M17x R2 7970m CrossfireX Ultimate Installation and Tweaking Guide

AlienHack I'm trying to recreate your problem here. Can you tell me what version of Catalysts are you using? I've tried v2.3.0.2 and I still had voltage unlocked... so it has to be something else.

 

catalyst 13.1 , gpu tweak either 2.3.0.2 or your latest version.

trixx shows the vddc bar and i can change it, then the monitoring of gpu tweak (which is actually gpuz) shows that the vddc is droped to 1v , BUT the hwinfo still shows 1.1 V and i think its right as temps still skyrocket to 90 and shutdown when trying extreme benches (like gpu litecoin mining)

i have concluded that probably the test bios doesnt give access to these programs to change vddc. it must be that.

so in my mind the only solution is if someone manages to edit the test vbios and find the exact vddc offset point in hex and change just that, vddc from 1.1 to 1.0 or 1.025
I mean in theory its not so complicated.. but...

 

I took a look through svl's modded vbios, and providing he knew exactly what he was doing instead of experimenting (and I have no reason to doubt that he knows exactly what to change), then bios editing is way more serious stuff and I have no business sticking my nose in it

Sorry mate. The modifications are a bit more complex and unfathomable to me, even when comparing it to patched vbioses vs stock vbioses.

 

omg what did you see in there that frightened you so much?? dont tell me you couldnt even find the vddc hex point?

 

6 offsets modified
I think i know which one of them is the VDDC one, but i'm honestly not sure anymore. Either way, I don't see why svl7's bios didn't work. Have you tried a fresh windows install (maybe on a USB stick or external drive to not ruin your existing install)?

 

By the way one of the companies I work for as an IT manager is a heavy programming one.
So I asked them if someone there can edit a vbios and they told me that probably yes. So I emailed them the file and told them what to look for.

Also asking whether bioses are edited with hex editors he said thay probably its writen in C language and will need a dissasembler.

so from what you see the svl7 bios that he edited is based on my test bios? or he edited his? thank you

 

I cant seem to replicate the problem

13.1 and 13.4 unlock voltages for me with Afterburner and the -xcl parameter. 13.6 still won't unlock in GPU Tweak and wont even display the voltage reading in the sensor monitor window.

Only suggestion I have left is follow that post again but don't install Afterburner. Instead install ASUS GPU Tweak v2.3.4.1 and set it to advanced mode. Then under settings go to the "Tune" tab then the "Tune Settings" tab. Tick the box that says "Overclocking range Enhancement", follow prompts and wait till its complete. Reboot.

That setting is GPU Tweaks version of Afterburners -xcl parameter. It doesn't unlock voltage for me in GPU Tweak but hopefully it works for you. It does enable Overdrive in CCC and voltage adjustment in TRIXX though so its very similar to Afterburners -xcl command.

I suspect since the xcl and Overclocking Range Enhancement both use the same exploit ie. emulation of the powerplay table in the registry, it depends on what cards powerplay table its mimicking. I think Afterburners version of the table works for my card or it loads a table that's compatible with my card. I honestly don't know I'm just guessing here. I'm hoping the table that GPU Tweak loads works for you.

 

It appears to be your test bios.

 

Did you try this vBIOS?

sangemaru check svl7's response. It seems to tie up with what you found in the vBIOS.

 

That vbios is a 015.017 version. The cards it was pulled from were probably late-cycle QS-samples. Keep in mind that as far as I can tell, those results were pre-vbios patcher. It's about 9 months later than AlienHack's 013 TEST bios.
I'm sure svl7 learned a lot more about the cards and bios since then.
Hmm... I'm not sure what to say... svl7 seemed pretty willing to offer multiple vbios versions to be tried out... maybe the risk is small?

 

Possibly but maybe keep it as a last resort.

Can you try asking Myx? The guy you purchased your last card from if he possibly has a Dell ES vBIOS that AlienHack can try.

