X800Pro mod to X800XT

[101]

It's a simple mod except for the fact that the points are so small. Remember the caps in the pic are 0402s, and the top test points for each config bit look to be about 10 mils square. Certainly do able with soldering skill, or a window defogging repair kit for those that don't. Although a manual wire bonder, as mentioned, would be a classy way to get it reconnected.

For those having trouble deciphering the pic. The black rectangles are shown on the pro, and the white on the XT. The left pic shows the left jumper cut, and the right one shows the right jumper cut. These look like the same pics just flipped, as there's only one spot with 2 jumpers on each BGA package.

I would guess each jumper corresponds to only one quad on the die. They probably pick the two that are more likely to fail based on layout. As it doesn't appear to me at this point that they can disable any of the 4 they choose, just two. With that in mind they can turn an XT into a pro by laser trimming either jumper at test, or both to make the uber crippled version.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Thanks 101, that does help me understand the pictures a lot better.

This is sounding like it might be one of those do-able things.

One question, is the rear-window de-icer mod reversible by scratching a break into the painted wire if'n the quad doesn't work right when enabled?

 

[kipper67]

One question, is the rear-window de-icer mod reversible by scratching a break into the painted wire if'n the quad doesn't work right when enabled?

Yes it would be , as others have mentioned it's the same technique used to join the bridges on early Athlons & XPs to unlock the multipliers on them.

There's probably a solvent out there you could also use to remove all traces but it's been a long time since I read up about bridging the connections (nail varnish remover possibly).

If the contacts are close enough together you may also be able to use a pencil to make the connections. Again another method from the early athlon t'bird days.

Mark

 

[bluestar88]

One question, is the rear-window de-icer mod reversible by scratching a break into the painted wire if'n the quad doesn't work right when enabled?

Yes it would be , as others have mentioned it's the same technique used to join the bridges on early Athlons & XPs to unlock the multipliers on them.

There's probably a solvent out there you could also use to remove all traces but it's been a long time since I read up about bridging the connections (nail varnish remover possibly).

If the contacts are close enough together you may also be able to use a pencil to make the connections. Again another method from the early athlon t'bird days.

Mark

Ok, pencil does not consist of any electrical conductive compound for the pecil trace to transfer electricity. So I don't know where you heard that pencil is used to transfer electricity or connect bridges. It might be used for interfering electrical activity but it will not be used to connect bridges. No way.

 

[kipper67]

http://www.motherboards.org/articlesd/how-to-guides/41_1.html

Mark

 

[OpenGL guy]

One question, is the rear-window de-icer mod reversible by scratching a break into the painted wire if'n the quad doesn't work right when enabled?

Yes it would be , as others have mentioned it's the same technique used to join the bridges on early Athlons & XPs to unlock the multipliers on them.

There's probably a solvent out there you could also use to remove all traces but it's been a long time since I read up about bridging the connections (nail varnish remover possibly).

If the contacts are close enough together you may also be able to use a pencil to make the connections. Again another method from the early athlon t'bird days.

Mark

Ok, pencil does not consist of any electrical conductive compound for the pecil trace to transfer electricity. So I don't know where you heard that pencil is used to transfer electricity or connect bridges. It might be used for interfering electrical activity but it will not be used to connect bridges. No way.

Graphite conducts electricity, diamond does not. No comment on the rest of this stuff.

 

[Calavaro]

One question, is the rear-window de-icer mod reversible by scratching a break into the painted wire if'n the quad doesn't work right when enabled?

Yes it would be , as others have mentioned it's the same technique used to join the bridges on early Athlons & XPs to unlock the multipliers on them.

There's probably a solvent out there you could also use to remove all traces but it's been a long time since I read up about bridging the connections (nail varnish remover possibly).

If the contacts are close enough together you may also be able to use a pencil to make the connections. Again another method from the early athlon t'bird days.

Mark

Ok, pencil does not consist of any electrical conductive compound for the pecil trace to transfer electricity. So I don't know where you heard that pencil is used to transfer electricity or connect bridges. It might be used for interfering electrical activity but it will not be used to connect bridges. No way.

I modded many durons in my day with the pencil trick. I guess someone forgot to tell me it didn't work

 

[muzz]

Graphite........

 

[megatron]

It's a simple mod except for the fact that the points are so small. Remember the caps in the pic are 0402s, and the top test points for each config bit look to be about 10 mils square. Certainly do able with soldering skill, or a window defogging repair kit for those that don't. Although a manual wire bonder, as mentioned, would be a classy way to get it reconnected.

For those having trouble deciphering the pic. The black rectangles are shown on the pro, and the white on the XT. The left pic shows the left jumper cut, and the right one shows the right jumper cut. These look like the same pics just flipped, as there's only one spot with 2 jumpers on each BGA package.

