New ATOM-15 - now supports R9 380 and R9 380X cards

[flybynight]

I just noticed a new version of ATOM-15 was released last month and it supports R9 380 and R9380X cards:
https://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?id=64

These were the last cards that supported native analogue output through the DVI-I port.

Thank you to Calamity the author of Atom-15

[buttersoft]

Awesome!

[Edgecrusher]

Atom makes sure your tube gets the right signal 100% of the time right? I thought it had become outdated so I hadn't looked into it...

[buttersoft]

Atom makes sure your tube gets the right signal 100% of the time right? I thought it had become outdated so I hadn't looked into it...

Yes, mostly. It's a GPU BIOS mod. When your PC boots, the mobo hands over display control to the GPU (if you have a monitor plugged into the GPU, and not to your mobo). This BIOS mod ensures the GPU BIOS will only deliver 15kHz modes (or higher if you set it for that).

Once Windows loads, the GPU hands control of the displays over to the Windows drivers. Things can still go wrong on the Windows end, because with the way Windows works no driver can be perfect. Crt_emudriver comes as close possible though, rest assured. You're vanishingly unlikely to hurt a TV from the 90's or later by feeding it incorrect sync a few times, but booting it out of range every day is not going to do it any good.

[schmerzkaufen]

Excellent news. 

[tonyt76]

This is amazing news!

Which frequency is best to patch to? 15, 24 or 31?

[buttersoft]

This is amazing news!

Which frequency is best to patch to? 15, 24 or 31?

Depends what your monitor takes. Old SD CRT TVs, PVM's or arcade monitors (connecting to which is why most of us are using crt_emudriver) are 15kHz only, for the most part. Some later models might take higher. Windows itself will be happiest with 31kHz, if your monitor supports that.

[Edgecrusher]

Atom makes sure your tube gets the right signal 100% of the time right? I thought it had become outdated so I hadn't looked into it...

Yes, mostly. It's a GPU BIOS mod. When your PC boots, the mobo hands over display control to the GPU (if you have a monitor plugged into the GPU, and not to your mobo). This BIOS mod ensures the GPU BIOS will only deliver 15kHz modes (or higher if you set it for that).

Once Windows loads, the GPU hands control of the displays over to the Windows drivers. Things can still go wrong on the Windows end, because with the way Windows works no driver can be perfect. Crt_emudriver comes as close possible though, rest assured. You're vanishingly unlikely to hurt a TV from the 90's or later by feeding it incorrect sync a few times, but booting it out of range every day is not going to do it any good.

Thank you for taking time to explain. Just to clarify; this will ensure the GPU delivers 15kHz ALWAYS? or just while booting?

When you commented on GPU handing it off to Windows drivers I got a little confused.

Does windows drivers equate to CRT EmuDriver if I have it installed? Or could windows decide to use something else or is there some other opportunity to damage my CRT?

I spent a lot of time on my CRT and if I have to, I'll wait for everything to boot completely before powering it up - if that means it lasts longer.

Does Atom cause any problems if I run a LCD type occasionally for setup purposes? Sometimes it's quicker to use an LCD just for maintenance type actions or setup of a front end.

BTW thank you again for sharing what you know with us uninitiated, Buttersoft.

EDIT: Just read the download page like I should have before. Looks pretty self-explanitory. Sorry for the clutter.

[buttersoft]

As your mobo boots, if it finds a GPU it hands over control of the display(s). If you use Atom15 and mod the BIOS to 15kHz, the display will normally be happy all the time. Some displays might roll vertically during boot, but that's still fine on a TV or PVM, you won't hurt anything that way. Some mobos use a UEFI BIOS that will only display in a higher res. No harm there, but you can't see it, so it's worth thinking about any changes you might want down the line, otherwise you have to uninstall or remove the GPU to get to the BIOS

As windows loads in turn, the GPU hands everything over to windows, which will then hand over to the display driver (crt_emudriver, here). crt_emudriver is about as perfect as it can be, but windows doesn't hand over complete control. Or rather, there are things programs can do by reaching into windows itself rather than consulting or waiting for the display driver. Hence the advice you will find elsewhere to stop and disable the service called AMD External Events Utility. This stops 95% of these problems, which largely arise when programs grab modes they used to use from the registry settings, rather than looking at what modelines should currently be available. This sometimes happens when you set up on an LCD and then switch to a CRT. There are one or two programs i think must panic sometimes and grab the safe mode setting (480p) which is harder to stop.

