The Viper GC Extreme is the successor to the original Viper GC. This is an installation guide for the chip. If you would like to read more about it please refer to my ISO-420 Certified Review.

Pictured above is what you get when you purchase a Viper GC Extreme.

1 - Viper GC Extreme Modchip
2 - Viper GC Extreme USB Module
3 - Wire Assembly
4 - Flexwire
5 - Plastic Spacers

The first thing you're going to need to do is to take apart your GameCube and figure out which version you have. If you need to know how to take your system apart please refer to this guide.

Once you've taken your GameCube apart you'll want to locate the soldering points. There are only two physical differences between the three versions of the GameCube. The A/B version has it's BIOS chip (the one the yellow wire goes to) on top and the C has the BIOS on the bottom.Now you can solder on the four wires on the Wire Assembly onto their respective points on the motherboard. If you're new to soldering and need to know how to do it or some tips and tricks check out our soldering guide before you attempt this.

Once your done you should your soldering job should look similiar to the picture below. Make sure there is now stray solder (little specs of it) on the motherboard and make sure the BIOS leg the yellow wire isn't bridged (connected) with the legs next to it. A good way to check your soldering job is to look at is really closely outside in the sun.

Next you're going to have to hookup the small molex connectors on the Wire Assembly to the DVD reset PCB. This small PCB is located on the back of the GameCube. You simply unplug the current connector from the PCB, plug that into the Wire Assembly and then plug the other connector back into the DVD reset PCB. It should look like the picture below.

You can see I used some double sided foam tape to secure the molex connector with the small PCB (#1) to the DVD Assembly. This is optional, but can prevent the PCB from making contact with anything else and shorting out. A could result in the destruction of the PCB rendering your Viper GC Extreme unable to boot.

What you'll need to do next is to put the DVD Assembly back onto the motherboard, but before you do this you'll need to make a little room for the Wire Assembly to fit out of. As in the picture (above) you can bend up (or in my case remove) the small metal leg. Now route the end of the Wire Assembly out of this hole as you put the DVD Assembly back onto the motherboard.

Next, as in the instructions (above) you're going to need to mount the chip. Again, I would use double sided foam tape to secure the Viper GC Extreme into it's respective location. Per the picture you're going to want to mount the chip right next to the fan in the empty space between it and the front controller panel.

Once the chip is in place plug the white end of the Wire Assembly into the Viper GC Extreme. Make sure it's plugged in tightly. I suggust using a flat head screwdriver to press it as tight as it will go into the connector.

Now you'll need to plug the flexwire into the Viper GC Extreme. Simply pull out the small black tab, slide the flexwire in with the blue plastic facing up and then push the black tab back in. Finally, you'll need to route the flexwire in front of the DVD Assembly and down through the hole right between the controller ports. You'll need to do this because it's other end will plug into the Viper GC Extreme USB Module. For your reference I've taken a picture of one way to route the cable.


Okay, you're almost done! Once the flexwire is routed out of the bottom of the GameCube you'll want to turn it over and insert the Viper GC Extreme USB Module into the GameCube's expansion port. Before you do this plug in the flexwire (the same way you plugged in into the Viper GC Extreme). Once it's plugged in simply insert it snugly into the expansion port. Finally, you can put the two plastic spacers onto the bottom of the USB Module.

I suggest if you haven't ever used the expansion port to clean it out by either using some compressed air or simply blowing as hard as you can into it.

You're now good to go. I suggest testing the Viper GC Extreme before putting the case back on to make sure it's booting up. If you've installed it correctly when you turn the console on you'll be greeted by a blue Viper GC Extreme programming screen.

Now you're ready to program the chip with the Cobra BIOS! Please see the Viper GC Extreme Programming Guide for more information on that topic.