BelloFrescoFresco
17-02-2003, 16:00
ragazzi guardate un po' che ho trovato in rete:
9500->9700 Pro CHECKERBOARD ARTIFACT FIX ***
*** CHECKERBOARD ARTIFACT FIX ***
No, this is no hoax, and yes it does work. First of all, I'd like to say that my card is a "good one", which means it's got an L-shaped memory bank, and it's an OEM saphire card (which makes it straightforward for the "fix" since it comes unlocked by default).
Things I considered to get to this conclusion:
1 - The argument that the first 4 pixel pipelines in the card could be good while the next 4 could be faulty or not is as absurd as it gets. Anyone with moderate understanding on this kind of hardware internals know that it's highly unprobable, and it wouldn't plague as many people as it has been reported.
2 - The specs of the cards (9500 and 9700) basically differ in the core and memory clocks (and specially mem speed 3.3 or 2.8 ns). When a 9700 card is detected, clocks are set differently by the driver. ****IF**** the video card is o/c locked in its BIOS, not even a hardware mod will make it work in 9700 speed settings.
So to sum it (everybody drooling already for the final conclusion?):
SET THE CORE SPEED TO OR CLOSE TO 9700 PRO (325). That's it. Artifacts gone. I mean totally - Niente, nada, 100% perfect, full speed. Software or hardware - I'll personally stick to software for obvious reasons.
Breaking it up in parts:
1 - Make sure your video card can be overclocked. All Saphire cards are o/c unlocked, other cards may need a BIOS flash. You can get info on how to do that on wizzard's page.
2 - Install hacked drivers (wizzard's or make your own using rivatuner)
3 - Install your overclocking software (I use Rivatuner), and set your core clock speed to 325 from 275. In my tests artifacts start to vanish beyond 300 Mhz, and are totally gone when you're over 310. I have absolutely no problem running my card at 325. Memory overclocking is definitely a problem in this mod (don't care about what people say, getting a 3.3 ns mem chip running as fast as a 2.8 ns will definitely get you tearing artifacts).
If you absolutely need to get 100% 9700 pro specs, get some RAM sinks to cool it. Your mileage may vary, but I get a totally stable setup at 325 Mhz core and 305 Mhz mem clock.
If you check on 3DMark you'll notice how little mem clock impacts the vidcard performance, so judge well if it's worth stressing your card for such little gain. Core chip gets proper ventilation etc, by default.
My conclusion on all this, is that people that already had overclocked their cards and didn't mess with their o/c settings after running the softmod/hacked drivers got it working, and people who chose the safe way - "let me run this vanilla clock first and see if it works" - got the checkers, like me at first time. Thoughts like "if it doesn't work stock clock, overclocking will fry my card!" certainly sparkled around many people minds.
As to why this is needed, I'm not sure if it's a driver issue or if less than 300 Mhz core clock is not enough to "fuel" all eight pixel pipelines. We could get enlightened by someone that has a real 9700 pro unlocked testing it underclocked to 275 Mhz core to see if the damned artifacts appear or not.
Adesso appena vado a casa faccio quest'altra prova!!! e vi faccio sapere ovviamente.
9500->9700 Pro CHECKERBOARD ARTIFACT FIX ***
*** CHECKERBOARD ARTIFACT FIX ***
No, this is no hoax, and yes it does work. First of all, I'd like to say that my card is a "good one", which means it's got an L-shaped memory bank, and it's an OEM saphire card (which makes it straightforward for the "fix" since it comes unlocked by default).
Things I considered to get to this conclusion:
1 - The argument that the first 4 pixel pipelines in the card could be good while the next 4 could be faulty or not is as absurd as it gets. Anyone with moderate understanding on this kind of hardware internals know that it's highly unprobable, and it wouldn't plague as many people as it has been reported.
2 - The specs of the cards (9500 and 9700) basically differ in the core and memory clocks (and specially mem speed 3.3 or 2.8 ns). When a 9700 card is detected, clocks are set differently by the driver. ****IF**** the video card is o/c locked in its BIOS, not even a hardware mod will make it work in 9700 speed settings.
So to sum it (everybody drooling already for the final conclusion?):
SET THE CORE SPEED TO OR CLOSE TO 9700 PRO (325). That's it. Artifacts gone. I mean totally - Niente, nada, 100% perfect, full speed. Software or hardware - I'll personally stick to software for obvious reasons.
Breaking it up in parts:
1 - Make sure your video card can be overclocked. All Saphire cards are o/c unlocked, other cards may need a BIOS flash. You can get info on how to do that on wizzard's page.
2 - Install hacked drivers (wizzard's or make your own using rivatuner)
3 - Install your overclocking software (I use Rivatuner), and set your core clock speed to 325 from 275. In my tests artifacts start to vanish beyond 300 Mhz, and are totally gone when you're over 310. I have absolutely no problem running my card at 325. Memory overclocking is definitely a problem in this mod (don't care about what people say, getting a 3.3 ns mem chip running as fast as a 2.8 ns will definitely get you tearing artifacts).
If you absolutely need to get 100% 9700 pro specs, get some RAM sinks to cool it. Your mileage may vary, but I get a totally stable setup at 325 Mhz core and 305 Mhz mem clock.
If you check on 3DMark you'll notice how little mem clock impacts the vidcard performance, so judge well if it's worth stressing your card for such little gain. Core chip gets proper ventilation etc, by default.
My conclusion on all this, is that people that already had overclocked their cards and didn't mess with their o/c settings after running the softmod/hacked drivers got it working, and people who chose the safe way - "let me run this vanilla clock first and see if it works" - got the checkers, like me at first time. Thoughts like "if it doesn't work stock clock, overclocking will fry my card!" certainly sparkled around many people minds.
As to why this is needed, I'm not sure if it's a driver issue or if less than 300 Mhz core clock is not enough to "fuel" all eight pixel pipelines. We could get enlightened by someone that has a real 9700 pro unlocked testing it underclocked to 275 Mhz core to see if the damned artifacts appear or not.
Adesso appena vado a casa faccio quest'altra prova!!! e vi faccio sapere ovviamente.