Xen users - Jul 2013 - Is it possible to mod a Geforce GTX 560 graphics card into a Quadro?

Dear Gordan,

I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a Quadro?

If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps to mod 
it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?

Thank you very much.

-- 
Yours sincerely,

Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming)

Dear Gordan,

I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a Quadro?

If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps to mod 
it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?

Thank you very much.

-- 
Yours sincerely,

Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming)

On 07/31/2013 06:56 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) 
wrote:
> Dear Gordan,
>
> I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a Quadro?
It isn''t. There is no equivalent Quadro model to modify it into.
> If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps to mod
> it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?
Cards that can be modified using a BIOS modification only:

1)	From:	GTS450 (only 192-shader 1GB GDDR5 model!)
	To:	Quadro 2000

2)	From:	GTX470 (448 shaders, 1.25GB)
	To:	Quadro 5000

3)	From:	GTX480 (480 shaders, 1.5GB)
	To:	Quadro 6000

4)	From:	GTX580 (512 shaders, 1.5GB, 3GB)
	To:	Quadro 7000
	Note:	Quadro 7000 isn''t supported for "MultiOS" and VGA
		passthrough will not work with it (tested, Quadro
		[256]000 work fine, but a GTX580 modified to Quadro
		7000 does not work with Xen VGA passthrough. So don''t
		get this one.

The 6xx series requires hardware modification (soldering 0402 type 
surface mount resistors - not for the faint of heart, but doable, I have 
successfully modified a GTX680 last weekend)

5)	From:	GTX680, GTX690, also reported to work with GTX670
	To:	Grid K2

Untested, but should work similarly to the other 6xx series mods with 
resistors:

6)	From:	GTX650Ti/GTX650Ti Boost
	To:	Grid K1

If you only want a low end card for virtualization testing, the price 
gap between a real Quadro 2000 on eBay and a GTS450 has shrunk to the 
point where it''s probably not worth the hassle modifying the BIOS
unless
your time really is worthless, so my advice would be to just get a 
Quadro 2000.

If you are interested in higher performance (e.g. for gaming), GTX480 to 
Quadro 6000 mod works very well (~$120 on eBay for a GTX480 vs. ~$900 
for a real Quadro 6000, spending an hour doctoring the BIOS is certainly 
worth the difference).

It depends on how much effort you want to put in, and what you plan to 
do with the card (a real Quadro has some extra uncrippled GL 
functionality in the silicon which makes it faster than a modified 
GeForce in some CAD apps, but it makes no difference in gaming and 
general purpose number crunching). See here for some benchmarks between 
GTS450 and a Quadro 2000:

http://www.altechnative.net/2013/06/23/nvidia-cards-geforce-quadro-and-geforce-modified-into-a-quadro-for-virtualized-gaming/

If you want something cheap enough that requires no extra effort, a real 
Quadro 2000 is probably your best option.

Gordan

On 07/31/2013 06:56 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) 
wrote:
> Dear Gordan,
>
> I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a Quadro?
It isn''t. There is no equivalent Quadro model to modify it into.
> If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps to mod
> it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?
Cards that can be modified using a BIOS modification only:

1)	From:	GTS450 (only 192-shader 1GB GDDR5 model!)
	To:	Quadro 2000

2)	From:	GTX470 (448 shaders, 1.25GB)
	To:	Quadro 5000

3)	From:	GTX480 (480 shaders, 1.5GB)
	To:	Quadro 6000

4)	From:	GTX580 (512 shaders, 1.5GB, 3GB)
	To:	Quadro 7000
	Note:	Quadro 7000 isn''t supported for "MultiOS" and VGA
		passthrough will not work with it (tested, Quadro
		[256]000 work fine, but a GTX580 modified to Quadro
		7000 does not work with Xen VGA passthrough. So don''t
		get this one.