[Zebidee]

An easy way to bypass the not-15khz blues during startup is to use one of @buttersoft's VGA 15khz dongles.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,164416.msg1732182.html#msg1732182

I have a couple, and they are a neat way to block video signals > 15khz when Atom-15 won't work. They also combine H+V sync into proper composite sync. They work in series with other cables (eg. VGA-SCART cable) and transcoders (e.g GreenAntz).

Not sure if Butters ever wants to sell them, but you can always make your own if motivated enough.

[buttersoft]

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that thing! I do use them in my cabs, and they're handy for diagnosis sometimes as well. Even without a head you can see if your PC is outputting a clean 15kHz signal from the green light.

[Zebidee]

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that thing! I do use them in my cabs, and they're handy for diagnosis sometimes as well. Even without a head you can see if your PC is outputting a clean 15kHz signal from the green light.

I reckon people would be interested to buy, if you ever decide it is worth your while.

[Edgecrusher]

sounds like an interesting device.

[punkysuen]

If Atom-15 is installed, how does it affect the bios screen?
Can I still change settings of motherboard in bios?

[Zebidee]

If Atom-15 is installed, how does it affect the bios screen?
Can I still change settings of motherboard in bios?

Yes, but obviously you'll need an appropriate monitor (e.g. CRT)

[buttersoft]

If Atom-15 is installed, how does it affect the bios screen?
Can I still change settings of motherboard in bios?

Depends on the motherboard. Some newer boards won't dis play at all as the graphics aren't designed for low res display. You may just get a black screen. I have a mobo that won't display right at low res. It shows part of the screen but the graphics are clearly wrong, some parts of the screen have been drawn on top of others, etc. The BIOS isn't really usable at 15kHz that way.

[punkysuen]

So, what is your solution if you really need to enter the bios?
Can I simply unplug the GPU and use onboard video output first, after finishing the bios stuff then plug back the GPU?

[buttersoft]

The ideal solution is to set up the BIOS before flashing Atom15. Otherwise, you should be able to just plug an LCD into the motherboard's onboard video port as is, while removing your CRT. If that fails, try plugging in an LCD to a digital port on the GPU. If that fails, try removing your video card. After that you might need to flash the original BIOS back to the GPU, make changes on an LCD, and flash back to Atom15.

Didn't you say you couldn't get Atom15 to work though? You had the triple image, but not for the BIOS? Have you tried plugging that same port into an LCD? And the BIOS won't come up?

[punkysuen]

The ideal solution is to set up the BIOS before flashing Atom15. Otherwise, you should be able to just plug an LCD into the motherboard's onboard video port as is, while removing your CRT. If that fails, try plugging in an LCD to a digital port on the GPU. If that fails, try removing your video card. After that you might need to flash the original BIOS back to the GPU, make changes on an LCD, and flash back to Atom15.

Didn't you say you couldn't get Atom15 to work though? You had the triple image, but not for the BIOS? Have you tried plugging that same port into an LCD? And the BIOS won't come up?

I see, thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, I still can't get Atom-15 work properly, so I just ask for the situation when it works.

[buttersoft]

Well, i may as well post this here...

I bought a used Gigabyte Windforce R9 380 Gaming 4GB card (990Mhz clock) and i'm having Atom15 woes. Atiwinflash_271 fails to read the BIOS, and sometimes just crashes. I got a BIOS file using AMDVBflash_win_3.20, and Atom15 1.6 says it patched ok. But when i reflash using the same tool, it works, then the card bricks on restart. I've recovered using a second, older card and tried again a few times. Anyone have any ideas?

Original R7 380 BIOS file is attached as zip. This one if rev F50.

