# Help volt-modding a BFG GTS 250



## tha d0ctor

im not sure about pencil mods, but if you are willing to bust out a soldering iron we will need pics of these two location, cluse up, high resolution pictures with the macro setting on the camera!









areas in the yellow


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## Voltage_Drop

@xd 1771-Glad you took my advice and are ready to do some Vmodding







. Those IC's that Doc pointed out to you should be correct. We atleast need the #'s off of the IC's until you can get some pix up so we can download the data sheets(if we dont already have them), if I remember correctly the square IC, which is for your GPU, should be a uP6201, unless they used a different controller. Closeups would really be nice. And like Doc said, penciling wouldnt be your best bet, VR's are a lot more accurate and precise.


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## Capwn

Well since I happen to have a pic of both of my cards in my worklog which just happen to be the exact same card you have I figure wth Ill post it so these gurus can help you achieve some OC goodness.









Can provide more . Just ask and specify what you need a pic of


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## Voltage_Drop

@Capwn-Thanks for the pix, could you read the #'s off the 2 IC's that I rectangled. Or get some closeups so we can read the #'s off of them? Thanks~Voltage_Drop


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## xd_1771

Just from looking inside the top of the case (and yes, I can see those numbers just by looking in thru there







)
However, I'm confused... on my card, the last 3 numbers on that serial number are 896!?
That's unusual...
Though I think both of those GTS 250's are the 1GB ones (I have a 512MB one) since one of the other numbers (the same on both cards) reads BFGRGTS250*1024*OCE
Also, I don't have a soldering iron in my presence and I don't know how to use one either...








If I told my dad I would be doing soldering on my video card he would kill me!








There's got to be some other way to do this...


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## Voltage_Drop

What are the #'s off the IC's, if its not to much trouble


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## xd_1771

One of those IC's (the rightmost one in your pic) does not exist on mine. From the looks of it I don't think the other one even has a number...
Maybe my model is different?
I don't think it's possible to overvolt this with software either though... hm


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## Voltage_Drop

Okay its probably best that when you have time to take the card out and take some closeups of the cards so we can go off of that. Then we can identify your IC's and get them mapped out correctly. Or possibly you could just take the side panel off and use a flash light to see the #'s and and post your results. If it doesnt have a number on it then its probably not an IC.

Though the square IC is definitely for your GPU and that will have numbers on it


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## xd_1771

I don't see any numbers on the chip or near the chip; I'll fish out some time to take off the side panel and snap pictures tomorrow I guess. Thanks!
However, I don't think I'm willing to mess around with the soldering iron and all - not only does it scare me, but I don't know how, I don't have the equpiment, and once again *my dad would kill me*


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## Voltage_Drop

Okay, I completely understand. But if and when you are ready, let us know and we will get you going.


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## xd_1771

Are there any other suitable ways that don't involve soldering irons though? Just a question.
This card's going bye-bye in 2010 when I get my Fermi anyway.....I hope.


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## Voltage_Drop

You can always pencil mod, which requires no soldering but is just as risky as a hardmod and you still need a DMM to measure resistance and voltage.

Oh and I also forgot the softmod through a BIOS flash where you can up the voltage with modifying the BIOS with nibitor and flashing it with NVflash. Though the softmod sometimes does nothing for you.


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## xd_1771

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Voltage_Drop* 
You can always pencil mod, which requires no soldering but is just as risky as a hardmod and you still need a DMM to measure resistance and voltage.

Oh and I also forgot the softmod through a BIOS flash where you can up the voltage with modifying the BIOS with nibitor and flashing it with NVflash. Though the softmod sometimes does nothing for you.

The pencil mod is not any more risky? As far as I know, at least pencil mods can be "erased" (is that possible?). I'm still interested, keep going.
As for the softmod, if it involves complex coding--sounds risky and complicated, but it seems easier than a hardmod...
If it does nothing for me, are there any consequences or anything? I'm pretty sure I lose the warranty if I reflash the card BIOS...


