Volt modding. Yes, im insane.

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Firebat

Gawd
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Messages
875
Alright im going to volt mod my video card. First off its a Radeon 9550 256mb Agp card. CAN i volt mod this? Second if any one knows what the right voltage for this mod is or how to do it, please tell me now. I should have pictures, (though i don't know how clear they will be), tommorow of this card. I have all the tools i need to volt mod.
 
do some searches over at xtremesystems.org. if anyone has done this, there will be a thread there.. and if not, people over there know more about voltmodding than people over here.
 
your going to vmod your card but have no clue what your doing..sound slike a wonderful idea ....you do have a back up card, right? ;)
 
2Fresh said:
your going to vmod your card but have no clue what your doing..sound slike a wonderful idea ....you do have a back up card, right? ;)
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right.
 
That sounds like a great card to volt mod. That way if you screw it up it's an excuse to blow some coin on something better. I agree with the xtremesystems idea. Or there's always the all-knowing oracle at google to consult with.
 
2Fresh said:
your going to vmod your card but have no clue what your doing..sound slike a wonderful idea ....you do have a back up card, right? ;)
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gotta start somewhere...
 
Yeah, but alteast do a ton of research 1st..so you know EXACTLY what your doing. Dont just jump into it.
 
Your emachines is going to be blazingly fast after the volt mod. It adds HORSEPOWER.
 
Starfox said:
Your emachines is going to be blazingly fast after the volt mod. It adds HORSEPOWER.
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Funny guy, funny guy. I know it's not going to change the fact that my graphics card is low end, but im gonna' suck all the juice i can get out of that card. Plus, if i volt mod another videocard, i will have a little hands on experience.
 
Please do pay attention to the fact that you'll need to have good cooling if you vMod. Since you're obviously poor (like me, so I'm not being offensive-just honest) at least stick a 80 mm fan near the card to get it some good air flow-one way is to bend a PCI slot cover so that it will hold a fan in position to blow on the vid card's hsf or at least direct cooler air toward your card.

Also, there's an article at Xbit labs from last december where they vModded a 6600gt on water cooling and got it up to 640 on the core. Since my 6600gt does 575 on the core without a mod at all, I would only stand to gain 1-2 FPS by going to the vMod. The moral of the story is that if you're doing this for educational and hobbyist reasons then go nuts and let us know how it goes. If you're doing it for performance your time is better spent shoveling snow and earning money for a better card. Sorry, not trying to be rude but it's the truth.
 
Firebat said:
I bought a new case for it. So cooling is not an Problem ;)
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Good case temperatures and airflow are one thing, proper cooling for a voltmodded video card is an entirely different animal. That said, go for it.
 
seanmcd said:
Then you are aware about all the faster video cards that are available to you?
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why does it matter? v-modding is a fun project no matter what kind of hardware you're doing it with.
 
Im Aware.... I just want to save my money for a whole new system someday. I want to get the most out of what i have right now, without new hardware.
 
ok - but please come back and post the results as far as performance increase!
 
Firebat said:
Im Aware.... I just want to save my money for a whole new system someday. I want to get the most out of what i have right now, without new hardware.
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What people are trying to say is you are insane. Not because you want to volt mod, there's nothing wrong with that. But it's that you want to volt mod, yet you don't know what you're doing, didn't do any research, and finally, want to save money. If you're trying to get the most out of the hardware you own, voltmodding is not a good way to do it without running a high risk of needing new hardware.
 
Talonz said:
What people are trying to say is you are insane. Not because you want to volt mod, there's nothing wrong with that. But it's that you want to volt mod, yet you don't know what you're doing, didn't do any research, and finally, want to save money. If you're trying to get the most out of the hardware you own, voltmodding is not a good way to do it without running a high risk of needing new hardware.
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I have done my homework, i know the risks, and i know how to solder. I have a back up card if anything goes wrong.

I just need a little help on were to put the solder .

Im not trying to save money i just don't want to spend anymore. Im going to be building a new p.c. this coming summer. So why not do this? I don't see any real reason why. If i fry it, my back up card won't degrade my system performance too much. I want to learn hands on, it's the best way.

Thing is, There are almost no sites talking about this volt mod, and the ones that are, are talking about a different version of the 9550.

So i will post again when i have my pictures.
 
Have you done the mod(s) yet?

