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8800gt EFI64 ROM

M

millisecond

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 29, 2007
18
0
Anyone have a version of this they can send me or that they've found posted anywhere? If you're willing to do it but don't know how, private message me and we'll see if we can figure it out.

Have a PC version of the card that I would LOVE to try out in my MP 2008...

Thanks in advance!
 
Do you think a PC 8800 GTS (G92 version) could be flashed with the Mac 8800 GT firmware and still allow the extra 16 shaders on the GTS to operate?
 
thagomizer said:
Do you think a PC 8800 GTS (G92 version) could be flashed with the Mac 8800 GT firmware and still allow the extra 16 shaders on the GTS to operate?
Click to expand...

Seriously doubt it as stuff like this tends to be hard-coded in the firmware. And actually doubt the GTS would work at all, but we won't know until we can try with a version of the EFI firmware.
 
thagomizer said:
Do you think a PC 8800 GTS (G92 version) could be flashed with the Mac 8800 GT firmware and still allow the extra 16 shaders on the GTS to operate?
Click to expand...

It would only operate as an 8800 GT if it still functioned. I have tried this with an X800Pro flashed to x800XT to get the extra speed and pipelines on my venerable old gaming PC. This did work like a charm though:D.

I imagine the downgrading would work since you are putting less strain on it. Unless of course there is a significant enough difference in the chips used between the two models. Then maybe in Windows you could use an overclocking program to force the card back to GTS clock speeds albeit without the extra pipes.
 
velocityg4 said:
It would only operate as an 8800 GT if it still functioned. I have tried this with an X800Pro flashed to x800XT to get the extra speed and pipelines on my venerable old gaming PC. This did work like a charm though:D.

I imagine the downgrading would work since you are putting less strain on it. Unless of course there is a significant enough difference in the chips used between the two models. Then maybe in Windows you could use an overclocking program to force the card back to GTS clock speeds albeit without the extra pipes.
Click to expand...

The amount of stream processors are hardwired on the chip, regardless of the ROM.
 
Ugh, if I had ordered one, i would be going through the process right now to do it, but I gave in and now own a 2600 equipped MP and am on your side.


:/
 
Once we get a working ROM dump, will it work on my 2007 Mac Pro ? I never heard if it was confirmed that it will work.
 
The program nvflash can be used to backup and restore Nvidia firmware:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1469

If someone with a Mac 8800 could do a backup, I have a PC 8800 and will try a restore.

Edit: sorry, I will not be able to do it after all. The program needs to be run from a DOS boot disk and my PC does not have a floppy drive. Maybe some1 else?
 
aLoC said:
The program nvflash can be used to backup and restore Nvidia firmware:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1469

If someone with a Mac 8800 could do a backup, I have a PC 8800 and will try a restore.

Edit: sorry, I will not be able to do it after all. The program needs to be run from a DOS boot disk and my PC does not have a floppy drive. Maybe some1 else?
Click to expand...

I believe it's possible to make a bootable DOS cd-rom.
 
aLoC said:
The program nvflash can be used to backup and restore Nvidia firmware:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1469

If someone with a Mac 8800 could do a backup, I have a PC 8800 and will try a restore.

Edit: sorry, I will not be able to do it after all. The program needs to be run from a DOS boot disk and my PC does not have a floppy drive. Maybe some1 else?
Click to expand...

Perhaps you have a USB memory stick that your pc could be configured to boot off of.

Here are some instructions and files needed to make a bootable usb mem stick.
 
aLoC said:
The program nvflash can be used to backup and restore Nvidia firmware:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1469

If someone with a Mac 8800 could do a backup, I have a PC 8800 and will try a restore.

Edit: sorry, I will not be able to do it after all. The program needs to be run from a DOS boot disk and my PC does not have a floppy drive. Maybe some1 else?
Click to expand...

Don't need to. There has been a Windows version of NVFlash included in the download for a while. There are also Windows versions of the Editor as well, but I am not sure if they can even open EFI.
 
I couldn't get it to run from within Windows, but USB boot drive worked (thanks). Have now backed up PC rom and ready to try flashing mac rom if anyone has it.
 
