AMD Radeon HD 6950 Software Unlock to Radeon 6970 BIOS Flash Linus Tech Tips

[TheGhillesuitman]

what kind of test bench is that

[MrDreadlokz]

hahaha, very nice, about the Windows... Why would he buy a $200 Windows? WHY WOULD ANYONE? My first PC, like 12 years ago, had an Original Copy of the Windows, and im GLAD to say, that was my last one =D

[progste]

I heard many 6950 that were unlocked using this method fried some time later, how is yours holding up?

[codaassasin]

sigh, my MSI R6950 2GB Twin Frozr II doesnt have the bios switch..

[RamaP94]

@codaassasin but you can still do it

its just that if something goes wrong, you are screwed

[codaassasin]

@RamaP94

Yeah but it would be stupid to attempt to unlock a 6950 with no bios switch, especially since this MSI R6950 cost $280

[emomotorgeek]

I unlocked my diamond radeon hd 6950's using RBE. I bought them off of Newegg a month ago.

[zahid194]

How do u know if ur 6950 is able to be unlocked and do they still sell them???

[OutlawLovesNewVegas]

@zahid194 They are very rare now. Just give up on finding one frankly.

[tino730]

@zahid194 They should!

[gunzzforlife]

@zahid194 i needs refrence pcb with bois switch and they do still sell them

[sgwuerzbubi]

does that work with every 6950 versions?

for example a MSI HD 6950 TwinFrozr III 2GB ?

[BurntFossil]

@sgwuerzbubi i think no modern 6950 can be unlocked to a 6970, only the odler models can. ATI stoppped it as people where buying 6950s to unlock to 6970 and didnt buy 6970s

[B00h44]

@sgwuerzbubi

if you have a 2nd bios you can always just test it out without issues

[TheJ666C]

@sgwuerzbubi if it have dual bios probabli is already unlocked just go to second bios i got sapphire radeon hd 6950 2 gb dual fan and is come from factory unlocked and its great

[XDUCKXWHITE]

@sgwuerzbubi i guess that if the card have dual bios it will work !

[EmoticonMayhem]

@sgwuerzbubi luck of the draw, some twin frozrs work, others don't

[Thushan44]

genuine software message??? lololololololollolol

[MrDragonknight94]

@Thushan44 Lol i've noticed that on many linus videos

[calical26]

hd6970 and 6950 are the same 6970 has a lil more power by 5 too 10 %

[funguy232]

can this also be done with the Asus HD 6950?

[funguy232]

never mind i did it anyways and it worked fine...i was even able to switch it back to the old bios with no problems....i am now running my 6950 as a 6970 with now problems.....but witch drivers do i use now?...the drivers for the 6950 or the 6970?

[morph2g]

@funguy232

no, you cant do this anymore

[funguy232]

@morph2g ....yes you can...i just did it last night to my asus hd 6950 that i bought only 3 weeks ago

[T0MMYC123]

@morph2g i just did it so....

[Ail188]

@T0MMYC123 Which card do you have? Was it a powercolor card?

[T0MMYC123]

@Ail188 mine is an asus radeon 6950 directcu 2

[JARMOPOWER]

@T0MMYC123 I have it too, have you been able to flash it?

[T0MMYC123]

@JARMOPOWER yeah just do what the video says and it should work

[T0MMYC123]

@funguy232 yes, i did it today

[WatanukySlayers]

Los videos se cortan y la primera tarjeta solo tenía un cable de alimentación conecado y después del "incremento" de shaders tenía dos cables de alimentación D:

[MrRadeon6950]

Thanks for the tutorial I got my sapphire 1gb 6950 dual fan edition unlock to 6970. how much power wattage it used if under full load? Thumbs up for this!! :))))

[TheGreatSnatchy]

@MrRadeon6950 1 Gb? Im pretty sure that you can only do it on 2 Gb version unless im wrong.

