Help overclocking my 6970

[peaceful]

i mean a 3d party application, im actually using amd overdrive, not an add on to VCC, and im only playing bf3 at 1920x1080, at full screen it only runs around 30 fps and the bf3 gui cant handle it

a noob question, now what coreclock & memclock your gpu in now? what's the max core & mem that amd overdriver provide for OC?

well ill say again, i use overdrive for cpu and trixx for gpu, but the defaults are, cor 880, memory 1375, and voltage 1175

well i guess i don't get what the point is. Your first post saying that you need clues on how far you could oc the gpu ( core, mem & voltage ) and how safe it would be.

 

[Thornton]

a noob question, now what coreclock & memclock your gpu in now? what's the max core & mem that amd overdriver provide for OC?

well ill say again, i use overdrive for cpu and trixx for gpu, but the defaults are, cor 880, memory 1375, and voltage 1175

well i guess i don't get what the point is. Your first post saying that you need clues on how far you could oc the gpu ( core, mem & voltage ) and how safe it would be.

pretty much, im a bit new to this so information is pertinent. im not entierly sure how we got to this point. ultimately what it comes down to, is what do i need to do to stay safe, is there a maximum clock i shoulnt pass as a general rule of thumb for this card? i understand temp, but wht are some good ways to keep that down in the first place? is there a certain "bad mixture of too much voltage to clock like there is in cpu overclocking? and how far do you suggest i start off with just for a little extra boost to try it out, and how to work from there. these are just some things i hope to gain from this

 

[smarteyeball]

if i may ask... what does msi afterburner that trixx doesnt have, not to say i dont agree or that youre wrong...

The main reason I suggested AB is that it's a proven OC app that works on both AMD and nvidia cards. Trixx hasn't earned it's rep yet.

I've been using it for quite a while with a few different cards and it's a solid tool. I haven't used Trixx as it's only for AMD cards.

They essentially do the same thing, so it's more of a personal preference. AB also has Kombuster included in the d/l as a separate installation (a burn in/furmark like stability app).

Ultimately all you need is a reliable app that adjusts your clock speeds and voltages. Try both and use whichever one you prefer.



As already mentioned, start by increasing the core and mem on stock volts, test with kombuster/furmark - look for artifacts (flickering, dots, app crash, system crash etc)

When you find the wall with stock volts, then you bump the voltage up a notch. Re-test / increase core and mem. Always keep an eye on temps. To play it 'safe' you can always set the fan to 100% during testing and adjust that later.


Start with a baby OC like 900/1400 and walk it up in increments. (920/1425, 940/1450, 950/1500 etc)


It's the excess voltage that is more dangerous than increasing core/mem speeds.

The worst that can happen when testing the limits on stock volts is that the PC will crash. There is no 'dangerous' clock speed per se. Simply keep an eye on the temps as you increase.

 

[Thornton]

if i may ask... what does msi afterburner that trixx doesnt have, not to say i dont agree or that youre wrong...

The main reason I suggested AB is that it's a proven OC app that works on both AMD and nvidia cards. Trixx hasn't earned it's rep yet.

I've been using it for quite a while with a few different cards and it's a solid tool. I haven't used Trixx as it's only for AMD cards.

They essentially do the same thing, so it's more of a personal preference. AB also has Kombuster included in the d/l as a separate installation (a burn in/furmark like stability app).

Ultimately all you need is a reliable app that adjusts your clock speeds and voltages. Try both and use whichever one you prefer.



As already mentioned, start by increasing the core and mem on stock volts, test with kombuster/furmark - look for artifacts (flickering, dots, app crash, system crash etc)

When you find the wall with stock volts, then you bump the voltage up a notch. Re-test / increase core and mem. Always keep an eye on temps. To play it 'safe' you can always set the fan to 100% during testing and adjust that later.


Start with a baby OC like 900/1400 and walk it up in increments. (920/1425, 940/1450, 950/1500 etc)


It's the excess voltage that is more dangerous than increasing core/mem speeds.

The worst that can happen when testing the limits on stock volts is that the PC will crash. There is no 'dangerous' clock speed per se. Simply keep an eye on the temps as you increase.

thank you for clarification, also what is kombuster?