The 6xx series requires hardware modification (soldering 0402 type 
surface mount resistors - not for the faint of heart, but doable, I have 
successfully modified a GTX680 last weekend)

5)	From:	GTX680, GTX690, also reported to work with GTX670
	To:	Grid K2

Untested, but should work similarly to the other 6xx series mods with 
resistors:

6)	From:	GTX650Ti/GTX650Ti Boost
	To:	Grid K1

If you only want a low end card for virtualization testing, the price 
gap between a real Quadro 2000 on eBay and a GTS450 has shrunk to the 
point where it''s probably not worth the hassle modifying the BIOS
unless
your time really is worthless, so my advice would be to just get a 
Quadro 2000.

If you are interested in higher performance (e.g. for gaming), GTX480 to 
Quadro 6000 mod works very well (~$120 on eBay for a GTX480 vs. ~$900 
for a real Quadro 6000, spending an hour doctoring the BIOS is certainly 
worth the difference).

It depends on how much effort you want to put in, and what you plan to 
do with the card (a real Quadro has some extra uncrippled GL 
functionality in the silicon which makes it faster than a modified 
GeForce in some CAD apps, but it makes no difference in gaming and 
general purpose number crunching). See here for some benchmarks between 
GTS450 and a Quadro 2000:

http://www.altechnative.net/2013/06/23/nvidia-cards-geforce-quadro-and-geforce-modified-into-a-quadro-for-virtualized-gaming/

If you want something cheap enough that requires no extra effort, a real 
Quadro 2000 is probably your best option.

Gordan

On 01/08/2013 03:20, Gordan Bobic wrote:
> On 07/31/2013 06:56 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang 
> Enming) wrote:
>> Dear Gordan,
>>
>> I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a 
>> Quadro?
>
> It isn''t. There is no equivalent Quadro model to modify it into.
>
>> If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps to
mod
>> it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?
>
> Cards that can be modified using a BIOS modification only:
>
> 1)    From:    GTS450 (only 192-shader 1GB GDDR5 model!)
>     To:    Quadro 2000
>
> 2)    From:    GTX470 (448 shaders, 1.25GB)
>     To:    Quadro 5000
>
> 3)    From:    GTX480 (480 shaders, 1.5GB)
>     To:    Quadro 6000
>
> 4)    From:    GTX580 (512 shaders, 1.5GB, 3GB)
>     To:    Quadro 7000
>     Note:    Quadro 7000 isn''t supported for "MultiOS"
and VGA
>         passthrough will not work with it (tested, Quadro
>         [256]000 work fine, but a GTX580 modified to Quadro
>         7000 does not work with Xen VGA passthrough. So don''t
>         get this one.
>
> The 6xx series requires hardware modification (soldering 0402 type 
> surface mount resistors - not for the faint of heart, but doable, I 
> have successfully modified a GTX680 last weekend)
>
> 5)    From:    GTX680, GTX690, also reported to work with GTX670
>     To:    Grid K2
>
> Untested, but should work similarly to the other 6xx series mods with 
> resistors:
>
> 6)    From:    GTX650Ti/GTX650Ti Boost
>     To:    Grid K1
>
> If you only want a low end card for virtualization testing, the price 
> gap between a real Quadro 2000 on eBay and a GTS450 has shrunk to the 
> point where it''s probably not worth the hassle modifying the BIOS 
> unless your time really is worthless, so my advice would be to just 
> get a Quadro 2000.
>
> If you are interested in higher performance (e.g. for gaming), GTX480 
> to Quadro 6000 mod works very well (~$120 on eBay for a GTX480 vs. 
> ~$900 for a real Quadro 6000, spending an hour doctoring the BIOS is 
> certainly worth the difference).
>
> It depends on how much effort you want to put in, and what you plan to 
> do with the card (a real Quadro has some extra uncrippled GL 
> functionality in the silicon which makes it faster than a modified 
> GeForce in some CAD apps, but it makes no difference in gaming and 
> general purpose number crunching). See here for some benchmarks 
> between GTS450 and a Quadro 2000:
>
>
http://www.altechnative.net/2013/06/23/nvidia-cards-geforce-quadro-and-geforce-modified-into-a-quadro-for-virtualized-gaming/
>
>
> If you want something cheap enough that requires no extra effort, a 
> real Quadro 2000 is probably your best option.
>
> Gordan
>
Dear Gordan,

I am disappointed that I cannot modify my Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560 into 
a Quadro.

