Overclocking the Integrated Graphics processor

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Software like RivaTuner and nTune don’t support overclocking the Integrated graphics card (and for good reason since messing with this stuff canbe detrimental to your mobos health :P) but that cannot deter us, can it?

Last night when I was modding my BIOS with some custom ISA and PCI option ROMs, learning the nuances of BIOS editing with the help of the generous admin of The Rebels Haven forum, Polygon, I came across this wonderful method to oc the integrated graphics processor by hacking the motherboard BIOS. Credit goes to Polygon and Jian_yi for discovering this hack.

I present this in a simplified 4 step procedure for us lesser mortals.

For those who want to learn the details of BIOS editing, its best to read this awesome manual.

I’ll quote Polygon here:

Remember you are using this information entirely at your own risk. The information presented may not work for you. If you are not comfortable modifying BIOS’s and flashing them, do not attempt to modify them. You must be able to recover from a “bad” flash.

During this process, ensure that no cpu intensive processes or even disk intensive processes are running as corruption of the BIOS image has been known to occur. Also disable any antivius/firewall/antimalware utilities whicjh may interfere with these programs.

Requirements:[ol]

[li]CBROM 1.82 (I used this, your mobo may need another version. Refer the manual posted above)[/li]
[li]NiBiTor v4.1 (I used this version since my mobo is old and I presumed that the latest version may have trouble recognizing it)[/li]
[li]Your Motherboard BIOS (get the latest from your mobo vendor’s site or use a BIOS backup utility to use the current BIOS)[/li]
[li]A flash utility (I used AsusUpdate based on WinFlash for 32 bit windows. You may use a 16-bit utility like awdflash for Award BIOS but then you’ll have to boot through DOS. Consult your mobo vendor’s site for the BIOS utility best suited for your mobo)[/ol]And of course some courage and patience. You’ve got to hand it to me.:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:[/li]
I was crazy enough to do this mod when I had no means to HotFlash, no UPS, no backup motherboard, no standalone graphic card, pathetic ventilation, no cash to buy a new mobo, and zero leverage with folks at home for letting me upgrade anytime soon.:rofl:

Make no mistake. A bad flash will render your motherboard useless, unless you buy a duplicate BIOS or have an EPROM programmer.

However, if you take the necessary precautions and follow the step carefully, you’ll have no problems. I flashed my BIOS atleast 5 times last night with different hacks (this is not the only BIOS mod i did :P) And this was my first time modding and compiling my own BIOS.

For simplicity’s sake I am describing the method only for Award BIOS on an nvidia based mobo with a Geforce based vga. The method may slightly differ for other vendor BIOSs (consult the manual for details)

You may attempt this at your own risk if you have knowledge of hex editing with other vga platforms.

EDIT: We have such wonderful people on the forum. Amarbir has offered the members of the forum to recover from a bricked motherboard due to a bad flash for free. Of course you’ll have to bear the cost of shipping the BIOS chip or the entire motherboard.

^If only he had said that before. I was scared $hitless when I attempted this mod.

[BREAK=Step 1 - Extracting the VGA ROM]

This requires CBROM.EXE which is a 16-bit program. Run the command prompt and navigate to the directory which contains CBROM. Keep your mobo BIOS file in the same directory.

It is best to take a note of what all ROMs your BIOS has since the checksums and sizes of the original and modded BIOS has to be the same or else you may risk bricking your mobo.

This can be done by executing the following in the command prompt:

