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[Softmod] AMD 6970m -> FirePro M8900 *UPDATE* 6990m works too!


svl7

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Little update: This also works with the 6990m! (@DR650SE ;)) I just tested it and am currently running my M15x with FirePro drivers and a 1120 shader M8900 :D

I used the Dell M6600 FirePro M8900 drivers from the Dell site, works fine so far, all settings seem to be available in the Catalyst Pro Control Center.

I updated the first post, as you can see the additional shaders bring about 1000 points more in Vantage (GPU), so I'm currently running the most powerful M8900 in the world :P

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@svl7 Awesome!! Currently I'm running Folding@Home and am hoping the benefits will be seen in that program. I think it may. F@H is all floating point calculation. Think the cards will run in crossfire? What I need to do is get some reading done! Like now! Mostly I'm curious as to whether or not it will make the GPU more efficient at folding :D Flashing back is always easy enough for gaming.

I'll give it a shot tonight or sometime in the next week, whenever I can make some time. If I brick the cards, can I send them to you and pay you to have them reprogrammed?

Also, should the OpenCL box be checked? Or is that a CCC option?

Edited by DR650SE
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@svl7 Awesome!! What kind of benefits will this bring? Currently I'm running Folding@Home and want to know if the benefits will be seen in that program. Think they should be able to run in Crossfire? What affect will it have in gaming? I need to do some reading! Like now!

Better OpenGL and OpenCL support, 10 bit color support, CAD optimized driver... (that's also the reason why I tried this with the 6970m). Also the driver and firmware is rather tuned for accurate calculating than for gaming. Though I played some rounds of BF3 with the FirePro drivers yesterday and had absolutely no issues, even though the driver dates back to October.

I have no idea whether it helps for folding@home, depends on what calculations the software does. The regular Dell M8900 has no CF connector, so I have absolutely no idea whether it's supported... And I don't know of a machine with two M8900, you have to try it and see whether it works I guess.

I'll give it a shot tonight or in the next week, whenever I can make some time. If I brick the cards, can I send them to you and pay you to have them reprogrammed?

For you I'd do it for free, minus shipping. ;)

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Nice! appreciate it. I'm going ot try. I'll first have to create some image backups. Just in case. But I just realized, F@H will work both cards if crossfire is enabled or not. So I guess theoretically as long as the F@H program can find it in the slot it will work. Though I can't be totally sure. This will be fun :D

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@svl7 Flashed the cards, but so far nothing in CCC for Crossfire. It looks like CCC detected the M8900 vbios as the options in CC were for a Firepro. As far as drivers, I can't seem to get the M8900 drivers to install from the M8900 package. But I can install 11.10 drivers. How do you get GPU-Z to read it as an M8900? Editing the driver package with Orca? Also is there any way to add the crossfire option to CCC? I'm assuming that will be a tough one.

I dont really need crossfire, but it would be nice to do a little gaming in crossfire, even if the performance is deminished a bit. I mostly want the firepros for Folding@Home. Even without folding at home, the F@H program will run both cards for folding, so Crossfire isn't neccessary, but would be nice so I don't have to flash the vbios to get crossfire in games. Although that is simple enough, I'm lazy :P

Edited by DR650SE
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It looks like CCC detected the M8900 vbios as the options in CC were for a Firepro. As far as drivers, I can't seem to get the M8900 drivers to install from the M8900 package. But I can install 11.10 drivers.

Now that's a bit weird... the I was able to install the FirePro driver without any issues after flashing the VBIOS... I uninstalled all AMD software before doing so. (As I always do when I change drivers, including the use of CCleaner).

Did you uninstall the drivers before flashing the VBIOS? I can't remember it exactly, but I think my 6970m did work properly with the regular drivers, even when flashed to the M8900, as far as the drivers were already installed.

How do you get GPU-Z to read it as an M8900? Editing the driver package with Orca?

That's how it shows up after I flash the VBIOS and install the drivers, no mod necessary at all... Your cards still show up as 6990m, but with lower clock rates??

I'm using an ES 6990m, but I really doubt it makes any difference, the chip should be identical to yours.

Also is there any way to add the crossfire option to CCC? I'm assuming that will be a tough one.

If it doesn't work, I really don't think so... in this case it seems that there's no driver and/or VBIOS support for this feature. Seems the M8900 doesn't lack the CC connector for no reason... I've done a quick research and I haven't found any notebook with two FirePro cards in it, it seems that dual card is simply not supported.