 

I'll drop him a PM, but I really really doubt it.
I should have saved the ES vbios off my first card (015.014 version), but I didn't think to do so and just flashed over it stupidly back then.
Myx reports not having kept any vbioses himself, nor has he ever used an ES card.

 

I PM'd pau1ow and he said I should ask sangemaru lol Guess he was talking about the card you just mentioned. I remember someone collecting a few 7970M vBIOS's but I cant remember where it is. I'll try to find it.

I've PM'd svl7 on T|I, hopefully he gives the test vBIOS another shot or has an early ES vBIOS to try out.

 

thank u guys for helping me out. i really apreciate it

 

any of u guys have a picture of where the thermal pads are suppose to go on the gpu? also, can i reuse the thermal pads on my 260m?

 

Sorry, I don't have any saved and I don't intend to take my pc apart again until my replacement cpu heatsink arrives However, providing you have the flat heatsink variety, you just need to fill in the spots between the bigger protrusions and the heatsink (so vrams, VRMs and some mosfets between the vrms and near them).

 

Here's a good pic, jacked the link from an ebay listing

You can re-use the 260M pads but it wont be enough. Although AlienHack is running running pads only on his memory at the moment.

 

do i need to put any on the back of the gpu as well?

 

No, the reason for using pads on the back of a GPU is if the card has memory chips there. The 7970M doesn't have memory chips on the back.

 

im not sure which ones are which. is it ok to use a 1mm thick pad for all of them?

 

It actually all depends on how your heatsink sits on your card. Sangemaru and I use two totally different configurations of thermal pads. So my advice would be to get the card and then determine what is the appropriate thickness you need for the areas highlighted in the picture I posted earlier.

You can also stack them if you need thicker pads in a certain area in order to make heatsink contact.

edit: new personal best 3Dmark11 Dropped voltage on both cards to 0.975v and 950/1400 clocks with XM's multi's at 25/25/25/25 and 90/82 TDP/TDC

 

nice!! my personal best is 10.000

 

My CPU temps are degrading by the day (I reach 100C on one core at 23/22/21/20 multis at 55W/47A). So until i get a new heatsink I can't compete with you guys at all. But that's really impressive, nospheratu

 

well 10.000-11.000 (max) is a range we can get with our machines and 7970m cf.

its a great score by the way, for current games we dont really need more. and as i said, if we do, then 780gtc mobility in sli is the way! or next year's mobile cards...

i am so jealous (in a good way) that i cant compete with nospheratu with my engineering sample card and its low mem speed (1150 max) , although i am really happy with the 10.000 3dmark 11' score i got

 

You shouldn't be jealous You guys are within 500 points of each other. I'm stuck at 8700.
It's too bad about the low mem speed, but it's not like the 7970m is starved for membandwidth anyway. Core speed is much more important.

The 780m doesn't appear to be compatible with m17x r2, SLI or otherwise (at least flingin and others don't appear to have had success yet). But 9970m (ehem... R9-9970m) might be interesting, we'll see

Nospheratu, any news about the 330W PSU?

 

No news ... I'm starting to think its lost now. Good thing Amazon has a good customer protection policy. The tracking number hasn't updated at all and still says USPS has been notified of the shipment but hasn't actually received it from the seller.

I have to wait until the 14th of August before logging a claim

 

I have a hunch you can blame USPS for that. It's too be expected from state-trash service. Have you tried contacting the seller directly?

 

Yeah I have the same feeling. I did contact them and they said I have to wait until the last estimated shipping arrival date which is August 14th before they can take any further action. I don't mind waiting, I just hope it arrives.

It was sent with the USPS Priority Mail International which I don't really like but it was the cheapest option. USPS Express Mail International is normally what I use for US shipping and it hasn't failed me yet. I think maybe cos Express Mail International is an EMS service and they have standards to adhere to.

