how to safely O.C. a gtx 260 on air

[Zantal]

Ok this is a little guide i made for outsiders that may look on google with the keywords "how to overclock gtx260".

(Overclocks on air not water cooled)

If you think some information in this thread are wrong please notify me, and i will modify it as needed.

Ok let's start with some basics.

There are some things to remember before you continue to read.

First, you overclock at your own risk
Second, you may not have the same overclocking results as i do, as there are many factors that contribute in the process(PSU not powerful enough is one of those).


(e.g my friend couldn't go higher than 620mhz core possible he has a faulty chip but it works at stock so he was just unlucky PSU is good though)

ok let's get started.

for some serious Overclocking i recommend that you leave your case open
and that you buy an additional fan to keep the ambient temperature down.
because if the ambient temperature is 70C (and trust me it gets that high even with open case) your card even at full speed fan won't get under 80C

which is a no go for overclocking.

here is my setup with and without the fans (yeah i still need to find a good place to fit it in) Remember that the air has to blow on the PCB of the card and directly into the card's fan so it can get fresh air from the outside.
with this done ambient temp may not go higher than 60c and it makes a lot of difference trust me.

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww274/dataacid/100_1040.jpg


Now you must read carefully the guide on how to change voltage of your cards (the guy will tell you to download rivatuner, but i suppose if you read this you already have it :p )
if you have an evga card compatible with evga voltage tuner it will be much better

you can find it here http://www.ocxtreme.org/forumenus/showthread.php?t=4427
but no, we are not going to overvolt the cards, (and this might sound strange) but undervolt them.
(note: Some ppl might find out that they reach max OC on def voltages or a notch higher, other ppl might find out they reach it with a little downvolt
it really depends on the card)

If you have carefully read that guide, you will have noticed that the default voltage of the cards in hex is 35, we will set that number to 34
(for evga ppl the default should be 1.125, dunno how that program works but
1.110 should do)

Edit2: 65nm cards default at 1.125v 55nm cards default at 1.06 (there is no need to undervolt 55nm cards but if you wanna try it isn't that risky)

now we are ready to overclock,

we will see now how your card behaves to the overclock
(please do not skip this phase)
set core frequency to 675Mhz, shader freq to 1350 and mem freq to 1152mhz and fan to 60%
(edit: remember core shader must be double or greater than core freq, rivatuner wouldn't allow you to set a lower shader anyway)

then run the most gpu intensive game you have (if you have crysis it would be better) set AA to 4x AF to 16x and all game details to max and disable v-sync (in some games that are not so much gpu intensive with v-sync the gpu usage will be very low)
Edit (you better use Furmark for stressing the card, don't know if it works in sli setup though (atitools don't when i tried it) in that case just try it out as i explained above)

test the game for approx 20 minutes, this should be enough to see how much the temp raises.
if it is above 75C you don't have the cooling necessary to go further.
if you see artifacting then set the voltage back to default or increase it by a little bit (36 max 38)
(if it still artifacts your gpu can't go higher whatever the voltage you set)
if the games simply crashes and you don't see artifacting it means your PSU is weak (not enough Current supplied, you should look at your psu specifications, but 2x24A should do)

if everything was ok and temps were about 60C more or less we can go further.

this time increase (remember still undervolted)
Core frquency to 700 Mhz , shader to 1400Mhz and memory 1200Mhz.
Repeat the step as before, the temp shouldn't go to high anyway, just by a couple C. if it doesn't artifact or crash, we can go further.

next step is 725Mhz core, 1450Mhz shader and mem still at 1200Mhz.
Some ppl might find out this is their maximum speeds, you can play around a little bit till it stabilize but in the end trust me it will crash anyway.

final speeds are 750 Core 1500 shader and mem to 1250.
This is my maximum speed. i can't go higher than this.
after 65C it starts artifacting no matter what the voltage i will set it won't do
(but if i set fan to 100% and with another case fan i can go higher although
the noise is too high by then)


after you have set your final card's speeds test the card for 1hr in stress in a game, if you see artifacting, well you know what to do, just step down a little in the overclock and it will all be fine.