I have checked the prices of Quadro 2000. It costs at least US$385 on 
Amazon.com and US$570 on cnet.com.

It looks like I may go the ATI way.

-- 
Yours sincerely,

Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming)

On 01/08/2013 03:20, Gordan Bobic wrote:
> On 07/31/2013 06:56 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang 
> Enming) wrote:
>> Dear Gordan,
>>
>> I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a 
>> Quadro?
>
> It isn''t. There is no equivalent Quadro model to modify it into.
>
>> If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps to
mod
>> it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?
>
> Cards that can be modified using a BIOS modification only:
>
> 1)    From:    GTS450 (only 192-shader 1GB GDDR5 model!)
>     To:    Quadro 2000
>
> 2)    From:    GTX470 (448 shaders, 1.25GB)
>     To:    Quadro 5000
>
> 3)    From:    GTX480 (480 shaders, 1.5GB)
>     To:    Quadro 6000
>
> 4)    From:    GTX580 (512 shaders, 1.5GB, 3GB)
>     To:    Quadro 7000
>     Note:    Quadro 7000 isn''t supported for "MultiOS"
and VGA
>         passthrough will not work with it (tested, Quadro
>         [256]000 work fine, but a GTX580 modified to Quadro
>         7000 does not work with Xen VGA passthrough. So don''t
>         get this one.
>
> The 6xx series requires hardware modification (soldering 0402 type 
> surface mount resistors - not for the faint of heart, but doable, I 
> have successfully modified a GTX680 last weekend)
>
> 5)    From:    GTX680, GTX690, also reported to work with GTX670
>     To:    Grid K2
>
> Untested, but should work similarly to the other 6xx series mods with 
> resistors:
>
> 6)    From:    GTX650Ti/GTX650Ti Boost
>     To:    Grid K1
>
> If you only want a low end card for virtualization testing, the price 
> gap between a real Quadro 2000 on eBay and a GTS450 has shrunk to the 
> point where it''s probably not worth the hassle modifying the BIOS 
> unless your time really is worthless, so my advice would be to just 
> get a Quadro 2000.
>
> If you are interested in higher performance (e.g. for gaming), GTX480 
> to Quadro 6000 mod works very well (~$120 on eBay for a GTX480 vs. 
> ~$900 for a real Quadro 6000, spending an hour doctoring the BIOS is 
> certainly worth the difference).
>
> It depends on how much effort you want to put in, and what you plan to 
> do with the card (a real Quadro has some extra uncrippled GL 
> functionality in the silicon which makes it faster than a modified 
> GeForce in some CAD apps, but it makes no difference in gaming and 
> general purpose number crunching). See here for some benchmarks 
> between GTS450 and a Quadro 2000:
>
>
http://www.altechnative.net/2013/06/23/nvidia-cards-geforce-quadro-and-geforce-modified-into-a-quadro-for-virtualized-gaming/
>
>
> If you want something cheap enough that requires no extra effort, a 
> real Quadro 2000 is probably your best option.
>
> Gordan
>
Dear Gordan,

I am disappointed that I cannot modify my Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560 into 
a Quadro.

I have checked the prices of Quadro 2000. It costs at least US$385 on 
Amazon.com and US$570 on cnet.com.

It looks like I may go the ATI way.

