In this project, I take a damaged Zotac RTX 3080 Amp Holo 10GB with an LHR (Lite Hash Rate) core and convert it into a fully non-LHR RTX 3080 by swapping the GPU core and flashing a compatible BIOS.

This is not a simple “flash and done” mod. It involves:

  • Diagnosing a faulty memory channel (B1)
  • Concluding the GPU core’s memory controller is damaged
  • Swapping to a non-LHR GA102 core with the same disabled memory channel configuration
  • Flashing a matching non-LHR BIOS
  • Stress testing with benchmarks to verify long-term stability

Warning: This is advanced work involving BGA rework, core swapping, reballed chips, and BIOS flashing. It’s not a beginner mod and is easy to destroy a card if done incorrectly.

Background: A Dropped Zotac RTX 3080 with Stubborn Memory Errors

The subject of this experiment is a Zotac RTX 3080 Amp Holo 10GB (LHR) that arrived in rough shape:

  • The shroud is cracked,
  • The I/O bracket is bent,
  • The card had previously been copper-modded, and
  • The PCB shows signs of physical stress from being dropped.

I’ve worked on this GPU before. It originally came in with memory errors on channel B1:

  • I replaced the B1 memory module,
  • I even replaced it again with a new chip,
  • I reballed the GPU core itself.

Despite all that, MATS/MODS testing kept flagging B1 as faulty.

At that point, after multiple memory swaps and a core reball, a persistent error on the same memory channel is a very strong indicator that:

The GPU core’s memory controller for that channel is damaged – not the memory chips.

Given that this card was already heavily damaged and not in customer use, it became the perfect donor board for an experiment:

Can we convert an LHR RTX 3080 into a non-LHR RTX 3080 by swapping cores and BIOS?

Understanding GA102 Core Markings & Memory Slot Configuration

The RTX 3080 10GB uses the GA102 GPU die, but not all GA102s are equal. The markings on the core tell you:

  • Whether the core is LHR or non-LHR
  • Which memory channel pair is not populated (for the 10GB layout)

On the original card, the GPU core was marked something like:

GA102-202-KD-A1

Key parts:

  • 202 – This indicates an LHR core variant.
  • KD – This tells you which memory channels are disabled / not populated.

On a 10GB RTX 3080, there are two missing memory positions (because the full GA102 bus supports 12 chips for 12GB). The “KD” part of the marking indicates which pair is empty.

To make it clearer, imagine the VRAM layout labelled like this:

  • Channel A: A0, A1
  • Channel B: B0, B1
  • Channel C: C0, C1
  • Channel D: D0, D1
  • Channel E: E0, E1
  • Channel F: F0, F1

For this particular core:

  • The “KD” suffix means channel D0 and D1 are not populated on the PCB.
  • Under the microscope, that matches the physical layout: the D channel pads are empty.

The non-LHR replacement core I had in stock was marked:

GA102-200-KD-A1

Differences:

  • 200 – This is a non-LHR version of the GA102 core.
  • KD – Crucially, the same disabled memory channel pair as the original LHR core.

That’s the critical detail:

Both cores are “KD” → Same missing memory channels → Same VRAM configuration → Compatible for a straight swap (with BIOS change).

If the disabled channel pattern didn’t match, this mod would be much more complicated or simply not viable.

Preparing the Board: Removing the Dead LHR Core

First, I fully dismantled the card:

  • Removed the cooler,
  • Removed the old thermal paste (I had a cotton pad resting on the core earlier just for cushioning, since this core was already considered dead),
  • Removed the shroud and frame to expose the PCB.

Because this card had previously been copper-modded, there was a lot of old flux and paste residue trapped under the memory modules and around the core area. This kind of contamination can cause all kinds of issues, so it had to be cleaned thoroughly.

Core Removal

On the BGA rework station:

  1. I applied flux around the GPU core.
  2. Heated the board following my usual lead-free profile.
  3. Once the solder was fully molten, the dead GA102-202 (LHR) core was lifted off.