These are my results in 3d mark vantage (ppu disabled)
i7 overclocked to 4.0ghz and 2 gtx260 216sp)

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww274/dataacid/Immagine.jpg



My overclock were stable in sli configuration, they may not be in single configuration (unlikely).


Edit: Ok so today was a very hot one. temps raised by about 6C outside and 4-5C in my room, i thought that i couldn't keep the OC settings but i tried anyway
(voltage to 1.13 approx, 36 hex for rivatuner volt mod)
now in crysis at full load max temp is 71C, considering the heat in my room, it's very low and i am really happy the shaders don't complain about the extra 5C
in a week i will buy another fan (a very noisy and fast one) and i will try a new configuration to see if i can lower another bit off the ext temp.

stay tuned =)

[Marshmallow64]

Do I need to follow the procedure of undervolting from the ocxtreme guide or can I do a simple bios change? Great guide btw, been looking for one of these.

[Zantal]

not necessary, but if you have evga card it's very simple (if you card is supported)
with evga voltage tuner.

you can try at default voltage, i decided to lower it a little just so the chip doeasn't heat too much. (sometimes heat > voltage)

(e.g if i set voltage to 1.2v i will soon see artifacting if i don't plug off the liquid oxygen of my grandfather and spray it all over the pc XD)

but guys, what i wanted to show with this post is that you can actually get very near to frequency most people thinks they can only be achieved with water cooling.
a good air cooling system sometimes is as good as a h2o one

just my 2 cent =)

edit: i will now see if there are any performance differences by lowering the ram speed, (the less we get that less heat generated)

[Drinkyoghurt]

One thing though, leaving the side cover open will most definatly have an impact on your airflow, in my case this even worsens my temps.

Furthermore, I have found that the volt mod( I've tried various mods) will not work on the 55nm cards, or maybe it's just because my card has a different PCB layout than stock

PS: ambient temp of 70c, where the hell do you live? a few hundred meters underground? :p

[EarthDog]

One thing, the core has to be HALF or LESS THEN HALF of the shaders. Anything more and it will BSOD.

Also, 55nm were already known to not be supported by the evga voltage tool. I would suggest a bios mod and flash like I did. See my thread on my overclocking and modding of the GTX260 216 55nm.

Also, default on non SSC cards are 1.06v, not 1.12. I UPPED my voltage to 1.12. ;)

[Zantal]

One thing though, leaving the side cover open will most definatly have an impact on your airflow, in my case this even worsens my temps.

Furthermore, I have found that the volt mod( I've tried various mods) will not work on the 55nm cards, or maybe it's just because my card has a different PCB layout than stock

PS: ambient temp of 70c, where the hell do you live? a few hundred meters underground? :p


it really depends on the case. if you have one of the high end ones with many fans already in there is nearly no need to open it.

For cases that have a maximum of 2 fans opening the case will do a lot.

The volt mod doesn't work with 55nm cards no, and i don't think you can also increase the voltage with rivatuner, cards got to use the volterra voltage regulator which uses the register values to set the voltage and i don't think the 55nm cards are using that.

ambient temp refers to the measurement taken from the graphic card.
if there is no airflow after 1hr of gaming it really can get high to about 60-70.

One thing, the core has to be HALF or LESS THEN HALF of the shaders. Anything more and it will BSOD.

Also, 55nm were already known to not be supported by the evga voltage tool. I would suggest a bios mod and flash like I did. See my thread on my overclocking and modding of the GTX260 216 55nm.