-- 
Yours sincerely,

Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming)

On 07/31/2013 09:43 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) 
wrote:
> On 01/08/2013 03:20, Gordan Bobic wrote:
>> On 07/31/2013 06:56 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang
>> Enming) wrote:
>>> Dear Gordan,
>>>
>>> I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a
>>> Quadro?
>>
>> It isn''t. There is no equivalent Quadro model to modify it
into.
>>
>>> If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps
to mod
>>> it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?
>>
>> Cards that can be modified using a BIOS modification only:
>>
>> 1)    From:    GTS450 (only 192-shader 1GB GDDR5 model!)
>>     To:    Quadro 2000
>>
>> 2)    From:    GTX470 (448 shaders, 1.25GB)
>>     To:    Quadro 5000
>>
>> 3)    From:    GTX480 (480 shaders, 1.5GB)
>>     To:    Quadro 6000
>>
>> 4)    From:    GTX580 (512 shaders, 1.5GB, 3GB)
>>     To:    Quadro 7000
>>     Note:    Quadro 7000 isn''t supported for
"MultiOS" and VGA
>>         passthrough will not work with it (tested, Quadro
>>         [256]000 work fine, but a GTX580 modified to Quadro
>>         7000 does not work with Xen VGA passthrough. So don''t
>>         get this one.
>>
>> The 6xx series requires hardware modification (soldering 0402 type
>> surface mount resistors - not for the faint of heart, but doable, I
>> have successfully modified a GTX680 last weekend)
>>
>> 5)    From:    GTX680, GTX690, also reported to work with GTX670
>>     To:    Grid K2
>>
>> Untested, but should work similarly to the other 6xx series mods with
>> resistors:
>>
>> 6)    From:    GTX650Ti/GTX650Ti Boost
>>     To:    Grid K1
>>
>> If you only want a low end card for virtualization testing, the price
>> gap between a real Quadro 2000 on eBay and a GTS450 has shrunk to the
>> point where it''s probably not worth the hassle modifying the
BIOS
>> unless your time really is worthless, so my advice would be to just
>> get a Quadro 2000.
>>
>> If you are interested in higher performance (e.g. for gaming), GTX480
>> to Quadro 6000 mod works very well (~$120 on eBay for a GTX480 vs.
>> ~$900 for a real Quadro 6000, spending an hour doctoring the BIOS is
>> certainly worth the difference).
>>
>> It depends on how much effort you want to put in, and what you plan to
>> do with the card (a real Quadro has some extra uncrippled GL
>> functionality in the silicon which makes it faster than a modified
>> GeForce in some CAD apps, but it makes no difference in gaming and
>> general purpose number crunching). See here for some benchmarks
>> between GTS450 and a Quadro 2000:
>>
>>
http://www.altechnative.net/2013/06/23/nvidia-cards-geforce-quadro-and-geforce-modified-into-a-quadro-for-virtualized-gaming/
>>
>>
>> If you want something cheap enough that requires no extra effort, a
>> real Quadro 2000 is probably your best option.
>>
>> Gordan
>>
>
> Dear Gordan,
>
> I am disappointed that I cannot modify my Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560 into
> a Quadro.
>
> I have checked the prices of Quadro 2000. It costs at least US$385 on
> Amazon.com and US$570 on cnet.com.
>
> It looks like I may go the ATI way.
I take it you have a good reason why buying a used one on ebay is not an 
option for you. I paid about $160 for mine a few months ago and the 
average sale price for these on ebay has gone down since.