 

[Thornton]

if i may ask... what does msi afterburner that trixx doesnt have, not to say i dont agree or that youre wrong...

The main reason I suggested AB is that it's a proven OC app that works on both AMD and nvidia cards. Trixx hasn't earned it's rep yet.

I've been using it for quite a while with a few different cards and it's a solid tool. I haven't used Trixx as it's only for AMD cards.

They essentially do the same thing, so it's more of a personal preference. AB also has Kombuster included in the d/l as a separate installation (a burn in/furmark like stability app).

Ultimately all you need is a reliable app that adjusts your clock speeds and voltages. Try both and use whichever one you prefer.



As already mentioned, start by increasing the core and mem on stock volts, test with kombuster/furmark - look for artifacts (flickering, dots, app crash, system crash etc)

When you find the wall with stock volts, then you bump the voltage up a notch. Re-test / increase core and mem. Always keep an eye on temps. To play it 'safe' you can always set the fan to 100% during testing and adjust that later.


Start with a baby OC like 900/1400 and walk it up in increments. (920/1425, 940/1450, 950/1500 etc)


It's the excess voltage that is more dangerous than increasing core/mem speeds.

The worst that can happen when testing the limits on stock volts is that the PC will crash. There is no 'dangerous' clock speed per se. Simply keep an eye on the temps as you increase.

thank you for clarification, also what is kombuster?

i dont think i will be able to use this, it is not supporting my card, i have a sapphire 6970, but it is not changing the gpu when i edit fan speed, or really anything else.

 

[peaceful]

if i may ask... what does msi afterburner that trixx doesnt have, not to say i dont agree or that youre wrong...

The main reason I suggested AB is that it's a proven OC app that works on both AMD and nvidia cards. Trixx hasn't earned it's rep yet.

I've been using it for quite a while with a few different cards and it's a solid tool. I haven't used Trixx as it's only for AMD cards.

They essentially do the same thing, so it's more of a personal preference. AB also has Kombuster included in the d/l as a separate installation (a burn in/furmark like stability app).

Ultimately all you need is a reliable app that adjusts your clock speeds and voltages. Try both and use whichever one you prefer.



As already mentioned, start by increasing the core and mem on stock volts, test with kombuster/furmark - look for artifacts (flickering, dots, app crash, system crash etc)

When you find the wall with stock volts, then you bump the voltage up a notch. Re-test / increase core and mem. Always keep an eye on temps. To play it 'safe' you can always set the fan to 100% during testing and adjust that later.


Start with a baby OC like 900/1400 and walk it up in increments. (920/1425, 940/1450, 950/1500 etc)


It's the excess voltage that is more dangerous than increasing core/mem speeds.

The worst that can happen when testing the limits on stock volts is that the PC will crash. There is no 'dangerous' clock speed per se. Simply keep an eye on the temps as you increase.

thank you for clarification, also what is kombuster?

It's a gpu stability test like furmark and bundled with MSI AB. it works with Nvidia or ATI Card.

 

[smarteyeball]

i dont think i will be able to use this, it is not supporting my card, i have a sapphire 6970, but it is not changing the gpu when i edit fan speed, or really anything else.

There are ways around it, but if Trixx can adjust all those settings out of the box, I'd stick with Trixx in this case.

 

[Thornton]

i dont think i will be able to use this, it is not supporting my card, i have a sapphire 6970, but it is not changing the gpu when i edit fan speed, or really anything else.

There are ways around it, but if Trixx can adjust all those settings out of the box, I'd stick with Trixx in this case.

ya it does most of them, so just curious, i should inch my way up by how much for each, core, and ram

 

[smarteyeball]

25mhz for each is a nice and precise amount.

 

[Thornton]

25mhz for each is a nice and precise amount.

thank you. i downloaded 3d mark and ran it, it Killed my graphics setup, notice the capital K! had to do some work in VCC and restart to get things back to normal. are their any programs like it i can use to benchmark my graphics, that are "free"?

 

[Thornton]

25mhz for each is a nice and precise amount.

so i crash around core 1105 memory 1475. if im correct, the only thing i really need to be scared of it temp correct?