EDIT: I also tried using Atom15 1.5 with the same result. The BIOS patches ok, or says it does. The AMDVBflash tool says it flashes ok, but the card bricks on restart.

[Rion]

Well, i may as well post this here...

I bought a used Gigabyte Windforce R9 380 Gaming 4GB card (990Mhz clock) and i'm having Atom15 woes. Atiwinflash_271 fails to read the BIOS, and sometimes just crashes. I got a BIOS file using AMDVBflash_win_3.20, and Atom15 1.6 says it patched ok. But when i reflash using the same tool, it works, then the card bricks on restart. I've recovered using an old card and tried again a few times. Anyone have any ideas?

Original R7 380 BIOS file is attached as zip. This one if rev F50.

EDIT: I also tried using Atom15 1.5 with the same result. The BIOS patches ok, or says it does. The AMDVBflash tool says it flashes ok, but the card bricks on restart.

Instead of using Windows. Have you tried creating a USB Pendrive with FreeDos and used amdvbflash_dos_4.68 instead? 

[buttersoft]

Instead of using Windows. Have you tried creating a USB Pendrive with FreeDos and used amdvbflash_dos_4.68 instead?

I have not. I probably should. I can already flash the card, reflash the card, and move up and down BIOS versions using the offical and third-party tools interchangeably. I can even force-flash a BIOS from a similar card, boot from it and read it back bit-perfect. And then whenever i try to mod the BIOS with Atom15, no matter which version of either, the card becomes a brick and forces me to recover it.

I cannot imagine using DOS will help, but you are correct to suggest it, and i thank you. Now i have to figure out how to use DOS :/

[Zebidee]

Use Rufus to create a bootable Freedos USB

https://rufus.ie/en/

[buttersoft]

I know Rufus, yes

And sadly I get the same result. I extract the BIOS under FreeDOS, mod it, flash the mod back to the card, and it bricks on restart. Easy enough to recover now i'm set up, but still doesn't work

[Zebidee]

Bummer dude

Never any guarantees with ATOM-15   

[Calamity]

Hi buttersoft,

Are you completely sure the card is bricked?

Things I'd try:

- Boot with only a VGA cable plugged (to a SCART TV if possible to discard detection issues). I'm saying this because ATOM-15 will likely break digital outputs, in case you're checking this with an LCD through DP or HDMI.

- Check if your mobo has legacy bios boot options. ATOM-15 hooks code in the legacy bios portion of the rom. If pure UEFI bios boot is in action, that legacy code may be skipped. The problem here is that patching the bios will break its UEFI signature, and modern motherboards might refuse to boot due to security reasons.

I'm not seeing anything special in your bios file btw.

[buttersoft]

Cheers as always, Calamity. I've tried a couple of different motherboards, neither of which is UEFI. I've also only got the VGA cable (to a DVI-I port) plugged in. I've tried it plugged into a PC CRT, and also to my arcade setups and also to an LCD.

Any chance you could mod the bios for me, Calamity, and post it up? I'll run a compare against the version on my end to check they are the same...

Otherwise, oh well. I have to admit that this is the first hurdle i've encoutered with Atom15 after it working successfully for about 7-8 previous cards.

[Calamity]

Here you have.

EDIT: Wait, I've noticed something wrong in the patched bios...

[buttersoft]

Hmm that looks different! I should have added, i'm hoping for 15kHz only but without composite sync... sorry i forgot to mention!

EDIT: hahha, ninja'd. I'll wait for you to post or update again

[Calamity]

Sorry, this is the correct one. The other was using 1.5, you need 1.6 in order to patch the 380.

[Calamity]

BTW your bios file is almost identical byte by byte to one that I had here from another user, it looks like a different revision. In this case, the patched bios did work, I'm posting it here just in case it works on yours too.

[buttersoft]

Thanks again. Your mod of my bios is bit-for-bit identical to mine when compared. I'll give that other Bios a go though, as it is slightly different, and see if it works.

[buttersoft]

Sadly no dice with that alternative BIOS. It bricks as well. Interestingly I had to use an older version of AMDVBflash as the newer ones all flatly refuse to bypass the SSID check. All recovered ok with the second AMD card, but sadly no Atom15 for me with this card, it seems.