Gordan

On 07/31/2013 09:43 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) 
wrote:
> On 01/08/2013 03:20, Gordan Bobic wrote:
>> On 07/31/2013 06:56 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang
>> Enming) wrote:
>>> Dear Gordan,
>>>
>>> I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a
>>> Quadro?
>>
>> It isn''t. There is no equivalent Quadro model to modify it
into.
>>
>>> If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps
to mod
>>> it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?
>>
>> Cards that can be modified using a BIOS modification only:
>>
>> 1)    From:    GTS450 (only 192-shader 1GB GDDR5 model!)
>>     To:    Quadro 2000
>>
>> 2)    From:    GTX470 (448 shaders, 1.25GB)
>>     To:    Quadro 5000
>>
>> 3)    From:    GTX480 (480 shaders, 1.5GB)
>>     To:    Quadro 6000
>>
>> 4)    From:    GTX580 (512 shaders, 1.5GB, 3GB)
>>     To:    Quadro 7000
>>     Note:    Quadro 7000 isn''t supported for
"MultiOS" and VGA
>>         passthrough will not work with it (tested, Quadro
>>         [256]000 work fine, but a GTX580 modified to Quadro
>>         7000 does not work with Xen VGA passthrough. So don''t
>>         get this one.
>>
>> The 6xx series requires hardware modification (soldering 0402 type
>> surface mount resistors - not for the faint of heart, but doable, I
>> have successfully modified a GTX680 last weekend)
>>
>> 5)    From:    GTX680, GTX690, also reported to work with GTX670
>>     To:    Grid K2
>>
>> Untested, but should work similarly to the other 6xx series mods with
>> resistors:
>>
>> 6)    From:    GTX650Ti/GTX650Ti Boost
>>     To:    Grid K1
>>
>> If you only want a low end card for virtualization testing, the price
>> gap between a real Quadro 2000 on eBay and a GTS450 has shrunk to the
>> point where it''s probably not worth the hassle modifying the
BIOS
>> unless your time really is worthless, so my advice would be to just
>> get a Quadro 2000.
>>
>> If you are interested in higher performance (e.g. for gaming), GTX480
>> to Quadro 6000 mod works very well (~$120 on eBay for a GTX480 vs.
>> ~$900 for a real Quadro 6000, spending an hour doctoring the BIOS is
>> certainly worth the difference).
>>
>> It depends on how much effort you want to put in, and what you plan to
>> do with the card (a real Quadro has some extra uncrippled GL
>> functionality in the silicon which makes it faster than a modified
>> GeForce in some CAD apps, but it makes no difference in gaming and
>> general purpose number crunching). See here for some benchmarks
>> between GTS450 and a Quadro 2000:
>>
>>
http://www.altechnative.net/2013/06/23/nvidia-cards-geforce-quadro-and-geforce-modified-into-a-quadro-for-virtualized-gaming/
>>
>>
>> If you want something cheap enough that requires no extra effort, a
>> real Quadro 2000 is probably your best option.
>>
>> Gordan
>>
>
> Dear Gordan,
>
> I am disappointed that I cannot modify my Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560 into
> a Quadro.
>
> I have checked the prices of Quadro 2000. It costs at least US$385 on
> Amazon.com and US$570 on cnet.com.
>
> It looks like I may go the ATI way.
I take it you have a good reason why buying a used one on ebay is not an 
option for you. I paid about $160 for mine a few months ago and the 
average sale price for these on ebay has gone down since.

Gordan

Very interesting mail! Under the impression that BIOS were modified using
something like perl, awk, sed for ID (to inject). I don''t think that
tool like the old rivaturner was used :)

Will wait  for reading the next articles on your blog :)




Kind regards.


________________________________
 De : Gordan Bobic <gordan@bobich.net>
À : singapore.mr.teo.en.ming@gmail.com 
Cc : "xen-users@lists.xen.org" <xen-users@lists.xen.org>;
"xen-devel@lists.xen.org" <xen-devel@lists.xen.org>
Envoyé le : Mercredi 31 juillet 2013 21h20
Objet : Re: [Xen-users] Is it possible to mod a Geforce GTX 560 graphics card
into a Quadro?
 

On 07/31/2013 06:56 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) 
wrote:
> Dear Gordan,
>
> I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a Quadro?
It isn''t. There is no equivalent Quadro model to modify it into.
> If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps to mod
> it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?
Cards that can be modified using a BIOS modification only:

1)    From:    GTS450 (only 192-shader 1GB GDDR5 model!)
    To:    Quadro 2000

2)    From:    GTX470 (448 shaders, 1.25GB)
    To:    Quadro 5000

3)    From:    GTX480 (480 shaders, 1.5GB)
    To:    Quadro 6000

4)    From:    GTX580 (512 shaders, 1.5GB, 3GB)
    To:    Quadro 7000
    Note:    Quadro 7000 isn''t supported for "MultiOS" and
VGA
        passthrough will not work with it (tested, Quadro
        [256]000 work fine, but a GTX580 modified to Quadro
        7000 does not work with Xen VGA passthrough. So don''t
        get this one.

