Can it be done, 9800m GS/GTS flash to 160m?

Hi,

I was hoping that when I get my MSI gt627 I would be able to flash the 160m BIOS onto my 9800m GS.
Does it sound possible?

I know you can flash the GTS bios onto the GS, but why not go one further and use the 160m BIOS?

 

I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because the 9800M GTS has performance only just below the GTS 160M's? Or maybe because there's just a general lack of knowledge on these things.

 

I don't really think there is a difference between the 160m and the later 9800 GTS cards manufactured using the 55nm process. They have the exact same clock and memory speeds, so flashing wouldn't do anything.

 

It's good to have the latest name on your card

So has anyone done it?

 

You're taking the risk of making your card inoperable just to have a different badge on it? The ONLY reason to flash a BIOS is to increase performance or add features. A new name is not a feature. I don't think you'll find many other people taking that kind of useless risk.

 

Is it really a risk?

Can you save a card from a bad flash?

 

I can't believe you've made 3,801 posts and actually think this is a good idea.

 

>.> I've never read anything about someone using the 9800m gts bios on a 9800m gs card. Theres no reason to do that. Just use nibitor to edit the bios of the 9800m gs and overclock it to 160m clocks. Flashing the bios from another gpu is always dangerous and in this case unnecessary.

 

Not very often. If you have no display, how are you going to flash it?

 

If you look at my posts, you will see that 99% are not good ideas

I asked if it was ok on this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=357807&page=32

And Cheeseman gave a link to his guide:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5181784&postcount=3

Blind flash, if the notebook wants to boot without a GPU?

You guys are starting to make me not want to do it
I guess I'll stick with the GTS BIOS.

 

It has been done on the Asus G50VT, as the performance gain is something like 10% - 15%. But the GTS 160M and the 9800M GTS are pretty much the same, so I'd stick with the 9800M GTS.

And Moral Hazard has a bit of a penchant for crazy ideas.

 

Still seems dumb to me to use the bios from another card when you can just edit the bios from your own gpu. Your just asking for problems using someone elses bios.

 

Well I wouldn't normally do something like that, but I have a backup notebook.
So I will flash the GTS BIOS, but the 160m I will have to think a bit more about.

 

If you manage to do it, you could write up a nice guide for us.

 

That's true

I guess I will do it, after a bit more reading and after I flash it to a GTS.

 

You are not flashing your BIOS with a GTS video card bios, you are flashing your own 9800M GS card and same bios to GTS speeds. Basically making it the same card.

Different things

 

Ok, well that's not really what I wanted

Why not just flash the GTS bios?
If it's the same card, what could go wrong?

 

Compatibility issues. Some cards have different designs like the Asus inverted MXM slot so such things could cause potential problems.

Why do you care so much about the name? Flashing to GTS speeds basically makes your video card a 160M GTS. It doens't matter what others ask for, it is the same thing, same speeds, performance, everything.

If I saw anyone with a 160M I would say that it is just basically a 9800M GTS, so the name would not help them in the least.

 

So nvidia doesn't give better driver support for "newer" cards?

Also, it should be safe to flash the vBIOS from a 160m in a GT628 since it's similar to my GT627?

And what about changing the device ID in the vBIOS, safe or not?

 

NEVER do that
I flashed my 9600M GT to 9700M GT (same cards but with different clocks) and bricked it. I had to buy a new one.
DO NOT DO THAT UNLESS YOU WANT TO BRICK YOUR CARD!

 

Simply modify your GS BIOS to GTS speeds and flash that while if you care so much about the GTS 160M title then simply rename it though the .inf file of a Nvidia driver.

 

In my G1S, I flashed my 8600M GT GDDR3 to an 8700M GT, the flash failed; and I had to do a blind flash to restore it.

It was a fairly easy process.

 

I don't know anymore. Maybe I will do it, maybe I wont. I'll see how I feel when I get it

 

The 8800m can be flashed to a 9800m without problems:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=339528

I've decided as soon as I get my notebook, I'm going for a 160m

 

Ugh, what's the point in that though, they are the exact same card with a different name. With the 8800M GTX to 9800M GT flash, you pretty much run the risk of bricking the notebook for the exact same performance.

