Thinkpads Forum

Hi there.

This is my first post, but I've been posting stuff on the W500 in other forums.

Just to let you folks know about the GPU issue that W500 systems now face and what I have in my W500.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/301 ... c4d6_o.jpg

An Ati Mobility Radeon HD3650 modded into some kind of 'FireGL V5700' is what I have. Device ID is 9591 = HD3650 instead of 9595 which is a REAL FireGL V5700.

To everyone reading this Thread - If your W500 has a GPU with Device ID 9591, please let me know in this Thread. We need the support from you to make Lenove explain what all this is about.

Thanks! And God Bless!


mod note: images >50k must be linked per forum rules.   thanks for understanding.

thread marked as [solved] to help prevent further confusion on this topic.

My ID is 9591. At this point, it's looking like they're giving us soft-modded radeons!

it's been officially stated by lenovo and ATI that the same die is used on each chip.   please see this post on forums.lenovo.com for more information.

How about making this thread sticky?

All in all, it ends up with the fact that both nVidia and Ati uses the same core within a range of series, but it is imbedded inside, what the chip must perform like. I don't know nVidias way of implementing this, but for ATi, it is done through the AtomBios.

But whatever Lenovo says, i don't think it is alright to install a HD3650, that doesn't have a FireGL engraving on it - it is cheaper to buy than the FireGL equivalent, identical inside or not.
I'd personally be mad if i bought a $1200 FireGL or Quaddro desktop card to find out that it is nothing but equivalent to the much lower priced gamer Radeon or Geforce/GTX.

Secondly, what is ATi/AMDs take on this? Remembering the Geforce 2 MX, where it was revealed how to modify it into a Quadro by removing a couple of SMD resistors. At that time, it was also something that nVidia was cursing at, and it didn't take long before at least hard-modding wasn't possible.

FYI, the AtomBIOS is read-only when it comes to returning the chip ID. They don't want people to modify it into thinking it is a different card than it is, and to re-sell it as something it is not.

Troels wrote:But whatever Lenovo says, i don't think it is alright to install a HD3650, that doesn't have a FireGL engraving on it - it is cheaper to buy than the FireGL equivalent, identical inside or not.

...

Secondly, what is ATi/AMDs take on this?

all of them say Radeon HD3650M whether it's a Radeon or FireGL chipset.   lenovo cannot control that.

AMD's take on this is to only make one chipset engraving.