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In a nutshell: GPU BIOS modding was once a popular hobby among PC enthusiasts, but vendors have since cracked down on the practice, making it nearly impossible to make significant changes to graphics cards by altering their BIOS. However, some modders have discovered that with a modded BIOS, the Radeon RX 9070 can be overclocked to outperform the reference RX 9070 XT.
Gurdi, a professional overclocker and member of the German PC Games Hardware forums, discovered that Radeon RX 9070 GPUs can be flashed with the BIOS from a 9070 XT that has a comparable board design. This mod unlocks higher clock speeds and power limits, though it doesn’t unlock any additional shaders.
For his experiment, the modder used an Asus Prime Radeon RX 9070, while the BIOS was extracted from an Asus Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT. The most surprising result after the flash was the improved overclocking headroom. The unmodified RX 9070 had a clock speed range of 2140 – 2610 MHz with a 220W TGP, but the modded unit could run at 2480 – 3030 MHz with a 317W TGP.
According to the modder, the flashed card provided 15-20 percent faster performance than the stock RX 9070, allowing it to match the performance of the reference 9070 XT in 3DMark benchmarks, despite the latter’s additional cores. While we don’t have real-world gaming benchmarks, forum members suggest that the flashed 9070 outperforms the 9070 XT in at least some games.
It’s also worth noting that the 9070 XT typically uses three 8-pin power connectors, while the standard 9070 comes with only two 8-pin connectors. However, even with just two connectors, the card apparently meets its increased power demands after the flash.
The ability to flash the 9070 XT BIOS onto a standard 9070 for improved performance is an exciting development for modders and hardware enthusiasts, but it also comes with a few notable drawbacks. First, ULPS mode doesn’t work with the flashed card, and at least one forum member reported encountering random freezing. However, it was still stable enough to run benchmarks.
Flashing a BIOS carries its own set of risks, so it’s best left to experts. If you’re still willing to give it a try, you can download the BIOS from TechPowerUp and take your chances.
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