7900GT: Unlocking the Beast Within

[crazylegs]

hrmm firstly i wouldnt like to go that high... esp if you do any mem Oc coz it has no cooling with stock...!

secondly the vf900 dont fit in sli

so guess u'll have to stick with the stock in sli

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

I've found that the best way to do the mod is to dab the conductive ink onto a piece of plastic and then use a needle to "paint" on the card itself . . .

 

[crazylegs]

Originally posted by: 1Dark1Sharigan1
I've found that the best way to do the mod is to dab the conductive ink onto a piece of plastic and then use a needle to "paint" on the card itself . . .

great tip!

also heard it mentioned that a very fine point scredriver can be used to draw out the line of conductive paint... think i'm going to go for a similar approach when all my stuff arrives - feel like a lil kid waiting for xmas to come

 

[AzNPinkTuv]

Originally posted by: crazylegs
hrmm firstly i wouldnt like to go that high... esp if you do any mem Oc coz it has no cooling with stock...!

secondly the vf900 dont fit in sli

so guess u'll have to stick with the stock in sli

you sure about the 900's not fitting in sli???

they are smaller then 700's and 700's fit...

 

[hynat]

It's true that I don't have much room left in my second slot. If the VF900 is any thicker than the stock hsf then it probably won't fit...

 

[samusaraniv]

Originally posted by: AzNPinkTuv

Originally posted by: crazylegs
hrmm firstly i wouldnt like to go that high... esp if you do any mem Oc coz it has no cooling with stock...!

secondly the vf900 dont fit in sli

so guess u'll have to stick with the stock in sli

you sure about the 900's not fitting in sli???

they are smaller then 700's and 700's fit...

They do not fit for certain with an Abit AN8 32X board. The screws fastened to the back on the bottom card obstruct the motion of the top card's fan. They will work fine without the SLI bridge attached. To make them work in SLI with the bridge connected, I first attached the bridge and then used an old RAM heatsink from the VF700 and wedged it between the heatsink of the top card and the PCB of the bottom card. This flexes the top card up just enough so that the fan will spin without hitting the bottom card screws.

A simple solution would be to make a cable-style SLI bridge that isn't hardwired to PCB. Anyone know if such a thing exists??

I really don't like the heatsink wedge solution, but it's my only option unless I want to do SLI without the bridge, or use a VF900 for the top card and a VF700 for the bottom..

 

[Jules]

deeznuts > 7900gt

 

[akugami]

Originally posted by: samusaraniv

Originally posted by: AzNPinkTuv

Originally posted by: crazylegs
hrmm firstly i wouldnt like to go that high... esp if you do any mem Oc coz it has no cooling with stock...!

secondly the vf900 dont fit in sli

so guess u'll have to stick with the stock in sli

you sure about the 900's not fitting in sli???

they are smaller then 700's and 700's fit...

They do not fit for certain with an Abit AN8 32X board. The screws fastened to the back on the bottom card obstruct the motion of the top card's fan. They will work fine without the SLI bridge attached. To make them work in SLI with the bridge connected, I first attached the bridge and then used an old RAM heatsink from the VF700 and wedged it between the heatsink of the top card and the PCB of the bottom card. This flexes the top card up just enough so that the fan will spin without hitting the bottom card screws.

A simple solution would be to make a cable-style SLI bridge that isn't hardwired to PCB. Anyone know if such a thing exists??

I really don't like the heatsink wedge solution, but it's my only option unless I want to do SLI without the bridge, or use a VF900 for the top card and a VF700 for the bottom..

This seems to be what you're looking for. Overpriced and Froogle has it elsewhere for cheaper but not sure on the vendors.

 

[samusaraniv]

You sure that's a cable bridge? It looks like PCB to me. I can't find a good enough picture to tell if it is or not.

 

[akugami]

http://www.supermicro.com/products/accessories/addon/AOC-SLIB.cfm
I had assumed it was due to the length. Still not too clear though with the pict linked above. Guess you could always email them and ask. This cable seems pretty lengthy and if it is indeed on a flexible ribbon it could be just what some of you need.

A8N32 SLI Deluxe and P5WD2 Premium uses flexible SLI bridges so maybe you can get one off ASUS, however I don't know if it has enough tolerance for some of the cooling solutions out there should you wish to run it in SLI.

 

[RyanVM]

Just so you guys know, there are $5 off coupons for Harbor Freight that get the DMM down to $4.98 shipped . Just apply coupon 491-869-824 and you'll see it take $5 off your order. Here's the thing, the site I found it on says you must spend at least $50 for it to work. However, it worked fine for me with just the DMM, so I guess YMMV.

Anyway, it's a sweet deal if it works

 

[iamtrout]

The slider bar won't go higher than 660MHz coreclock in Powerstrip...

 

[MAC5000]

I've read the thread and I don't think anybody answered this, but if you do the easy 1.4 mod, you don't need to do the memory mods correct?

