[Laithan]

DISCLAIMER: Any information, advice, changes, BIOS updates, recommendations or instructions posted are AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Any action taken on your part may VOID YOUR WARRANTY or render the GPU useless.



Welcome all! This thread is dedicated to the new EVGA RTX 3090Ti FTW3 series of GPUs
░▒▓│WORK IN PROGRESS│▓▒░​

FTW3 SERIES

Note as of 4/15/22 the Ultra Hybrid and Ultra Hydro Copper have not yet been released. Details are not yet known about them.

Helpful Links:
EVGA 3090Ti Website
EVGA Precision X1
BIOS & Driver updates
TechPowerUp BIOS Collection
TechPowerUp NVFLASH Win10+ required
TechPowerUp GPU-z


===============

Let's introduce the FIVE 3090Ti models and talk about what makes them different from each other
FTW3 Black $1999 MSRP
FTW3 (blank) $2149 MSRP
FTW3 Ultra $2199 MSRP
FTW3 Ultra Hybrid ?? MSRP
FTW3 Ultra Hydro Copper ?? MSRP
(Note there is also a K|ngP|n GPU but AFAIK it is not a "FTW3" card)
applies to all models
10,752 CUDA cores
24GB GDDR6X @ 384-bit (21000 MHz effective /1,008 GB/s)
iCX3 Technology
PCIe 4.0 (backwards compatible with PCIe 3.0)
4 Outputs/Multi-Monitor support HDMI 2.1a x 1/Display port 1.4 x 3


PCB and COOLER
→ FTW3 Black/FTW3 and FTW3 Ultra are all using the same PCB, same cooler and same GPU revision.
The only difference between these 3 cards are the default boost speeds and supposedly the GPU binning.
The total allowed power also appears to be identical. Height: 5.38 in - 136.75mm, Length: 11.81 in - 300mm, Width: 3.5 Slots

→ FTW3 Hybrid is an AIO cooler

→ FTW3 Ultra Copper is for custom loops

→ The FTW3 PCB may also be used for a K|ngp|n because we can see the space for a 2nd 12-pin power connector.

From TechPowerUp

POWER SUPPLY/POWER LIMITS
These are monster GPUs that are VERY hungry. NEVER buy/use a "cheap" power supply
(This GPU could show you why). The recommended minimum power supply is 1000W. YMMV and you may be able to get away with a high quality 850W PSU but expect to need 1000W if you overclock your CPU also.

Default Power limit (STOCK BIOS) = 450W/480W maximum
Overclocking will increase power usage (including memory overclocking)


BIOS MODES
Each GPU has 3 BIOS modes:
NORMAL - This mode will allow a silent fan mode (0 rpm)
PERFORMANCE - No slient mode
OC - Allows a higher fan RPM
All of the default and boost speeds are identical across all 3 BIOS modes. The only difference will be the fan behavior.


Known differences between each model
FTW3 Black - Default 1560Mhz / Boost 1860Mhz / 625GT/s
FTW3 (blank name) - Default 1560Mhz / Boost 1890Mhz / 635GT/s
FTW3 Ultra - Default 1560Mhz / Boost 1920Mhz / 645.1GT/s
FTW3 Ultra Hybrid ??
FTW3 Ultra Hydro Copper ??

It has been confirmed that each model has its own BIOS revision. They are not identical in version number although the differences between each BIOS appear to be nothing more than slight boost speed changes (easily reached with a manual overclock) and the name of the GPU (Black, nameless, Ultra, etc) shown when you open a utility such as Precision X1.

Cross-flashing can occur across the same EVGA FTW3 cards (although the -6 option is needed)
Cross-flashing with different BRANDS is NOT recommended without a water block. Reports of fan control loss and/or one of the fans not operating.


===============

We are all starting this journey together. We don't know where this will bring us quite yet. I would not expect any magic from this thread or custom BIOS modifications as they are no longer possible. We only have what we have to work with and we'll see how far it takes us. I will try to keep this OP (original post) updated as we go.

Please feel free to share the following:
→ PICTURES OF YOUR BUILD WITH AN EVGA RTX 3090Ti FTW3
→ OVERCLOCKING RESULTS
→ MODIFICATIONS
→ BIOS TESTING
→ HELPFUL INFORMATION
→ TESTING INFORMATION
→ PROBLEMS TO REPORT

Look forward to hearing from other owners and proceed on this journey together


Fixed XOCv2
Extracted ROM

[Official] NVIDIA RTX 3090 Ti Owner's Club

🆒 Monster BIOS, pappa is proud! What was the highest voltage?

www.overclock.net

Original executable flasher

[Official] NVIDIA RTX 3090 Ti Owner's Club

🆒 Monster BIOS, pappa is proud! What was the highest voltage?

www.overclock.net

 

[Laithan]

Kicking things off, I have the cheapest (err.. not AS expensive lol) EVGA FTW3 Black. I am still tinkering with its limits so I don't really have any overclocking results to share just yet. I can share a few pics for now.

