Solved Is overclocking for graphics cards safe?

mrwearysinner · Dec 8, 2011

i dont have any idea how to overclock a graphics card..so hypothetically saying is it safe? and whats the downside of it?

zigzag3143 · Dec 8, 2011

mrwearysinner said:
i dont have any idea how to overclock a graphics card..so hypothetically saying is it safe? and whats the downside of it?

No it isnt IMO Downsides are heat, instability, and shortened life span.

mrwearysinner · Dec 8, 2011

zigzag3143 said:
mrwearysinner said:

i dont have any idea how to overclock a graphics card..so hypothetically saying is it safe? and whats the downside of it?

Click to expand...

Downsides are heat, instability, and shortened life span.

so is it safe? like if i overclocked and playing a heavy duty game..chance the card might just give up?

rev0 · Dec 8, 2011

There is always a chance you chould burn a card. But aslong as you dont try to max them out without knowing what your doing you should be ok.

It is safe aslong as you have a good program (preferably form the manufacturer) and you keep an eye on the tempatures. When your not gaming put the cards back to their default settings.

I have a GTX 260 216 and these are the settings I use in Evga percision:
Setting 1: core clock-576 shader clock- 1242 memory clock- 999 fan-40% (default)
Setting 2: core clock-655 shader clock- 1412 memory clock- 1125 fan-40%
Setting 3: core clock-700 shader clock- 1509 memory clock- 1230 fan-80%

Since your in SLI you shouldnt need to OC it too much to max out games.
Make sure you have the card set to default settings at boot and when you first OC the cards keep and eye on the temps. 50-70ºc is normal. I suggest you use the OC settings that I gave but if you want to use something different make sure you keep the core and shader clock linked.

gazz9496 · Dec 8, 2011

no one here can say it's safe because it does come at a risk, you could brick the card making it a doorstop.

do it in small steps and see how it goes, always do thorogh testing after each overclock to see if it runs stable or not.

badger906 · Dec 8, 2011

only overclock a card if you need to, say your struggling to play a game you want, or you want better frame rates one your favorite game. Dont just do it because its "cool" to say youve done it.

its as safe as any overclock if done correctly, but personally i just buy a card i know will play the games i want so i can leave it be

thefabe · Dec 8, 2011

Any overcloking comes with a risk.

Heat is your main enemy.
Heat= shortened life span.

So you need to weigh the benifit of the overclock against the risk.
JMO Fabe

Solarstarshines · Dec 8, 2011

Always remember Dual cards more heat

So overclocking more really wouldn't help you cooling is a major factor

Safe practice is a dual gpu set up shouldn't be fiddle with to much because lack of space between the bridge connector space for air flow and adition measures of cooling to make sure it doesn't get to extreme temps

my advice if you have it set up leave it where it is im sure it can take any decent mainstream gpu

smarteyeball · Dec 8, 2011

Overclocking on stock volts doesn't increase the heat as much compared to increasing the voltage and clock speed, but it still will increase.

As Solar mentioned having them in SLI reduces airflow (the top/primary card) will already be running a little hotter than the bottom one, so you can always try and fit a fan in your case to get as much airflow between them.

Lifespan can become a real issue if you are running at high temps for prolonged periods of time or if you plan to keep using those cards for several more years.

As for apps, MSI Afterburner is a good one. GPU-Z is also good for monitoring other temps.

mrwearysinner said:
like if i overclocked and playing a heavy duty game..chance the card might just give up?

Crash, system freeze - yes. Instant death, no. Adjusting voltages? - can definitely brick a card if too much.

It's also more than just monitoring the core temp of the cards - you also have to consider the VRM's (bits responsible for feeding your card voltage)

Ultimately it's 'safe enough' if kept within 'safe' parameters.

