SoftFireGL on HD 3870 / Success, apparently

FireGL Driver 8.523 is out
schoko.. please make a patchscript for that as we already skipped 1 version.. Thx..

 

well guys, you have to be a little patient....

i have some mission critical work until the end of next week ( including this weekend). so i won´t have time to take a closer look at the driver until then.

best

 

FireGL 8.523.1.1 driver , HD 3850 and HD 4850

1 ) Using schoko patch, both of them boot up correctly. Other than that, performance increase on only ugnx-01 test. Maybe patch may need to modify different portions.

2 ) Specviewperf 10 1280x1024 for HD3850 ( 630GL mode : FireGL V7700)
Viewset Composite Mulitsample Performance
3dsmax-04 18.87 no result
catia-02 14.50 no result
ensight-03 30.46 no result
maya-02 33.73 no result
proe-04 11.31 no result
sw-01 25.43 no result
tcvis-01 6.87 no result
ugnx-01 65.08 no result

3 ) Specviewperf 10 1280x1024 for HD4850 ( 730GL mode : FirePro V5700 )
Viewset Composite Mulitsample Performance
3dsmax-04 19.36 no result
catia-02 14.85 no result
ensight-03 25.96 no result
maya-02 34.61 no result
proe-04 11.20 no result
sw-01 25.82 no result
tcvis-01 6.80 no result
ugnx-01 52.60 no result

 

Maya 2008 Extension 2 graphics subsystem + 8.453.1.6?????

Hello everyone,

KHOGAN112: On 09-18-2008, 23:42: You wrote,"At least with 8.453.1.6 driver there are no more problems with diaaappearing menus, I guess on 8.453.1 can fix that too. "

Where in hell did you find 8.453.1.6 drivers???? Or is that a typo?

Now, a while back ago, someone mention that Autodesk moved Autocad to the Direct 3D graphics subsystem. Well, I just upgraded my older Maya software to Maya 2008 Ext 2.... Well, that's nothing special in itself, but it wouldn't run and it bitched about it needing a particular version of Direct 3D to be installed.... I thought that it was very weird, since Maya is supposed to be OpenGL... Right???? Or has Autodesk begun moving Maya to a Direct X subsytem? Spec PerfView or is it Perf SpecView's Maya01 test is based on Maya 6.5, so are we sure that Maya 2008 isn't already some Direct X/OpenGL Hybrid?????

Thanks,
Damian in Brooklyn


PS... When will you newbies stop asking if, "this or that is possible?" Just frikkin' READ THE ENTIRE THREAD BEFORE you ask the same annoying questions over and over again.... Just lurk and read, and re-read and then post your question. UGH.......:nerd::biggun:

 

Third driver from top, for FireGL V7700..

http://support.euro.dell.com/suppor...mID=PREC_T7400&hidos=WW1&hidlang=EN&TabIndex=

 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=7639522 says :

Hardware
At a minimum, the 32-bit version of Maya 2009 software requires a system with the following hardware:

Windows: Intel® Pentium® 4 or higher, AMD Athlon® 64, or AMD Opteron® processor
Macintosh®: Intel®-based Macintosh® computers
2 GB RAM
2 GB free hard drive space
Qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL® graphics card
Three-button mouse with mouse driver software
DVD-ROM drive
At a minimum, the 64-bit version of Maya 2009 software requires a system with the following hardware:

Windows and Linux: Intel EM64T processor, AMD Athlon 64, or AMD Opteron
2 GB RAM
2 GB free hard drive space
Qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card
Three-button mouse with mouse driver software
DVD-ROM drive


http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=9683256

http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/qualcharts/Readme.html

Basically it says; "You need a workstation OpenGL card".

AutoCAD is converted to D3D but it seems Maya is currently not ported to D3D.

 

I tried installing 8.502 catalyst control center over 8.453 didnt work yet it wasnt working before that because I messed up with registry so not sure if it will work or not
that 8.453.1.6 drivers are not on ati servers so not sure about them
I did some antialiasing settings on catalyst control center and rhino osnaps become buggy at display when osnap snaps to a corner it gives some non aliased lines can anyone figure out which setting it might be

thanks schoko again we are into graphics so if you like a favor like a custom signature just let us know

 

KHOGAN112, I agree that everything in the marketing fluff literature points to openGL, but then why would Maya 2008 ext 2 complain about a particular Direct 3D file (d3d9_26.dll) and not run without it??????


I needed to install the August 2008 DirectX redistributable version, before Maya 2008 ext 2 would finally run!!!!!!! So, Maya 2008 some how needs Direct 3D.


My theory is as follows:
Maya 2008 ext 2 for Linux NEEDS OpenGL
Maya 2008 ext 2 for MacOSX NEEDS OpenGL
Maya 2008 ext 2 for Windows NEEDS Direct X (Direct 3D)
OLDER Versions (prior to maya 2008) for Windows NEEDED OpenGL

Marketing just hasn't mentioned it because not all platforms are using Direct X. Obviously, Direct X wouldn't run on Linux or MacOSX.