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## Voltage_Drop

Quote:



Originally Posted by *xd_1771*


The pencil mod is not any more risky? As far as I know, at least pencil mods can be "erased" (is that possible?). I'm still interested, keep going.
As for the softmod, if it involves complex coding--sounds risky and complicated, but it seems easier than a hardmod...
If it does nothing for me, are there any consequences or anything? I'm pretty sure I lose the warranty if I reflash the card BIOS...


Yes the pencilmod is still risky because you will still be raisng the cards voltage, but it is easier to do than soldering on a VR, so it's not quite as risky as that. And yes you can erase a pencil mod because all you are really doing is going over a resistor with lead and you keep doing that until you reach the right amount of resistance and voltage. And if you brick your card, well then just erase the pencil and RMA the card.

As for the softmod its not complicated by any means and it involves no coding by you per se, but if you flash it with the wrong BIOS you stand bricking the card, which means permanently destroyed or inoperable. And its probable that your warranty is void, if they catch it.


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## xd_1771

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Voltage_Drop*


Yes the pencilmod is still risky because you will still be raisng the cards voltage, but it is easier to do than soldering on a VR, so it's not quite as risky as that. And yes you can erase a pencil mod because all you are really doing is going over a resistor with lead and you keep doing that until you reach the right amount of resistance and voltage. And if you brick your card, well then just erase the pencil and RMA the card.

As for the softmod its not complicated by any means and it involves no coding by you per se, but if you flash it with the wrong BIOS you stand bricking the card, which means permanently destroyed or inoperable. And its probable that your warranty is void, if they catch it.


Interesting, however if I do end up bricking my card...
MY DAD WOULD KILL ME.








It's not registered for full lifetime warranty but hey, 1 year isn't up yet and by the time 1 year is gone I'll probably have my new Fermi








Though I'm still interested in what the pencil mod has to offer. Where do I go over with lead? Also, what are the chances of bricking the card with pencilmods? Is it extremely risky?
At least in case I do brick the card, I can use an HD 3450 from my old computer, at the cost of less-than-ideal gaming performance and the loss of CUDA rendering temporarily.


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## Voltage_Drop

Quote:



Originally Posted by *xd_1771*


Interesting, however if I do end up bricking my card...
MY DAD WOULD KILL ME.








It's not registered for full lifetime warranty but hey, 1 year isn't up yet and by the time 1 year is gone I'll probably have my new Fermi








Though I'm still interested in what the pencil mod has to offer. Where do I go over with lead? Also, what are the chances of bricking the card with pencilmods? Is it extremely risky?
At least in case I do brick the card, I can use an HD 3450 from my old computer, at the cost of less-than-ideal gaming performance and the loss of CUDA rendering temporarily.


For the pencil mod you are still going to have to get the IC #'s because we need to locate the resistor that comes off the FB. So once you locate the FB you measure the resistance from FB to ground. Once you know that resistance you can start probing around that IC and find the resistor with the exact resistance, which you have to measure with a DMM. Once that is done you just go over the resistor with a pencil and mark it up with lead which lowers its resistance and raises the core voltage.

Though if you are really interested in voltmodding then If I may, I would suggest that you start out with something like that 3450 you have in your other computer so you can get the hang of it. And if you brick that one then you can always tell your dad you dont know what happened to it, its just old I guess







, J/K, dont lie to your father


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## D3FiN3 SiN

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Voltage_Drop* 
For the pencil mod you are still going to have to get the IC #'s because we need to locate the resistor that comes off the FB. So once you locate the FB you measure the resistance from FB to ground. Once you know that resistance you can start probing around that IC and find the resistor with the exact resistance, which you have to measure with a DMM. Once that is done you just go over the resistor with a pencil and mark it up with lead which lowers its resistance and raises the core voltage.

Though if you are really interested in voltmodding then If I may, I would suggest that you start out with something like that 3450 you have in your other computer so you can get the hang of it. And if you brick that one then you can always tell your dad you dont know what happened to it, its just old I guess







, J/K, dont lie to your father

Maybe just buy a cheap card off of eBay to start with (or off here in the FS section) and go from there?


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## Voltage_Drop

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firestormcomputers* 
Maybe just buy a cheap card off of eBay to start with (or off here in the FS section) and go from there?