Also, default on non SSC cards are 1.06v, not 1.12. I UPPED my voltage to 1.12. ;)

yepp forgot to say that, gonna edit the post right now (i am taking for granted ppl who might check this aren't really new to this my fault =) )

also i have noticed that to link core with shaders limits your oc, since it's the shaders that really are the limit to overclocking

about the default voltage: i think default is @ 1.125 as i read that value also on many reviews, and my POV wasn't a Super Super clocked version (ssc is from evga only?)

this is quite a funny story :p , i bought 2 pov 260gtx at the same time, and i tried to o.c them (this was before i knew about the rivatuner voltage mod)
and i was quite sad i couldn't go higher than 1300 shaders, there was 1 card that defaults at 1.06 and the other at 1.125, i just set them both to 1.1 and here i am good to go @ 1500MHZ =)

Bios mods are a little tricky, if something goes wrong it may be a very tough challenge to make it work again (with some blind flashing and so on)
and to overclock with that it takes sooooo long :p.
in that case i would simply not do that and get as high as i can without it, 55nm cards should get same clocks as 65nm without overvolting i suppose.

[SkiBum1207]

Awesome guide! I wish I had this kind of information when I started! Im glad good information is readily available!

However one little error I found...
if the games simply crashes and you don't see artifacting it means your PSU is weak (maybe not from the wattage side but more likely from the ampere side)

The issue I found was that you said "from the wattage side etc..."

Watts and amps are directly related since
P=IV
or
Power (Watts) =Current (Amps) x Voltage (Volts)

so if the amperage goes down, it means the amperage side is going down.
now given the equation, one could claim that the voltage could also go down to account for the power loss, however since PSUs voltages are within +/-5% to meet minimum ATX standards at worst the difference in wattage from this discrepancy is very little.

[Zantal]

mmm good call.

gonna edit it

[Zantal]

post edited, see first edit at the end of the post

[EarthDog]

Reference voltage is 1.06 for the 55nm GTX260 216. Some partners may have it at 1.12 already, but the reference voltage on non pre overclocked cards is 1.06.

55nm cards should overclock HIGHER then the 65nm as they run cooler and heat tends to be the limiting factor, especially on air.

[Zantal]

Reference voltage is 1.06 for the 55nm GTX260 216. Some partners may have it at 1.12 already, but the reference voltage on non pre overclocked cards is 1.06.

55nm cards should overclock HIGHER then the 65nm as they run cooler and heat tends to be the limiting factor, especially on air.

the fact is my cards are not 55nm and one of them defaults at 1.06v and the other at 1.125

so i assume 1.125 is default for 65 cards, 1.06 is for 55nm cards

gonna edit it now

[EarthDog]

I believe that may be true. Sorry I wasnt clear on the nm portion. :)

[Drinkyoghurt]

Reference voltage is 1.06 for the 55nm GTX260 216. Some partners may have it at 1.12 already, but the reference voltage on non pre overclocked cards is 1.06.

55nm cards should overclock HIGHER then the 65nm as they run cooler and heat tends to be the limiting factor, especially on air.

Not all the time however, I showed 4 phase change/LN2 setups what air power could do by overclocking a 8600GT 100% on air in a OC competition(vmod for vGPU and vMem was required), but yes, heat is often the limiting factor. Too bad I can't just use my Accelero SP1 on this card, would've been awesome

btw, the bios flash, does it really work?

edit: what does a stock card show for voltage in nibitor?

mine shows this:

Extra: 1.12
3D: 1.05
2D: 1.05

So I think my card already has the mod done by default right?

[Zantal]

Not all the time however, I showed 4 phase change/LN2 setups what air power could do by overclocking a 8600GT 100% on air in a OC competition(vmod for vGPU and vMem was required), but yes, heat is often the limiting factor. Too bad I can't just use my Accelero SP1 on this card, would've been awesome

btw, the bios flash, does it really work?

edit: what does a stock card show for voltage in nibitor?

mine shows this:

Extra: 1.12
3D: 1.05
2D: 1.05

So I think my card already has the mod done by default right?

no

you should be able to change that value from 1.12 to 1.18 if i am correct.

i assume you know how to flash the new bios.

[Drinkyoghurt]

no

you should be able to change that value from 1.12 to 1.18 if i am correct.

i assume you know how to flash the new bios.