[Roland_001]

I was very excited to see this post, as I recently purchased an XFX R9 380x, and was able to get EmuDriver successfully loaded and working, to output to my JVC 27" CRT. 

Alas, I've not had luck patching the extracted ROM from my GPU's BIOS.

I have an XFX 380x.  I'm using the DOS based approach (with a USB thumb-drive with FreeDOS on it).

I'm able to extract the ROM file. I'm able to load it using Atom-15.exe.  However, when I try to "Patch BIOS", I get the error "Hook not possible. GOP reallocation failed" error.

I've tried d/l'ing a ROM for my card from Techpowerup, same issue.

Interestingly, if I d/l and use a ROM for a Sapphire brand R9 380x, I can patch it.  Unfortunately, this ROM doesn't work with my XFX card, even though their spec's are the same (using it with lbios hangs my system).

Not a complaint, as I appreciate all of the work Calamity has done, just an observation.  Maybe for now, anyone thinking of purchasing the R9 380x should consider getting the Sapphire version, as that's what currently seems to be compatible.

[Calamity]

Roland_001,

The fact that lbios hangs doesn't mean the bios won't work. Unfortunately lbios hangs with too big roms. Didn't find time nor energy to update it.

That said, if you risk to flash the Shaphire bios, make sure you know how to unbrick your card in case things go bad.

[Silverwind]

I just noticed a new version of ATOM-15 was released last month and it supports R9 380 and R9380X cards:
https://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?id=64

These were the last cards that supported native analogue output through the DVI-I port.

Thank you to Calamity the author of Atom-15

Great news!  Thank you!

[buttersoft]

Hi Calamity, I bought myself a 380x for my second rig, and Atom15v1.6 mods the BIOS ok, then the card flashes fine. The BIOS screens show up ok, but when it hands over to the windows drivers, things go haywire. Only the top half the screen is filled, and the image is... like i'm looking at three side by side images, but diced into horizontal slivers and moved around and it's not useable at all.

The image is stable, not rolling, and my protection dongle says it's 15kHz. And it looks the same on my 480i-capable LCD.

I have recovered the card, and attached the file. Anything look funny to you?

[alex2005]

Hi Calamity,

I seem to have a similar issue, but with a Sapphire Nitro 380x. I use it on a Sega Blast City at 15khz. I  use a JPAC from Ultimarc.

With the original bios, the bios boot logo is disorted (as expected) but I can boot up on windows normally at 640x480 and everything works fine afterwards with crt emudriver. All resolutions work.

If I patch the bios with the latest atom 15 version, the bios boot screen displays ok, but then windows goes wild and the image is distorted completely. If I boot with an EaseUS recovery USB, same issue:motherboard logo is ok, but EaseUS boot screen is unusable (flickering, distorted), like if it was out of sync.

As I just upgraded my card from a 7750 (where everything worked: boot screen, EaseUS, Windows, crt emudriver), I also tried to uninstall and reinstalled crt emudriver 2.0 beta 15 16.2.1, just in case. Plugging the 7750 everything is fine (with modded bios). Plugging the 380x with the modded bios, windows is not usable (up to windows loading screen fine, once it shows the user logon, it shows it already distorted).

Would it be possible to take a look and see if the bios patch is anyhow wrong?  I'm attaching my original and modded bios.

I tried the other bioses posted in this thread, ati winflash 2.6.7 did not allow me to flash any of them.

If someone has a working modded bios for the Sapphire 380x model I'd also appreciate to share

Thanks a lot for all your time and support, as always!

[alex2005]

Happy New Year to everyone 
Anyone with a Sapphire 380x managed to patch it and use it in Windows 11 just fine?
Or any other 380x brand I should try, maybe?
Thank you!

[R-Typer]

windows 11 requires UEFI to be enabled. patching with Atom breaks UEFI signature in VBIOS.

I would also like to know if someone has ever managed to patch any 380x gpu with Atom and got UEFI working properly as well to boot windows 11?