Updating 7970m drivers

Hi guys, I hate to make a thread about this but unfortunately the search system on this site is pretty bad (or perhaps I dont know how to use it) nothing comes up under 7970m or 7970m drivers...


So I clean installed windows and have Fn+F7ed and want to install the best drivers available for the 7970m - I dont care fore enduro or the hd4000 they mind as well be gone...

If someone can give me a quick explanation on how to update these drivers I would be very grateful (and perhaps point me to the best ones). I cant offer much in return just the Rep

Thanks in advance guys

Edit: oops almost forgot, to have all my questions in one place, Is overclocking the 7970 still the same as (forgive me if im wrong) whats SlickDude wrote up in his thread? or has it become easier like with the 6970? In short do you still have to unlock it or does afterburner or Trixx allow you to oc right away?

Edit#2: looks like this became the #1 google result when searching for "how to update 7970m drivers" - no other info available on google lol

 

StZu, make sure you are running on the 7970m, then download and install the 12.5 modded betas (driver version 8.97)...the link is found in my guide

As far as overclocking it goes, you have to unlock. Look at section 10 in my guide

Have fun with it! The 7970m is a beast of a card with lots of potential

 

You already have the best drivers. ATI has yet to release the official 12.5s, so the drivers you got from Dell are as good (read: stable) as it gets for now.

Slick and a few others are running modified beta drivers. While you could follow their guides and go down that road, for the sake of stability its probably best to use the Dell drivers until we get an official release.

Hang in there, buddy. You aren't the only one waiting.

 

Oh yes, I followed your guide (for which I am very thankfull ), I unlocked it. But it does not seem to go beyong 900/1300 clocks which is weird. Everytime i set it at 945/1385 and launhc a game it freezes the game (no BSOD). the settings that I was referring to were msi afterburner in app setting, like if I need to change anything there because 950/1400 should be a very easy overclock yet im getting the freezes of games

Its also depressing because the performance difference between my Overclocked 6970m and the slightly overclocked 7970m is very minimal, battlefield 3 maxed out used to run around 45fps and now it runs around 55fps (small maps AA off)...

my clocks on 6970 were 850/1050
my current clocks on 7970m are 905/1385

 

From what i have seen, some 7970m's need a little more juice if you want to overclock. If you want to head down that route, many are running the 1.075v bios with great success and it seems to really make the card come alive. Personally, i don't like overvolting and I run stock voltages, I wouldn't go higher than 1.075 though. You have to test and really monitor your system if you are going to run extra juice into your card.

Bro the overclocked 7970m is leaps and bounds more powerful than the 6970m...how can you even compare those cards

 

I think i'll do that, gpuz however does not seem to notice my temps as it did with my old 6970, do you know any other good monitoring software? to log and later review temps?

Also if you dont mind pointing me to the right direction to overvolt it to 1.075?

 

sure, our friend SVL7 has created a nice set of premodified vbioses

AMD 7970m - modified VBIOS

He also has a vbios editor now, so you may want to read that thread to find out more

 

Thanks!, well first let me try this out with the 12.5 modded drivers see if I can get 920/1350 at least.. so i just install the 12.5 drivers over the stock 7970 drives or do i delete the old drivers first?
wonder why I cant controll the fan speed in msi afterburner... weird..

Edit: installed the 12.5 modded drivers, maybe a gain of 2-3 fps

Still the card wont overclock past the 905/1300 , 920/1310 game starts and freezes... So sad...

 

If I'm not interested in OC/UV, will this modded vBIOS benefit me in any way?

 

Btw. To search nbr, go to google and type:
""search phrase"site:forum.notebookreview.com"

Search phrase is what you're searching for. 7970m drivers in this case, and without quotation marks.

Ex.
7970m drivers site:forum.notebookreview.com

 

Perfect!!! thanks Jwim I didnt know google had that feature!

From there I actually found a thread where a forum member Halo God had similar issues, did the flash and is now running crazy crazy clocks.

Looks like its a god... The only thing left is to learn how to flash the vbios. or what "flashing" is

From what I understand I need a vbios for my gpu that has stock voltage at 1.075 and stock clocks of 900/1300 - from there every time I boot up this will be running and I will be overclock further to about 1000/1500. And that vbios has been linked to me by slickdude

 

Well, I can't help you at al with the AMD but I can explain a little about 'flashing' and what you are doing.

Bios code (or VBios which you are looking to modify) is stored on a special chip known as an EPROM - Erasable, Programmable, Read-Only-Memory. Back in the day to change the code on these chips you had to remove them and put them in a special piece of hardware. part of the process was to hit the chip with UV light - 'flash it', to erase the existing code. Nowadays it easier but still not that straightforward - deliberately so, you wouldn't want some piece of rogue software destroying a BIOS!
The only real danger point (apart from bad code) is from the start of the erase until the load is complete. If something goes wrong there then you could be left with an unusable machine. With the VBIOS you have the chance of trying again

As I said, it is getting easier and for example, if you were to destroy ('Brick') your main BIOS, AW has a method of reloading from a USB stick. Far easier than the 'vulcan Death Grip', two handed 5 key combo I had to use in a past life to do this

Main point to note is that methods vary considerably between manufacturer's of components using an EPROM, so only use instructions specific to your hardware.

 

Nice description, but wouldn't that make this an eeprom since it can be eased electrically and w/o the UV light?