Of course, however, doing the mod now will have no effect for me since my CPU is a MAJOR bottleneck, I'll try it later when I have sufficient funds for a i7 system

[Zantal]

your cpu is no bottleneck trust me
you would gain approx 2-3 fps with i7

but if you wanna buy one, do as i did, screw the 940 and 965, get the 920 D0 with a good air cooler (no need for whater under 4ghz)
and make it scream!

[Drinkyoghurt]

Well, I'm at 3.5ghz with my cpu. I get 14300 score stock in 3dmark06, at 740/1550/999 I get 15029 points, and with my OC'd 8800GT I got to about 13800 points, so I really do believe that this cpu is bottlenecking the card(only a small glimpse at HWbot will show you that)

[Zantal]

Well, I'm at 3.5ghz with my cpu. I get 14300 score stock in 3dmark06, at 740/1550/999 I get 15029 points, and with my OC'd 8800GT I got to about 13800 points, so I really do believe that this cpu is bottlenecking the card(only a small glimpse at HWbot will show you that)

can u run vantage? 3dmark06 is kinda stupid bench for newer cards since it doesn't use all their potential (i suppose)

[Drinkyoghurt]

I'll do a Vantage bench later :)

[Zantal]

I'll do a Vantage bench later :)

nice =)

remember to select no ppu,

i scored 22163 in graphics. that's in sli, in single it should get to about 11500, so if you get anything between 6-7k with your 8800 it should be ok :thup:

but i don't think we'll see cpu bottlenecking from that either.

edit: there was a review i have seen, the i7 was just a little bit ahed from the e8xxx cpus (i know it's not like your e6xxx)
but well that cpu is old now, the i7 simply goes through tasks like a knife in butter, and that comes from personal experience =) :beer:

[EarthDog]

3dmk06 will show a weakness in the CPU as it uses the CPU numbers (including clockspeed and amount of cores) in its equation to get the total score.

[EarthDog]

Not all the time however, I showed 4 phase change/LN2 setups what air power could do by overclocking a 8600GT 100% on air in a OC competition(vmod for vGPU and vMem was required), but yes, heat is often the limiting factor. Too bad I can't just use my Accelero SP1 on this card, would've been awesome

btw, the bios flash, does it really work?

edit: what does a stock card show for voltage in nibitor?

mine shows this:

Extra: 1.12
3D: 1.05
2D: 1.05

So I think my card already has the mod done by default right?This is for the GTX 260 216 and likely others in the family is what card I am specifically talking about about. Lets stick to the context.

Maybe it does vary, I mentioned that. However mods at evga forums state 1.06v is the reference extra voltage for 55nm gtx 260 216.

the bios flash for me. See my thread I linked (or check threads I created in my profile) about my transition from air to water and the clocks I got with each and the bump in voltage.

[Zantal]

post edited

"furmark and atitool for stressing components"

although i know that atitool doesn't work in sli setup (only on 1 card) at least on my rig
can someone tell us pls if furmark and atitool work in sli?

[Drinkyoghurt]

benched my card today with Vantage, score: 13672!


(click to enlarge)
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3276/vantage74015501188.th.jpg (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vantage74015501188.jpg)

still not max of what it can do, so I'm going to keep on pushing it!

[Zantal]

benched my card today with Vantage, score: 13672!


(click to enlarge)
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3276/vantage74015501188.th.jpg (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vantage74015501188.jpg)

still not max of what it can do, so I'm going to keep on pushing it!

to compare it with other ppl's score in here, redo the bench without physx on


edit:

i ran the test again with sli off we can't compare results since my i7 chews your c2d in cpu tests and i got 13k points without ppu
we should focus on the gpu score only.

scored the same as you (20 pt less) with 756 - 1512 - 1188 and the temp was 58C

your temp is a little bit high, what cooling solution do you have now?

because it showed 71C on yours but in normal gaming (after 1 hr) i wouldn't be surprised if it hits over 80C and i suppose at that temp and those clocks it will artifact i suppose or it might crash (don't worry vista will tell you the driver has stopped working bla bla)

nice OC btw, if you had a more powerful cpu you would have gained approx 100 points more in the gpu score (which isn't much) and difference in games between i7 and c2d is barely noticeable.

if you can do it just do as i showed in the pic i posted, it will lower your temps about 10-15C and you may even get a stable clock with 780-1600-1200

i'll wait for your reply =)

[aoch88]

The HSF on stock reference GTX 260 is one of the best nVidia has ever designed. Earlier on I was thinking about getting a water block for my GTX 260 but despite overclocking it to 660/1400/2400 with 65% fan, the load temp doesn't even hit 70C max.