Another good possibility


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## _Marvin_

Can't this by done by software, Evga Voltage thingy or RivaTuner, maybe even GFX BIOS flash. That's how I increased the voltage on my GTX280


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## MADMAX22

Not sure if this would help but my 9800gtx+ which is basicaly the same as the 250 I believe.


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## Voltage_Drop

Overall yes they are pretty much the same, though they did do a little revamping to the 250 but nothing major. Thanks for the pix by the way, even if his IC's are different, we could always use these to map out the 9800GTX+. Thanks +rep


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## MADMAX22

Well thats the thing with the 9800gtx+ is that they had two different style setups. One has a longer pcb overall and has two power connectors. The later version which became the 250 I guess has the shorter pcb and 1 power connector.

CL3P20 has the pics. He has been doing a excellent job of helping out to figure these guys out. Once I get all the info Ill post the results.


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## Voltage_Drop

Quote:



Originally Posted by *MADMAX22*


Well thats the thing with the 9800gtx+ is that they had two different style setups. One has a longer pcb overall and has two power connectors. The later version which became the 250 I guess has the shorter pcb and 1 power connector.

CL3P20 has the pics. He has been doing a excellent job of helping out to figure these guys out. Once I get all the info Ill post the results.


yeah CL3P20 is a volmodding genius, I remember when he was working on that. the one he was working on though had the uP6201 Vreg. for the GPU instead of the RT8802A which is what they used on the 8800 + 9800 series such as yours. It should be fairly simple once we know the exact IC's that xd's board is utilizing. The RT8802A is an amazing regulator, you should be happy that you have that one. The uP6201 is an older regulator that they used a lot on ATI cards such as the 2600Pro that I modded a few months ago. C'mon Nvidia youre supposed to be going forward, not using older chips that your competition has already used


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## tha d0ctor

that rt8802a is a really easy PWM to volt mod/pencil mod (assuming its on your card aswell) I can post with a posible guide later today after the patriots game


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## PizzaMan

The pic Madmax posted looks like the same IC....yea it is. PCB payout is the same to. I like how the three GPU power phases are easily visible on this layout.


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## xd_1771

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MADMAX22* 
Not sure if this would help but my 9800gtx+ which is basicaly the same as the 250 I believe.


















That looks almost exactly like my GTS 250.
It does seem like a good idea to start off with my 3450 though... I just hope volt-modding doesn't increase the heat factor too much: my 3450 is passive-cooled








My 3450 is an ASUS that they don't sell anymore (the one with the V-fin heatsink). As of now there's no OS installed on my old computer but I can install XP on it. It's not overclocked but I don't mind stepping it up a bit








This is the system the 3450 is on. I'm hoping to sell it soon (maybe on OCN once I get up to 35 rep) since my family really has no use for it.


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## tha d0ctor

here you go:

I wrote gts 250 but it's to volt mod for the 9800GTX+ posted by xd_1171
simply look at the numbers ontop of those same chips and verify it is the correct volt mod for thje GTS 250 and verify the chip is alligned correctly (based on the dot in the corner)

pleae verify that my yellow box is indeed correct, this is really only for the soldering VR volt mod, you could try a pencil mod but it would require addition pictures of the areas surrounding the vMEM and vGPU mod points










It's up to you to find soldering point for ground (for vGPU)


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## xd_1771

I see, so I use a pencil to create a graphite path that can conduct electricity that will provide more "resistance" or whatever it is. I can snap a few pictures later today, time willing. I'm 14 though and I can barely understand any of this stuff you guys are saying... so... a little help here?


