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AMD RX 460 Unlocked with BIOS Update - Offers 1024 instead of 896 shaders
User der8auer has posted a guide in which he was able to unlock some of the AMD's RX 460 features with a BIOS update. The shaders are defaulted at 896 shaders / 56 TMUs but got unlockied to of 1024 stream processors and 64 TMUs.
Here is the guide posted by him:
The AMD Radeon RX 460 unlocking process involves nothing more than a simple firmware update and can result in a performance upgrade of 12.5%. The Radeon RX 460 is considered a solid choice in terms of price/performance. It comes by default with 56 TMU and 896 Stream Processors in the form of the Polaris 11 GPU architecture. But here’s how to get an additional 8 TMUs and 128 Stream Processors.
Note: It’s always possible that something goes wrong if you flash the BIOS of your card. In addition it’s possible that not all cards can be unlocked and that you might damage the card. Flash at your own risk!
nlocking the RX 460 is pretty simple. It’s unclear why we’re able to do this. Has AMD locked the cards down on purpose, or are the yields not high enough to fulfill the Radeon RX 460 demand? Let us know in the comments what you think!
Currently we can only provide the BIOS for the Sapphire Nitro 4G and the ASUS STRIX O4G. We’re working on testing more cards and if it works, we will upload more modified BIOS versions. In total we have tested 6 cards, each of which was able to unlock the shaders. We tested five ASUS STRIX O4G cards and managed to unlock all five of them.
Download the BIOS package (currently only ASUS STRIX 04G and Sapphire Nitro 4G) and unzip the files.
First backup the original BIOS file in case you want to flash the card back at a certain point (run “backup bios.bat”). You can also save the BIOS with the latest version of GPU-Z. Afterwards run “flash unlocked bios.bat” to flash the bios. It will take about 15 seconds and should look like in the picture below.
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cudarenderer
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Posts: 46
Joined: 2016-01-23
#5369813 Posted on: 12/12/2016 10:39 AM
WARNING: This BIOS updater (eg: extra performances, stream processors unlocked...) may void warranty, if any videocard is 100% NORMAL - that's FAIR due to the unofficial.
Official BIOS updater is for fix issues/bug/abnormal (temperatures, fan, performances...) ONLY.
WARNING: This BIOS updater (eg: extra performances, stream processors unlocked...) may void warranty, if any videocard is 100% NORMAL - that's FAIR due to the unofficial.
Official BIOS updater is for fix issues/bug/abnormal (temperatures, fan, performances...) ONLY.
icedman
Senior Member
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Joined: 2013-02-22
Senior Member
Posts: 928
Joined: 2013-02-22
#5369831 Posted on: 12/12/2016 11:38 AM
I had no idea the 460 was even cut down maybe they had a rx 465 or 560 planned on the refresh if yields where good.
I had no idea the 460 was even cut down maybe they had a rx 465 or 560 planned on the refresh if yields where good.
RooiKreef
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Joined: 2016-06-08
Senior Member
Posts: 386
Joined: 2016-06-08
#5369852 Posted on: 12/12/2016 12:42 PM
I think no one was under the impression that one could unlock these cards. Big thanks to der8auer and his team for figuring this out. It's always nice to get free performance like this. This just makes the product even better for price vs. performance.
I think no one was under the impression that one could unlock these cards. Big thanks to der8auer and his team for figuring this out. It's always nice to get free performance like this. This just makes the product even better for price vs. performance.
Undying
Senior Member
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Joined: 2008-08-28
Senior Member
Posts: 12264
Joined: 2008-08-28
#5369855 Posted on: 12/12/2016 12:49 PM
This is a second Polaris card that was can be unlocked (rx480 early branch ware).
But hey, nvidia cards can be unlocked too (or locked)
:
This is a second Polaris card that was can be unlocked (rx480 early branch ware).
But hey, nvidia cards can be unlocked too (or locked)
:
Amx85
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Senior Member
Posts: 332
Joined: 2016-09-28
#5369914 Posted on: 12/12/2016 03:01 PM
Then... AMD planned a RX465/460X?
Then... AMD planned a RX465/460X?
schmidtbag
Senior Member
Posts: 4634
Joined: 2012-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 4634
Joined: 2012-11-10
#5369924 Posted on: 12/12/2016 03:28 PM
I'd have been more surprised if you couldn't unlock it. Both AMD and Nvidia are known to use software/firmware to disable hardware on these cheaper models. As stated by the article, this doesn't guarantee a successful upgrade because some of these chips could have faults in the silicon.
It's kind of like the days back when AMD made triple-core CPUs. Many (maybe most) of those CPUs were quad cores with a faulty core, but every once in a while there was a part that was fully functional and was only made into a triple core to meet the demand for them. I personally had one of these triple cores. I could unlock it as a quad core and it would run fully stable, but only with a 32-bit OS. If I did anything 64-bit, it would crash.
That being said, even if you unlock one of these GPUs, you could still encounter some sort of failure eventually.
I think no one was under the impression that one could unlock these cards. Big thanks to der8auer and his team for figuring this out. It's always nice to get free performance like this. This just makes the product even better for price vs. performance.
I'd have been more surprised if you couldn't unlock it. Both AMD and Nvidia are known to use software/firmware to disable hardware on these cheaper models. As stated by the article, this doesn't guarantee a successful upgrade because some of these chips could have faults in the silicon.
It's kind of like the days back when AMD made triple-core CPUs. Many (maybe most) of those CPUs were quad cores with a faulty core, but every once in a while there was a part that was fully functional and was only made into a triple core to meet the demand for them. I personally had one of these triple cores. I could unlock it as a quad core and it would run fully stable, but only with a 32-bit OS. If I did anything 64-bit, it would crash.