GPU is so large I had to move one of my SSDs to make room. WIP, I am switching over to an NMVe drive anyway so I can get rid of that LSI 92718i that runs @ 70C with cooling.

 

[Laithan]

The first thing I wanted to try was to flash an Ultra BIOS to my Black edition. I do not expect any additional overclocking headroom at all and I am pretty sure that this isn't really going to change much of anything.. outside of a visual name, but this is my start.

This is the original BLACK BIOS. My GPU BIOS switch is currently on the "OC" mode. Note at the top of Precision X1, it shows "GeForce RTX 3090Ti FTW3 BLACK"

I downloaded the latest NVFLASH 5.735.0 (Link in OP) - Windows 10 required, not sure if it works in Win11 yet. I got the ULTRA BIOS from TechPowerUp (Link in OP). Renamed the rom to 1.rom, just to make it easier to type. Opened a command prompt with admin privs (important) and flashed it using the -6 parameter to overide the PCI Subsystem ID (but remember, these are identical PCBs).

Rebooted, the video driver was not loaded. It needed to re-detect my GPU again. Rebooted once more and it now shows that I have an Ultra card

Again, NO performance improvments are expected by doing this. The power limits are the same and the increased boost speed was already much lower than I was able to manually overclock. Again, this is just a visual thing.. and I can pretend I saved $200 lmao! Looking forward to testing with the Hydro copper BIOS when it is posted.

 

[Laithan]

Known Issues:

→ If you do not use a modern version of Precion X1 it may not dectect the 3rd fan. This is ALSO an issue with MSI Afterburner. At this time I think Precision X1 is the ONLY overclocking app that will detect the 3rd fan. This is an obvious issue if you need to increase fan speeds and/or utilize a custom fan curve. I can confirm that EVGA Precision X1 v1.3.2 will detect all 3 fans. This version ALSO works with Windows 7 (un-official) but you WILL get errors during the install, just click IGNORE (3 times) and it works just fine.

 

[RaMsiTo]

I join the thread, on Monday I receive an ultra direct ftw3 from the evga store.

 

[Laithan]

I was just playing around with the voltage and power sliders and wanted to see how much of a difference they would make. I just used Unigine Heaven 4.0 @ 4K for a complete loop each time under 3 different conditions (and NO overclock, NO memory overclock) just 3 difference combinations of the sliders just to see how the behavior changed.

Spoiler: Why do I care about the sliders?

If you were curious what the sliders do in the first place, they can allow a little bit more voltage and a little bit more power meaning if you don't use an overclocking utility for your GPU you are not going to be able to allow the maximum voltage and/or power to the card (regardless if it helps an O/C or not). Inside the BIOS for voltage there is a default highest voltage and a maximum highest voltage. For power it is the same thing, there is a default highest power allowed and a maximum power allowed. The sliders are what make up the difference between those two values[]

The 1st is the GPU with sliders untouched.. default highest voltage is 1.0750V / 450.6W max power.
The 2nd is the GPU with ONLY the power slider maxxed.. 1.0750V / 455.5W max power only +5W (in this test).
The 3rd is the GPU with BOTH the power and voltage sliders maxxed. Voltage increased to a maximum of 1.1V / Power increased again to 464.2W.

Right-click image and open in new tab

Note that in this particular test increasing both the voltage and the power did not result in higher boosting. The additional voltage and power should be of far more benefit once I start overclocking. We can also see that when the GPU does get more power, it ALSO needs more voltage. Without the voltage the card actually runs slower (1980Mhz vs 1965Mhz) but without the extra power it also ran at 1980Mhz. This tells me that this GPU does like additional voltage as there are already benefits seen before any overclocking is even done. The results were repeatable. GPU-z shows the same.

I have a feeling that 1.1V is our limit now but we may see a bit more in the future especially since it seems the K|ngP|n card might actually be using the same PCB and therefore similar/same voltage controller... Hmm.. what are the extra connectors at the end of the card for? ; )

 

[Laithan]

I did some basic overclocking, just scratching the surface really. I wanted to get an idea of what ballpark this FTW3 Black would be in. This is running 3DMark Firestrike Ultra (4K) @ 2145Mhz-2175Mhz. I am pretty impressed with the cooler. I have all 3 fans on 92% for the test. 462W was the peak, maybe something like CyberPunk 2077 or Furmark would be needed to reach max power of 480W with this BIOS. I'm not sure if this is good or not, what are others able to get? I still find it strange why the GPU wants more power but isn't using the PCIe slot power.. It can provide up to 75W and it is only drawing less than 9W...

