Open-Source UEFI Tool Unlocks Nvidia Tensor Limiter on RTX 20/30/40
nv-uefi-unlocker runs from a USB stick before the Nvidia driver loads, requiring no VBIOS flash or patched driver.
An open-source UEFI tool called nv-uefi-unlocker has been released, allowing Windows users on Nvidia GeForce RTX 20, 30 and 40-series desktop and laptop GPUs to remove the company's tensor performance limiter from a bootable USB stick. The tool runs before the Nvidia driver loads at each boot, so no VBIOS flash or patched driver is required.
The unlocker uses the community V67 payload with read-back verification to open the write lock on two speed-selector registers. The developer reports that their own laptop RTX 4060 reached 65% higher FP16 math performance after the unlock.
The release ships only scripts and self-built binaries, along with a script that downloads and verifies Nvidia's public 610.43.03 driver packages and rebuilds the firmware files locally. The project credits Zagitta's gpu-unlock as its porting source and builds on gpu-unlock-ada and an earlier Windows EFI tool.
Setup requirements and supported cards
Users must format a USB stick as FAT32, copy the rebuilt files and a BOOTX64.EFI, and confirm with the spacebar within 30 seconds in the one-time boot menu. The system has to boot in UEFI mode with Secure Boot off or trusting a self-signed EFI; the tool cannot bypass anti-cheat Secure Boot requirements. RTX 20 owners must run a bundled script once to switch the Windows Nvidia driver into GSP firmware mode before restarting.
RTX 40-series cards are listed as fully compatible on laptops and desktops, RTX 30-series as fully compatible, and RTX 20-series as fully compatible with known issues on some models. The GTX 16 is listed as theoretically compatible with verification pending, while pre-Turing, GA100 and RTX 50-series cards are unsupported. Laptop use requires the discrete Nvidia GPU to be powered at entry, so dGPU-only or MUX mode is recommended.
Previously the unlock worked primarily through manually installed Linux modules, with Windows support only experimental.
Quick answers
Does nv-uefi-unlocker need a VBIOS flash or patched driver?
No. The tool runs from a USB stick before the Nvidia driver loads at each boot, so neither a VBIOS flash nor a patched driver is required.
Which GPUs are supported?
RTX 40 and 30-series cards are listed as fully compatible, and RTX 20-series as fully compatible with known issues on some models. The GTX 16 is theoretically compatible with verification pending; pre-Turing, GA100 and RTX 50-series cards are unsupported.
Does my system need Secure Boot turned off?
Yes. The system must boot in UEFI mode with Secure Boot off or trusting a self-signed EFI, and the tool cannot bypass anti-cheat Secure Boot requirements.