Basically, I'm not worried a lot and besides, I can still bump the fan speed more if needed :) Btw, my CPU is still cooled by water.

[Drinkyoghurt]

Score without physx

this is the hardest I can push my GTX 260 without it crashing, 756/1566/1224

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/584/vantage75615661224.th.jpg (http://img16.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vantage75615661224.jpg)

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dmv=1026655

[aoch88]

Actually if you push it too hard and if there's artifact, you get a lower score instead of a higher one :)

[Drinkyoghurt]

Actually if you push it too hard and if there's artifact, you get a lower score instead of a higher one :)

It didn't artifact, it didn't even artifact at 771 core, however it did crash at the end of the last gpu test :bang head

Still, I find 756 a very respectable OC :)

[Zantal]

It didn't artifact, it didn't even artifact at 771 core, however it did crash at the end of the last gpu test :bang head

Still, I find 756 a very respectable OC :)

but as i have stated, temp might get higher after 20 mins of stress,
it will reach 80C and at those speeds it will artifact.

the gpu is asking for it, COOL IT! =)

[Drinkyoghurt]

but as i have stated, temp might get higher after 20 mins of stress,
it will reach 80C and at those speeds it will artifact.

the gpu is asking for it, COOL IT! =)

My wallet is screaming at me: I'm empty dude!


:beer:

[aoch88]

My XFX can't even do 700Mhz without artifact. What's wrong with that? Does the forceware driver matters?

[Zantal]

pls, don't just say xfx

write down what model you have, all the frequencies , the temps and your computer specs

this will help me and others try to give you an answer.

and Drinkyyoughurt, the addition fan doesn't cost more than 10$

[Drinkyoghurt]

pls, don't just say xfx

write down what model you have, all the frequencies , the temps and your computer specs

this will help me and others try to give you an answer.

and Drinkyyoughurt, the addition fan doesn't cost more than 10$

Oh you meant that?

That won't have an effect on my card, the stock cooling solution is different on my Sparkle + I already have my casefan pointed at my card :)

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2056/gtx3l.jpg

[Zantal]

Oh you meant that?

That won't have an effect on my card, the stock cooling solution is different on my Sparkle + I already have my casefan pointed at my card :)



the casefan won't do.

i am basing my answers on the temp you told us.

after 2 of those tests even with only 1 card running, my temp was 58C
your temp was 13C higher, this means your card idles also 13C higher, which leads me to suppose there is some stagnant air where your gpu fan lies.

the best solution would be 2 fans, 1 blowing at the gpu fan and another in the front taking the heat away


as last question, have you tried playing for more than 20 mins and see if it artifacts and what temps it reaches?

[Drinkyoghurt]

the casefan won't do.

i am basing my answers on the temp you told us.

after 2 of those tests even with only 1 card running, my temp was 58C
your temp was 13C higher, this means your card idles also 13C higher, which leads me to suppose there is some stagnant air where your gpu fan lies.

the best solution would be 2 fans, 1 blowing at the gpu fan and another in the front taking the heat away


as last question, have you tried playing for more than 20 mins and see if it artifacts and what temps it reaches?

The reason for my GPU becoming so hot is because I have my fan set at 55% and not 60, with the fan at 100% it barely breaks 55c. The card also idles at around 43c which isn't that hot at all.