[foxsux6000]

the best benchmark for overclocking and unlocking is gta4 especially for cpu's because it actually makes good use of CPU/GPU caching. (just make sure you max out all the ram/cpu intensive stuff, no other benchmark crashed with me but GTA4 and Batman: Arkham City)

[marlibling]

Thanks for this video and the link. Flashed my Sapphire Radeon to 6970 from 6950 card flawlessly. Surprisingly, it gives more frames but I don't experience any overheating or loud fan noise. OC 30% right now.

[Ijohanfree]

In my country the 6970 is a 100 bucks more than a 6950. I wish I live in CA just tu buy from Linus lol Thanks for the tip about to get this card this weekend!

[TDNSLEDANG]

cool but wont the card melt through the floor?

[ThePakenshet]

@TDNSLEDANG LOL ! NOPE ! XD

[bogdan19902]

i can`t find 6950 anywhere T_T damn it they sell fast

[IbbyIbbyIbby1]

Can anyone tell me what an artifact is? Or link me to the video he is on about? Thanks.

[Fsxace999]

@IbbyIbbyIbby1 When videos have weird tearing effects or random coloured pixels.

[vaghoust]

I found it for 169 euros in my country,should I go for it?Is it the best gaming value right now?

[GPUReviews]

@vaghoust Yes! Where did you find that deal?! Please message me!

[marlibling]

@vaghoust I would say go for it. I want another one for crossfire and the price is over 300 US on amazon from other buyers. Sold out from Amazon and newegg. I am referring to the Sapphire card that is used in video but other brands work fine too. Don't know about the Flash on these newer cards but even without that the card is good

[marlibling]

Thanks for the video dude. Well done!

[johancs7]

If you run HD6950 CF, and want to flash both of them, can you flash both simultaneusly?

Or do you need to physically remove one of them first? Plz help! <3

[9ggubZprod]

@johancs7 Flash them individually. Remember that the card(s) runs hotter after flashing them.

[racerxgt1]

damn bro, you got alot of cards

[1JST3]

28 человек не смогли разлочить Radeon HD 6950

[GameVoidCommentaries]

what are shaders? btw im only 14 so dont rage at me if it is simple.

[jurassic512]

BIOS 2 is not flashable. Only 1 is.

[enriald1]

yes it works... i just did today unlock my shaders ... flashing my card bios.. i din't know this was possible but i did.. i got a powercolor hd 6950 2g and unlock to 6970. . i use a MSI flash bios. for my card i think this is the most powerfull outthere for now to unlock on hd 6950 2g if you have hd 5950 1g it will require different bios. full compatible test the witcher 2 no problems... looks awesome. people try read blogs are very help full .. YES YOU CAN DO IT.

[nicholasgomez261294]

whats the link for the working web page???

[swchoi89]

I got MSI Radeon HD 6950 2GB Twin Frozr. How can I do what the vdeo just did? where do i get those cool cmd programs?

[swchoi89]

@swchoi89 please help... i just flashed and now my computer won't load.....

I tried reseting the bios but seems like its not working..... and now CPU fan is louder than ever... please help.

[enriald1]

what video card are you using did you where able to fix the problem..?

[swchoi89]

@enriald1 I managed to fix it. I bought MSI Radeon HD 6950 2GB Twin Frozr II. I only use AfterBurner to increase the clock but I don't want to risk my card trying to flash it agin.

[puntymario]

@swchoi89 slow down there. linus didnt mention a very critical point about unlocking. you see this only works with reference cards with stock coolers that look like the one in this video. you have a card with an after market cooler which means yours is permanently locked unfortunately.

[MrJazza171]

@Musclemass5000 can you still do ti now? and can i do it on a MSI Radeon HD6950 2GB Twin Frozr III

[justlooking369]

i own a 6950 and i did this b4 this video came up and ofc it worked, got almost double performance in most games, only thing i cant get is why when i try and use overvoltage utilities it does not work? says i dont have an asus card but i do, my card is an Asus Direct CU II Radeon HD 6950 2GB :/

[dsdseew3223]

iv got a Gigabyte HD6950 1GB will it work with that ?