 

[RyanVM]

They're entirely different mods. Upping the voltage to the core will do nothing to the memory voltage and vice versa.

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

Originally posted by: RyanVM
They're entirely different mods. Upping the voltage to the core will do nothing to the memory voltage and vice versa.

Yeah but Coolbits will let you pass it's test at a higher mem overclock when the core voltage is increased . . . or at least this is what I've experienced.

 

[RyanVM]

I wouldn't be completely surprised if that were due to the memory controller on the chip getting more voltage. It still doesn't negate the gains people have gotten by upping the voltage to the memory.

 

[inveterate]

GUYS,, is it possible to use one of those SunBeam PCI racks and just have a 90mm fan hover in the middle of the case blowing at the heat sink with the logo removed,, this seems most similar to the Vr-zone thing. and it's much cooler and "neat" and LESS THAN 50 bux.

 

[imported_ST]

Folks,


you can buy a $14.95 NV silencer 5 :

http://www.svc.com/avc-nv5-r2.html


perform a simple length cut on the silencer with a dremel or hacksaw, and you're golden:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1030245&highlight=silencer+7900gt

and here's a little more insight into a couple more ?'s folks had:

- Do you need the mem mod? NO they are seperate mods. you can get away with doing the gpu mod by itself with no ill effects. Once you hit around 700MHz gpu core though, pushing the mem past 900MHz will yield more gains as it starts getting bandwidth limited

- How can you tell the gpu volt mod worked without a DMM: All the volt mod is doing is changing a register within the VRM digitally from a 0 to 1 (or vice versa). It is a hit or miss affair; you'll either get the volt mod or it will remain at stock. If you can overclock past 600MHz GPU COre, you've completed it successfully. CHecking it with a DMM is only for the absolute die hards that do other mods to verify; it's still a usefull tool regardless if you do the volt mod or not.

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: ST
Folks,


you can buy a $14.95 NV silencer 5 :

http://www.svc.com/avc-nv5-r2.html


perform a simple length cut on the silencer with a dremel or hacksaw, and you're golden:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1030245&highlight=silencer+7900gt

and here's a little more insight into a couple more ?'s folks had:

- Do you need the mem mod? NO they are seperate mods. you can get away with doing the gpu mod by itself with no ill effects. Once you hit around 700MHz gpu core though, pushing the mem past 900MHz will yield more gains as it starts getting bandwidth limited

- How can you tell the gpu volt mod worked without a DMM: All the volt mod is doing is changing a register within the VRM digitally from a 0 to 1 (or vice versa). It is a hit or miss affair; you'll either get the volt mod or it will remain at stock. If you can overclock past 600MHz GPU COre, you've completed it successfully. CHecking it with a DMM is only for the absolute die hards that do other mods to verify; it's still a usefull tool regardless if you do the volt mod or not.

ST, hard at work on nV propaganda! What this guy isn't telling you is the real price of tampering with your 7900 GT and the cost of the items:


Fact is to get the 7900 GT up to par with a higher end part (assuming they don't kill it in the process) one has to do the following...



Order Summary
EVGA e-GeForce 7900 GT Graphics Card (256P2N563DX)
ECC 256P2N563DX

Price
Qty
Total

$319.99
1
$319.99
Price Before $50.00 in Rebates
Charges for this order:
Subtotal
Estimated Shipping
Estimated tax
Total

$319.99
Free!
$24.80
$344.79

So $344.79-$50 MIR = $294.79, not quite the hot deal u make it out to be.


The so-called $3 meter turns out to be a lot more expensive than what ST claims:

1 90899-1VGA 7 FUNCTION MULTI-TESTER 2.99 2.99
Subtotal 2.99
Tax Rate 0.07250
Tax Amount 0.22
(CA) - (6.99) *Shipping 6.99
Handling 0.00
Total 10.20


Of course there's the "slightly modified cooler" (disclaimer: requires the user to purhcase a dremel if they don't already have one) not designed for the 7900 GT that's also required. So the real price of this "slightly modified cooler" comes out to:

$14.95 $14.95

Subtotal: $14.95
Shipping: $6.29
Tax: $1.23
Total: $22.47 using standard UPS shipping.


So yes lets add that up using your "slightly modified" cooler that's not designed to fit on the 7900 GT along with the pen and meter (this is excluding the cost of a dremel for those that don't own one):

Card: $294.79 after MIR
Meter: $10.20
Conductive pen: $13
"Slightly modded cooler"(LOL): $22.47

Grand Total: $340.46 + voided warranty and a "slightly modified" voided cooler

vs.

Stock X1900XT for $424 that requires no conductive ink, multimeter or "slightly modified cooler" and gives you HQ AF, HDR+AA, and stable drivers.

vs.

Stock X1800XT for $263.89 which comes out to $80 less than the voided 7900 GT with its "slightly modified" cooler.



ST, your nVidia marketing needs work. You should consult with AEG some more for better marketing tips that don't involve voiding a video card's warranty and driving up the cost substantially to modify it.