I dont really need crossfire, but it would be nice to do a little gaming in crossfire, even if the performance is deminished a bit. I mostly want the firepros for Folding@Home. Even without folding at home, the F@H program will run both cards for folding, so Crossfire isn't neccessary, but would be nice so I don't have to flash the vbios to get crossfire in games. Although that is simple enough, I'm lazy :P

Yeah, would be awesome... changing the VBIOS always requires to change the driver... at least once you've installed the catalyst pro drivers.

Don't know what's wrong with your cards, should work just as fine.

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Hi all, i am glad i found this thread. could anyone kindly advise if this will work on HD 6970 to FirePro V8800? thank you very much.

No idea. Apparently these two cards have a different shader count, but it might work. Your best chances are if you have a 6970 using the reference design.

It shouldn't be too hard to flash the original VBIOS back in case it doesent work, provided you have a second GPU (and slot) available, or an integrated GPU. Though I'm not 100% sure about this, I don't have a desktop, but maybe @Jimbo can confirm whether it works to recover a desktop GPU that way.

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Hey guys, thank you very much for your prompt replies. perhaps i'll look over the dowloaded attachment over the weekend. i have the original VBIOS which was downloaded sometime ago from another forum.

Apologies... what is "Blind Flash" with USB as mentioned by Jimbo?

thank you all again. Cheers!!!

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A. Blind flash is a method of booting your system in the state where vbios is corrupt and it is causing to boot with nothing displayed on screen. So following known method with instructed key strokes etc one can reflash vbios in this state hence the name blind flash.

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Apologies... what is "Blind Flash" with USB as mentioned by Jimbo?

thank you all again. Cheers!!!

Well, in case the VBIOS isn't compatible you won't get any picture an might have to blindly flash the card... but as far as I know this won't be necessary. You have a desktop system, you should be able to simply use an integrated GPU (e.g. the one on the Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs if you have one) or just another PCI card in case you "brick" your 6970 with the flash. Then you still got a picture and can simply flash the VBIOS to the according PCI slot.

As I said, I don't have a desktop myself, but I think it should work like this.

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Thanks @svl7 I had a feeling there wasn't a dual card option for the M8900. I have a guy over at NBR who will add my device ID to the driver package, but first I may try to uninstall as you did. Don't remember if I did that or not. At least not a clean install, but I will give it a shot. But yea, with the vbios flashed and the 11.10 drivers it still shows up as a 6990M, and thats with the vbios on the OP. I'll tinker with it more when I get some more time.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I can confirm that this works with the Clevo 6990m. I used the 12.1 beta drivers and I did not have to change any of the Catalyst files.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3136[/ATTACH]

Congratulations thats great landonepps. welcome to Tech | Inferno. Feel free to help add posts to the Clevo section too ours is nearly naked lol. Cheers.

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Will this mod also work without a problem on a Dell 6970m card in a clevo laptop? (w860cu).

I really can't think of a reason why it shouldn't work as long as the Dell 6970m works fine in the system.

I can confirm that this works with the Clevo 6990m. I used the 12.1 beta drivers and I did not have to change any of the Catalyst files.

Thanks for letting us now! What kind of system are you using? Which CPU?

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  • 1 month later...

i success too with my clevo p150hm 6990m£¬but i crack the m8900 driver or i canot install the dell m8900 driver ¡£the veryperf 11 score is as much as the quadro 4000m¡£can this method work with 5870m£¿or where does the m8900. bin from£¿

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  • 1 month later...

After success installed both 6990m and Gtx580m on m6600 I came up with my personal conclusion !

It's the bios or the laptop brand that's matter ..

my friend who put the 6990m in his m6600 and flash it with firepro m8900 bios.

He does not need to mod driver like m17xR3 > just download and install the driver from del m6600's page.

and it's recognized as a real firepro (not just by name or driver mod)

The Gtx580m is not recognized by the bios but with the right driver it worked very well like any other gtx580m card.

M6600 Owners Thread - Page 420

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After success installed both 6990m and Gtx580m on m6600 I came up with my personal conclusion !

It's the bios or the laptop brand that's matter ..

my friend who put the 6990m in his m6600 and flash it with firepro m8900 bios.

He does not need to mod driver like m17xR3 > just download and install the driver from del m6600's page.

and it's recognized as a real firepro (not just by name or driver mod)

The Gtx580m is not recognized by the bios but with the right driver it worked very well like any other gtx580m card.

M6600 Owners Thread - Page 420

nice Job Devillucifer thanks for the infos :) what are your opinions of those two cards in that system?

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  • 1 month later...
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