 

Yea, it's usually really not worth the trouble of picking the cheapest option available. You get what you pay for. In my case there's a company that handles shipping things directly from the USA to romania through their own channels, and you don't even necessarily have to pay the product upfront. They usually take an advance (or in my case I ordered a heatsink and the PSU and they didn't ask me for any advance) and they then call you when the items are ready to be picked up.
You should check whether or not there's a similar service in your country Usual good keywords are along the line of "Order any product from the USA" yadda yadda.

Well, you already made the order, but just keep it in mind for the future.

 

By the way sangermaru, my oculus will be here tomorrow or on friday (says UPS tracking)

They sent in last wednesday from UK to Italy (?? i still cant understand why it had to go to milan!) and now is on its way here to Greece.

I cant wait!! i have all demos and games installed and ready to fire up

One of the main reasons i bought my m17 is to be bale to go around friend and family houses and show them the future of virtual reality :thumbsup:

and with these monster 7970m in CF i am sure the tiny Rift resolution (720p) will get more than 60 fps constantly

 

I just thought I'd chance it... guess its not working out in my favour

There are a few of those companies but their prices are ridiculous. I rather order it myself and have some protection with either ebay or amazon. I've had a few orders with Priority Mail before and they worked out so that's why I took the chance.

 

Trust me mate, the reason I built the m17x this way is because I wanted the exact same thing, and i managed to get my hands on the m17x without paying for the base unit. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford to buy the whole thing in one go (otherwise I may have gone for an m18x, maybe, just for the CPU) I'll just wait for the 1080p version, since I have really good eyesight and pixels turn me off.
That being said, you're going to love the kcuf out of it.

Warnings from experience: Sit down, be comfortable, do not put too much stress on yourself. If, for example you try out the rollercoaster demo and it feels even slightly like too much too fast, take it off your head for a minute, relax, try again, a little longer. You'll enjoy it immensely even in 1 minute sessions if you can't handle it all from the start (i couldn't, most of my office mates could).

Second thing: If the application supports 1920x1200 (the maximum down-scalable resolution), DO it. Force any detail-increasing filter you can (Anti-Alias, SSAA, etc.). You'll be able to tell the difference in a huge way, even if you keep seeing pixels (and the pixels virtually vanish as soon as you start to feel really inside the game).

Third thing: have a microfiber cloth handy to clean the lenses They get dirty quite quickly with prolonged usage

I have no idea how I'll manage to wait for the 1080p version I want to play Portal 2 with it.

I think the only way to get sick using it is to ignore your body's needs. You may jump straight into it no problem, or it may feel unfamiliar and require adjustment time. Just don't rush it By the way... you know you'll want a Razer Hydra to go with it, right?

 

i know that i'll need the hydra but i am waiting as they said they will release a new wireless version

 

Yep. I plan to expect a wireless hydra + wireless rift for mid-2014.

 

another random question.

would a 7970m work on a r1 screen? i did the r1 - r2 motherboard upgrade and im still using the r1 lcd screen. do you guys know if the r1 screen would work with a 7970m?

 

There shouldn't be any reason for it to not work. Worst case scenario is you'd have to do a vbios reflash in case you get extreme brightness and artifacts in order to not damage the lcd, but those are not very common. You should be totally safe doing it.

 

Sangermaru how much did you get the m17 r2 for? With what cards and cpu?

 

Well, it's kind of a long story I bought a Latitude E4300 for 650$, upgraded to the 16F1 barebone for an extra 150$, upgraded it with 700$ of parts over the next year, eventually traded that for a P150EM + 150$, and then traded that Clevo for the m17x-r2 (already equipped with all the components except the 7970m's). So over one year and a half I paid 1350$ for the machine i have now only with 2x 285M's. Then another ~700$ for the cards themselves, so around 2000$ in all over 2 years.

 

hmmm ... a long story indeed.... and from all the laptops you had the m17 r2 is the one you feel more happy i suposse?


i found and offer for 950Euros (1265$) for the m17x r2 with 2x 5870m crossfire and then ordered a 7970m for 360$ and by mistake i received 2 , so totally , 1600$ it costed me in its current state.

