Newbie help with Sapphire 5830 Extreme overclocking

[djelusion]

Hi guys Ive searched on this forum, and I dont think ive found the right firmware... I bought 2 sapphire extreme 5830s from newegg. the Max I was able to get was 900MHZ, now I wanted to go with 1,000MHZ but i couldnt it said it was locked. I tried every firmware I could find and ended up nuking the cards *ie they display nothing flashed wrong firmware* So I got my money back and bought the same cards else where for $40+ cheaper win win... So now im pushing stock and 2 cards is yielding 467 Hash... The cooling i have a stock fan a thermaltake case v4 and some fans for the gpu the coolest ive seen this thing if i remember is 60 - 65C during the day it runs a nice 70c - 74c some cases ive seen it go up to 84c.

Question is how can I get 300 Hash per card?.

I hear people talking about it, but I have yet to achieve even 288. Im running Ubuntu Linux on a usb drive using phoenix.. i can get the exact version and details later on this evening.

What firmware could I flash these 5830 Extremes to achieve a better hash?.

What kind of cooling do you guys use or suggest? I have some 90mm or 120mm fans but I dont think thats cutting it..

Does anyone use a corsair h50 or h60 watercooling setup?. I havent really gone this route but since  the GPU is the hottest thing id figure a watercooled setup would bring down the temps / noise dramatically I assume?.

below is a pic of my rig in short this is what im running.

Thanks for your suggestions and feedback.

MainBoard: MSI 990FXA-GD65
CPU: Amd Sempron 130 Sargas 2.6Ghz AM3 45w cpu
PSU: OCZ 1250W Modular Bronze PSU OCZ-ZX1250W
Case: Thermaltake V4
RAM: 1GB Kingston DDR RAM
OS: Ubuntu 11.04 on a 8GB flashdrive
http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/267309_10150281708728112_735338111_7570829_3662633_n.jpg
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Bitcoin-Barebone-System-2-66-AM3CPU-1GB-RAM-1250W-PS-/00/$(KGrHqMOKp!E3tTlFCYqBOGjCu8QJg~~_12.JPG

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[MajorMiner]

Make sure to clock down your memory to 300, that will give you a little more temperature room for overclocking the graphics. Water cooling doesnt seem practical to me especially if you can stay under 80C.

Good Luck!

[abracadabra]

what are you using to overclock?

trixx will go to 1020 at least no problem

set to 1020/325

[cryptomint]

Code:

DISPLAY=:0 aticonfig --od-enable
DISPLAY=:0.1 aticonfig --od-enable
DISPLAY=:0 aticonfig --od-setclocks=1000,300 --adapter=0
DISPLAY=:0.1 aticonfig --od-setclocks=1000,300 --adapter=1
DISPLAY=:0 aticonfig --pplib-cmd "set fanspeed 0 80"
DISPLAY=:0.1 aticonfig --pplib-cmd "set fanspeed 0 80"
aticonfig --odcc --adapter=all

Is this how you're trying to overclock them?

See what LinuxCoin is using. Whatever version of drivers/software they're using allows one to bypass the limits without changing the firmware.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=7374.0

Lowering the memory clock will decrease the temperature significantly.

[djelusion]

what are you using to overclock?

trixx will go to 1020 at least no problem

set to 1020/325

Im using ubuntu and the amd ati overdrive utility unless this trixx runs in ubuntu command line???

[djelusion]

Code:

DISPLAY=:0 aticonfig --od-enable
DISPLAY=:0.1 aticonfig --od-enable
DISPLAY=:0 aticonfig --od-setclocks=1000,300 --adapter=0
DISPLAY=:0.1 aticonfig --od-setclocks=1000,300 --adapter=1
DISPLAY=:0 aticonfig --pplib-cmd "set fanspeed 0 80"
DISPLAY=:0.1 aticonfig --pplib-cmd "set fanspeed 0 80"
aticonfig --odcc --adapter=all

Is this how you're trying to overclock them?

See what LinuxCoin is using. Whatever version of drivers/software they're using allows one to bypass the limits without changing the firmware.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=7374.0

Lowering the memory clock will decrease the temperature significantly.

yeah similar this is whats going on....  