 

I want to test to see if there really is no performance increase, because if I were dell I would have better driver support for newer cards. And maybe the newer BIOS is coded better, probably not but you never know until you try.

 

1. no, there really is no performance increase

2. no, newer cards don't get better drivers. all nvidia gpu's from the 8 series on run the same drivers.

3. no, the new cards don't have better BIOSes, and they aren't coded better. the only thing you will get out of running the new BIOS is potentially serious compatibility problems.

4. no, it is possible to know this without trying: google.com

 

Best thing I have read this week. Rep for comedy awesome option!

 

Moral i do have to agree... It just an absurd risk and it might be bridge too far...

 

It is a risk, but if the following hold then I can't help but try:

1. The GT627 supports the 160m.
2. The GT627 can boot with a dead GPU (so that I can blind flash), and
3. I can find the 160m vBIOS

 

But I don't understand... you are risking everything to change your GPU name... for no additional benefits.

None at all!

I am so confused

 

Just give it up you guys, common sense isn't for everyone.

 

If I can blind flash, the risk of failure is very low.

I care about the name, I don't know why, but I do

 

+rep.

-rep. enjoy the moderate risk of bricking your hardware for nothing.

 

nvidia rebadging win?

 

>.> you do realize you can rename your gpu with nibitor right?

 

Lol, you can't -rep these days. Mods took that feature out ages ago.

 

Thanks, but it's not the same

I will play a few games on the notebook, then flash to a GTS and then to a 160m.

Worst case I will just buy a 4850 and be happy with it.

 

Just to share experience:
I did crazy stuff like replace my 9100M G VGA BIOS Module with a 9400M G VGA BIOS Module.
I modified the main bios image module because it was integrated graphics
Result:No display
Therefore I had to use the emergency bootblock to flash the correct BIOS back.
If you have to flash VGA BIOS make sure it at least has a performance boost.

 

What do you mean that's not the same? You want the performance of the 160m on a 9800 gts. Just overclock your card and change the name with nibitor. I seriously don't understand what you are hopping to gain from using the bios from a different model when you can get the same results by just editing your current one and thus keeping the things that are not related to clocks and that are essential to the card actually working intact.

 

He wants to tell people he has GTS 160.

 

This.

I want it to be a GTS 160 100% (this means using the same BIOS).

Also I really don't believe it will fail, if it's the same card, how can it go wrong.
I would have a better chance of being hit by a car

 

You will still be lying as they are not the same card... I fail to understand your logic. If you rename it Windows and everything else will read it as a 160m. There are no way for anyone to know that you don't have the actual card and you are not risking transforming a perfectly working card into a pretty slab of silicon and fiberglass that will only be useful as an expensive paperweight.

 

It IS NOT THE SAME CARD. Its 55nm

 

The 9800m GS is 55nm AFAIK.

If the Chip is the same, I think there should be no reason for a different PCB (or any SMDs on the PCD). So if the chip, PCB and SMDs are the same, it should work with the 160m BIOS.

 

unlocked achievement -dream crusher

 

Lol <asdfghj>

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4474995&postcount=109
this one is 65nm, maybe some later revisions are 55nm, idk.

 

Come on people, I would have thought there would be some more crazy souls up for this.

If it were up to me, I would flash it to a 9800M GTS. You know that it's already been done, plus, the GTS 160M has the exact same performance as the 9800M GTS, as they are the exact same card.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9800M-GS.12932.0.html

You can see there that the 9800M GS is 55nm fabrication process, as is the GTS 160M:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTS-160M.14561.0.html

*Note: At the part that says that the GTS 160M has the same performance as the 9800M GTX and the 8800M GTX, I suspect they may be wrong on that as the 9800M GT S is a rebranded 8800M GTX.

You may be right tianxia, I remember hearing somewhere that there was later revision that had a smaller fabrication process (55nm), I'm not sure on that though.

 

Mine is the 1GB version. (The later revision)