EVGA

[OC] EVGA GTX 980 Kingpin ACX2.0+ - Switching BIOS - What does it do?

Author
M1PY_
New Member
  • Total Posts : 4
  • Reward points : 0
  • Joined: 2015/05/26 14:00:26
  • Status: offline
  • Ribbons : 0
2015/05/26 14:03:19 (permalink)
Hey fellow EVGA GPU users, pretty much title.
I can switch my GTX980's BIOS via a small switch on the card - LN2 - OC - Normal (Default) what does it actually do and how does it (if at all) improve the performance?
 
My card just starts making weird noises whenever I switch to the OC. It doesn't do it when I am no normal mode, despite applying OC (@1400/3700/1.24V) It's actually my PSU - coil whine.
 
King regrads, a fellow OC enthusiast
M1PY
post edited by M1PY_ - 2015/05/27 13:34:13
#1

6 Replies Related Threads

    dual109
    Superclocked Member
    • Total Posts : 121
    • Reward points : 0
    • Joined: 2013/01/12 18:10:32
    • Status: offline
    • Ribbons : 0
    Re: [OC] EVGA GTX 980 Kingpin ACX2.0+ - Switching BIOS - What does it do? 2015/05/26 20:09:10 (permalink)
    AKAIK it just changes the fan profile so fan spins faster on Ln2 as opposed to OC or Normal.  Power target is unchanged.  I have Kingpin and that's the only notable change I can see.
     
    Another benefit of having 3 different bios's is you can flash a custom bios on any of the slots and not have to worry about bricking your card.  Just switch it to another bios slot to boot the card and move the switch to the custom and flash default bios back to that slot.
     
    Cheers
    post edited by dual109 - 2015/05/26 20:12:43
    #2
    M1PY_
    New Member
    • Total Posts : 4
    • Reward points : 0
    • Joined: 2015/05/26 14:00:26
    • Status: offline
    • Ribbons : 0
    Re: [OC] EVGA GTX 980 Kingpin ACX2.0+ - Switching BIOS - What does it do? 2015/05/27 04:01:58 (permalink)
    Thanks dual109.
     
    I found out what caused the weird noise, actually my PSU (XFX750w ProSeries Semi-Modular) while GPU (EVGA GTX980 Kingpin) / CPU (i7 4770K @ 4GHz) go under load. I hope it's just some harmless coil-whining and nothing more :S
    #3
    the_Scarlet_one
    formerly Scarlet-tech
    • Total Posts : 24581
    • Reward points : 0
    • Joined: 2013/11/13 02:48:57
    • Location: East Coast
    • Status: offline
    • Ribbons : 79
    Re: [OC] EVGA GTX 980 Kingpin ACX2.0+ - Switching BIOS - What does it do? 2015/05/27 05:03:53 (permalink)
    It is going to be coil whine, and it is annoying, but that is about it.

    If you are overclocking and adjusting voltage, then you may want to look into a slightly better, higher rated power supply to give you more headroom and provide less stress.

    The bios switches are supposed to be used in conjunction with appropriate cooling techniques. Ln2 switch is meant for... Ln2, but can be flashed for any appropriate cooling you have. If you are on Air, I highly suggest sticking with stock bios and such. At 70c, these K|ngp|ns do funny things.i actually made a video of mine at 65c playing counterstrike, because that is not a very taxing game.


    https://youtu.be/0NiQwrIdHag


    That was on a stock bios with air cooling. I attached waterblocks to the cards, and the problem is gone now.

    I stressed this when the cards came out, these are meant for extreme cooling and overclocking. They are not meant for air cooling. They only install the air cooler, because they can not sell it with a bare die. They will not sell it with an ln2 pot attached, because that is a niche market, and people would throw a fit as well as true enthusiasts not wanting extra ln2 pots as well as a $200 extra cost per card.