Code:

Adapter 0 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
                            Core (MHz)    Memory (MHz)
           Current Clocks :    800           1000
             Current Peak :    800           1000
  Configurable Peak Range : [600-875]     [900-1200]
                 GPU load :    99%

Adapter 1 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
                            Core (MHz)    Memory (MHz)
           Current Clocks :    800           1000
             Current Peak :    800           1000
  Configurable Peak Range : [600-875]     [900-1200]
                 GPU load :    99%

and my temp is

Code:

Adapter 0 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
            Sensor 0: Temperature - 69.00 C

Adapter 1 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
            Sensor 0: Temperature - 72.50 C

[djelusion]

ok does anyone out there know how to get a faster clockspeed? im now pushing around 200-220 Mhash @ 70c - 72c this is not right! the max that this will take is 800 now how can you overclock this in linux.. do i need to flash the vbios? any suggestions thanks

Code:

phrase@bitcoin-rig:~$ sudo aticonfig --od-setclocks=900,1000 --adapter=all
ERROR - Set clocks failed for Adapter 0 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
        Please check that input values were valid
ERROR - Set clocks failed for Adapter 1 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
        Please check that input values were valid

[abracadabra]

ok does anyone out there know how to get a faster clockspeed? im now pushing around 200-220 Mhash @ 70c - 72c this is not right! the max that this will take is 800 now how can you overclock this in linux.. do i need to flash the vbios? any suggestions thanks

use trixx

[djelusion]

and trixx runs in a headles ubuntu setup??? im not running any gui btw

ok does anyone out there know how to get a faster clockspeed? im now pushing around 200-220 Mhash @ 70c - 72c this is not right! the max that this will take is 800 now how can you overclock this in linux.. do i need to flash the vbios? any suggestions thanks

use trixx

[abracadabra]

and trixx runs in a headles ubuntu setup??? im not running any gui btw

ok does anyone out there know how to get a faster clockspeed? im now pushing around 200-220 Mhash @ 70c - 72c this is not right! the max that this will take is 800 now how can you overclock this in linux.. do i need to flash the vbios? any suggestions thanks

use trixx

ah missed the linux part.  Your only option then I believe is aticonfig

[djelusion]

yeah and this is what i get when i try to aticonfig

phrase@bitcoin-rig:~$ sudo aticonfig --od-setclocks=900,1000 --adapter=all
ERROR - Set clocks failed for Adapter 0 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
        Please check that input values were valid
ERROR - Set clocks failed for Adapter 1 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
        Please check that input values were valid

and trixx runs in a headles ubuntu setup??? im not running any gui btw

ok does anyone out there know how to get a faster clockspeed? im now pushing around 200-220 Mhash @ 70c - 72c this is not right! the max that this will take is 800 now how can you overclock this in linux.. do i need to flash the vbios? any suggestions thanks

use trixx

ah missed the linux part.  Your only option then I believe is aticonfig

[abracadabra]

yeah and this is what i get when i try to aticonfig

phrase@bitcoin-rig:~$ sudo aticonfig --od-setclocks=900,1000 --adapter=all
ERROR - Set clocks failed for Adapter 0 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
        Please check that input values were valid
ERROR - Set clocks failed for Adapter 1 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
        Please check that input values were valid

[/quote]

Doesn't it have to be:

sudo aticonfig --od-enable --od-setclocks=900,1000 --adapter=all

You can also check allowable setclocks with --od-getclocks

[ovidiusoft]

This works for me:

Code:

aticonfig --adapter=1 --pplib-cmd "set fanspeed 0 100"
aticonfig --adapter=1 --od-enable
aticonfig --adapter=1 --odsc=1040,325
aticonfig --adapter=1 --odcc

For some magic combination of drivers/cards, you can set the frequencies over the BIOS maximums, or you can edit the card BIOS to allow more overclocking. Make sure your PSU can give out enough juice to the cards. Also, make sure the MB is up to it - for example, one of my MBs has a dedicated power connector for the second PCI-E. Without extra power to it, the second GPU would lock up. It might be your situation, too.

[BkkCoins]

I have 2x Sapphire 5830 running under Ubuntu headless w/ SDK 2.4 drivers 11.6.
I didn't need to do anything with the BIOS.
Just make sure you do the --od-enable command after booting.
And make sure your do the --initial command and reboot before trying to do mining. It needs that to correctly id and config the cards at boot.

DISPLAY=:0 aticonfig --od-enable --adapter=all
(taken from my startminer script which gets started by upstart upon boot)

I used to use aticonfig for manual control too but when using ssh to login I found that the atitweak utility works better (created by someone on this forum, search for it).

The command in my start script is,

atitweak  -e 970 -m 300 -f 60 -P 2 -A 0
(core 970, mem 300, fan 60% perf level 2, adapter 0)
(but actually I pull my values from an array customized for each card according to my testing)
( I get 970 on one with slight voltage increase, and 1000 on the other, stock voltage)
(actually I can get higher on one but don't bother since it already gets 320 MH/s and I don't want to push it too hard)
(total 310 + 320 MH/s)

My temps sit around 70-72C and that's with 30C ambient too.

I don't know if all Sapphire 5830 Extreme are created equal.
Mine are from NewEgg about a month back.

If you want my full startminer script and the corresponding upstart conf files to make it work then just ask. I also have a monitor script that watches temp and restarts phoenix whens it gets stuck.

[ovidiusoft]

I don't know if all Sapphire 5830 Extreme are created equal.

They are not. I have two, one can be overclocked up to 1060 MHz, the other hangs at 1030. Same PCI-E socket, same miner and settings, same temperature. But I do believe that 1000 is possible with any card.