With the core removed, I prepared the PCB pads:

  • Removed excess solder with the iron,
  • Then used solder wick to flatten and clean the pads,
  • Finished with a thorough cleaning using IPA and a lint-free cloth (or, as I call it, my “magic cloth”).

The goal here is a flat, clean, and shiny pad surface ready for a freshly reballed replacement core.

Preparing and Installing the Non-LHR GA102-200 Core

The replacement GA102-200-KD-A1 core was already reballed, so most of the heavy lifting on that chip was done beforehand.

Wetting the Balls with Flux

Before placing any reballed chip:

  • I applied a thin, even layer of flux on the solder balls.
  • Checked for any debris or contamination between the balls.

Flux helps:

  • Promote proper wetting of pads,
  • Avoid cold joints,
  • Encourage the core to “self-center” slightly as the solder reflows (though my machine doesn’t have automatic alignment, so initial placement is still done by hand).

I also added a bit of flux to the PCB pad area.

Manual Alignment & Reflow

With the pads and core prepared:

  1. I carefully aligned the GA102-200 core on the PCB by hand, using the pad edges and silkscreen as reference.
  2. The board went back on the rework station.
  3. I started the reflow profile – this step takes around 8 minutes on my setup.

Once the profile completed and the board cooled, it was time to see whether the new core was sitting happily on its new home.

Post-Reflow Checks: Resistance & Voltages

Before attempting a full power-up, I always check:

1. Resistance Measurements

Using a multimeter in resistance/diode mode, I checked key rails:

  • 1.8V rail – Resistance looked normal.
  • Core rail – Within expected range.
  • Memory rail – Also looked good.

Nothing was shorted or abnormally low, which is exactly what you want after a core swap.

2. Power-On and Voltage Checks

Next, I powered the board from the bench PSU:

  • Idle current draw was around 1.8 A, which is normal for this stage.
  • I then confirmed:
    • PEX voltage present,
    • 1.8V present,
    • Core voltage present,
    • Memory voltage present.

At this point, electrically the card looked healthy. The next piece of the puzzle was the BIOS.

BIOS Swap: Flashing a Non-LHR Firmware

The PCB still carried its original LHR BIOS, which doesn’t match the new non-LHR core configuration. So the next step was to remove and reflash the BIOS chip.

Removing the Original BIOS Chip

  1. I mixed the existing solder on the BIOS chip pads with leaded solder.
    This lowers the melting point and makes removal safer on thin PCBs.
  2. Applied flux around the chip.
  3. Used hot air to gently lift the BIOS chip off the board.

The PCB on this card is quite thin, so it retains heat for a long time. Even after removing heat, the solder stayed molten for a while, which you have to keep in mind to avoid pad damage.

Once the chip was free, I let everything cool and cleaned the pad area.

Flashing the Non-LHR BIOS

With the chip off the board:

  1. I placed it in my external programmer.
  2. Flashed a compatible non-LHR RTX 3080 10GB BIOS that matches:
    • GA102-200 core,
    • KD memory configuration.
  3. Verified the write.

Then I soldered the BIOS chip back onto the PCB, paying attention to pin 1 orientation and ensuring all pins were correctly seated and soldered.

After another short cool-down, the card was ready to test on the bench.

First Boot & MODS Testing

With the cooler temporarily assembled and the GPU installed on the test bench, it was time for the moment of truth.

Booting to MODS (UEFI USB)

For this test, I used my UEFI version of the VRAM test USB:

  1. Booted from the UEFI USB stick.
  2. Switched to the internal directory on the USB.
  3. Ran MODS to test the GPU and its memory channels.

This time, instead of B1 constantly throwing errors, the tests ran clean. No memory faults were reported.

Next, I rebooted and switched the display output over to the GPU.

The card posted and gave display output without issues.

Assembling the Cooler (With a Dead Fan)

For initial testing, I re-used the same damaged cooler and shroud:

  • The centre fan is dead and doesn’t spin.
  • The outer two fans work, but you can hear one of them struggling a bit.
  • The shroud is cracked, and the I/O shield is slightly bent.

