8800m gtx and gts the same card hardware wise?

david097 · 02-16-2008, 06:38 PM

Hey everyone, I just picked up a new gateway P-16831fx and it has the 8800m gts as everyone knows.

I was thinking, is the 8800m gtx and gts the same card, just the 8800m gts has some stream shaders shut off with firmware? It seems like it would make more sense for nvidia to make just one card and then shut off some stream shaders in the lower end models to save money.

If that is true would it be possible to flash the bios of a 8800m gts to a gtx and possibly get those stream shaders turned on?

I know its a long shot, but I remember with certain ati cards it would work.

Im curious to see other people's thoughts on this. Im sure a lot of people know more about it then me.

narsnail · 02-16-2008, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david097

Hey everyone, I just picked up a new gateway P-16831fx and it has the 8800m gts as everyone knows.

I was thinking, is the 8800m gtx and gts the same card, just the 8800m gts has some stream shaders shut off with firmware? It seems like it would make more sense for nvidia to make just one card and then shut off some stream shaders in the lower end models to save money.

If that is true would it be possible to flash the bios of a 8800m gts to a gtx and possibly get those stream shaders turned on?

I know its a long shot, but I remember with certain ati cards it would work.

Im curious to see other people's thoughts on this. Im sure a lot of people know more about it then me.

i was thinking that same thing, but they probably cut the pipelines witha laser or something to make sure smart people like us didint figure it out.

david097 · 02-16-2008, 06:44 PM

hmm do you think if you flashed a gtx bios onto this card if it didnt work properly you could still get into dos to flash it back?

narsnail · 02-16-2008, 06:48 PM

i was thinking of trying it....i would need to be walked thought it though cuzz i dont know how lol.

eleron911 · 02-16-2008, 06:52 PM

I don`t think so. They should be different from manufacturing,because otherwise the 8800M GTS would be a waste of a good GTX.
Then again,marketing suggests their the same thing with crippled SPs...so might be software-wise possible to unlock the other SPs. If so, nvidia would get a kick in the nuts

Anyone wanna play guinee pig by flashing the bios ?

david097 · 02-16-2008, 06:56 PM

I would be game lol I just helped my friend flash his ATI 3850 last night to up the voltage, its not really that hard.

I just hope that if it doesnt work properly i can still get into dos to relfash the old bios

What is your thoughts on it still working if not the proper bios? I have never seen anyone flash a card with the wrong bios so I dont know what generaly happens if its wrong? does it not work at all? or is it crashes and such?

JCMS · 02-16-2008, 06:58 PM

I think ATI & Nvidia just cut the extra shaders after what happened with the first GF6200.

In case you want to know, a 8800M GTS G92M would be a defective G92M where all the 96SPs aren't working. You gotta be extremly lucky to get a card that has all the SP/Multiplier (CPU) working.

eleron911 · 02-16-2008, 07:04 PM

Well, since it`s a laptop, who`s to say? In a desktop WORST POSSIBLE SCENARIO you would change the mainboard.
But then again, reflashing the BIOS should be just as easy as flashing it,and again,you should be convered by warranty ...or not

JCMS · 02-16-2008, 07:05 PM

Not in case of bios flashing lol. Except maybe if you bought it off the store and go exange it on the first 15days money back warranty

eleron911 · 02-16-2008, 07:08 PM

Which is exactly what I was thinking