 

Thanks,


Edit: Yes you're right - soo far behind the times

 

boy im getting cold feet on this... lol

have the vbios on a bootable flashdrive (at least I think its bootable, i followed the procedures to make it bootable) along with ATI flash.... now just scared to begin... I just called a computer tech and he said he knows how to do it but wont touch it because if the card gets overvolted it will fail and ill complain lol

 

Well... it IS a hardcore mod to change the base code and increase the designed voltage - all OEM's will refuse warranty if they find you have changed it from their recommended code. Luckily once you brick a piece of hardware it's almost impossible to prove - yes I have, rather naughtily, returned things

 

haha! that laugh matches your avatar lol Mr. Burns.

Alrighty let me just get this straight.... I have the two files, the modvbios and ati flash on my (hopefully) bootable flash drive, i boot from it, chose 0 as the device I want to flash ... flash it.... not touch the computer until its done,,, and when its doen will it give me some messege? and simply turn off the computer and boot up again?

Also how do I make a copy of my current vbios and put it on my flash card as its in the direction posted in techinferno.com

 

I'm keeping mine stock until it's necessary to reflash. It's not worth the hassle of dealing with tech support if something go awry, plus I think the card is great stock.

 

It all sounds reasonable but you'll need better instructions or some help from someone that has done this - the last time I flashed an ATI card was about 5 years ago

There wll be a switch (-xxxxxx) added to the end of the atiflash command to create the backup. If you cant find it out then try issuing the command 'atiflash /?' (no quotes) when you get ther command prompt after booting from the USB. This should list the syntax of the command and any 'switches' you can pass.

I'd go with that. The only reason I flashed my 580m was to fix the power throttle (P1) problem. The 675 I got in the replacement machine does not appear to have the problem so far and I haven't seen any BIOS files for it anyway.

Edit: Just read that back - NO I did not brick my last machine and get a replacement - I was talking some time ago

Exxxcelent...

 

The modded vbios file is 128kb just like all of the other modded files... Did i extract them properly? Also how do i verify checksums?


Edit: what is the checksum for modded vbios? Im getting Ox5700

Edit: i did it !thank you all so much!! You guys are incredible help!

Currently running benches and testing safe clocks, so far stress testing 950/1400 and temps are 65 after 4 minutes of running ati kumbuster!

Will update soon!

 

If the checksum was mentioned at download time from the site you downloaded it from, you can google for a free checksum checker and verify if it is the same!

 

You're over thinking it - understandably

All BIOS files for a specific device will be exactly the same size. The guys that mod them have to frig with them to make the checksums match the original or it will not install - the installer checks so it does not use a corrupted file .

You're at the point to pull the trigger methinks...

 

i did it !thank you all so much!! You guys are incredible help!

Currently running benches and testing safe clocks, so far stress testing 950/1400 and temps are 65 after 4 minutes of running ati kumbuster! Crysis 2 runs flawlessly and temps topped out at 67c but were then brought down by the fans. My home is pretty warm right now too around 80f.

Now the only question that stands is how hot is too hot for the 7970m ? ) anyone with experience want to reccomend a celing temperature?

 

I think I read somewhere that it throttles at 81c.

Here is the thread.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...0m-benchmark-results-only-14.html#post8616759

 

'One shot, one kill!' Congrats, Those are very safe temps from what I read on your chip - are you looking to 'number chase' now? If not it's game time . No need to go any further till a game gives you grief...

 

oh wow thanks! Looks like I am a long way from that. ill still play it safe and not pass 1000/1500

@ Micky - oh no, no game has made me cry yet!
Metro running at 40+ fps Maxed out AAA
BF3 runs at 50+ fps (90fps on small maps) Maxed out
Crysis 2 Running at 50+ fps maxed out dx11 +high res text pack

I wont even mention Skyrim or ME3 Time for some BF3

By the way this is running 975/1425

 

Sweet! 'No sleep till Br...'

 

for clevo 7970m's, when i uninstall the stock catalyst driver it also uninstalls the intel drivers. then when i install the new 12.6 beta it says it won't work or something and i think it's because the intel drivers are not installed. how do i update catalyst driver to 12.6 beta correctly??

i did a clean install of windows 7 with all the stock drivers from stock cd installed.

 

StZu, would you mind telling me if you followed the exact directions that SlickDude posted to enable overclocking, and if you were using the standard Dell drivers?

@SlickDude, if you're seeing this - I followed the exact directions. .cfg file is modified, registry keys edited and yet I see no change. Two reboots didn't show a change either. MSI Afterburner keeps the slider locked at 850 / 1200. I have no idea what to do, lol.

 

Hey guys, can you still toggle between iGPU and the dGPU when using Slickdude's modded driver? I think I've read that you can only use that function by using the drivers provided by dell.

 

seems to work for me using his drivers...

 

Same thing here, trying to unlock unofficial overclock. I followed Slickdude's guide for unlocking and now the core and memory clock are LOCKED on 0, I can't move the sliders at all! I have clevo 7970m and stock catalyst driver. Im sick of bouncing from 70 FPS to 30 on BF3, I need to overclock nao! HELP!

 

I unlocked it on the standard drivers and yes, followed all of the steps - did you make sure you saved the file properly and ran as administrator to make sure the file saved? also in the registry make sure you apply 0 to all values as requested in the guide, and make sure you are editing the proper files.

I highly reccomnend not to as enduro is weird and might cause problems as well as make you loose performance. Just Fn+F7 and run off of your 7970m - when you need battery life just put your setting into power saver mode.

 

nkdv, most of the time, there was a clerical error somewhere or the file didn't save properly. Double check that the MSIAfterburner file saved as .cfg and it saved with the proper text mods inside...also make sure there is only one MSIAFterburner.cfg file in the directory