 

[A Guy]

To stress test you GPU you can use FurMark or MSI Kombustor. Both will stress both the OC, and the temps.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/100356-video-card-stress-test-furmark.html

A Guy

 

[Thornton]

To stress test you GPU you can use FurMark or MSI Kombustor. Both will stress both the OC, and the temps.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/100356-video-card-stress-test-furmark.html

A Guy

ty for this

 

[Thornton]

if i may ask... what does msi afterburner that trixx doesnt have, not to say i dont agree or that youre wrong...

The main reason I suggested AB is that it's a proven OC app that works on both AMD and nvidia cards. Trixx hasn't earned it's rep yet.

I've been using it for quite a while with a few different cards and it's a solid tool. I haven't used Trixx as it's only for AMD cards.

They essentially do the same thing, so it's more of a personal preference. AB also has Kombuster included in the d/l as a separate installation (a burn in/furmark like stability app).

Ultimately all you need is a reliable app that adjusts your clock speeds and voltages. Try both and use whichever one you prefer.



As already mentioned, start by increasing the core and mem on stock volts, test with kombuster/furmark - look for artifacts (flickering, dots, app crash, system crash etc)

When you find the wall with stock volts, then you bump the voltage up a notch. Re-test / increase core and mem. Always keep an eye on temps. To play it 'safe' you can always set the fan to 100% during testing and adjust that later.


Start with a baby OC like 900/1400 and walk it up in increments. (920/1425, 940/1450, 950/1500 etc)


It's the excess voltage that is more dangerous than increasing core/mem speeds.

The worst that can happen when testing the limits on stock volts is that the PC will crash. There is no 'dangerous' clock speed per se. Simply keep an eye on the temps as you increase.

idk inf you know much about CPU OCing but you seem like you could, im at 1.4 volts, and just toped out with a BSOD wit my multiplyer 19.5x in OverDrive, at 19x i have taring and stuff, think the BSOD was voltage? i have added a second fan to my rather cheap heat sink and im sitting at a nice 50-54 degrees at any givin time, so i think i can rule out temp

 

[smarteyeball]

idk inf you know much about CPU OCing but you seem like you could, im at 1.4 volts, and just toped out with a BSOD wit my multiplyer 19.5x in OverDrive, at 19x i have taring and stuff, think the BSOD was voltage?

It's hard to say, as it's not just voltage that could be a factor here, especially using Overdrive. It could be CPU voltage, it could be memory timings, mem volts etc. Especially since you've got 10GB (hopefully all the same timings and not mismatched kits)

Honestly, if you want to overclock - leave overdrive alone and do it from the BIOS. That way you have much more control and know what is being changed. Software based overclocking for CPU's are still pretty 'meh'.

Phenom II AM3 Overclocking Essentials | TechREACTION

AMD Phenom II IMC and RAM Overclocking Guide | TechREACTION

im sitting at a nice 50-54 degrees at any givin time, so i think i can rule out temp

Idle or full load using a stress testing app like Prime95? 54c is actually kind of warm for idle.

I'd wait until you get that better cooler before going too much further with the CPU volts.

 

[Thornton]

idk inf you know much about CPU OCing but you seem like you could, im at 1.4 volts, and just toped out with a BSOD wit my multiplyer 19.5x in OverDrive, at 19x i have taring and stuff, think the BSOD was voltage?

It's hard to say, as it's not just voltage that could be a factor here, especially using Overdrive. It could be CPU voltage, it could be memory timings, mem volts etc. Especially since you've got 10GB (hopefully all the same timings and not mismatched kits)

Honestly, if you want to overclock - leave overdrive alone and do it from the BIOS. That way you have much more control and know what is being changed. Software based overclocking for CPU's are still pretty 'meh'.

Phenom II AM3 Overclocking Essentials | TechREACTION

AMD Phenom II IMC and RAM Overclocking Guide | TechREACTION

im sitting at a nice 50-54 degrees at any givin time, so i think i can rule out temp

Idle or full load using a stress testing app like Prime95? 54c is actually kind of warm for idle.

