Originally Posted by
t024484
If you buy a new board, it certainly is worth considering to buy an EVGA board with the 1.2/1.45 switching option already installed, like the KO-SS.
On the other hand, the cost of an GTX is "only" 70,- euro more, so this might be an even better option.
But for those already in the possession of a 7900GT, this DIY option that I have described could be interesting to hopefully extending the life of their board. And let's not forget, this is the Xtreme forum.
Somewhat to my surprise, EVGA have added more components than strictly necessary, because it is not only possible to switch to 1.45Volt (VID 1) but also to 1.3Volt (VID 2) and to 1.55Volt (VID 3).
I cannot find the way in BIOS to have VID 2 and VID 3 enabled, so for the time being the extra hardware is partly of use for nobody.
With my modification, I have used the fact that only the VID 1 line is switched, that's why I achieve exactly the same as EVGA, but with reduced hardware.
As a last remark, my guts feeling tells me that it is the 7900 GPU that is very vulnerable, time will learn.
Because of that EVGA is changing their boards to 1.2 Volt in 2D, why would they invest in extra components if it is not necessary.
But although this switching is a step in the direction, I still read of GTX boards and unmodified 7900GT boards that are dying, so it is not the final solution.
In a previous thread I have already mentioned that with the new 90 Nm chip, things are getting more critical than ever.
1 Volt voltage difference into two conductors only 100 Nm apart, means 10.000Volts per millimeter. Enough to fire a spark plug in a car.
The only difference with a spark plug is that it designed to spark, which cannot be said of a GPU chip. So the design of a 90 Nm chip cannot simply be a downgrade of a previous 130 Nm design.
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