The 6xx series requires hardware modification (soldering 0402 type 
surface mount resistors - not for the faint of heart, but doable, I have 
successfully modified a GTX680 last weekend)

5)    From:    GTX680, GTX690, also reported to work with GTX670
    To:    Grid K2

Untested, but should work similarly to the other 6xx series mods with 
resistors:

6)    From:    GTX650Ti/GTX650Ti Boost
    To:    Grid K1

If you only want a low end card for virtualization testing, the price 
gap between a real Quadro 2000 on eBay and a GTS450 has shrunk to the 
point where it''s probably not worth the hassle modifying the BIOS
unless
your time really is worthless, so my advice would be to just get a 
Quadro 2000.

If you are interested in higher performance (e.g. for gaming), GTX480 to 
Quadro 6000 mod works very well (~$120 on eBay for a GTX480 vs. ~$900 
for a real Quadro 6000, spending an hour doctoring the BIOS is certainly 
worth the difference).

It depends on how much effort you want to put in, and what you plan to 
do with the card (a real Quadro has some extra uncrippled GL 
functionality in the silicon which makes it faster than a modified 
GeForce in some CAD apps, but it makes no difference in gaming and 
general purpose number crunching). See here for some benchmarks between 
GTS450 and a Quadro 2000:

http://www.altechnative.net/2013/06/23/nvidia-cards-geforce-quadro-and-geforce-modified-into-a-quadro-for-virtualized-gaming/

If you want something cheap enough that requires no extra effort, a real 
Quadro 2000 is probably your best option.

Gordan

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Xen-users mailing list
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http://lists.xen.org/xen-users

_______________________________________________
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Xen-devel@lists.xen.org
http://lists.xen.org/xen-devel

Very interesting mail! Under the impression that BIOS were modified using
something like perl, awk, sed for ID (to inject). I don''t think that
tool like the old rivaturner was used :)

Will wait  for reading the next articles on your blog :)




Kind regards.


________________________________
 De : Gordan Bobic <gordan@bobich.net>
À : singapore.mr.teo.en.ming@gmail.com 
Cc : "xen-users@lists.xen.org" <xen-users@lists.xen.org>;
"xen-devel@lists.xen.org" <xen-devel@lists.xen.org>
Envoyé le : Mercredi 31 juillet 2013 21h20
Objet : Re: [Xen-users] Is it possible to mod a Geforce GTX 560 graphics card
into a Quadro?
 

On 07/31/2013 06:56 PM, Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) 
wrote:
> Dear Gordan,
>
> I have a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560. Is it possible to mod it into a Quadro?
It isn''t. There is no equivalent Quadro model to modify it into.
> If it is possible, please give me the link with the list of steps to mod
> it into a Quadro. Is it a simple process?
Cards that can be modified using a BIOS modification only:

1)    From:    GTS450 (only 192-shader 1GB GDDR5 model!)
    To:    Quadro 2000

2)    From:    GTX470 (448 shaders, 1.25GB)
    To:    Quadro 5000

3)    From:    GTX480 (480 shaders, 1.5GB)
    To:    Quadro 6000

4)    From:    GTX580 (512 shaders, 1.5GB, 3GB)
    To:    Quadro 7000
    Note:    Quadro 7000 isn''t supported for "MultiOS" and
VGA
        passthrough will not work with it (tested, Quadro
        [256]000 work fine, but a GTX580 modified to Quadro
        7000 does not work with Xen VGA passthrough. So don''t
        get this one.

The 6xx series requires hardware modification (soldering 0402 type 
surface mount resistors - not for the faint of heart, but doable, I have 
successfully modified a GTX680 last weekend)

5)    From:    GTX680, GTX690, also reported to work with GTX670
    To:    Grid K2

Untested, but should work similarly to the other 6xx series mods with 
resistors:

6)    From:    GTX650Ti/GTX650Ti Boost
    To:    Grid K1

If you only want a low end card for virtualization testing, the price 
gap between a real Quadro 2000 on eBay and a GTS450 has shrunk to the 
point where it''s probably not worth the hassle modifying the BIOS
unless
your time really is worthless, so my advice would be to just get a 
Quadro 2000.

