Hi all! It is known that Sapphire(I don't know about the other brands) released a bios update for HD4870. I performed the update and everything was exactly as in the pdf file they uploaded along with the bios(in the pdf file they explained how to correctly flash the bios under pure DOS).I did the update because my card had the same number on the back of its box as the number displayed on Sapphire's site. Now....how do I know that my bios actualy changed....I mean I want to see numbers, letters but in CCC everything is the same as before the flash and the same thing I could say about GPU-Z. In the pdf file there are some pictures with the PC screen in DOS and the way things should look like after the flash. What's weird is that those screens show some lines in which the old bios version is the same with the new one. There are some other lines that point out that all the characteristics of the old bios are the same with the new one(release date and some other numbers). Is this the way it's supost to be? PLS someone who could give me a straight answer because I just spent a lot of time today to learn how to perform the update because I didn't have any floppy and no usb stick..... Thanks in advance!
1. Download Atiwinflash 2.0.1.7. No installation needed. 2. Run Atiwinflash. In the "ROM details" section there is a line called "Current VBIOS". You should see the following; P/N 11X-1E8501SA-001. If so, then congratulations, you have successfully flashed your HD4870 512MB with a new BIOS. If you can't get Atiwinflash working for some reason, the following is another way to check your current BIOS. 1. Download GPU-Z 0.3.3. It's a single file, with no installation needed. 2. Run GPU-Z. Under the large ATI icon you should see a small button with a green arrow on it. Click the button and select "Save to file...". A window will pop up prompting a save location; hit "Save". Another window will pop up confirming the save; hit "Ok". You should have a file named "RV770.bin" which is your current BIOS. 3. Download Radeon BIOS Editor 1.20. It's a single file, with no installation needed. 4. Run Radeon BIOS Editor. At the bottom left there is a button name "Load BIOS...". Click on it and select the "RV770.bin" file. 5. In the "BIOS Information" section there is a line called "BIOS version string". You should see the following; 11X-1E8501SA-001. If so, then congratulations, you have successfully flashed your HD4870 512MB with a new BIOS.
There are a few fixes with regards to the card locking up or displaying artifacts during heavy 3D load. If you are using a reference stock clocked (750/900) HD4870 512MB, it's recommended to flash your card to the new BIOS. Last year, I personally had problems in ETQW with flashing random flashing textures, with my Sapphire HD4870 512MB. I flashed to the newer BIOS (located in the 478.zip) file, and the flashing textures were gone. The card has been rock solid ever since. It works perfectly on any stock clocked Sapphire HD4870 512MB card, not just the one Sapphire reports (P/N:188-01E85-001SA,SKU#11133-00-XXR)...
@nafets1, thanks for the instructions but I allready did those things before proceeding with the bios update....what I do not understand is why I have the same bios version/release date as befor the flashing....everything says it is like before the flashing....even though on the box of my card there is the serial number that points to the buggy version of bios.
