. you are using the VT1103 plugin!
click on [Setup] in the graph window and then on the [Plugins] button. here you can uncheck VT1103.dll and check VT1165.dll instead!

Tnx, its working

Botton line:
Sapphire 4870 (one RED and one BLUE pcb) on vista 64bit, works like a charm

[mikeyakame]

fgw,

Shall do that mate and get back to you.

I just finished reading and re-reading the Intersil ISL6327CRZ multiphase closed-loop feedback and compensation PWM Voltage Reg datasheet, the VR used by NV in the die shrink G200 reference cards, GTX 260 55nm and GTX 285 55nm.
Seems NV screwed you guys over with VR cost cutting this time around, mind you the IC itself only costs $5usd or so.

It's a VR designed with cost savings and affordability in mind so it lacks any kind of external low-pin count bus interface accessibility and relies on the pcb designer to set up all the necessary operational values in design and testing phase. There are 8 VID pins which when pulled up the base VID is read by which pins are 0 or 1 and converted to digital signal by DAC. '

Voltage adjustment is done through current offset via the OFS pin, which is polarity dependant for negative or positive offset, switch to Vss (gnd) for neg, switch to Vcc (vin) for pos. Offset is configured through external resistors connected between the DAC and REF pins, the impedance dynamically controls the current which in turn determines the Vout (voltage out).

Long story short, unless NV have some kind of low pin count programmable interface to adjust a pull up or pull down resistor connected between DAC digital VID signal pin and REF voltage reference pin there is absolutely NO CHANCE AT ALL to control Voltage Adjustments via software on either the GTX 260 55nm or GTX 285 55nm. The only way would be to change the resistor between DAC and REF pins, to give a greater current offset to drive Voltage out higher.

If EVGA is saying it is possible on their cards, short of physical changes to the NV reference cards to add this basic functionality I can't see how it is possible at all. I read over the datasheet a good 4 or 5 times just to make sure I completely understood the electrical design and don't see any way to do it.

[largon]

fgw,
My point about OCP was that if it triggers, Rivatuner will not catch it because once OCP activates, the PWM is immediately clamped or reversed to a safe mode -> crash -> soft reset.

[mikeyakame]

OVP should have 2 scenarios for taking place.

1) If Vout reaches OVP Cut Off VID, which is probably between 1.5-2.0v.
2) If Vout - VID > Vout_overshoot offset.

If only controlling VID through I2C bus registers then scenario 1 OVP is the only case one will encounter.
If controlling VID through resistor impedance for hardward mod, scenario 2 OVP is likely if the resistance pushes Vout past overshoot offset from programmed VID.

If using combination of hardware trickery mod and software programmed VID, then scenario 2 should be avoidable if you can determine the offset allowed for Vovershoot.

[largon]

1) If Vout reaches OVP Cut Off VID (...)

How do you know an OVP of this type exists?

[mikeyakame]

Well I've seen similar in other VR datasheets, and like anything that regulates voltage and current there is always a safety cut off point incase of malfunction. It would be in this case either an OCP or OVP hard set value just incase something goes terribly wrong and Vout overshoots uncontrollably, a hard OVP limit controlled by something like a closed loop slew rate feedback circuit would catch this hopefully before electricals get fried.

[Hardass]

Tried in Vista64 and XP does not show any voltages for card, or increase voltage. Single GTX 260