    So, what we need to know, is what cooling method you are actually using. Currently, as Dual mentioned, there is only minor bios updates to the fan profiles and such. If you have appropriate cooling, Vince has released modified bios' to allow these cards to reach the sky. If you don't have it watercooled at a minimum, just forget they exist until you have a way to cool them off.
    post edited by Scarlet-Tech - 2015/05/27 05:05:57
    #4
    M1PY_
    New Member
    • Total Posts : 4
    • Reward points : 0
    • Joined: 2015/05/26 14:00:26
    • Status: offline
    • Ribbons : 0
    Re: [OC] EVGA GTX 980 Kingpin ACX2.0+ - Switching BIOS - What does it do? 2015/05/27 13:13:25 (permalink)
    @Scarlet-Tech
     
    I am using air cooling atm, just bought the card like 2 days ago pretty much. Guess I will stick to the normal BIOS for now as you suggested. Sorry for the dumb question but what is LN2 in regard to my card? Could fire a google search but most of the explanations were rather blunt.
     
    Do you have any recommendations about other cooling methods (I am basically a complete newbie to everything else than air cooling). I am really eager to see how well this card can run under more ideal conditions. Overall, I feel like there is so much unused potential is this card (regarding my current setup)
     
    I am actually going to buy a new PSU tomorrow, EVGA Supernova G2 1000W (90% Gold certified), which should be well suited for my taste. Leaves the possibility of adding a 2nd card and enough room for OC of all sorts. Also fits my current budget really well.
    post edited by M1PY_ - 2015/05/27 13:16:33
    #5
    the_Scarlet_one
    formerly Scarlet-tech
    • Total Posts : 24581
    • Reward points : 0
    • Joined: 2013/11/13 02:48:57
    • Location: East Coast
    • Status: offline
    • Ribbons : 79
    Re: [OC] EVGA GTX 980 Kingpin ACX2.0+ - Switching BIOS - What does it do? 2015/05/27 13:26:25 (permalink)
    That would be a great combination for your system, to go with the 1000w G2.

    If you have the funding for watercooling, that is a fantastic start. If not, you could look at something like the Kraken G10 for starters and then later get the watercooling.

    EKWB makes waterblocks for the K|ngp|n cards, and they make kits with waterblocks and everything you would need, minus a couple of fittings. The key is to take your precious time deciding what you would like and what you will do. Rushing only leads to our chasing more stuff that you didn't anticipate initially... I do that a lot, still.
    #6
    M1PY_
    New Member
    • Total Posts : 4
    • Reward points : 0
    • Joined: 2015/05/26 14:00:26
    • Status: offline
    • Ribbons : 0
    Re: [OC] EVGA GTX 980 Kingpin ACX2.0+ - Switching BIOS - What does it do? 2015/05/27 13:42:19 (permalink)
    Scarlet-Tech
    That would be a great combination for your system, to go with the 1000w G2.

    Yea, I am really looking forward to it, additionally my current PSU just drives me insane with the noise.
     
    Scarlet-Tech
    If you have the funding for watercooling, that is a fantastic start. If not, you could look at something like the Kraken G10 for starters and then later get the watercooling.

     
    Money is not really a problem next month, kinda decked out on costs this month tho (the card just exceeded my budget a bit). I did a quick search for the Kraken G10 and it does look like a Fan with watercooling @Edit: 160 Bucks? I don't quite get it to be honest, is a single fan already enough to cool the card better than the stock fans?
     
    Scarlet-Tech
    EKWB makes waterblocks for the K|ngp|n cards, and they make kits with waterblocks and everything you would need, minus a couple of fittings. The key is to take your precious time deciding what you would like and what you will do. Rushing only leads to our chasing more stuff that you didn't anticipate initially... I do that a lot, still.



    I am going to look into EKWB - Found  is that all I would need? Shame I can't use the pretty EVGA backplate with it tho, love the customizeable LEDs. Gonna hit up my local hardware vendor and ask for watercooling for GPUs aswell. I'm from EU btw so shipping from US vendors is quite a hassle.
     
    Edit: Is there any pre-made kit for LN2 (Liquid Nitrogen as I figured)? Or can I only use that via self-made MacGyver-esque constructions?
    Edit2: Edited link - Seems like I cant post it so wwwdotekwbdotcom/shop/blocks/vga-blocks/fc-geforce/geforce-gtx-9x0-series/ek-fc980-gtx-classy-kpe-acetal-nickel.html
    post edited by M1PY_ - 2015/05/27 13:52:41
    #7
    Jump to:
  • Back to Mobile