[Musclemass5000]

@dsdseew3223 Sorry, but no, the software unlock only works with 2gb video card variants of the 6950.

[Xaiyattiha]

cOOL.. ELA EH TAO MENTIROSA Q VALE A PONA COMPRAR 2, E TERAO A MELHOR DUIAL DO MUNDO

[Palillos1337]

so basically they build the powerful card and then make it suck and still sell it? don't you guys realize that they are stiffing people?

[v1James1v]

Can you do this with and kind of 6950 such as XFX or Sapphire?

[Zorofar]

@v1James1v There are only two brands that I know of that have dual-bios switch. One is Sapphire and the other is PowerColor.

[v1James1v]

@Zorofar Ah shit, cheers mate :)

[GOBLUEBOY777]

@v1James1v Sapphire should work

[ZEZgamer]

why do they have it underclock the card though if it is so similar. wont they losing money?

[ILightWas]

28 people couldn't unlock their 6950 into a 6970

[angelite143]

@ILightWas maybe they don't have one

[CookieRookieCA]

OK i have a 6950....i find where the 2 and 1 position is but there is no switch!! can i still flash it?

[BatDanz]

@CookieRookieCA yes, but you hav to make sure you do it right or it will be harder to go back to the 6950 bios

[CookieRookieCA]

@BatDanz i must do it in same way?

[BatDanz]

@CookieRookieCA yes i think so, just be careful not to do anything wrong. Good luck

[Actrons]

Links?

[zamraqayum]

U bunch of idiots check out when the video was post 2010 exactly one year ago

[123321theunknown]

@TheKnightSolaris I think he meant upgrade the video card

[ringding314]

can you do this if you have an HD 6950 with no dual-BIOS switch?

[Kadriification]

@ringding314 ye, but you could screw your card, if it is unstable and/or you did a mistake in flashing.

[auswolf350]

@Kadriification If it's unstable or you made a mistake then you just flip the switch to the other BIOS

[kayafj]

@ringding314

yes. i did it.

[asalikus]

may i have only 1 of those cards ??  :(

[aky19832001]

Its not really worth the hassle and potential damage. I have both the 6950 and 6970. The difference in gaming performance is minute. Unless something comes out that is really drastic in technology, were stuck with this stuff for now. But i7, sufficient memory, solid MB and a 2gb 6970 and proper set up for cooling, should more graphics than you can ever want or need.

[TheMacWhat]

Can I do this for 6950's in Crossfire with the same Process?

[TekenMoop]

@TheMacWhat You cant do this any more. They have locked it all down. @LinusTechTips This is old you can't do it anymore Linus.

[CombineHeaT]

@TekenMoop you cant do this anymore? Are you positive?

[TekenMoop]

@CombineHeaT Yep In the latest drivers AMD locked the gpu.

[kayafj]

@TekenMoop

you can do this...

i get my new his iceq 6950 1 week ago, and as you know that his iceq dont have any bios button or something, i just downloaded the files, flashed it this way ^^ and Magic..

WORKING..

[TekenMoop]

@kayafj Weird. Cause every where I have been have been saying that it's no longer possible.

[kayafj]

@TekenMoop promise you

[ZZHighVoltage]

yes it will, because its still a 6950 card



[IcedOrb217]

Will this work with a XFX 6950 2GB card?

[OriginalFoxBox]

Cases are useless.

[TheObsidianPaladin]

@OriginalFoxBox Depends on the case, my case keeps my computer At extremely low Temps

[MisterMurphus]

@OriginalFoxBox

Disregard case, acquire 6970.

[Grockern55]

this guy sounds like identical to edward norton

[SupremeAmerican]

/me looks at the gtx 560 sc in my case. /me shakes head in disappointment. /me lights cigarette. /me insults nvidia. Nvidia sucks.

[brandon1633]

@SupremeAmerican  ati or amd sucks

[brandon1633]

@SupremeAmerican even bf3 supports nvidia

[VISIONARYGAMERO1]

@SupremeAmerican

me thinks your a twat

[matawin2]

for the url techpowerup(dot)com/articles/o­verclocking/vidcard/159

[lauris3722]

Can this damage videocard or decrease lifetime?

