[SOLVED] Is there a difference between "Mining" and "Gaming" firmware(s) in the Sapphire Pulse RX 580?

[Ry Leo]

Morning, everyone!

Just recently, I got a Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB for just 120.61 USD (or 106.06 EUR) on an online flea market and it strangely arrived in an AMD Strix RX 580 box, but my requested GPU was in it (I ran a check via GPU-Z and cross-referenced its specs with Sapphire's database, it all checks out, apart from the architecture codename: mine's "Ellesmere", while Sapphire's says "Polaris", any suggestions why...?). However, the owner noted that it's an "ex-mining unit", and I'm worried that its [possibly] currently-installed "Mining" firmware might cause glitches or complications during gameplay. I attempted to search for the official "Gaming" original BIOS online, but the most recent driver was already installed on my GPU (version checks out). Should I be worried about this?

NB: I'm currently not using my Sapphire Pulse RX 580; I'm waiting for a PCI-E extender to arrive so I can plug it in to my Optiplex 7010 SFF, so I might not be able to get further details (just ask if you need to know anyways ).

Side question: With a PCI-E extender (ribbon), will it actually be compatible with my Optiplex 7010 SFF? Theoretically, I think it should work; I know the PSU on my Optiplex 7010 SFF is toaster-grade, but I'm using a separate 230W PSU to power my GPU. I already know how to jump-start the other PSU. So... what do you think? I'd rather not rely on my amateur computer knowledge on this, so I'd rather ask the pros about this

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

Ellesmere is the code name for the core, Polaris is the architecture name. So no worries there. As for the mining firmware, you'll get a LITTLE less performance. Mostly a mining firmware lowers the core voltage, possibly the core clocks, and increases RAM speed. For some games that'll work better, for others not as well. You can adjust the clocks to stock with MSI Afterburner, but you aren't looking at a huge performance gain doing that. You could flash the GPU BIOS, but it isn't really necessary and may just end up being more trouble than it is worth.

A PCI-E extender won't cause any problems. It is basically just a wire. Linus and crew over at LTT did a video where they put multiple extender cables together and got over 9 ft before it started becoming a problem, so a short run is no issue at all.

I'd suggest getting a new PSU for the system. The dual PSU thing is cool and all, but quite a bit more hassle than is really necessary. Also, cables exist so that you wouldn't need to fool the other PSU into powering on. You'd just connect both PSUs to the cable and the cable to the motherboard, then power on like a normal machine.