New NVFlash Supports RTX 30 Ampere Series

(Image credit: Nvidia)

Overclocking your brand new RTX 30 series GPU is a risky move but someone has already done this, hardwareluxx reports a ROG Strix RTX 3080 BIOS has been flashed to use the BIOS for an RTX 3080 TUF Gaming using a new version of NVFlash that includes support for Nvidia's new Ampere graphics cards.

NVFlash is a BIOS flashing tool that allows you to either install a new BIOS from the manufacturer of your card or, in the case of hardcore overclockers, use a BIOS for a more-powerful graphics card and flash it to your model. This is quite common with the Pascal and Turing generations of cards, flashing a BIOS with a less restrictive power limit onto a lower-tiered card can extend your overclocking capabilities. In-fact before Nvidia's Pascal generation, you could manually edit your own BIOS, which is the preferred method for increasing overclocking performance in the first place. However, Nvidia caught onto the matter and decided to shut it down completely with Pascal GPUs and onward, encrypting the BIOS to prevent modifications.

Now, all we're left with is flashing the graphics card BIOS, since we aren't modifying the actual BIOS, this is still something we can do to hopefully get higher clock speeds. Technically as long as you grab a BIOS from another card with the same GPU (say RTX 3080 Founders Edition to RTX 3080 TUF Gaming) that can work. 

But should you do it? Probably not, flashing a BIOS from one card to a different card is obviously very risky and not something the cards were designed to do. In a worst-case scenario, your graphics card will be completely bricked, and the warranty rejected because you tampered with your card. Hardcore overclocking is the only real reason to do it, and if you don't mind risking your GPUs life in the process the performance gains could be incredible.

Aaron Klotz
Freelance News Writer

Aaron Klotz is a freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering news topics related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

  • Co BIY
    I think the "Incredible" gains need to be quantified. How much gain is there to be had in the Pascal and Turing cards ?

    We need some Tom's articles on this.

    Mod the cards and then stick them on the "Dyno".
    Reply
  • vinay2070
    Co BIY said:
    I think the "Incredible" gains need to be quantified. How much gain is there to be had in the Pascal and Turing cards ?

    We need some Tom's articles on this.

    Mod the cards and then stick them on the "Dyno".
    I agree, considering the 3080 can be barely overclocked. flashing a 3080 Tuf on a FE would mean more temperature and noise. Afterburner is a much better option IMO.
    Reply
  • spongiemaster
    vinay2070 said:
    I agree, considering the 3080 can be barely overclocked. flashing a 3080 Tuf on a FE would mean more temperature and noise. Afterburner is a much better option IMO.
    This is for people water cooling their cards when neither temperature or noise is an issue, and you want a higher power limit.
    Reply