 

[Afferin]

I feel like I got a garbage binned Ultra I thought +90 core was my max stable OC, but it turns out even that isn't stable. I've settled for +75 core, +900 mem. In-game I peak around 2145, average 2100. Bummer.

 

[yzonker]

I did some basic overclocking, just scratching the surface really. I wanted to get an idea of what ballpark this FTW3 Black would be in. This is running 3DMark Firestrike Ultra (4K) @ 2145Mhz-2175Mhz. I am pretty impressed with the cooler. I have all 3 fans on 92% for the test. 462W was the peak, maybe something like CyberPunk 2077 or Furmark would be needed to reach max power of 480W with this BIOS. I'm not sure if this is good or not, what are others able to get? I still find it strange why the GPU wants more power but isn't using the PCIe slot power.. It can provide up to 75W and it is only drawing less than 9W...
View attachment 2556467

Will be interesting to see how high of a core offset you can run using the ultra bios.

 

[Tideman]

I feel like I got a garbage binned Ultra I thought +90 core was my max stable OC, but it turns out even that isn't stable. I've settled for +75 core, +900 mem. In-game I peak around 2145, average 2100. Bummer.

Have you tried maxing out the voltage slider? I was capped at +70 (2100mhz) until I touched the voltage and reached +110 rock solid stable. Might be worth a shot if you haven't.

Known Issues:

→ If you do not use a modern version of Precion X1 it may not dectect the 3rd fan. This is ALSO an issue with MSI Afterburner. At this time I think Precision X1 is the ONLY overclocking app that will detect the 3rd fan. This is an obvious issue if you need to increase fan speeds and/or utilize a custom fan curve. I can confirm that EVGA Precision X1 v1.3.2 will detect all 3 fans. This version ALSO works with Windows 7 (un-official) but you WILL get errors during the install, just click IGNORE (3 times) and it works just fine.

I've been using afterburner without any noticeable issues. I assume it just sets my 3 fans to equal speed? I've had no temp issues with a custom fan curve. Not a fan of Precision X1.

 

[Afferin]

Have you tried maxing out the voltage slider? I was capped at +70 (2100mhz) until I touched the voltage and reached +110 rock solid stable. Might be worth a shot if you haven't.

I have I was able to push 2160 at 1.1v, but every voltage point below 1.1v crashes at anything above +90, and apparently is only fully stable at +75...

 

[Laithan]

I've been using afterburner without any noticeable issues. I assume it just sets my 3 fans to equal speed? I've had no temp issues with a custom fan curve. Not a fan of Precision X1.

I think I noticed a few different scenarios with MSI AB (I prefer it also TBH). One scenario where the 3rd fan was stuck on silent (0 rpm) while the others ramped as expected. Another scenario where AUTO seemed to work but as soon as I changed the fan speed it would only apply the changes to the first 2 fans. The last scenario was where I tried using a custom fan curve and it wasn't passing the changes to the 3rd fan.

Please use the latest GPU-z on the sensor tab, the 3rd fan is all the way at the bottom (sometimes it doesn't show and I had to restart GPU-z). You can monitor the fan behvior and know for sure what it is doing this way. YMMV and I truly hope we CAN get MSI AB to work proprly, it is just superior to X1 in almost every way... <SIGH>

 

[Tideman]

I have I was able to push 2160 at 1.1v, but every voltage point below 1.1v crashes at anything above +90, and apparently is only fully stable at +75...

Well that sucks.. but I suppose you're not going notice much difference between 2100mhz and 2160 in games.

I think I noticed a few different scenarios with MSI AB (I prefer it also TBH). One scenario where the 3rd fan was stuck on silent (0 rpm) while the others ramped as expected. Another scenario where AUTO seemed to work but as soon as I changed the fan speed it would only apply the changes to the first 2 fans. The last scenario was where I tried using a custom fan curve and it wasn't passing the changes to the 3rd fan.

Please use the latest GPU-z on the sensor tab, the 3rd fan is all the way at the bottom (sometimes it doesn't show and I had to restart GPU-z). You can monitor the fan behvior and know for sure what it is doing this way. YMMV and I truly hope we CAN get MSI AB to work proprly, it is just superior to X1 in almost every way... <SIGH>

I'm not at my PC right now but I did notice that in AB if the fan speed is set too low one or more of the fans do stop and start. I have my fan curve minimum set at 51% (900rpm) and GPU-Z also reports 51% at 900rpm for all three fans.