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## BillG8z

Quote:



Originally Posted by *xd_1771*


I see, so I use a pencil to create a graphite path that can conduct electricity that will provide more "resistance" or whatever it is. I can snap a few pictures later today, time willing. I'm 14 though and I can barely understand any of this stuff you guys are saying... so... a little help here?










well from the look of the pics tha d0cter posted, those are for the solder mods, so unless you are willing to do a solder mod then i dont think that will help. However, do you have a DMM yet? btw im 14 too

Any of these mods actually provide LESS resistance, as less resistance = more voltage =









Anyway, a pencil mod is using a pencil and penciling over a certain resistor, which controls voltages, for example one that controls the core. A resistor only lets a certain amount of electricity pass through, meaning the gpu only gets what voltage it is meant to. But with a pencil mod when you pencil pver the top of it, then the graphite in the pencil is slightly conductive, so that means some EXTRA electricity makes it through, which results in a higher voltage getting to the GPU. Certain pencils are more conductive, cant remember which ones but some members here will probably know. the more you pencil over the top of the resistor, the more voltage will go through, or at least to a certain point.

With a solder mod you are soldering a second resister onto it, similar concept to the pencil mod, but you are putting a variable resister(VR) on it, to also allow extra current through it, but the solder mod is much more accurate, as you can adjust the voltage accurately with the VR, to allow a certain amount of extra voltage to go through

Hope this helps, and all the stuff i just said is what i know, so if any of it is not accurate then sorry


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## tha d0ctor

Quote:



Originally Posted by *BillG8z*


well from the look of the pics tha d0cter posted, those are for the solder mods, so unless you are willing to do a solder mod then i dont think that will help. However, do you have a DMM yet? btw im 14 too

Any of these mods actually provide LESS resistance, as less resistance = more voltage =









Anyway, a pencil mod is using a pencil and penciling over a certain resistor, which controls voltages, for example one that controls the core. A resistor only lets a certain amount of electricity pass through, meaning the gpu only gets what voltage it is meant to. But with a pencil mod when you pencil pver the top of it, then the graphite in the pencil is slightly conductive, so that means some EXTRA electricity makes it through, which results in a higher voltage getting to the GPU. Certain pencils are more conductive, cant remember which ones but some members here will probably know. the more you pencil over the top of the resistor, the more voltage will go through, or at least to a certain point.

With a solder mod you are soldering a second resister onto it, similar concept to the pencil mod, but you are putting a variable resister(VR) on it, to also allow extra current through it, but the solder mod is much more accurate, as you can adjust the voltage accurately with the VR, to allow a certain amount of extra voltage to go through

Hope this helps, and all the stuff i just said is what i know, so if any of it is not accurate then sorry










well done for a 14 year old, i couldn't have said it better myself


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## Voltage_Drop

Very well indeed, looks like we got a young Vmodder on our hands


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## MADMAX22

Question guys, I measured the volts or atleast think I got it right.

Does 1.214 vgpu and 2.075 vram sound about right to you guys for these cards.


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## tha d0ctor

Quote:



Originally Posted by *MADMAX22*


Question guys, I measured the volts or atleast think I got it right.

Does 1.214 vgpu and 2.075 vram sound about right to you guys for these cards.


it could be, if its like the other g92s like the 8800gt it should be 1.15 and 2.0 but someone else may know more about the GTS 250 than me


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## xd_1771

That's an interesting description - thanks!
I think I'm going to have to end up with the pencil mod, since even if I did try soldering I don't have an iron on hand. I've got many pencil brands anyway (Mongol, papermate, dixie, and more) - I could do this as soon as in a few days when I receive some extra cooling products and open up my case.

I can probably get a DMM from somewhere, but how much do they cost? Also, would I have to power up the computer in order to measure the voltages - I'm not too confident about having to plug and unplug the card too often in case I do end up taking it out.


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## PizzaMan

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tha d0ctor* 
here you go:

I wrote gts 250 but it's to volt mod for the 9800GTX+ posted by xd_1171
simply look at the numbers ontop of those same chips and verify it is the correct volt mod for thje GTS 250 and verify the chip is alligned correctly (based on the dot in the corner)

pleae verify that my yellow box is indeed correct, this is really only for the soldering VR volt mod, you could try a pencil mod but it would require addition pictures of the areas surrounding the vMEM and vGPU mod points










It's up to you to find soldering point for ground (for vGPU)

D0c, he needs test for continuity between the red mark and the yellow mark. He also needs to find the resisitance between ground and the red mark. The green mem ground would work fine. That resistance is what he need to multiply by 20 to find his VR aize.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MADMAX22* 
Question guys, I measured the volts or atleast think I got it right.