[BkkCoins]

I don't know if all Sapphire 5830 Extreme are created equal.

They are not. I have two, one can be overclocked up to 1060 MHz, the other hangs at 1030. Same PCI-E socket, same miner and settings, same temperature. But I do believe that 1000 is possible with any card.

I know they vary in how well they can mine but what I meant is whether some require BIOS mods or other O/C tools that mine did not. Like if some are shipped unlocked and some not. Mine only required the use of --od-enable but I'm not sure that is enough for all variants.

I have one that goes to 970 only with 1.175 volts and the other to 1020 easily with stock volts.

I should have been more clear as my statement was confusing.

[ovidiusoft]

Ah, then my answer would be "I don't think so". I had to edit the BIOS on the first card I bought, then I upgraded the fglrx driver and changed motherboards, then I bought the second card and I simply forgot to edit its BIOS. And I could overclock it just fine, even though 'aticonfig --odgc' says its upper limit is 900 MHz. I'm too lazy to burn the original BIOS to card 1 to see if I can overclock it with the original limit on, I am convinced it's just a driver thing.

[djelusion]

Hi guys Ive searched on this forum, and I dont think ive found the right firmware... I bought 2 sapphire extreme 5830s from newegg. the Max I was able to get was 900MHZ, now I wanted to go with 1,000MHZ but i couldnt it said it was locked. I tried every firmware I could find and ended up nuking the cards *ie they display nothing flashed wrong firmware* So I got my money back and bought the same cards else where for $40+ cheaper win win... So now im pushing stock and 2 cards is yielding 467 Hash... The cooling i have a stock fan a thermaltake case v4 and some fans for the gpu the coolest ive seen this thing if i remember is 60 - 65C during the day it runs a nice 70c - 74c some cases ive seen it go up to 84c.

Probably will not be able to get 1000mhz I have 9 of them cards and tried almost every combination possible of BIOSs I edited using the RBE on windows then flashed to them. The best I can get out of them is using a single card in a machine then it will do 1000mhz, 300mhz memory if I try putting two 1000mhz cards in the one machine then they will lock up within seconds. Now running them at the 900,300 combo they run forever at them speeds get 291mh/s out of those and the one card I have at 1000 mhz 317mh/s. I'm using Ubuntu 11.04 for the OS on all miners. For the temps most I ever seen during this past summer was low to mid 80s now it is cooling off with fall coming on they are low 70s with the odd high 60s depends where the card is located on the boards. In short if you have access to windows machine then get the Radeon BIOS Editor get the BIOS off the cards then edit it to the 900,300 combo flash them with it and you should be good to go.

OMG Thank you! and ovidiusoft and Bkkcoins the 3 more important and influentual advice here. ok so my response to you is I am on the same freakin boat.. My next step was exactly to do that. Use RBE on a windows box and also dump the bios just incase, like last time I bought 2 cards from newegg we flashed it with the wrong bios and could not find the original bios ***ANYWHERE*** so in the end it went back to newegg :-) and alas I found 2 extremes that someone bought from newegg. Now I dont know if im shooting in the dark but I can find the part # off the box and hopefully that tells us what this card can take?

@ Ovidiusoft

this is what happened when I enter your commands.

phrase@bitcoin-rig:~$ aticonfig --adapter=1 --pplib-cmd "set fanspeed 0 100"
PPLIB command execution is Successful!
phrase@bitcoin-rig:~$ aticonfig --adapter=1 --od-enable
ATI Overdrive(TM) enabled
phrase@bitcoin-rig:~$ aticonfig --adapter=1 --odsc=1040,325
ERROR - Set clocks failed for Adapter 1 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
        Please check that input values were valid

However Adapter 0 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
            Sensor 0: Temperature - 56.50 C

Adapter 1 - ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
            Sensor 0: Temperature - 71.00 C
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My psu can take it OCZ 1250w modular. and its only 2 cards.

@ bkkcoins im on ubuntu 11.04 natty my friend pretty much helped me setup my rig with this guide https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=7514.0 . now it seems to be dated and im all ears on what your doin on your rig.. do i need to update my ubuntu?. and other packages running to get some more optimal hashing?. If any of you guys got IM or something let me know.

Thanks :-) Elusion

[abracadabra]

Probably will not be able to get 1000mhz ...

This is simply just not true.

I have 14 5830s, and 12 are running at 1020/300. 1 is at 995 and the other is at 1000.

[djelusion]

Probably will not be able to get 1000mhz ...

This is simply just not true.

I have 14 5830s, and 12 are running at 1020/300. 1 is at 995 and the other is at 1000.

Man I would kill for 1000!!! 1020 is a pure orgasm!! im maxed out @ 800... I hate this lol!! i feel like im so close.. If this wont budge then I might have to install windows and use RBE to do something to make this run faster in ubuntu