PX1 shows 900rpm as 30%..

 

[yzonker]

I have I was able to push 2160 at 1.1v, but every voltage point below 1.1v crashes at anything above +90, and apparently is only fully stable at +75...

Monitor effective clock using HWINFO. You may find effective clock isn't actually higher at 1100mv. (and hence no actual increase in performance). Could run a benchmark both ways too and see if there is really any additional performance.

I only mention that because it sounds a little odd you are seeing that much of a difference in the last few voltage points.

 

[Laithan]

What are others getting for max stable overclocks?

I am not sure if this average might need to be fine tuned a bit more but it seems that when on AIR maybe 2100Mhz is possible by most chips and 2200Mhz+ would be the silicon lottery winners. Anywhere in the middle of those two values would be where most people would land.

I have not seen anyone with the middle card, the "no name" version chime in anywhere. It seems most have either gone with the cheapest (Black) or the most expensive (Ultra) at this point. The middle "no name" card seems kind of odd.. the Black and Ultra seem already close enough.. and why not give it a name? lol

We could try to do some deep dives to compare differences between the versions if you want. It may show differences not so much with maximum stable overclocks but perhaps with lower voltages at identical speeds (maybe less heat).

The GN video showed that "2040" was writting on the chip.. I saw another one with "2060" written... so perhaps EVGA is binning the GPUs based on a lower voltage and the highest clocks achievable using that lower voltage? Since it seems most GPUs can hit 2100Mhz fairly easily I doubt the binning is being done at the full 1.1v. and I am trying to understand why/how those "2040/2060" values are settled on.

Has anyone else taken the cooler off and looked to see if there is a handwritten number? It sounded like perhaps only the first batch may have a written number but who knows.

 

[yzonker]

I thought possibly it was a boost clock #. So if you have a FTW3 Ultra with a stock boost clock of 1920 and a written number of 2040, then they tested it up to a core offset of +120 (1920+120). But that's pure speculation of course.

 

[Laithan]

That's what I thought at first also but then it seems that just about everyone could get at least 2100Mhz... It just can't be the max stable overclock as maxxing out at 2040Mhz would seem more towards a dud than "binned" GPU.

I ran a test with the power and voltage slider at default, no overclock and I boosted to 1980Mhz. If I max both sliders I get 1995Mhz for a couple seconds and then it drops back to the same 1980Mhz. This is not the advertised boost speed of 1920Mhz... so it is just boosting to what it can I guess (I am curious what others boost to using the default sliders to the left and no overclock). I guess it is possible that a really good GPU could auto-boost all the way to 2040Mhz so maybe this is how they are testing? Not the max stable overclock but the max "auto" boost? I wonder why we cannot look at the ASIC% anymore.

My FTW3 Black, No OC, default sliders = 1980Mhz

 

[Laithan]

FYA - The official XOC BIOS for the 3090Ti FTW3 Ultra has been released... but don't bother, it doesn't work. This was announced via Twitter and there is an .EXE for a direct flash or you can download the BIOS from TechPowerUp. The filename released was 4985_XOC.ZIP. It claims to increase the power limit from 480W to 516W however it is still stuck at 480W from several who have tested it. You can check the 3090Ti owner's club thread if you really want to try it but I would wait until they fix this and release a new version. In the mean time the colorful BIOS seems to reach the power as expected if you want to cross-flash but I'm just going to wait and see what EVGA does. They are most likely going to release an update.

 

[BattlePhenom]

I have I was able to push 2160 at 1.1v, but every voltage point below 1.1v crashes at anything above +90, and apparently is only fully stable at +75...

I feel like you might still be leaving performance on the table. You should try +89 and 88 on the core. I noticed increments of 1 still have an affect on the VF curve.

As for me I picked up the FTW3 (blank) card. Flashed it with the colorful bios. Can only do +74 and +1340 mem. It still beats the other bios, however. I use +73 and +1200 in games so far and it seems rock solid can get a little warm though in the mid 70s. Looking to pick up a hybrid kit.

 

[yzonker]

I feel like you might still be leaving performance on the table. You should try +89 and 88 on the core. I noticed increments of 1 still have an affect on the VF curve.

As for me I picked up the FTW3 (blank) card. Flashed it with the colorful bios. Can only do +74 and +1340 mem. It still beats the other bios, however. I use +73 and +1200 in games so far and it seems rock solid can get a little warm though in the mid 70s. Looking to pick up a hybrid kit.

The GPU still only works in 15mhz increments. That's why +73 or 74 are stable, but +75 possibly is not.