If you're still looking into getting down to business do be sure that you not only check the vmod section on XtremeSystems, but that you've got an old mobo or sound/video card or something with resistors and whatnot about the same size as your 9550. I found the first time I voltmodded that even though i knew exactly WHAT to do...I hadn't practiced at all. Long story short, my soldering job wasn't strong enough, a wire popped loose of my 9800XT in the middle of the night...bye bye $700 video card (at the time). :(

Even if you know HOW to solder, praticing on PCB's with components roughly the same size and distance away from each other will help, working on small resistors etc. on video cards isn't always the easiest thing...making sure you don't drip solder somewhere else and short something else out.

Be carefull bro, it's a fricken addicting thing to get into...I would if I had the money to replace hardware. :cool:
 
Interesting concept. I don't know why I've never heard of such a thing before. Soldering to PCB is fun. Especially when you have to build solder bridges 4mm long, over a series of resistors and traces.
 
Firebat said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Showi...9550+256MB+DDR+AGP+4X/8X+Video+Card+-+Retail]

Here are some pictures. Sorry to bring this form back from the dead. ;)
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I put that card in my bro-in-law's machine. It's hot. Real hot. I think it needs active cooling as stock cooling! The sink practically sizzles after gaming with it. Try it some time....touch it after gaming.

You're definately going to want to slap a bigger heatsink on & add a fan. Also, if I remember correctly, that heatsink is stuck on with epoxy. Research removing sinks with epoxy a bit before you try too.

You may just fry this card....but I'll still be watching this thread...it's interesting as hell to me.
 
Heh, i practiced on an old 56k card. Its about the same size. All i need to know now is where to put the sauder. No matter what happens i will post the results back here.

My temps are great.

Ambient:32C
Remote1:29C
Remote2:29C
HD0:34C
Temp1:40C
 
Firebat said:
Heh, i practiced on an old 56k card. Its about the same size. All i need to know now is where to put the sauder. No matter what happens i will post the results back here.

My temps are great.

Ambient:32C
Remote1:29C
Remote2:29C
HD0:34C
Temp1:40C
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Usually you put the sauder in front of you, and then put your computer on top of it.

;) just another bump for you. Hopefully, someone will see this that has done, or seen it.
 
Firebat said:
I'm Not poor, im just young.
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Hey, being young dosnt mean squat. Im 14 and I have 8 years hands on case modding, computer building/modding/repairing and all kinds of server experience. Anywho, becareful, and have fun with your mod! hope it works!
 
Zinn said:
why does it matter? v-modding is a fun project no matter what kind of hardware you're doing it with.
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Roger that. People dont vmod for raw speed :rolleyes: It's cause it's fun!
 
V-modding is insanely addicting. I voltmodded everything from the videocard, to the ram, to the cpu (dont worry it was a P3) in my day. I didnt get much out of it but its good experience and its waay fun! Ill be watching how you do.
 
..... I've checked everywhere, it seems as if no one knows how to volt mod this card :confused: This is my last effort to find out, other wise im giving up. :mad: Does anyone know how exactly to Volt mod this card?
 
Firebat said:
..... I've checked everywhere, it seems as if no one knows how to volt mod this card :confused: This is my last effort to find out, other wise im giving up. :mad: Does anyone know how exactly to Volt mod this card?
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Try xtremesystems.org they are much more knowledgeable with vmodding. Post some pics of your card and malves or persivore will help probably.
 
arabdon1203 said:
Roger that. People dont vmod for raw speed :rolleyes: It's cause it's fun!
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Well, sometimes a little of both...but after awhile you're not really sure which way you're leaning. :p
 
Emission said:
Hey, being young dosnt mean squat. Im 14 and I have 8 years hands on case modding, computer building/modding/repairing and all kinds of server experience. Anywho, becareful, and have fun with your mod! hope it works!
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werd im 15 =p
 
you can look up the specs of the voltage regulator and figure out what to mod by following traces... its not like ati or nvidia just gives people instructions on how to volt mod there cards... people figure it out just like i just said..
 
ryuji said:
you can look up the specs of the voltage regulator and figure out what to mod by following traces... its not like ati or nvidia just gives people instructions on how to volt mod there cards... people figure it out just like i just said..
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True, but I find it hard to believe that there's NO reference to a vGPU mod or anything for the 9550 on XS...I'll go check.

Edit: I see you've got something helpin' ya out on XS already, hope you find some answers.
 
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