Note : This article was adapted from a vga.zol.com.cn guide by Max_87, and edited by Dr. Adrian Wong. Full credit belong to the original authors.

Warning! Please do not attempt any of the steps in this article unless you are fully aware of the risks, and know what you are doing. Neither Tech ARP, nor the original writers, of this article will be held responsible for any damages that may occur as a result of following the methods or ideas described in this article. You have be warned!

Performance Difference

Now, it is easy to just say that the mod was successful. However, you should still test the modded graphics card with benchmarks and real games as not all G92 GPUs have all 128 stream processors fully functional. Some will have faulty stream processors that the soft-mod cannot "repair".

The GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB also runs at much higher clock speeds than the GeForce 9600 GSO, so some GPUs may not be able to handle the higher clock speed especially if a poor cooler is used. This problem can be solved by replacing the cooler with a better cooler.

Finally, testing the modded card with benchmarks will confirm that the mod actually works. You can use games like Crysis or synthetic benchmarks like 3DMark. A fully-modded GeForce 9600 GSO should perform exactly like a GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB.

Let's take a look at the performance of our GeForce 9600 GSO card in 3DMark06, before and after the mod.

Before the mod

After the mod

As you can see, the modded GeForce 9600 GSO is now about 8% faster in 3DMark06. You can then try overclocking the card further. With 32 extra stream processors, overclocking the modded card will deliver even more performance with the increase in clock speed.

Editorial Note

The performance improvement may not seem that much in 3DMark06 but actual gaming performance will be more significant. More importantly, unlocking the 32 stream processors and 64-bits of memory bus width will greatly increase the rate at which card's performance will ramp according to the clock speeds. Overclocking the modded card would deliver a far greater boost in performance than it would have had in its unmodded form.

With that said, the mod has some risks. If you mod a GeForce 9600 GSO that only has 6 memory chips, then the card will likely crash as soon as you load a 3D game that uses more memory than the 384 MB that the card actually comes with.

In addition, not all GeForce 9600 GSO cards will have fully-functional GPUs. At least some of the GPUs will have faulty stream processors. If you mod a GeForce 9600 GSO with such a "defective" GPU, then you will notice either visual artifacts in your 3D games, or the card will crash when running 3D games.

Last but not least, the soft mod will automatically overclock your GeForce 9600 GSO to the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB's clock speeds. Your graphics card may not be able to run at those clock speeds. If so, it may crash in 3D games.

The good news is you can always flash the previous graphics BIOS into your graphics card. Just make sure you SAVE your old BIOS before flashing the modded BIOS!

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support out work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

Questions & Comments

Please feel free to post your questions or comments here!