[Zantal]

The reason for my GPU becoming so hot is because I have my fan set at 55% and not 60, with the fan at 100% it barely breaks 55c. The card also idles at around 43c which isn't that hot at all.

then go higher!!! until you notice a drop in performance in vantage or artifacts

[Drinkyoghurt]

then go higher!!! until you notice a drop in performance in vantage or artifacts

I can't go higher than that, it just BSOD's in Futuremark, and that really bugs me :(

[Zantal]

hold on, with what are you overclocking the card?
in 5 years of OC i have never had 1 single BSOD because of the gpu (but a lot from the cpu XD)

I don't believe it is voltage related, and someone stated it would BSOD with shaders lower than double the rop clock, but as i said rivatuner wouldn't even allow that kind of thing.

i am out of replies maybe someone else can answer, in the meanwhile don't try to push it higher

[Drinkyoghurt]

Well, it's actually not a BSOD, the card just stops giving a signal, my monitor will go black and the only thing that works is a reboot.

[furstin]

My gainward golden sample was very very weird! when i was overclocking it i was at 700mhz(now im at 750mhz) i ran furmark and it didnt artifact or crash,but when playing a game it crashed about 5 mins in.The weird thing im talking about is that above 700mhz it ran all my games fine and furmark with no crashing. :screwy: crazy! it was basically more unstable at 700mhz than 750mhz core!

[Zantal]

Well, it's actually not a BSOD, the card just stops giving a signal, my monitor will go black and the only thing that works is a reboot.

reread my guide for the crash symptoms :p

not enough power supplied (this might be the reason i am not telling you it is the reason)

tell us the specs of your PSU pls

[Zantal]

My gainward golden sample was very very weird! when i was overclocking it i was at 700mhz(now im at 750mhz) i ran furmark and it didnt artifact or crash,but when playing a game it crashed about 5 mins in.The weird thing im talking about is that above 700mhz it ran all my games fine and furmark with no crashing. :screwy: crazy! it was basically more unstable at 700mhz than 750mhz core!

this is also something i won't be able to answer.

tell us also you shader and mem clocks

[Drinkyoghurt]

reread my guide for the crash symptoms :p

not enough power supplied (this might be the reason i am not telling you it is the reason)

tell us the specs of your PSU pls

just have a look at my signature

Enermax Liberty 500W

upgrades upgrades upgrades, they keep on bugging you :p

[Marshmallow64]

Hmm evga voltage tuner doesnt work with my card. I think its due to some driver issue.

[aoch88]

I tried using the nibitor on my XFX GTX 260 BIOS but there isn't an option for me to set 1.18V. Since mine is not an EVGA card, are there any other ways to get more voltaeg to the GPU?

[Zantal]

Hmm evga voltage tuner doesnt work with my card. I think its due to some driver issue.

it's due to card incompatibilities, only some models are compatible


and for drinkyoghurt

your psu might be a bit too weak, it might work now even with the OC but if the card keeps asking for too much power all the time
it will cut the life of your psu quite fast.

the problem is that you don't have so much money, and with that i can't really help you because good psu inevitably cost a lot.

my cooler master 850W was 180euro (they cut off 10Eu cos i literally live in that shop XD)

if you plan to never buy an additional card i suggest you get a very good psu
ranging from 650 to 750W (be sure to check the gfx rail if it supplies enough Amperes, should be at least 50Ampere to be safe on overclocked cards)

[necrokiller]

So undervolting will give you higher clocks? I can get the max stable clocks in my sig at default voltage.

[Zantal]

it really depends, i am running my clocks with a little bit of downclock.

if i increase voltage again i will crash after playing a while.
if i increase voltage even more it will artifact and do really strange things

i will edit the guide to say this

[Drinkyoghurt]

it's due to card incompatibilities, only some models are compatible


and for drinkyoghurt

your psu might be a bit too weak, it might work now even with the OC but if the card keeps asking for too much power all the time
it will cut the life of your psu quite fast.

the problem is that you don't have so much money, and with that i can't really help you because good psu inevitably cost a lot.

my cooler master 850W was 180euro (they cut off 10Eu cos i literally live in that shop XD)

if you plan to never buy an additional card i suggest you get a very good psu
ranging from 650 to 750W (be sure to check the gfx rail if it supplies enough Amperes, should be at least 50Ampere to be safe on overclocked cards)

