Overclockers unlock stream processors on the Radeon RX 460

The fact that AMD and Nvidia are locking down graphics circuits for different model segments is hardly news. Most often it is a question of the current circuit not keeping the measure of the top layer and is therefore adapted for lower performing models, where parts of the circuit are deactivated. In a few cases, however, the lock can be lifted via hardware modification or a simple BIOS update – where the latter method has now become relevant for the Radeon RX 460 boarding pass.

It is the German overclocking profile der8auer that has modified a number of BIOS versions for the 4 GB variants of the Sapphire Radeon RX 460 Nitro and the Asus Radeon RX 460 Strix. By writing the modified BIOS file to the cards, the full potential of the Polaris 11 circuit is opened up, which means that the stream processors take a step from 896 to 1,024 while the texture units get a push up to 64 from 56.

According to der8auer, he has had one hundred percent success with the unlockings, where six of six tested cards worked flawlessly after the update. According to the overclocker’s own measurements, the unlocked stream processors give a performance increase of up to 10 percent, but of course with a certain variation between different game titles. He also announces that work is continuing to provide modified BIOS versions for more models of the Radeon RX 460.

It is worth mentioning that this is the type of unlocking that takes place at your own risk and that the manufacturer’s guarantees most likely expire after the flash. Even if the author has not had any problems himself, there is always a risk that the graphics circuit is locked down due to defective computing devices, which can lead to instability and graphic artifacts.