Windows 7 - Inexperienced with overclocking, could use some help OC'ing ATI 4850.

Hey 7 forums,

Like the title says, even though I built my own computer, I never really looked in to Overclocking anything. Now,though, as games become more advanced, and my card starts to show its flaws, im hoping to overclock my ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb 256-bit Graphic card.


So far, I've gone into the Catalyst control center, and I've turned on the Overdrive feature, and I set it to run some auto-tests to figure out what the best configuration was. It took a while, and i wasnt able to see what was happening in the mean time, so I ended it prematurely.

Right now, This is what i have displayed on the screen:




The test ended with the GPU at 680... but in that bar above the sliders, it still displays 500. And yes, the settings have been applied.. but other than that I could use some guidance.

I don't really have a specific question to ask, but I would greatly appreciate if someone would help a complete overclocking amature get started.

Thank you.

That's what we call "Powerplay", coreclock & memclock will adjust automatically. In idle mode it should be 157/300, in a light load like 2D application it's like 500/700 and full load 725/933.
Mostly hd4850 isn't volterra based chip means not all hd4850 series unlocked voltage. So use MSI afterburner if you wanna try more oc, and see wether the voltage unlock. If it isn't, you won't go further. Even if the voltage unlockes, you'll still find it stuck to core 800/1200 unless you unlock ccc limits ( do it by changing BIOS setting ).

Remember hd4850 is hot enough, so you need to have an aftermarket hsf if you want to oc >800/1200.
Hoping this short explanation helps ...

The explanation helps, but it leaves me with more questions..

1) So wait, this "powerplay" mode that adjusts automatically..does that mean that once i open a game, it will automatically overclock itself? Or do i still need to set the clocks myself?

2) You said that the 4850 is hot enough, but i don't really know what temperatures are acceptable. At what point should i start to be concerned?

3) Im still confused as to why the sliders show 680mhz, but the little gauge above them show 500..

1. yes, save your oc profile.
2. Generally but depends on ambient / room temp. Try keeping temp in a safe zone <85C.
3. Restart your pc, it might be a software misreading or driver compatability, install newest driver. let's see then.

2) I've seen it at 62 degrees playing minecraft.. guess thats not too bad.

3) I figured out how it works now. The dials indicate the current settings. The sliders indicate what you are allowing their max to be. Under load, they will rise automatically, up TO the sliders.

How far are you now with your vga oc?

^ sorry off topic, readings your system specs, are thinking of upgrading some of your PC parts?
It seems to me that with your 24" monitor, you'll need to upgrade your VGA card and up more watt to your PSU, unless yours now can't keep up with nowsaday games, and further more by upgrading vga, your monitor will be optimized. Sorry, just an opnion.

Well, Let me put it this way.

Yesterday, I was not able to play Battlefield 3 on Low. Lagged every couple of seconds.

Today, I just spent 2 hours playing without a single hiccup. (On low, mind you, but still.) HOT DAMN. Either it was the OC'ing that did that.. or.. i don't even know.

what core are you in now ? 680 ? what's the temp actually? what's your res 1920x1200 or 1680x1050 when playing BF3? i think BF3's gpu bounded game just like crysis. Try playing in two settings both default and oc mode, then see how the temp goes. Do you install HWinfo (32/64) and msi afterburner? with those two utility you can see all your hardware sensor (e,g : gpu & cpu temp, fps, gpu & cpu utilization, voltage and many more ) in OSD while you're playing game.

i have the max core up at 670, and the max mem clock at 1173. The temp when i paused mid-game was around 72

1680x1050, either my card or my screen doesnt support 1080p.

I haven't installed the programs.. however my case is supposed to have a temperature guage, i just never bothered learning how to set up the thermometer prongs properly.

The temp, at 670/1173, of hd 4850 with stock cooler is relatively cool enough. Once I had 4850 powercolor with stock cooler idle 65-70C while load 100C or even more. After replacing aftermarket cooler, max 75C.

24" pure / not 23.5" res. should be 1920x1200, and card can support till 2540x1600 cmiiw.