SOMEONE, needs to prove me wrong! But I think they have ported it already. If I am wrong, then why does Maya 2008 ext 2 require d3d9_26.dll ??????


8.453.1.6 = hmmmm, very interesting... I'll patch them and see that my results are.... I wonder why ATI/AMD didn't post them on their site???? Maybe DELL modified them... But Dell is saying that they are WHQL.... Again, more weirdness...

NEWBIES YOU MUST READ THIS, AND DON'T ASK THE SAME QUESTIONS a 1000 TIMES!!!! READ THE ENTIRE THREAD BEFORE YOU POST YOUR QUESTIONS!!!!!!!

Now to address an earlier debate: FIREGL = RADEON is TRUE, there is no difference except the Device ID, BIOS, drivers and resistor configuration. I am an Electrical Engineer and I work for Siemens. I also work within the manufacturing pipeline. From an economics/cost point of view, it doesn't make sense for any Manufacturer to have multiple pipelines for the same GPU. All GPUs within that series, lets say RV630, come off the conveyor are all identical...

Now all Chips will be tested and they will sorted based on certification testing. the ones that have passed 100 percent certification will be sorted for FireGL, the ones that past 99% or below will be sorted for Radeon... That's it... Nothing more... Now the marketing department can lie and lie, all they, want but the GPUs are all identical...

Now, the circuit boards do vary slightly, memory configurations, and bandwidths, and the resistor configuration that identify the GPU. These are the tricks that any manufacturer will use to segment/tier the market, at minimum cost. But all the GPUs are capable of running the FireGL drivers in theory. If this was not true, we would not be in this forum...

Now, Hard Locked GPUs go through an additional step in the manufacturing pipeline, they are laser cut just like the old Athlon XP bridges: L1, L5, L11, etc... NVIDIA does that now... But ATI/AMD have not implemented this yet because they are still the under dog and don't have the market share to afford to be that arrogant!!!!!! YET!!!!!!

So, I hope this dispels the FireGL/Radeon debate... You really have to look at the manufacturing costs, and realize that manufactures just like any other company want to make a profit and keep costs low... Having 2 manufacturing pipelines is more expensive... When compared to 1 pipeline with sorting and a couple of extra pipeline stages added to cripple/disable the remainder of GPUs to be Radeon...

 

damian if you dont want to read the same questions 1000 times try to write a tutorial for newcomers that covers the whole process or quit whining about it or at least try not to get frustrated by it or try telling who or which questions you refer to
I have read whole threads about firegl and still have questions to be sure and if people care about it they answer and I thank them about it
why we are in a forum other than for sharing the knowledge with other people we think deserving it and leaving out the rest

one more thing when I asked if modding as a firestream or firegl might differ I didnt ask about the name that appears on the list I asked about the device id we change and if the firegl drivers might act different to a stream processor than a regular firegl
did anyone tried a test about it for solid proof my 3870 RV670 can be modded as FireStream9170 or FireGL V7700

thanks in advance

 

1. Maya 2008 has support for DirectX® HLSL (High Level Shader Language) shaders in the Maya viewport, via a new hardware shader API.

2. Maya is a multiplatform software and will never have direct3d accelerated viewports, d3d api is owned by microsoft and many major studios and comapanies use non-windows operating systems.

 

I've tried to use my modded 3870 with Maya but couldn't model anymore due to the selection bug. Whenever I select an object, go to vertice mode and try to select a vertice, the underlaying object gets selected instead. Is there any workaround for this?
The only situation I can imagine to use the card under Windows is with setting up scenes, lights and do rendering. But modeling seems to be impossible unless you work on a single object only. Or you could isolate the object that's about to be edited but what when you need to use some other object as reference?

 

As far as I know... this selection bug exists even on the real FireGL cards too so there isn't gonna be any work around for your 3870 to make it disappear.

 

Casebuyer, do you really think a tutorial will really help???? I don't think so!!!!!! It's been already done, it has been linked in the previous pages... Case in point!!!! And YOU weren't even aware of its Existence!!!!!!! I, like many people, have questions too... But, I try to hunt for the answer, first.

So, even though it has been done already....We still see the same questions over and over and over again.... But, if you are a gambling man, would you be willing to gamble your HD3870 video card with me, if, I write a tutorial and post it, and lets see if another newbie asks the same question again???? Are you willing to make such a wager??????? Come on... I dare you!!!!!

virtualex: A BIG THANKS!!!!!!, But, how then is DirectX® HLSL (High Level Shader Language) shaders supported in Linux and MacOSX, since Direct X is a Microsoft exclusive package... Or are the linux and MacOSX versions incapable of supporting HLSL? And if so, then wouldn't there be incompatibilities with scene files with HLSL shaders made on the Windows Platform..then brought to a Mac/Linux platform?????

