ATI Overclocking Utility

[Glaucous]

Hm, apparently I can't edit my post.
However, I'm wondering (if you'd like to share it) how you bypass ATI Overdrive's limits? Since apparently using Overdrive only lets me go to 775 MHz/950 MHz (default), but you application lets me go to 390/475. I'm very interested in how.

[Glaucous]

I remember releasing a fix that allowed to go lower. However if you are already using the latest version 1.0.5 and that's the lowest you can go then I will check on that. Before I was talking the lowest performance level reported by the card bios in a later version I switch to the lowest frequency reported by the API. Since on my card I couldn't go lower then the lowest setting (it would freeze even with undervolting) reported by the API I couldn't test see if the card accepts lower value then what the API says it will take. Perhaps I can try allowing 1 Mhz and then people can see if it works, worst case there is the same functionality as before and best case it works.

Any news on this? I'm using 64 bit version, ATI HD4870.
This is the one thing I deeply need on Linux Ubuntu at the moment, save tons of watts by lowering memory.

[brelkl]

Well at least we found what the problem is. As far as I know those values come from the gpu bios, so I would say that it is a bug in their bios. They could at least return a min/max that is the same as the peak values. I am not sure if you card was meant to support the value reported by min/max and that is the bug or if it wasn't meant to support those value and the bug is the value reported in min/max. In any case, your options are limited. You can contact your card manufacturer, edit your bios to change the value and reflash it or flash another 3870 which is known to work with the value you want on your card. The last two options are riskier, not guaranteed to work and could result in your bricking your card.

Thanks sabby, I appreciate your help in trying to figure this out--I may look in to fashing the bios at some point, when I have the time.

[sabby]

Do you think my lack of voltage control is a bios limitation/issue?

Well at least we found what the problem is. As far as I know those values come from the gpu bios, so I would say that it is a bug in their bios. They could at least return a min/max that is the same as the peak values. I am not sure if you card was meant to support the value reported by min/max and that is the bug or if it wasn't meant to support those value and the bug is the value reported in min/max. In any case, your options are limited. You can contact your card manufacturer, edit your bios to change the value and reflash it or flash another 3870 which is known to work with the value you want on your card. The last two options are riskier, not guaranteed to work and could result in your bricking your card.

[brelkl]

You can't, as far as I understand it. I was talking about the ATI Overclocking Utility.

[elect]

How can you set the voltage with "aticonfig"?

[brelkl]

Just a few more test I would like you to run try with aticonfig to set the memory clock lower at the same value that cause the app to have a -1 error. I don't have the at the aticonfig utility here but I believe it should be something like that

aticonfig --od-setclocks=0,1100

I suspect that your card might have a gpu bios with wrong values, as in it report min/max range that it won't accept as input value it will only accept value that it reports in its peak range. This would fit what the test result you have seen.

Hi sabby, I tried applying the memory clock value above (1100) via cl and got an error:

ERROR - Set clocks failed for Default Adapter - ATI Radeon HD 3870
        Please check that input values were valid

Then I ran 'aticonfig --odgc' again and realized that the results I'm getting are totally consistent with the ranges it reports (I'm not sure if this is what you mean in your comment):

Configurable Peak Range : [300-885]     [1152-1387]

So I can change the clock values within those ranges--which is ok--but what I'd really like to do if it's possible is change the voltage (undervolt) a little. Do you think my lack of voltage control is a bios limitation/issue?

[sabby]

So I did some tests, and this is what I found:

• I can set the GPU clock lower or higher with atioc, and verify it with 'aticonfig --od-getclocks'
• I can set the memory clock higher, but not lower (lower gives the "error:-1", and is unchanged in aticonfig)
• The voltage is the same as the memory--I can go higher (or the same value) but not lower without the "error:-1"; however, even when I set it higher it doesn't show the change on the info tab
• Also, after I get an "error:-1" I can't change anything any more unless I click "restore defaults"

Just a few more test I would like you to run try with aticonfig to set the memory clock lower at the same value that cause the app to have a -1 error. I don't have the at the aticonfig utility here but I believe it should be something like that

aticonfig --od-setclocks=0,1100

I suspect that your card might have a gpu bios with wrong values, as in it report min/max range that it won't accept as input value it will only accept value that it reports in its peak range. This would fit what the test result you have seen.

[brelkl]

Let's put aside the voltage difference since it might happen because the voltage would be throttled after the app started. However try putting the voltage a little bit lower than the max value, try say 1258mv since that's what it was in the info that. Do you still have the error when you click ok? If so verify with aticonfig if any of the new value shows up.

So I did some tests, and this is what I found:

• I can set the GPU clock lower or higher with atioc, and verify it with 'aticonfig --od-getclocks'
• I can set the memory clock higher, but not lower (lower gives the "error:-1", and is unchanged in aticonfig)
• The voltage is the same as the memory--I can go higher (or the same value) but not lower without the "error:-1"; however, even when I set it higher it doesn't show the change on the info tab
• Also, after I get an "error:-1" I can't change anything any more unless I click "restore defaults"

[sabby]

I can see the values correctly in the 'Info' tab, and in the 'Overdrive' tab everything looks normal except the voltage, which shows as being set to it's maximum of 1300mV (instead of 1258mV shown in 'Info'). The fan speed is grayed out, but I can activate it by clicking the check box to the left.

Let's put aside the voltage difference since it might happen because the voltage would be throttled after the app started. However try putting the voltage a little bit lower than the max value, try say 1258mv since that's what it was in the info that. Do you still have the error when you click ok? If so verify with aticonfig if any of the new value shows up.