Does 1.214 vgpu and 2.075 vram sound about right to you guys for these cards.

Can you post some pics of the points you are measuring? Also, no one has posted pics of the front of the card. Can we get a naked pic of the front plz?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *xd_1771* 
That's an interesting description - thanks!
I think I'm going to have to end up with the pencil mod, since even if I did try soldering I don't have an iron on hand. I've got many pencil brands anyway (Mongol, papermate, dixie, and more) - I could do this as soon as in a few days when I receive some extra cooling products and open up my case.

I can probably get a DMM from somewhere, but how much do they cost? Also, would I have to power up the computer in order to measure the voltages - I'm not too confident about having to plug and unplug the card too often in case I do end up taking it out.

Yes, get a DMM before even atempting a pencil mod. You have voltage measurements you most take so you know how much you've increased the voltage with your penciling.


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## MADMAX22

Quote:



Originally Posted by *PizzaMan*


Can you post some pics of the points you are measuring? Also, no one has posted pics of the front of the card. Can we get a naked pic of the front plz?



The only thing I have a pic of on the front is the gpu core itself. Ill get some of the entire front tomorrow.

As far as the measure points I was just going kind of this pic that cl3p0 set me up with showing the different regions. I used one of the small yellow circled resisters for gpu measure and one of the red circled ones for vdimm measure.


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## PizzaMan

Ok, you're looking good


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## MADMAX22

OK guys still trying to figure this out. My darn multimeter I think is a little big so I gotta get a new one with some finer tips on it.

Anyways I got a better closeup of that one chip and surrounding area. The trace we were looking at does look like its going to that resister that is circled. The only thing is I couldnt get any consistent readings on it. However the one next to it black at 90degrees to it I got a good set of readings from that with about 1.5kohms on one side and 0.75kohms on the other side. Not sure if that means anything though.

Another question I have is where is the marking for finding the correct orientation of that chip. The only marking I see is that white dot. Is that the orientation marking? If it is then the resister were looking for is actually on the other side from where we thought it is. Just kind of wondering.

Anyways heres some better pic of that area and also a pic of the front naked


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## MADMAX22

Well looks like we found the correct one. Ill be doing the mod later today, gotta get some 15kohm vr's since all I have left is 10 kohm ones and that is just a little to far under spec if I remember correctly. Just wanna be safe as possible.


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## PizzaMan

The 10K VR would work, but it would prbly give a nice jump in voltage. If you're putting the card on water I wouldn't worry about it. If you're running stock cooler, you might want to go with a larger one.


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## MADMAX22

Well no go on gpu but the vmem mod worked. With the 10kohm turned to max which was actualy like 10.44kohm I went from 2.060v to 2,186v,

BRB

Edit: OK got it finally lol.

Vmem worked as stated. vgpu works also, with a 10kohm VR tuned to max (10.44kohm) Vgpu went from stock of 1.200v to 1.377v and is adjustable from there.

I think with a 15kohm VR it would be pretty much spot on or a little bumb. A 20kohm would work also.


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## Voltage_Drop

Quote:



Originally Posted by *MADMAX22*


Well no go on gpu but the vmem mod worked. With the 10kohm turned to max which was actualy like 10.44kohm I went from 2.060v to 2,186v,

BRB

Edit: OK got it finally lol.

Vmem worked as stated. vgpu works also, with a 10kohm VR tuned to max (10.44kohm) Vgpu went from stock of 1.200v to 1.377v and is adjustable from there.

I think with a 15kohm VR it would be pretty much spot on or a little bumb. A 20kohm would work also.











Yeah I would try a 20k to get closer to stock V, you are correct, and slowly up the Voltage to see how the GPU responds to the extra V. Were you able to get any higher on the OC with 1.377V on the GPU?

Good work by the way, cant wait to see the mod once you get it completed


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## MADMAX22

LINK to the finished product.

Thanks for everyones help. Hope this helps the 250 guys as well.