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: 5150Joker

ST, your nVidia marketing needs work. You should consult with AEG some more for better marketing tips that don't involve voiding a video card's warranty and driving up the cost substantially to modify it.

Troll much Mr. Hipocrisy himself?

This thread is dedicated to those wanting to perform a 7900gt volt mod. If you have nothing contribute and instead want to spread your fanATIcal BS, please follow your own advice:

"If you don't like the thread, don't click on it, duh"

Looks like Mr. (ATI)Stroker is a bit concerned that all the 7900gt owners (countless ones to date) might achieve the same performance as his precious X1900s lol, otherwise he wouldn't pay us a visit in a specific 7900gt thread

Thanks again for reinforcing the obvious:

"an X1900XT that will give you the same performance as a volt modded 7900 GT" -5150Joker

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: ST

Originally posted by: 5150Joker

ST, your nVidia marketing needs work. You should consult with AEG some more for better marketing tips that don't involve voiding a video card's warranty and driving up the cost substantially to modify it.

Troll much Mr. Hipocrisy himself?

This thread is dedicated to those wanting to perform a 7900gt volt mod. If you have nothing contribute and instead want to spread your fanATIcal BS, please follow your own advice:

"If you don't like the thread, don't click on it, duh"

Looks like Mr. (ATI)Stroker is a bit concerned that all the 7900gt owners (countless ones to date) might achieve the same performance as his precious X1900s lol, otherwise he wouldn't pay us a visit in a specific 7900gt thread

Actually I'm debunking the b.s. you're spreading around, much to your dismay I'm sure (my sig is dedicated to trolls like you). For all those considering this "mod" you need to keep in mind it involves voiding your warranty, potentially killing it in the process, buying a dremel to "slightly mod" the aftermarket cooler that wasn't designed for the card and of course the actual cost of doing all this which makes the mod totally not worth it (see above).

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: 5150Joker
Actually I'm debunking the b.s. you're spreading around, much to your dismay I'm sure. For all those considering this "mod" you need to keep in mind it involves voiding your warranty, potentially killing it in the process, buying a dremel to "slightly mod" the aftermarket cooler that wasn't designed for the card and of course the actual cost of doing all this which makes the mod totally not worth it (see above).

haha B.S., what B.S. is volt modding lol....it is real and it works

Voiding warranty...just like you voided yours with your X1900, when you: 1) replaced the HSF with WC components or 2) when you Overclocked and Volt modded to 1.525V? What's the difference again other than you spending more than $500 bux for your setup?

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: ST

Originally posted by: 5150Joker
Actually I'm debunking the b.s. you're spreading around, much to your dismay I'm sure. For all those considering this "mod" you need to keep in mind it involves voiding your warranty, potentially killing it in the process, buying a dremel to "slightly mod" the aftermarket cooler that wasn't designed for the card and of course the actual cost of doing all this which makes the mod totally not worth it (see above).

haha B.S., what B.S. is volt modding lol....it is real and it works

Voiding warranty...just like you voided yours with your X1900, when you: 1) replaced the HSF with WC components or 2) when you Overclocked and Volt modded to 1.525V? What's the difference again other than you spending more than $500 bux for your setup?

Difference is I could've kept my card with stock cooling and still came out on top compared to a voided 7900 GT along with more stable drivers, HDR+AA and HQ AF. My entire system is WC'd because I'm an avid overclocker, thats what I purchase my hardware for; unlike this 7900 GT that is *required* to get it above its 7800 gtx'esque performance. I know the obvious is hard to get through your thick head so I'll state it again:

1. Cost of modding and voiding a 7900 GT: $340.46 (dremel cost not included which would totally destroy the "value" of modding the aftermarket cooler).
2. Stock X1900XT: $424, no mods required.
3. Stock X1800XT: $263 no mods required.

 

[Pens1566]

You can get the EVGA 7900GT CO (500/1500) for ~240 AR at CC right now. Don't tell the troll that though. Oh, and you don't need to "slightly modify" any cooler. You can always go for the vf900. Already have a meter, "slightly UN-modified" coolers, and the conductive pen too. Guess that my $31 for step-up for the first 7900GT and $240 for the 2nd 7900GT just might be slightly better than an x1900?

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: 5150Joker
Difference is I could've kept my card with stock cooling and still came out on top compared to a voided 7900 GT with more stable drivers, HDR+AA and HQ AF. I know the obvious is hard to get through your thick head so I'll state it again:"

Might want to check the thread topic again /poke /confused

you cite one specific way you can volt mod, while their are countless other ways lol, yet you choose to ignore them. Typical fanATIcism from the Stroker himself.

Still don't you think ATI will get upset at you for making that comment:

"an X1900XT that will give you the same performance as a volt modded 7900 GT" -5150Joker

There goes the early X-mas bonus

Note: I shall ignore all of Mr. (ATI)Stroker's comments/posts on this thread from therein. I would encourage folks to do the same, as he's only trying to troll/flame...