[RawrzPanther]

@lauris3722 On some cards it can damage the memory module permenantly, only if you are really unlucky though. I suggest just unlocking the shaders and then manually overclocking through MSI Afterburner or CCC. It is much safer and also it gives you almost the exact same performance (plus or minus 1-2 fps) Also it doesn't change the voltage which can increase the lifetime of your card.

[MrBross55]

@IkkuHihi you need 2gb VRAM, pretty sure. but upgrading isnt that hard :p

[TheKnightSolaris]

@MrBross55 Hahahah Stupid idiot! You cannot upgrade your VideoRAM!

[RawrzPanther]

@TheKnightSolaris How is he a stupid idiot for assuming that you can upgrade Video ram? If you can upgrade normal RAM why shouldn't you be able to upgrade your video RAM? Not everyone knows a lot about GPU's mate so quit trolling. (btw i do know you cannot im just saying)

[TheKnightSolaris]

@RawrzPanther He's spreading false rumors bro. Video cards' RAM was never update-able. So instead of giving false advice he should keep his mouth closed as long as he doesn't know what is he talking about.

[IkkuHihi]

Can you do this with the Radeon 6950 with 1GB VRAM? Or do you need 2 GB.

[RawrzPanther]

@IkkuHihi You can but it won't work. For your 1GB 6950 just get a shader unlock and it works just as well but you wont get as good performance as a 6970 because you only have 1GB video ram

[IkkuHihi]

@RawrzPanther Thanks, probably getting the 2GB version then. :)

[AvalancheGriefing]

Lmao at the non-genuine windows warning. LOL

[Frietpan]

10000000000 THANKS MR LINUS

after reading 100000 guides with bootable usb sticks and atiflash command and w/e and still not getting it.

this was done in 5 minutes!! (works fine this method also on msi twin frozr3)

[markowina]

can you flash the bios on any 6950??

[RawrzPanther]

@markowina Any 6950 but recommended on reference cards because they have the dual bios switch, which means a smaller chance of bricking the card.

[EarthWorms77]

What is a dual bios, and what is the point of it?

[nhs2008NC]

@EarthWorms77 you can have two bios. You can bounce back to working bios if your flash fails~

[EarthWorms77]

@nhs2008NC Ok cool thank you

[bugattiveyron96]

Why not use the case??

[dtseiler]

Why don't you just edit the first half of the video out?

[siedenburg1]

You have high end Graphic Cards and no money for Windows 7?

BTW: Nice now i'll buy an HD 6950 :P

[aizensam4]

@siedenburg1 its cracked using boot flashdrive why would anyone buy win 7 when u can crack ti with 7 loaded

[Olaipai]

Okeh, Dillemma

XFX Radeon HD 6950, MSI Radeon HD 6950 Twin Frozer III or PowerColor Radeon HD 6950?????????

Please answer me! The GPU'S are going to be used in a Crossfire setup with an AMD FX-8150 Bulldozer OC to 4.8 GHz stable.

[Punisherrrrrrrrr]

@Olaipai msi twin frozr obviously

[Olaipai]

@Punisherrrrrrrrr What happens if I fail at an OC? I wouln't be able to go back then :/

[pacmon99]

How do I tell if mines laser cut?

[madofmygoddess]

/?d=96CDXU3F

Megaupload link, no virus.

[StormAce96]

where can i download the package ?

[derdevel2]

thumbs up if you scrolled down to see if the comment he said should be thumbed up was thumbed up.

[codaassasin]

does it have to be a sapphire one? i have diamond and techpowerup gives u a sapphire flash thingy.

[derdevel2]

@codaassasin i just bought the diamond from newegg during their black friday deals, and the reviews show that a number of people managed to unlock it, so i assume that that is a yes I ALSO GOT IT FOR ONLY $230!!!! WITH DEUS EX!!!