I would guess each jumper corresponds to only one quad on the die. They probably pick the two that are more likely to fail based on layout. As it doesn't appear to me at this point that they can disable any of the 4 they choose, just two. With that in mind they can turn an XT into a pro by laser trimming either jumper at test, or both to make the uber crippled version.

I don't have one of these cards yet, but its a possibility. As soon as I heard about the achitecture with four blocks of quad pipelines I was waiting for someone to release this type of mod.

I must be uber thick but I still don't get it. Could you possibly draw on the picture to show what needs to be joined? Thx.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Thanks Kipper!

I was actually gonna ask about if the pencil trick might work, but I didn't want to appear overly stupid in case I was off base.

Now comes the hard part, getting an X800 pro to play with.... :?

 

[Eronarn]

Now comes the hard part, getting an X800 pro to play with.... :?

Well, you only really need one kidney...

 

[T2k]

One question, is the rear-window de-icer mod reversible by scratching a break into the painted wire if'n the quad doesn't work right when enabled?

Yes it would be , as others have mentioned it's the same technique used to join the bridges on early Athlons & XPs to unlock the multipliers on them.

There's probably a solvent out there you could also use to remove all traces but it's been a long time since I read up about bridging the connections (nail varnish remover possibly).

If the contacts are close enough together you may also be able to use a pencil to make the connections. Again another method from the early athlon t'bird days.

Mark

Ok, pencil does not consist of any electrical conductive compound for the pecil trace to transfer electricity. So I don't know where you heard that pencil is used to transfer electricity or connect bridges. It might be used for interfering electrical activity but it will not be used to connect bridges. No way.

Maybe you were off by then but in 6th or 7th grade, elementary school one day we DID that experiment when we closed a battery with a 'Rotring-piece' - and it was smoking after a while...

Plain English: you are wrong, period. Graphite DOES conduct electricity, period.
Rest of the stuff is just plain BS.

 

[T2k]

One question, is the rear-window de-icer mod reversible by scratching a break into the painted wire if'n the quad doesn't work right when enabled?

Yes it would be , as others have mentioned it's the same technique used to join the bridges on early Athlons & XPs to unlock the multipliers on them.

There's probably a solvent out there you could also use to remove all traces but it's been a long time since I read up about bridging the connections (nail varnish remover possibly).

If the contacts are close enough together you may also be able to use a pencil to make the connections. Again another method from the early athlon t'bird days.

Mark

Ok, pencil does not consist of any electrical conductive compound for the pecil trace to transfer electricity. So I don't know where you heard that pencil is used to transfer electricity or connect bridges. It might be used for interfering electrical activity but it will not be used to connect bridges. No way.

I modded many durons in my day with the pencil trick. I guess someone forgot to tell me it didn't work

Same here: SocketA, the very first Thunderbird-series (alu backplate ), my first 1GHz CPU....

 

[101]

Looks like there's a third jumper to the right of the die you can see in the pic over at hexus:

http://img.hexus.net/v2/graphics_cards/ati/r420/images/die.jpg

The first two jumpers are up in the top right corner, but the paste is obscuring one of them.

 

[DeathKnight]

Some of you are a bit too optimistic about this. I'd say it's a very small possibility you'd get a core where the disabled quad(s) are actually functional with no errors once enabled. On the other hand it's still neat to see if the mod actually does what it is said to do.

 

[megatron]

The reason why ATI made four quad pipelines was so that the whole range is built off one process. If they are selling my XT's then they can make them by simply not cutting the bridges. If they need more pros then they can produce these.

Is there a chance that all the cards tested would be sold as XTs if eveyone was perfect? No.

It is simply the most cost effective way to produce graphics card with one process. Its highly likely that four * quad pipelined cards will be sold as lower performance cards.

Its happened before, too; like at the 9800xt gpu being on some later 9800pro cards.

Anyone know what bridges to connect? Picture?

 

[Nick Spolec]

Some of you are a bit too optimistic about this. I'd say it's a very small possibility you'd get a core where the disabled quad(s) are actually functional with no errors once enabled. On the other hand it's still neat to see if the mod actually does what it is said to do.

Depends on if/how they BIN X800 cores to fill in the lower range.

 

[Dwarden]

... mod to FireGL card ... i see it like before lol

 

[101]

Depends on if/how they BIN X800 cores to fill in the lower range.

I would say the chances are slim to nil of getting a pro right now that runs fine with all 16 pipes enabled considering they don't even have enough XT qualified die to start shipping them yet. However, like you say, as supply and demand change over the life of the part it becomes more and more likely. Something to keep in mind tho.

 

[AlphaWolf]

I would say the chances are slim to nil of getting a pro right now that runs fine with all 16 pipes enabled considering they don't even have enough XT qualified die to start shipping them yet. However, like you say, as supply and demand change over the life of the part it becomes more and more likely. Something to keep in mind tho.

You actually have information that they don't have enough qualified XT die to ship, or you are just guessing that because they haven't started shipping yet?