I'd wait until you get that better cooler before going too much further with the CPU volts.

i idle around 24-33, sry for not mentioning that. i like overdrive cuz i can make instant changes instead of having to restart. it 1 point i bought a new case and had to replace ALL by shor 8in sata 3 cables with 20in sata 2 which is much slower on start up. takes my pc about 5-8 minutes before i can actually do anything with it, after that it runs just fine, but if you get where im going, i dont exactly like the ida of restarting more often than i have to. also, my unfortunate stock board from hp (getting new 1 shortly, THANK GOD) will not let me do SQUAT in the bios, everything is grayd out for "hp administrators"

 

[Thornton]

idk inf you know much about CPU OCing but you seem like you could, im at 1.4 volts, and just toped out with a BSOD wit my multiplyer 19.5x in OverDrive, at 19x i have taring and stuff, think the BSOD was voltage?

It's hard to say, as it's not just voltage that could be a factor here, especially using Overdrive. It could be CPU voltage, it could be memory timings, mem volts etc. Especially since you've got 10GB (hopefully all the same timings and not mismatched kits)

Honestly, if you want to overclock - leave overdrive alone and do it from the BIOS. That way you have much more control and know what is being changed. Software based overclocking for CPU's are still pretty 'meh'.

Phenom II AM3 Overclocking Essentials | TechREACTION

AMD Phenom II IMC and RAM Overclocking Guide | TechREACTION

im sitting at a nice 50-54 degrees at any givin time, so i think i can rule out temp

Idle or full load using a stress testing app like Prime95? 54c is actually kind of warm for idle.

I'd wait until you get that better cooler before going too much further with the CPU volts.

i idle around 24-33, sry for not mentioning that. i like overdrive cuz i can make instant changes instead of having to restart. it 1 point i bought a new case and had to replace ALL by shor 8in sata 3 cables with 20in sata 2 which is much slower on start up. takes my pc about 5-8 minutes before i can actually do anything with it, after that it runs just fine, but if you get where im going, i dont exactly like the ida of restarting more often than i have to. also, my unfortunate stock board from hp (getting new 1 shortly, THANK GOD) will not let me do SQUAT in the bios, everything is grayd out for "hp administrators"

i should metntion the new mobo comes with sata 3 cables lol

 

[smarteyeball]

i idle around 24-33, sry for not mentioning that.

No worries

takes my pc about 5-8 minutes before i can actually do anything with it, after that it runs just fine, but if you get where im going, i dont exactly like the ida of restarting more often than i have to.

I can see how that would be tedious

also, my unfortunate stock board from hp (getting new 1 shortly, THANK GOD) will not let me do SQUAT in the bios, everything is grayd out for "hp administrators"

Ahh, a locked BIOS. In this case Overdrive is the best of a bad situation.

But when the new board arrives, then I'd consider BIOS over Overdrive (a new board might slash that start up time too).

I still don't know if it's purely voltage, but if you increase the voltage a bit and don't let the temps get any higher, it's worth a shot increasing it.

Otherwise lower the multi and settle for a lower clock speed for the time being.

 

[Thornton]

i idle around 24-33, sry for not mentioning that.

No worries

takes my pc about 5-8 minutes before i can actually do anything with it, after that it runs just fine, but if you get where im going, i dont exactly like the ida of restarting more often than i have to.

I can see how that would be tedious

also, my unfortunate stock board from hp (getting new 1 shortly, THANK GOD) will not let me do SQUAT in the bios, everything is grayd out for "hp administrators"

Ahh, a locked BIOS. In this case Overdrive is the best of a bad situation.

But when the new board arrives, then I'd consider BIOS over Overdrive (a new board might slash that start up time too).

I still don't know if it's purely voltage, but if you increase the voltage a bit and don't let the temps get any higher, it's worth a shot increasing it.

Otherwise lower the multi and settle for a lower clock speed for the time being.

how much should i increase it by just for a tiny boost to see if it helps? right now im at 1.4v, just go up to 1.5?

 

[smarteyeball]

1.4 -1.5v is a bit more than a 'tiny' boost

1.425-1.45v is a bit more realistic. Just make sure you keep an eye on the temps.