9800SE Softmod

[russ0r!]

Hi guys.
A while back I got hold of a PowerColor 9800SE on the cheap. I had a 9600XT that had just blown up on me (been dodgy since it went out of warranty, never buying from sapphire again) and I'd heard of soft-modding 9800SE's and activating the extra four pixel pipelines - Thus giving you a 9800 at a cheaper price.
I wasnt really too confident that the softmodding would work, but even if it didnt I'd have a card that was as good as (if not better than) my 9600XT.
Anyway, I soft-mod it, and get a shedload of artifacts. I leave it like that, seeing as it gives me more FPS anyway (and a ghetto wallhack on CS, hehe) - Then all of a sudden it just stopped. I only noticed today, but thinking back, there hasnt been any artifacts for a while.
I check ATItool...Yup, still 8 pipelines active...
Anyone had anything like this? I always thought, once a broken pipe, always a broken pipe.

The only two things I can think of are when I upped the AGP voltage a few weeks back... and putting my CPU voltage up a notch today...
I'm pretty sure its not the latter. But could the AGP voltage help a broken pipe? :/

Please don't tell me I just have broken Omega drivers.

Response appreciated.
Cheers,
Russ.

[Rave]

I have a softmoddable 9500 and I always check that the softmod has worked by doing the fill rate test on 3DMark 2001. With no softmod I get a score of 1000-ish (Mtexels/s or whatever it is) in the multi-texture test, with it enabled I get over 2000. An 8-Pipe 9800 running at 380MHz should score close to 3000.

[russ0r!]

Hmm :/ Don't have 2001, but 3DMark 2000 gives me this:

Fill rate (Single-texturing): 1189.3 MTexels/s
Fill rate (Multi-texturing): 2534.0 MTexels/s

I would've thought I'd get more for Single-texturing :/

Anyway, what you reckon? Is that 8 pipes or 4? Bearing in mind its only got the 128-bit memory interface... (Whoops)

Edit: BTW, thats in 1024x768, 16-bit colour, 16-bit textures - If that makes any difference.

[Rave]

The single texturing score is always lower. If those results are comparable to 3DM2001 then yes it looks to me as if the softmod is still working.

[malfunction]

How long have you had it? I suppose something could have burned in... Maybe the thermal pad / grease has cured...? I would pretty much have thought a broken pipe would stay that way but hey - maybe anyone with a 'broken' 9800SE should leave it running 3DMark looped until it learns how to behave itself!

(John Cleese thrashing his car in Faulty Towers springs to mind... Much smaller stick required for a 9800 obviously... "Right you - I've had enough of your checkerboard patterns! You're going to get a good thrashing!")

Ahem... Move along folks... Nothign to see here...

[russ0r!]

How long have you had it?

Around 3-4 months. It's been doing it's funky checkerboard thing for at least 3 of those.

I'm thinking it must be the AGP voltage. Maybe this particular core was put in a 9800SE because not all of its 8 pipes would work at the standard voltage?

I dunno. I'm just guessing.

[Rave]

It should get its power from the auxilliary connector. Dunno.....it's an odd one for sure, good for you though.