That being said, even if you unlock one of these GPUs, you could still encounter some sort of failure eventually.
devil-strike
Junior Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 2004-01-23
Junior Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 2004-01-23
#5369928 Posted on: 12/12/2016 03:42 PM
I'd have been more surprised if you couldn't unlock it. Both AMD and Nvidia are known to use software/firmware to disable hardware on these cheaper models. As stated by the article, this doesn't guarantee a successful upgrade because some of these chips could have faults in the silicon.
It's kind of like the days back when AMD made triple-core CPUs. Many (maybe most) of those CPUs were quad cores with a faulty core, but every once in a while there was a part that was fully functional and was only made into a triple core to meet the demand for them. I personally had one of these triple cores. I could unlock it as a quad core and it would run fully stable, but only with a 32-bit OS. If I did anything 64-bit, it would crash.
That being said, even if you unlock one of these GPUs, you could still encounter some sort of failure eventually.
The good old days indeed, here still running a amd 2core unclocked to 4 core and runs stable at original speeds and this already 4 years.
I'd have been more surprised if you couldn't unlock it. Both AMD and Nvidia are known to use software/firmware to disable hardware on these cheaper models. As stated by the article, this doesn't guarantee a successful upgrade because some of these chips could have faults in the silicon.
It's kind of like the days back when AMD made triple-core CPUs. Many (maybe most) of those CPUs were quad cores with a faulty core, but every once in a while there was a part that was fully functional and was only made into a triple core to meet the demand for them. I personally had one of these triple cores. I could unlock it as a quad core and it would run fully stable, but only with a 32-bit OS. If I did anything 64-bit, it would crash.
That being said, even if you unlock one of these GPUs, you could still encounter some sort of failure eventually.
The good old days indeed, here still running a amd 2core unclocked to 4 core and runs stable at original speeds and this already 4 years.
schmidtbag
Senior Member
Posts: 4634
Joined: 2012-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 4634
Joined: 2012-11-10
#5369930 Posted on: 12/12/2016 03:48 PM
Ah you were one of the lucky ones. The really lucky ones also got the L3 cache. The lottery winners were the ones who unlocked 4 cores (so 6 cores total) and the L3 cache.
The good old days indeed, here still running a amd 2core unclocked to 4 core and runs stable at original speeds and this already 4 years.
Ah you were one of the lucky ones. The really lucky ones also got the L3 cache. The lottery winners were the ones who unlocked 4 cores (so 6 cores total) and the L3 cache.
Valken
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Senior Member
Posts: 1471
Joined: 2011-01-05
#5369939 Posted on: 12/12/2016 04:07 PM
Nice... Unlocked 6950 here.
Nice... Unlocked 6950 here.
WaroDaBeast
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Senior Member
Posts: 1963
Joined: 2004-12-03
#5369982 Posted on: 12/12/2016 05:58 PM
Sounds good. A friend of mine recently bought an RX460... Let's hope his model will get an unlocked BIOS as well!
Sounds good. A friend of mine recently bought an RX460... Let's hope his model will get an unlocked BIOS as well!
rl66
Senior Member
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Joined: 2007-05-31
Senior Member
Posts: 2245
Joined: 2007-05-31
#5370071 Posted on: 12/12/2016 08:51 PM
there was insisting rumor about it...
the thing that NVidia release gtx1050 that do better for less money might have killed the chicken in the egg.
anyway any free boost is nice to have
I had no idea the 460 was even cut down maybe they had a rx 465 or 560 planned on the refresh if yields where good.
Then... AMD planned a RX465/460X?
there was insisting rumor about it...
the thing that NVidia release gtx1050 that do better for less money might have killed the chicken in the egg.
anyway any free boost is nice to have
scatman839
Senior Member
Posts: 13994
Joined: 2004-11-19
Senior Member
Posts: 13994
Joined: 2004-11-19
#5370100 Posted on: 12/12/2016 10:05 PM
WARNING: This BIOS updater (eg: extra performances, stream processors unlocked...) may void warranty, if any videocard is 100% NORMAL - that's FAIR due to the unofficial.
Official BIOS updater is for fix issues/bug/abnormal (temperatures, fan, performances...) ONLY.
Been a while since i've seen you ricardonuno1980, made another account again then?
http://forums.guru3d.com/member.php?u=137601
WARNING: This BIOS updater (eg: extra performances, stream processors unlocked...) may void warranty, if any videocard is 100% NORMAL - that's FAIR due to the unofficial.
Official BIOS updater is for fix issues/bug/abnormal (temperatures, fan, performances...) ONLY.
Been a while since i've seen you ricardonuno1980, made another account again then?
http://forums.guru3d.com/member.php?u=137601
chispy
Senior Member
Posts: 8758
Joined: 2006-10-29
Senior Member
Posts: 8758
Joined: 2006-10-29
#5370113 Posted on: 12/12/2016 10:39 PM
Nice gift for RX-460 owners ,free performance is always welcome. I still have a half dead AMD 6950 gpu unlocked to 6970 around somewhere in my bench room.
Nice gift for RX-460 owners ,free performance is always welcome. I still have a half dead AMD 6950 gpu unlocked to 6970
around somewhere in my bench room.
cudarenderer
Senior Member
Posts: 46
Joined: 2016-01-23
Senior Member
Posts: 46
Joined: 2016-01-23
#5370137 Posted on: 12/13/2016 12:20 AM
Been a while since i've seen you ricardonuno1980, made another account again then?
http://forums.guru3d.com/member.php?u=137601I do never understand him/her!
Been a while since i've seen you ricardonuno1980, made another account again then?
http://forums.guru3d.com/member.php?u=137601I do never understand him/her!
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Good news.. free performance is always good thing.
I have unlocked nvidia 6800 12/5 to 16/6 and GTX465 to 470.