hey guys...i'm new to the forums. i've been using rivatuner since i first got my 6800GS AGP card four years ago or so i guess. i guess this is 'old school' now but i'm trying to unlock the extra pipelines (someone has to remember doing this years agp ). lately i upgraded to windows 7. i just installed the nvidia 196.21 drivers and rivatuner 2.24c. i'm trying to unlock the extra pipelines but for some reason the nvstrap tab doesn't exist. when i was using vista a couple months ago i had an older version of rivatuner and older nvidia drivers and i could unlock the pipelines no problem with the nvstrap settings but they seem to have disappeared. any help appreciated, -mitchell
the 196.21 drivers are the recommended drivers for the 6 series cards on windows 7. does rivatuner just not support those newest drivers? is there any way to 'unlock' the nvstrap tab?
First you have to prove that your 6800gs locked pipelines can be unlocked using Rivatuner ---> if necessary do this using a XP setup? Then, if successful, use the Rivatuner "NV40BiosHwUnitsMaskElimintor" Patch Script file to Modify a copy of your cards Bios ---> just doulbe click on the script file and follow instructions! Now Flash your 6800gs with the "unlocked pipeline" modded bios and your card will always have Max pipes available (up to 16/6vp) regardless of which OS or Driver is being used?
i was using the same card with xp for a couple years with the pipelines successfully unlocked so the hardware's good for sure. is that patch script file part of rivatuner? i'm not exactly sure on how to flash the bios on the card - do i do it using rivatuner too? sorry, i'm not a newbie per say but i'm not real experienced either. thanks for the help, -mitchell
i found the script file in the rivatuner folder. how would i go about backing up the original bios so if anything goes wrong i can reverse the process? and flashing the bios would be done through rivatuner as well?
Yes, the patch script file is part of Rivatuner ---> available by either from the Rivatuner subdirectory of "\program files",or, just look through the Rivatuner options in your Start\Programs menu...under the "Rivatuner\Patch scripts folder" ? And for flashing your card, use the NVFlash Bios flashing program. Either when in a DOS environment (probably safest way), or, by using a special windows version of the program ---> see link below for example of how to go about it, http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=1940216&postcount=163 For overclocking, a 6800gs should be stable enough with 3D at 400-425MHz providing you use NiBiTor to modify your bios to set 3D core volts at 1.3v (dont set above 1.3v as it may damage your card). Of course, since you appear a bit innocent in this area, before doing anything I suggest you read the forum stickies aimed directly at "newbies" like yourself. And maybe you should also use the forum "search" facilities to see how others coped with situations just like yours. This forum has been around a long, long, time and so there is a wealth of very useful information on just about every topic within easy reach of all forum members!
Not the only tool, but you can use NiBitor to backup your original bios. And as I previously posted.. a simple forum search should find just about anything you wanted ---> for example, see link below for thread discussing and providing guides for such things as vga card bios backups and flashing, http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=313989
thanks for the quick replies! that helps a lot and i think i could do the bios flashing now. that's basically my only option with the current rivatuner and nvidia drivers right? there's no way to 'unlock' the nvstrap tab so i can unlock the card the 'old/safe/easier' way? thanks again!
wow ive gone back in time lol. i remember doing this on my bfg6600gs but the extra 4 pipelines were broken. theres also a disabled vertex shader which i did unlock sucessfully. as for proceder of doing it i forget now but theres loads of guides on google.
wowww... i have a leadtek winfast 6800le. and i remember that using rivatuner i was able to unlock 4 vertex shader and 6 pipelines... that was a nice card
after reading into the bios flashing some more i think i could do it it just seems a bit risky. i would realllly like it if i could just use the rivatuner software with nvstrap. is the bios flashing really my only option at this point? this is my last check to see if anyone on here knows how to or if i can even unlock the nvstrap tab before i go through with the flashing. it would be really appreciated if anyone has any ideas. thanks again and sorry if i'm annoying anyone i just don't get why the tab is not available.
wellll i just used driversweeper to properly remove the nvidia drivers and then reinstalled the 196.21 drivers and magic! the nvstrap tab was there and i successfully unlocked the card to 16pp, 6vp! thanks for the help guys!