How hard you want to push the cards is up to you, but a good rule of thumb is if you can't afford to replace it, don't hammer it.

mrwearysinner · Dec 9, 2011

well said..well im thinking of changing the 260s and move to 570 or 590..and thinking as its a single one..might try OC.

mrwearysinner · Dec 9, 2011

well said..well im thinking of changing the 260s and move to 570 or 590..and thinking as its a single one..might try OC.

mrwearysinner · Dec 9, 2011

and the thing is..iv got a budget..and as far as i can see 590 is like *whoooosh* so if anything happens to it ill be dead in the water!!

badger906 · Dec 9, 2011

There really will be no point in overclocking a 570.. It will play anything on unltra you throw at it.
And as for a 590, well that's a duel core card as it stands.. So again about the most powerfull card you can buy!

That's like marrying scarlet johansson and saying "hmm I might look for something more attractive"...!!!

smarteyeball · Dec 9, 2011

mrwearysinner said:
well said..well im thinking of changing the 260s and move to 570 or 590..and thinking as its a single one..might try OC.

Tbh a 590 is overkill for 1920x1080 (and it's not really that great a card - great performance figures aside, it has has inherent design faults and is a slave to drivers like most X2 cards. It would also be bottlenecked by the CPU running at stock clocks)

A single 570, or even a 580 (budget permitting) would suffice.

As for OCing, it depends on the game and how much eye candy you want.

ie My 580 handles most games smoothly, although there are the odd few that do benefit from an OC (I like candy

)

I've got a 570 in my X58 rig and it seems to do okay, although it's paired up with a 22' @ 1680x1050 - I haven't really tested it at 1920x1080, but I suspect the odd OC here and there wouldn't hurt.

For the best 'budget' performance boost, a 570 + an aftermarket CPU cooler with a CPU OC would give you a noticeable performance increase.

Ivan the SoSo · Dec 9, 2011

If you can't throw it away...don't overclock it! That said why not get a card that's factory overclocked?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681412756

This example is overclocked 23 mhz and has the full warranty It's about as fast as it get...for now

koolkat77 · Dec 9, 2011

Ivan the SoSo said:
If you can't throw it away...don't overclock it! That said why not get a card that's factory overclocked?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681412756

This example is overclocked 23 mhz and has the full warranty It's about as fast as it get...for now

+1
maaaaaaaaaaaan i'd be crying whole day if something happened to my baby

(computer

)

mrwearysinner · Dec 9, 2011

badger906 said:
There really will be no point in overclocking a 570.. It will play anything on unltra you throw at it.
And as for a 590, well that's a duel core card as it stands.. So again about the most powerfull card you can buy!

That's like marrying scarlet johansson and saying "hmm I might look for something more attractive"...!!!

hahhaaa well said!! well too bad for ryan reynolds

mrwearysinner · Dec 9, 2011

smarteyeball said:
mrwearysinner said:

well said..well im thinking of changing the 260s and move to 570 or 590..and thinking as its a single one..might try OC.

Click to expand...

Tbh a 590 is overkill for 1920x1080 (and it's not really that great a card - great performance figures aside, it has has inherent design faults and is a slave to drivers like most X2 cards. It would also be bottlenecked by the CPU running at stock clocks)

A single 570, or even a 580 (budget permitting) would suffice.

As for OCing, it depends on the game and how much eye candy you want.

ie My 580 handles most games smoothly, although there are the odd few that do benefit from an OC (I like candy )

I've got a 570 in my X58 rig and it seems to do okay, although it's paired up with a 22' @ 1680x1050 - I haven't really tested it at 1920x1080, but I suspect the odd OC here and there wouldn't hurt.

For the best 'budget' performance boost, a 570 + an aftermarket CPU cooler with a CPU OC would give you a noticeable performance increase.

i prefer at 1920*1080 its like crispy and the details are at their best..i too hav a 22" and like a saw a video on youtube some guy custom rigged GTA IV the texture and game engine and everything brought new cars and stuff..man tht was like :O pure eye candy! running 590! well its like theres nothing after 590 now i guess but my budget wont allow!

mrwearysinner · Dec 9, 2011

Ivan the SoSo said:
If you can't throw it away...don't overclock it! That said why not get a card that's factory overclocked?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681412756

This example is overclocked 23 mhz and has the full warranty It's about as fast as it get...for now

MSI never used well thought of ASUS or XFX cause im a big fan of XFX loved my 260s performance!!
but this time i guess its gonna be asus!

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