For a proper long-term card, those will all need to be fixed:

  • New shroud,
  • Replacement fan assembly,
  • Straightening the I/O bracket.

For now, though, the goal was just to see if the LHR → non-LHR conversion worked and whether the card could survive full load testing.

Windows, Drivers & LHR Status

Once in Windows:

  1. I let the NVIDIA drivers install and initialize.
  2. Opened up the GPU information to check how the card was identified.

Previously, with the original core and BIOS, it showed as an LHR variant. After the core swap and BIOS flash:

The LHR label was gone. The card now identifies as a non-LHR RTX 3080.

This confirms that from the driver’s perspective, the card is now behaving like a standard, non-LHR GA102-200-based RTX 3080 10GB.

Stress Testing: Superposition, 3DMark Nomad & Speedway

To validate the hardware beyond just booting and driver initialization, I ran multiple benchmarks:

  • Unigine Superposition
  • 3DMark – Nomad
  • 3DMark – Speedway

My process:

  1. Run Superposition and watch for:
    • Crashes,
    • Driver resets,
    • Visual corruption or artifacts.
  2. Run 3DMark Nomad and 3DMark Speedway.
  3. Loop the benchmarks multiple times to check stability over time.

Despite:

  • A non-functional centre fan (right over the core),
  • A less-than-ideal broken shroud and bent I/O shield,

…the card held up:

  • No crashes,
  • No artifacts,
  • Power draw looked normal,
  • Temperatures were higher than ideal, as expected with a dead centre fan, but still reasonable for a test scenario.

For a final, usable build, I would absolutely:

  • Replace the cooler or at least the fan assembly,
  • Fix the shroud,
  • Straighten the I/O shield,
  • Re-pad and re-paste everything properly.

But for the purpose of verifying this LHR to non-LHR conversion, the results are solid.

Conclusion: Successful LHR → Non-LHR Conversion by Core + BIOS Swap

On this donor Zotac RTX 3080 Amp Holo 10GB, we successfully:

  1. Diagnosed a persistent memory channel fault (B1) that pointed to a damaged memory controller inside the LHR core.
  2. Removed the original GA102-202-KD-A1 LHR core.
  3. Installed a reballed GA102-200-KD-A1 non-LHR core with the same memory channel configuration.
  4. Swapped the BIOS to a matching non-LHR vBIOS.
  5. Verified:
    • Clean MODS memory tests,
    • Reliable driver initialization,
    • Stable performance under Superposition, 3DMark Nomad, and 3DMark Speedway.

The end result:

An RTX 3080 10GB non-LHR running on a board that originally shipped as an LHR card, achieved by a GPU core swap plus BIOS flash.

This was done on a donor card, not a customer GPU, specifically as an experiment to see whether this conversion is technically possible and to share the process with you.

If you found this interesting or learned something useful about GA102 cores, LHR vs non-LHR, or advanced GPU repair techniques, make sure to:

  • Follow my YouTube channel GPU Solutions for more in-depth repair and upgrade videos.
  • Reach out via my website if you need professional GPU diagnostics or repair services.

FAQ

What is an LHR GPU?

LHR stands for Lite Hash Rate. NVIDIA introduced LHR variants of some RTX 3000 GPUs to limit their performance in certain cryptocurrency mining workloads. Functionally, for gaming and normal workloads, they perform the same as non-LHR models, but the hash rate is capped unless you use workarounds or newer drivers that changed behavior.

Can you remove LHR by just flashing a BIOS?

In general, no – simply flashing a BIOS is not enough to turn an LHR card into a genuine non-LHR card. In this project, I physically swapped the GPU core to a non-LHR variant (GA102-200) and used a matching BIOS for that core and memory configuration.

Is this a safe mod for regular users?

No. This kind of mod is high-risk and requires:

  • Professional BGA rework equipment,
  • Experience with GPU core swaps and reballing,
  • The ability to diagnose issues when something goes wrong.

There’s a real risk of destroying the card permanently if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.

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