 

My PSU jack is in the country so I guess that's a bit of good news although... a bit pointless without the PSU itself

Other good news is reborn2003 just posted that the 13.8 Beta framepacing driver is out, so going to give that a try now.

 

Wohoo, dear GOD I HOPE WE DON'T GET BSODS WITH IT.

 

Lmao You and me both man... also hope that ASUS GPU Tweak works with it too Maybe that's a bit too much pressure on the poor BETA

Server seems its working real hard from my side... I think a lot of people were waiting for this.

edit: FC3 is worse than before with framepacing on

 

The driver appears stable. Recorded framerate appears lower but the games appear quite smoother. Alt-Tab seems stable.

FC3 was known fail with the prototype driver for weeks now try something else.

 

That's the only reason I wanted this driver to work None of the other games I'm playing at the moment have stutter or microstutter. Did someone test FC3 with the prototype? I haven't seen anything

And ASUS GPU Tweak won't unlock voltage either... I'll play with it a bit but I think I'm going to revert to 13.4 to have voltage control. Hopefully ASUS fix it...

 

well HAWKEN is horible from microshuttering so i will run and download the driver!!! Huray!!!

well, i installed and tried it.
In hawken it fixes the strange ups and downs the fps had, they are smoother now. and the gameplay feels smoother although there are some strange hickups now that werent there...

 

im asking the guys with 7970m crossfire in their m17 r2´s.

how much more fps(in average) brought the second 7970m in GAMING?
if the fps increased around 60% then im going too join you soon^^

 

For me, the average increase is even up to 70-80% (depends on game, but mostly like this). Metro:2033 and Metro:Last Light as well as Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider, 3DMark, Bioshock: Infinite and others scale up between 70-95%.

EDIT: More results with the 13.8 driver: I got two BSODS so far. One while alt-tabbing in Bioshock: Infinite and another when reaching a new level in Bioshock: Infinite. I'm unsure whether or not these issues are with the driver or with the game itself. I'm still keeping it, because everything is much smoother.

 

Still cant get ASUS GPU Tweak to unlock voltage with 13.8 although both my cards are listed in Overdrive now and the profile.xml settings file shows clocks/voltage for both cards so I can edit it.

It works well, I just have to figure how to enable Overdrive to apply these settings on boot as I have to open CCC for the settings to take effect.

sangemaru I think the BSOD's are driver related. Bioshock occasionally crashes to the desktop especially on a loading screen. And crashing from fullscreen mode to desktop is similar to Alt-Tabbing.

edit: Just checked PC Perspective's review of the 13.8 Beta and they also report no improvement in FC3, except for 2560x1440. They also say its a problem for multi-GPU systems in general.

 

i didnt have any BSOD problems ever. with whatever driver.

Also Nospheratu are you saying you have voltage control in Overdrive?


PS. i received my rift... its great but i am from the unlucky ones that get easily seasick... i mean i cant play more than 3-4 minutes before i am ready to puke...

too bad because halflife and doom 3 are great with it...

 

@AlienHack: It's not quite seasickness, and you can use it.
There's a few tricks you have to keep in mind:

1. Never push your comfort. You don't wait to take it off once you actually feel like puking, that's too late. You should use it for small periods of time, and any onset of discomfort should have you taking it off and getting some rest. Your brain will learn to deal with it if you don't force it. Take long breaks.
2. Half the problem comes from the fact that there's communication troubles between body and head. Moving the head does not correspond to moving the body, and instead of moving the body yourself, you use the mouse. You should try to enjoy programs that do not have you using your mouse very often, and whenever you DO use the mouse, make sure you centered your field of view straight forward with your head positioned straight forward.
3. I'll buy it off you for 100$ if you can't handle it (Though you could sell it for 5x that on ebay, lol).