[codaassasin]

@LinusTechTips

will this affect the voltage,wattage, or lifespan of the graphics card? i am known for bad luck and want to be safe but want better performance. please reply

[1992jamo]

@codaassasin Yes it might well do. The VRAM in the 6950 was cheaper stuff and can't be clocked/won't take the voltage to the same as a 6970 without risking damage and reduced life span. As far as I know, unlocking the shaders has no risks with the exception of the actual flashing.

[codaassasin]

soooo would u install 6950 or 6970 drivers?

[natman2k]

so basically the only difference between the 6950 and the 6970 is that the 6970 has more shaders right?

[1992jamo]

@natman2k And faster memory.

[kirky9449]

I don't understand this. Is it dangerous to do this? and does it affect the performance?

[hstings543]

how come you only get 10 frames on the first test on 3d mark? I got 27 average with a gtx 560Ti

[ArtstyleFB]

You dont have Windows 7 purchased!!

[kikiwew]

is he using a counterfeit version of windows 7??

[thetomgaming]

@kikiwew he is not it is because he keeps changing his hardware so he keeps needing to install windows again because of the chipsets its not counterfeit :D

[TekenMoop]

@kikiwew Dell leak copy.

[MakkeSk8]

@kikiwew who isnt

[lilmrock4456]

@kikiwew He mentions in many videos it is because he is swapping computer components so much.

[emperor0013]

I keep reading that you have to turn up the power output afterwards. Is this not the case?

[fsxfinland]

you have pirate windows

[nirvanastrike]

i buy a hd 6950 asus direct cu ii and i use the same programs of flash to 6970 but me its work but when i play some game i got a black screen anyone can help me plz?!

[lilbesho]

@nirvanastrike are the game legit?

[nirvanastrike]

@lilbesho yes

[lilbesho]

@nirvanastrike what games that shows u the black screen?

[nirvanastrike]

@lilbesho benchamrk like 3dmark 11 unigene heaven benchmark avp benchmark and games are crysis 2 dirt 3

[lilbesho]

@nirvanastrike its the driver, don't open any games as it overloads the gpu, i think u have failed unlocking it, this could damage ur card, go to toms hardware dot com and ask for some professional help

[nirvanastrike]

@lilbesho thx for reply btw but finaly i change my graphics card

[hello19286]

is it safe doing this?

[tunderking1]

can u do that with a club3d hd 6950 2gb dual fan??

[10Antman10]

I got a HIS HD 6950 2GB DiRT 3 Edition today WITHOUT the bios switch and I still unlocked mine using a tutorial

[fergdizzle9090]

so im still confused.. should i get a 6970 or 6950? i cant see the difference. why would any1 get a 6970 if they are the same?

[GameTrailersHD4U]

@fergdizzle9090 What your saying is basically a ATI 5970 is the same thing as 5870 look the 6970 has more performance but the 6950 can be flashed and be like a 6970 so buy the 6950 its like 100 dollars less.

[TonyBarSilva]

Has vtx3d hd 6950 1 gb dual bios?

[BenderYoung]

@TonyBarSilva 1GB version can't be unlocked

[lohchong]

hi it seems that my sapphire dirt 3 version cannot be unlocked to 6970 ): why is that so?? ):

[BenDover137]

if you unlock it like this, can you run crossfire with two unlocked 6950s to 6970s?

[HQRiko]

is it possible to unlock my sapphire hd 6950 2 gb dirt 3 version to a hd 6970?.

[SUBW00F3RR]

@HQRiko It is

[kevinsmammaxd]

23 people bought a 6970

[Snapscape]

@kevinsmammaxd I have a 6950 but the latest cards cannot be unlocked. ATI Fixed that.

[DoomTra1n]

@kevinsmammaxd My 6970 is sitting pretty @ 1024 mhz :P, can't be mad @ that lol.

[johnchen0213]

@kevinsmammaxd people who bought 6970 will have an advantage of power consumption. They can consume more power for more performance, but it cost 50$ more for that... not worth it.