AMD RX 480 4GB Cards Are Rebadged 8GB 480s, Unlocked With A BIOS Flash - Full Step By Step Guide

All early retail RX 480 4GB cards are actually rebadged RX 480 8GB models with a 4GB sticker slapped on the box. We were able to confirm this on our very own retail XFX RX 480 4GB card that we bought from newegg. Following our discovery a couple of days ago of 8GB Samsung GDDR5 retention fries on the PCB of our card nosotros decided to look more into it. Every bit it turns out our RX 480 4GB menu wasn't only an 8GB carte but the actual box said 8GB on it. All be it with an RX 480 4GB badge plastered on.

Yesterday we were to flash our RX 480 4GB sample to unlock all 8 gigabytes of GDDR5 retention on the card. Non simply that, merely as an added bonus the BIOS effectively flashed our RX 480 4GB carte to XFX's RX 480 8GB Blackness Edition then the clock speed got a boost equally well. We fired upwards a few games to test the card later the BIOS flash and confirmed that indeed all 8GB of memory was unlocked and usable in-game.

Retail AMD RX 480 4GB Cards Have 8GB Of Memory, Can Easily Be Flashed Back To 8GB

A couple of days ago we heard that AMD RX 480 4GB retail units really accept 8GB and it's unlockable via a BIOS update. Something that we've been able to confirm on our own RX 480 4GB card. We published a review of the 4GB RX 480 which showed some surprising results. Nosotros will follow up with more benchmarks now that we have successfully flashed information technology to unlock all eight gigabytes of memory on the board.

Our item XFX RX 480 4GB sample can still exist found on newegg but there'south no guarantee that yous will get an 8GB card if you lot club at present. However if you have already bought an RX 480 4GB model there's a very proficient chance information technology's actually an 8GB card that was sold as a 4GB unit. By rebadging 8GB RX 480 cards and selling them as 4GB units AMD is effectively paying $30 out of pocket for each ane sold.

However, the theory goes that AMD wanted to make sure that the RX 480 was bachelor at launch for the advertised MSRP of $199. All the while supply of the lower density retentivity chips for the 4GB variant were notwithstanding ramping. Instead of forcing potential buyers to await, AMD is essentially selling RX 480 8GB cards at a cut price to stay truthful to its word. While this is good news for consumers it means that AMD is effectively taking a $30 loss on each of these units. And it will continue until actual 4GB RX 480 cards begin to transport.

Our XFX RX 480 4GB Is Now A Factory Overclocked 8GB Card, Hither's How Yous Can Do It Too

After taking our RX 480 apart to wait at what type of memory chips it had a few days ago we know that there was 8 gigabyte of retentivity on the board. So information technology was merely a question of waiting until the 8GB BIOS makes it to the web and then we can effort to wink our carte du jour. The BIOS file did make its fashion to the spider web yesterday and our try was a resounding success.

Density	Organisation	Vdd/Vddq(5)	Production Condition
8Gb / 1GB	256Mx32	1.305 to ane.597	Mass Production

Reference RX 480 cards do not come with a BIOS switch. So please practice a healthy level of caution when attempting this. Every bit a failed BIOS flash can effectively render the carte du jour completely non-functional. Although to help yous along on your journey to a costless upgrade to 8GB our own The states Editor Keith May has published a how-to guide that I would highly recommend that you follow.

I final tip courtesy of our ain Keith May if you attempt to practise this on your own. When flashing your RX 480 DO NOT utilise GPU-Z to back-up the BIOS file. If yous do so information technology will issue in a corrupt 128kb file and non the full 512kb BIOS file that you're looking for. Then instead make sure to use TPU's ATIwinFLASH utility to properly backup your BIOS.

Delight retrieve, if your card doesn't take 8GB of retentivity to begin with there won't exist any memory to unlock. So before attempting any of this please make sure to inspect your carte du jour and confirm that it actually has 8GB of memory. Otherwise yous may risk damaging your card by flashing it with an incompatible BIOS.