Software Update: RivaTuner 2.0 RC15.1

MTops alerts us to the following bug: “With this new version of RivaTuner it is possible to activate unused pipelines and vertex units in GeForce 6800 cards. This version also includes support for the 65.xx and 66.xx Forceware drivers.” RivaTuner allows you to tweak an nVidia GeForce or ATi Radeon video card. The program was originally developed to fine-tune a Riva TNT card software (Direct3D and OpenGL) as well as hardware (memory and GPU overclocking), hence the name RivaTuner. The latest release of the software is version number 2.0 RC15.1 and comes with the following changelog:

Minor bug fixes:

• RivaTuner’s driver-level color schemes are no longer lost after creating at least one non-standard color scheme via the ForceWare’s control panel applet.

what’s new:

• Added ForceWare 65.xx – 66.xx driver families support.
• Added databases for the ForceWare 61.76, 61.77, 65.05, 65.91 and 66.00 drivers for Windows 2000/XP.
• Updated ForceWareAntipotector and NVStrap antiprotection patch scripts for the ForceWare 61.76, 61.77, 65.05, 65.91 and 66.00 drivers for Windows 2000/XP.
• Added PCI-E NV40 series display adapters support.
• Added experimental R423 support. Thanks to Andrew Worobiew for testing RivaTuner with PCI-E RADEON X800XT.
• Added experimental NV41 / NV43 support. Thanks to Andrew Worobiew for testing RivaTuner with NV43 sample.
• A lot of NV40 / R420 specific enhancements, new diagnostic and tuning features. Thanks to Andrew Woribiew for providing ATI RADEON X800PRO and NVIDIA GeForce 6800 samples.
• Added active pixel pipelines / vertex processors count detection for NV4x based display adapters.
• Updated bundled NVInfo v1.3 DOS utility. Now NVInfo supports NV40 series and can display diagnostic info including active pixel pipelines / vertex processors count. This feature allows you to verify NV40 based display adapter right from the bootable floppy before purchasing it.
• Updated bundled NVStrap v1.5 driver. Now the driver supports NV40 / NV41 / NV43 GPU series and provides NV40 / NV41 / NV43 owners previously available AGP SBA / AGP FW and PCI DeviceID strapping settings as well as absolutely new unique feature specific for this GPU family – custom graphics processor configuration panel. This panel allows you to alter an amount of active pixel pipelines and vertex processors of NV4x GPUs, so any GeForce 6800 GT / Ultra board can be turned to GeForce 6800 or GeForce 6800 LE via disabling required amount of pixel pipelines and vertex processors at software level . Furthermore, some GeForce 6800 owners will be able to unlock software masked pixel pipelines and vertex processors and greatly boost performance. Take a note that both pixel pipelines and vertex processors on GeForce 6800 (LE) boards can be locked either at hardware or at software level. RivaTuner will be able to unlock them in the second case only. Please refer to RivaTuner’s FAQ to get more information.
• Updated “NVIDIA VGA BIOS information” diagnostic report category for NV40 GPU based display adapters:
  • Added performance level table decoding. Performance level specific core / memory clocks and core voltage are now displayed on NV4x based boards too. Take a note that wrongly voltmodded VGA BIOS’es are also already available in the net, so you may use the information displayed in RivaTuner to validate any software voltmodded BIOS. All NV3x+ software voltage mod details discussed in RivaTuner’s FAQ before, also fully apply to NV40 GPUs, so please refer to RivaTuner’s FAQ to get more information on it.
  • Added GPU units mask info for NV4x GPU based boards. This mask tells you if VGA BIOS contains any softmasked pixel pipelines and vertex processors and can be used for fast detecting softmoddable boards.
  • Removed obsolete VCO frequency limits info for NV40 GPU based boards.
• Updated “NVIDIA specific display adapter information” diagnostic report category. Now besides hardwired ID RivaTuner displays ROM softstrapped PCI DeviceID on NV3X+ based boards.
• Now RivaTuner decodes driver-level startup clocks using PCI DeviceID requested via the ForceWare driver rather then the real PCI DeviceID to support startup clocks detection on NVIDIA PCI-E display adapters.
• Now during displaying “NVIDIA VGA BIOS information” diagnostic report category RivaTuner reads VGA BIOS contents directly from flash ROM. This feature was implemented in order to access NV40’s performance level tables, located outside ROM copy accessible via standard ISA address space.
• Added DVC control for NV4x based boards.
• Added RADEON 9550 series support.
• Updated SoftR9x00 and ATIOverclockingAntiprotection patch scripts for the Catalyst 4.7, 4.8 beta, 4.8 and 4.9 beta for Windows 2000/XP.
• Added fan duty cycle monitoring for LM63 capable R360 and R420 based boards with reference cooling system. Take a note that it is impossible to monitor the real fan speed on these boards because of lack of feedback between fan’s tachometer output and sensor chip, so monitored fan duty cycle is a target fan speed programmed by the sensor, but not the real one. Actual speed may be lower due to fan malfunction and other factors.
• Added fan speed control for LM63 capable R360 and R420 based boards with reference cooling system. Now you may use either default temperature controlled dynamic fan speed mode, or improve your R360/R420 cooling at the cost of noise due to fixed 100% fan speed mode.
• Added detailed memory timings decryption for R420 based display adapters.
• Added DDR3 memory type detection for R420 based display adapters.
• Added command line interface for saving VGA BIOS image for all supported NVIDIA display adapters and ATI R300+ based display adapters. Use /BI command line switch to extract and save VGA BIOS image in a file. In addition to that, RivaTuner also provides previously undocumented /BD command line switch, allowing you to save dump of VGA BIOS stored in memory. Take a note that this feature works even with unsupported display adapters (eg Matrox), but the dump created with this command line switch is not flashable and can be used for scientific needs (eg reverse engineering) only.
• Updated RivaTunerEx.sys driver incorporates new IOCTL, allowing RivaTuner to execute some portions of code in kernel mode. Since this version RivaTuner executes all low-level I2C access code in kernel mode to minimize risk of collision with other applications accessing ATI I2C bus at low level. However, the previous user mode I2C access method can be also activated with ATII2CKernelModeAccess registry entry.
• Improved graphics processor core detection scheme for both NVIDIA and ATI display adapters. Now RivaTuner.cfg file contains user customizable PCI DeviceID indexed table of supported graphics processors. This will not make RivaTuner forward compatible with future graphics processors, but will greatly simplify process of adding support of new display adapters based on supported GPUs.
• Improved patch script interpreter. New “Mode” token allows patch developers to enable advanced patch script interpretation mode, which can be used for replacing at least one of specified byte chains in the target file instead of all specified byte chains when using regular patch script interpretation mode. This feature was implemented to allow installing ATIOverclockingAntiprotection patch script on both Catalyst 4.8 beta and 4.8, which have the same internal versions and file sizes but quite different internal structure.
• Updated monitor manufacturers list.
• Improved database format. Now string registry entries may also use interpreters of ENUM type.
• Now all RivaTuner’s command line interfaces can provide an access to non-primary display adapters.
• Now RivaTuner’s tray icon is automatically restored after taskbar recreation.
• Easter egg updates. Added hidden command line interface for AND, OR and XOR based GPU registers modification commands.
• Added about 10 new NV40 softmodding, NVIDIA & ATI overclocking related questions to FAQ.
• Minor UI changes and improvements.