Got a Sapphire Pulse Vega 56 a few days ago. Has Samsung memory, you *can* flash a reference Vega 64 bios onto the card. Same SoftPowerPlay tables work. Very small PCB and a nice large set of fins + 2 fans to keep this cool at a not very high volume level. With coupons, RetailMeNot deal, can get it for $600 from NewEgg, or somewhere around that area.
Not looking to debate the merits of bios flashing, etc., just mentioning it for anyone interested in Vegas.
well
what does it due not flashed?
what does it do flashed?
hash and power numbers please.
lastly
what does a 56 version cost ? 600
what does the 64 version cost? 800 not sure
Flashed: between 1970 and over 2,000 (cryptonight7) with SoftPowerPlay mods, and yes, a hateful bios flash had to be performed as well. Using Cast, + modified JJ script that works with Cast to solve hash drop problem. I posted the script on this thread maybe a month or two ago (credit: StellarX88 made that, not me).
I integrated a Pulse with 7 Reference 56's and it kept crashing. After sleeping on it I realized, duh, it has not been flashed to the 64 bios! So I tried it out, it worked. Please don't try this at home unless you back up your factory bios first. ATIflash: "atiflash -s [card number as revealed by "atiflash -i" command] [your name of choice for the bios backup]
Power: lower than .89 mV to get in that hashing range above.
Didn't do endless testing before it was flashed, sorry about that. But it is doing very well after being flashed.
What's it cost? Yes, 600-690 at the moment depending on whether NewEgg is offering any deals, whether you apply any RetailMeNot $25 offers, and you probably know a few other cost saving tricks.
Why do I like it? After disassembling several Reference Vega 56's I was struck by how roughly half of the PCB board was, uh, empty. The Pulse uses a very small PCB and straps on an enormous heat sink with 2 quiet fans and a decent back plate. No, it doesn't have a set of tach lights. Yes, it has minimal red LEDs. Yes, the fans are quiet and won't drive your partner bonkers like the Reference 56 divorce-maker fans. Spoiler alert: RednoW reported that his Pulse came with Hynix memory and his performance numbers are lower. So YMMV.
If I could go back in time to last September, I would have made the Sapphire Pulse 56 available and I would have bought loads of them.
How does it stack up against an L3+ or Obelisk or Cryptonight ASIC or Halong ASIC? Someone else can do the math. I'm just reporting that I like the card and would like it even more if it were cheaper.
Edit: I should have kept my piehole shut. Sold out on NewEgg but take a moment to read the reviews. As for the Vega 64, good luck finding one in stock for anywhere around $800.