 

well there are posts about how to do it yet you have to read them all which are in different places for accomplishing a proper mod
if you write a complete tutorial whenever someone asks we can just give the link of the tutorial and than we can say did you read it before you ask because there are hundreds of replies even only in this thread and reading all is not for everyone that is why they are called as newcomers and not experts
I have read all firegl threads at least twice after I bought 3870 and also read them before I bought 3870 and I have accomplished modding 3870 even against lousy windows file protection so dont say me I am not aware of its existence
typing in big bold letters will not make you any bigger or bolder
and flaming will not stop questions so try to calm yourself a bit and write a complete tutorial with screenshots if you really the want the newcomers to ask less questions or their questions to be answered faster therefore they wont ask more questions
or leave it like the rest and stop complaining over it

 

damianinbklyn, please stop shouting..

Typing in bold letters or big letters means shouting in net-etiquete, and it annoys your fellow correspondents. It is a very effective way to annoy people and make sure your messages are discarded by readers.

You can easily test and satisfy your curiosity.

Specviewperf may use Maya 6.5 engine, but there is another SPEC test for Maya. Furthermode, the tests will be updated soon.

http://www.spec.org/gwpg/apc.static/max9info.html

Now, run the test with fireGL driver first get your results and then run again with Radeon driver and see the result. We would be happy if you share your results here.

furthermore, when you look at the following page, you will see that FireGL drivers consist of three main parts : 2D driver, Direct3D driver and OpenGL driver. If the driver were just OpenGL, then it would have a disastrous 3DMark etc performance, but it does not. So, FireGL cards are able to run games etc without any problems.

http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/xp/fireglv-xp.html

 

My bad....

My bad, didn't mean to shout. I just firmly believe that one should lurk for a long time, and thoroughly read the thread.... But, it's a losing battle. :bang:

Casebuyer, my problem is not with you... And it is not my intention to flame you. But, this is not the only forum discussing this particular topic and the info is readily available via google to the whole world... There is no excuse for anyone to post the same questions again and again and again and again.

Please don't take personal offense to my comments. My post was not to single anyone out, but to discourage future posts where no research or effort had been done at all.

On a lighter note,

I have successfully flashed my HD3850 AGP bios with the FireGL V7700 PCI Device ID.. I forced the flash and used the switch to ignore the conflicting SSID. I rebooted the unit and installed the unpatched 8.523.1.1 without a problem. Haven't had the opportunity to run benchmarks...Will try after I get back from my business trip. I'm just glad that I didn't destroy the card....:micro:

 

great work so you did install 8.5
well I cannot risk remodding right now because my operating system messed up already
at the first mod of 8.44 the driver never worked out untill copying some reg files of a previous installation under 8.44 folders

also I tried installing 8.5 mod till last step and it seems it might install but I couldnt risk it
previous installations would give error like it wouldnt install because no firegl hardware available
maybe another one can try installing it and tell the results
well no damage would be to hardware yet operating system might mess up

does 8.453 or 8.523.1.1 drivers contain anything like that or only 2 file modding with atimtag.sys and the inf file

and my question still remains and only benchmarks can answer that
is there any way firegl and firestream mod can differ in performance

can anyone managed to install 3dsmax drivers of ati or know how we can install them

http://ati.amd.com/products/workstation/benchmarks.html
http://ati.amd.com/products/workstation/benchmarks2.html

by the way there is something called firepro now

http://ati.amd.com/products/firepro/index.html

http://ati.amd.com/products/workstation/AMDATI-038_FamilyBro_Final_Web.pdf

 

What did you use to edit the BIOS?

 

I cahnged the device ID to 9511..

using RBE and ATI Winflash; the FireGL 8.523.1.1 driver installed; but when I restarted it complained about uncomaptible driver and performance was not there. So , it does not work. I changed mı device ID back to 9505.

 

FireGL Switch in the Driver

There must be something more than ID switch... Maybe someone should analyse the bios.

I think it will be more effective to fight the problem at the root (bios) instead elsewhere (driver/os).

BTW: Big thanks for the work ... my 3870 does a good job.

My Idea:
Do FireGL cards use different RAM Modules than Radeon Cards.
I mean the cycle times which can be moddded with programs.

I tried to flash my old 1900XTX to a FireGL 7300. After the restart it worked
pretty fine in DOS mode during the boot up. But only in the DOS mode.. windows started normal but there were to much artefacts.

I had the same artefacts when i used wrong clocks/core voltage?

Maybe here is the problem?

I cannot advise to do someone the same because the flash programm didnt find my adapter and i hat to short circuit the RADEON board when my system was running to get access to the flash rom... it was a long night for me.