If you are interested in higher performance (e.g. for gaming), GTX480 to 
Quadro 6000 mod works very well (~$120 on eBay for a GTX480 vs. ~$900 
for a real Quadro 6000, spending an hour doctoring the BIOS is certainly 
worth the difference).

It depends on how much effort you want to put in, and what you plan to 
do with the card (a real Quadro has some extra uncrippled GL 
functionality in the silicon which makes it faster than a modified 
GeForce in some CAD apps, but it makes no difference in gaming and 
general purpose number crunching). See here for some benchmarks between 
GTS450 and a Quadro 2000:

http://www.altechnative.net/2013/06/23/nvidia-cards-geforce-quadro-and-geforce-modified-into-a-quadro-for-virtualized-gaming/

If you want something cheap enough that requires no extra effort, a real 
Quadro 2000 is probably your best option.

Gordan

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On 08/01/2013 12:21 AM, David TECHER wrote:
> Very interesting mail! Under the impression that BIOS were modified
> using something like perl, awk, sed for ID (to inject). I don''t
think
> that tool like the old rivaturner was used :)
Nothing so fancy - just hexedit and vim (the latter as a scratch pad to 
just work out the changes I need to make.
> Will wait  for reading the next articles on your blog :)
Thanks. I have the next article in the series half-written, I just 
haven''t had the time to do some before/after performance testing yet.

FYI, the GTX680 BIOS, once you tear out all of the UEFI wrapper bloat, 
is under 64KB (smaller than the GTX580 BIOS!). I mention this because I 
seem to recall that there was a 64KB limit on the GPU BIOS when using it 
to re-initialize the card for primary passthrough. The only downside of 
the 6xx series cards is that they do require a hardware modification 
(single resistor, controlling the 3rd nibble of the device ID). 
Everything else can be achieved by modifying the BIOS.

It should be interesting to see what device ID the Quadro K6000 comes 
with - that card is a _monster_, more shaders than even the Titan, and 
12GB of VRAM. It''ll be interesting to see if a similar modification can
be used to turn a Titan into it, and whether the K6000 works properly 
for VGA passthrough.

Then again, if I manage to find the time to churn out that vBAR=pBAR 
patch, there''ll be much less to be gained from modifing the cards. That
plus making things work properly on my broken hardware would be killing 
two birds with one stone.

Gordan

On 08/01/2013 12:21 AM, David TECHER wrote:
> Very interesting mail! Under the impression that BIOS were modified
> using something like perl, awk, sed for ID (to inject). I don''t
think
> that tool like the old rivaturner was used :)
Nothing so fancy - just hexedit and vim (the latter as a scratch pad to 
just work out the changes I need to make.
> Will wait  for reading the next articles on your blog :)
Thanks. I have the next article in the series half-written, I just 
haven''t had the time to do some before/after performance testing yet.

FYI, the GTX680 BIOS, once you tear out all of the UEFI wrapper bloat, 
is under 64KB (smaller than the GTX580 BIOS!). I mention this because I 
seem to recall that there was a 64KB limit on the GPU BIOS when using it 
to re-initialize the card for primary passthrough. The only downside of 
the 6xx series cards is that they do require a hardware modification 
(single resistor, controlling the 3rd nibble of the device ID). 
Everything else can be achieved by modifying the BIOS.

It should be interesting to see what device ID the Quadro K6000 comes 
with - that card is a _monster_, more shaders than even the Titan, and 
12GB of VRAM. It''ll be interesting to see if a similar modification can
be used to turn a Titan into it, and whether the K6000 works properly 
for VGA passthrough.

Then again, if I manage to find the time to churn out that vBAR=pBAR 
patch, there''ll be much less to be gained from modifing the cards. That
plus making things work properly on my broken hardware would be killing 
two birds with one stone.

Gordan