Member Avatar for Don Gino

Has anyone tried this?

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arjunsasidharan commented: nice find +3

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’s link points to a hardware/firmware approach that some hobbyists used to turn a cut-down Radeon card into a higher model. is right that it’s interesting, and ’s NSLU2 example shows how a single hardware change can have big effects. That said, GPUs are more complex than small embedded boards: success depends entirely on the exact board revision, the GPU die used, and whether the vendor disabled features in firmware or by hardware. This is not a guaranteed or risk‑free upgrade.

A practical checklist and safe workflow:

  • Inspect the card: note PCB/board IDs, GPU stamping and memory chips. Confirm the card has the physical resources (memory size, same die) the target model requires.
  • Backup everything first: dump the current VBIOS with a tool before touching hardware. Keep multiple copies.
  • Prepare tools and workspace: ESD protection, fine soldering iron or hot air, magnification, flux, solder wick, multimeter, and a bench PSU if possible. Practice on junk boards if you’re not comfortable.
  • Make one change at a time and test immediately. Reflash only with VBIOS confirmed compatible for that exact board revision.

Troubleshooting and recovery notes:

  • Common failure modes are no POST, driver crashes, visual corruption, or overheating. If the card still boots, restore the backup VBIOS with the flashing tool. If the card won’t POST, recovery usually requires an EEPROM/SPI programmer or a donor ROM and a SOIC clip to rewrite the ROM. That hardware is inexpensive but requires care.
  • Keep a spare working GPU or test rig; don’t risk the only video card in a daily driver.

Bottom line: for collectors or tinkerers this is an interesting project. For practical performance gains on old hardware, buying a known-good used 9700 (or a more modern used card) is often cheaper and far less risky.

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Member Avatar for arjunsasidharan

quite interesting..

Member Avatar for Don Gino

I wouldnt try it unless you have money to throw around, just incase there is a slight chance it wont work :P

Member Avatar for Don Gino

Thats pretty impressive.

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