Also Ready

aLoC said:
I couldn't get it to run from within Windows, but USB boot drive worked (thanks). Have now backed up PC rom and ready to try flashing mac rom if anyone has it.
Click to expand...

I'm also ready, just waiting for some kind person to post it, private message it, email it, or send it over via carrier pigeon. ;)

TIA to anyone who does make it public.
 
To those who have saved/erased/backed up their PC 8800 GT cards... what size is the firmware file?

In the past, the mac versions of ATI cards had 128K flash chips, so you'd have to find a PC card that had a 128K flash, instead of a 64K flash.
 
Stopped at CompUSA yesterday. Everything is marked down 30-40%. Not much left but they had a dozen or so PC 8800GT cards for $129. I so wanted to grab one but I know nothing about the whole firmware thing. I hope you get to test this, though. What a cool thing it would be to get the PC version of the 8800GT working for roughly 1/3 the price Apple is charging for it. :eek:
 
thagomizer said:
To those who have saved/erased/backed up their PC 8800 GT cards... what size is the firmware file?

In the past, the mac versions of ATI cards had 128K flash chips, so you'd have to find a PC card that had a 128K flash, instead of a 64K flash.
Click to expand...

Mine is 64k (Inno3d 8800GT)
 
If you have a Mac 8800GT and a PC, and want to try (at your own risk!), here are the steps to obtain a ROM image:

1. Find a USB key that you don't mind formatting.
2. Download this program and install it: http://i.thepcspy.com/USB_Boot.zip. It is a Hewlett Packard program that makes USB keys bootable, but doesn't only work on HP PCs. The archive password is pasta.
3. Use the program to format your USB key. Select the "Create a DOS Startup Disk" option and choose the folder "DOS System Files" from within the unzipped archive.
4. Once the disk has formatted, copy the rest of the files from "DOS System Files" to the root of the USB key. It may ask you whether to replace some files, say "no."
5. Download nvflash 5.57. Any earlier version will not work with the 8800GT. http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/819/NVFlash_5.57.html
6. Copy nvflash.exe and cwsdpmi.exe to the root of the flash drive.
7. Put the Mac 8800GT in the PC, be sure to connect the additional power.
8. Reboot your PC and boot from the flash drive. You may have to enter your BIOS settings and tell it to enable USB boot. On my Intel bios this involves pressing F2 at startup, and the option is in the Booting screen of the BIOS.
9. Once the flash drive boots up, type nvflash --save myrom.rom.

The file myrom.rom now contains a copy of the card's firmware.
 
I am really curious whether the G92 8800 GTS card will work with the 8800 GT ROM.
 
8800GT PC & Mac card might be working together in Mac pro?

I read in other forum that people successfully used a PC HD2600XT card together with the stock Mac one as well as a PC 7300GT with the Mac card installed at the same time. It is assumed that during boot the EFI is read from the first (Mac) card only.
In other words, there is a chance that a PC 8800(GT only?) card could work in Mac OS if there is the original Mac 8800GT card installed in Slot1? That would be kind of cool ... although, who needs two 8800er at the same time?
Anybody with a Mac 8800er should test that ...
 
Not having any pcie PCs at hand to dump the rom with nvflash, I used nibitor in winxp to dump the rom of the 8800gt of my 2008 mac pro. Oddly enough the file is only 60 KB (is the rom chip only 64kb ?). Here it is.

But since the EFI64 stuff maybe this is only a legacy bios rom inside a efi rom, so I can't say whether there's more to the MP 8800gt than that rom.

EDIT : The nibitor won't dump more than 64kb, so the rom I dumped wasn't good. I made a new dump with nvflash and replaced the file on my site (now 128kb).
 
ntux said:
Not having any pcie PCs at hand to dump the rom with nvflash, I used nibitor in winxp to dump the rom of the 8800gt of my 2008 mac pro. Oddly enough the file is only 60 KB (is the rom chip only 64kb ?). Here it is.

But since the EFI64 stuff maybe this is only a legacy bios rom inside a efi rom, so I can't say whether there's more to the MP 8800gt than that rom.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! :D

It took some time but now we can start to test it with normal PC Geforce 8800GTs.
 
I was just about to download the dump as well, you got there before me :)

Hope you guys can get these cards working under OS X.
 
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