cbrom <Name of BIOS file with extension> /D
```Copy paste the output to a text file for future reference. You may skip this step altogether (don't blame me :rofl: ) and extract the VGA ROM file and be done with it.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/9118/20080830122439md0.png

The VGA ROM which is the BIOS of the IGP can be extracted by the following command:

cbrom /vga extract


[BREAK=Step 2 - Mod the VGA ROM]

Crank up NiBiTor. From the Files menu, select Open BIOS and point it to the VGA ROM you just extracted.

Here NiBiTor may throw up a message that it could not identify the BIOS

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/7573/20080830123515nm5.png

Now you must know what IGP you have :rofl: . Since mine was a GeForce 6150, I selected the GeForce6 generation. If you select a wrong generation, the Vendor name and Product ID on the next page will be garbled.

Else, if everything is fine till now, NiBiTor would properly identify the Vendor and Product (arrows) and you'll see a round green integrity icon indicating that your VGA ROM is ok. Do not proceed if this is not so.

Now don't get excited. even though NiBiTor has a lot of options for modding addon GPUs, don't modify anything other than the 3D Performance Clock. Input a sane OC (I upped it to 575 MHz i.e. a 25% overclock over the stock 475 Mhz).

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/6376/capture1fk7.png

Save the VGA ROM using File >  Save menu. [B]Do not use the option save

without fixing the checksum !!! An incorrect checksum will brick the mobo.[/B]

Now that you have modded the VGA ROM, we have to put this into the 

BIOS.

[BREAK=Step 3 - Release VGA ROM from BIOS]

Before putting in the modded ROM into the BIOS, the original VGA ROM has to be *Released* or removed from the original BIOS.

This is done using cbrom through the command:

cbrom /vga release


[BREAK=Step 4 - Inject modded ROM into BIOS]

Ensure that the modded VGA ROM is in the same directory as the BIOS to be modded. Now enter the following into the command line:

cbrom /vga 


http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/6776/20080830152538ku7.png

Now get the checksum of the modded BIOS like in step 1 using

cbrom /D


Flash the mobo using your mobo's BIOS flash utility. Most mobo flash utilities like AsusUpdate verify the ROM and won't proceed with the flash if something's wrong, but this is no failsafe for a bad flash.

Flash and you are done. the changes are reflected in GPU-Z after a reboot. 

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/5416/20080830110614xg7.png

These changes will be permanent until you reflash with an unmodded BIOS. Maintain good ventilation over the NB, since most mobos don't have a utility to monitor temperatures of the IGP.
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Nice Guide mate, keep up the good work. Sometimes i feel you aren’t into right profession. You might want to look at Monsterjobs.com :smiley: (Remember their advertisement)

Reps !!

3

cant you just use the BIOS :flushed_face: my el cheapo Gigabyte 6100 was overclocked to 6150 speeds ( and it would go further too:P) using just the bios :slight_smile:

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^hehe. not all BiOS’s have the option to change the clocks of the IGP.

Mine doesn’t. I can’t even oc the IGP using ntune.

This is for all those poor souls like me who are stuck with a pathetic mobo.

btw, a similar method can be used to add custom functionality to the BIOS, like RAM timings by injecting custom PCI/ISA option ROMs. I even added a ROM to change my HT multiplier to 3x in the BIOS ( my BIOS has no settings for HT multiplier), however the fix is a bit buggy.

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The 6100 IGP has been reported to be clocked to 600 MHz. No doubt, the 6150 can be pushed further, but this was just my first try and I am without a cabinet (using an open beige cabbie with no fans) :stuck_out_tongue:

oops accidental double post

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cant you spare these alteast :smiley: :lol: .. great review dude! .. reppped!

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I didn’t quite get you :thinking:.

btw, this ain’t a review but a guide which I wrote myself ! :tongue:

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amazing radical, and as Ashish mentioned, dude you need to change your profession, and u certainly have some courage…:slight_smile:

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nice guide dude repped will try on my old rig which tool to use for intel igp will nibitor do??

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There is no theoretical upper limit or safeguards to the clock since you are directly changing the BIOS to enter a random clock. You are only limited by cooling and stupidity :rofl:, so take care. I had to resist the temptation of higher clocks.

Dear H@cker. Dont use nibitor for Intel IGP. It will kill it.

You’d need to hex edit the vga rom of the Intel IGP :frowning: but it is possible nevertheless. Remember correcting the checksum after you hex edit, else your BIOS will be corrupted. (Assuming you are true to your name, you will be able to do do it yourself )

Else, head over to The Rebels Haven forum. They have a requests section for BIOS edits. Be warned though, those people talk in assembly language /kidding/

There being a very small, niche community of BIOS modders, they are very willing to help

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what about ATi mobos ?

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Mate, hex editing works on all BIOSs if you can comprehend it.

I don’t know anything about the ATI VGAs but there is a radeon BIOS editor. You’ll have to double check whether that BIOS editor makes the right changes in the hex code at the right place and corrects the checksum of the modded VGA module.

Hex editing of the VGA ROM is discussed here

I learnt that the Nibiter program could be used from there itself but apparently no one before me had tested it (others had simply hex edited).

I have posted my feedback there.

btw, i have used this method several times now so I can say it with certainty that it works for the nvidia GeForce series IGPs, but it is safer to manually hex edit as that is a sure shot way.

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+1

@..:: Free Radical ::..
nice guide!! even i’m thinking of flashing my BIOS. i got d same IGP with d same problems as u!!! No UPS, no money 2 buy a new 1, not secondary mobo, etc. & i also got another, my bro & dad also use d comp. but anyway i’m going 2 flash d BIOS after my exams r finished!!!