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## xd_1771

Well I just learned the entire unit on electricity (volts, amps, resistance, etc.) thru science class lately so now that I know how it works (save for materials such as a digital multimeter), I think I'm ready to do this!








Here's the shot of the back of the video card as promised. I don't have a soldering iron (or solder) on hand so I'll have to resort to a pencil mod. The controller thing or whatever it is on the back is the RT8802A, just as I thought it would be:








I might need a few details, including what type of pencil I should use, where to conduct the mod, etc. I currently have a cardboard/electric tape "wind tunnel" on top of the video card rear but that can be easily removed and reattached.
Also, side note: it would be much easier (and less stressful on my parents who really hate it when I open up the computer especially if I move it up to the dining table to work on) if I could work from the floor without taking out the darn video card.


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## tha d0ctor

I'm not sure if there is a pencil mod for that card, but the solder mod is right above your post


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## xd_1771

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tha d0ctor* 
I'm not sure if there is a pencil mod for that card, but the solder mod is right above your post









Ah, that sucks... might as well wait for my new Fermi then








Though the sad part is you probably won't need to volt-mod those and can probably use some in-OS tool to up the volts


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## tha d0ctor

do your best to search around google something might stir up but wwaiting for fermi isn't a bad idea either


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## PizzaMan

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tha d0ctor* 
I'm not sure if there is a pencil mod for that card, but the solder mod is right above your post









He can shade onto the resistor that Madmaxx soldered to. You want a high graphite drawing pencil. Off the top of my head I can't remember how they are modeled, but get a good drawing pencil and you should be good.

You will still want a DMM. Measure the currant resistance of the resistor on the board. Then you want to shade just a touch. Measure again. You don't want to change the resistance to much. Start off with small bumps. If you shade to much just rub your finger over the resistor to remove some of the graphite.

Basically, you can pencil just about any mod if you have a resistor as a mod point. Its just a little more risky then turning a nob on a potentiometer. Shade to much and you'll juice the GPU to certain doom.


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## xd_1771

That sounds great, save for the DMM I need I think I might go for that. When you say "just a touch", I'm supposed to do this lightly? Also, by high graphite pencils - HB, HB2 or what rating?
Well I guess all I really need are the ideas of what readings I should have on the DMM's (i.e. what is good or bad).
How would I know if the GPU fails however? Does it fail instantly on bootup or over time i.e. while I am OC'ing? In the latter case, I don't think I would want to volt mod this TOO much then, though I do run underclocked when not playing games - a factor that could almost certainly increase the card lifespan. Would erasing the voltmod fix it or if not, I could go RMA since I am well within that 1 year warranty (yep, I lost my receipt and couldn't register for the lifetime warranty on time... eh....







) and throw in my backup HD 3450 until I can get a Fermi. I just hope I don't get into too much trouble from my parents if I do brick my card...


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## MADMAX22

Well dont know what volts for longevity but mine are oced to the most they can, they are water cooled with plenty of air flow on them and have been folding 24/7 since I have done it. There high temps while folding are about 41-44c depending on the wu. While gaming they usually hit about 38-40c depending on the game.

No degregation so far ofcourse its only been a couple of weeks. Only time will tell.


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## PizzaMan

Quote:


Originally Posted by *xd_1771* 
That sounds great, save for the DMM I need I think I might go for that. When you say "just a touch", I'm supposed to do this lightly? Also, by high graphite pencils - HB, HB2 or what rating?
Well I guess all I really need are the ideas of what readings I should have on the DMM's (i.e. what is good or bad).
How would I know if the GPU fails however? Does it fail instantly on bootup or over time i.e. while I am OC'ing? In the latter case, I don't think I would want to volt mod this TOO much then, though I do run underclocked when not playing games - a factor that could almost certainly increase the card lifespan. Would erasing the voltmod fix it or if not, I could go RMA since I am well within that 1 year warranty (yep, I lost my receipt and couldn't register for the lifetime warranty on time... eh....







) and throw in my backup HD 3450 until I can get a Fermi. I just hope I don't get into too much trouble from my parents if I do brick my card...









Unfortunately, I've been yet to get a hold of any nVidia GPU data sheets. To know the max recommended voltages.


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