Well, my rig needs an update soon, I'll need to see where I can cut costs, the PSU dying on me doesn't matter, that would be the least expensive part that I've killed in my whole overclocking career :D

[Zantal]

Well, my rig needs an update soon, I'll need to see where I can cut costs, the PSU dying on me doesn't matter, that would be the least expensive part that I've killed in my whole overclocking career :D

well my rig works just fine.

you can buy i7 d0
any x58 mobo 3gb ddr3 (or 6gb they don't cost so much anymore) triple channel

a new psu (i would strongly suggest one like mine so in case one day you wanna upgrade to sli you can do it in safety

just check prices should be about 800 - 900 euros/dollars approx without adding a new case and a fan for the i7 (if you want to overclock you'll need it, although you can stay on stock cooler till 3.4-3.6ghz)

[Ramzinho]

this time increase (remember still undervolted)
Core frquency to 700 Mhz , shader to 1400Mhz and memory 1200Mhz.
Repeat the step as before, the temp shouldn't go to high anyway, just by a couple C. if it doesn't artifact or crash, we can go further.

Used this setting with my xfxgtx 260 with 70% fan during vantage and highest temp was 56 degrees.. i won't go further.. that's sweet.

thanks man for your help, loved the tutorial big time

[Zantal]

Used this setting with my xfxgtx 260 with 70% fan during vantage and highest temp was 56 degrees.. i won't go further.. that's sweet.

thanks man for your help, loved the tutorial big time

sorry for my delay in answering, been some time without connection.

i always told that final temp after a vantage execution doesn't mean your effective gpu max temp.

My system also with 60% fan won't reach over 60C after vantage but in crysis after 20 mins temps can go higher than 70C.

After 70C you might experience some artifacts and in that case you should bump up the voltage =)

[EarthDog]

I was good to 80C as far as lockups and artifacts. GPUs are good to 100C really, but less is always better.


You want max temps, use Furmark. You want max temps in gaming, Crysis is the way to go AFAIK.

[Zantal]

what a shame, it's getting hotter here in italy and i can't keep my fabulous 750-1500mhz
settings during the day.

there is an invisible line between 71C and 72C

@71C the card still runs great, when it reaches 72 it crashes (i can play during the night though) i even tried to increase the voltage but it simply won't like those 72C.

And i am 100% sure that it is a temp problem because for testing i left crysis on the night for 2 hours and no crash (@ 67C) geez i wish i could live in the north pole XD



btw caligula, you increased the voltage in the bios to reach such astonishing clocks with your 55nm card?

[EarthDog]

Yep, check out my thread. :)

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=599249

[Zantal]

Yep, check out my thread. :)

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=599249

nice =)

i hope the gt300 will have some way to raise voltage too without hardmodding it, i just don't want to touch the cards, and yesterday after running into a bmw
with my fiat punto i don't think i will do something such risky for my pocket =)

(p.s if only i had run away with my car. i hope the repair for the bmw won't be high XD)

[Marshmallow64]

it's due to card incompatibilities, only some models are compatible




Ok it was the driver version, working perfectly now with the newest nvidia driver.

[Zantal]

Ok it was the driver version, working perfectly now with the newest nvidia driver.

That is the last thing i would think of, i always assume ppl download latest drivers.

but there are card compatibility issues, (still don't know why with some 65nm cards it is not avaible :screwy:)

but rivatuner works great too atm :beer:

[Marshmallow64]

I do have the latest drivers, supposedly voltage tuner had problems with some cards during the previous driver. It stated so on their site. I was also wondering did you just set the current voltage at 1.110?

[Zantal]

I do have the latest drivers, supposedly voltage tuner had problems with some cards during the previous driver. It stated so on their site. I was also wondering did you just set the current voltage at 1.110?

I set the voltage directly to 1.11v

that should be the voltage i can reach the max stable O.C.

any higher is not necessary, any lower might crash in different situations
(just think about a guy living in a very hot place for example)

i can go further but i need to get to 1.17 to get it stable.

[Zantal]

ok so, today i bought a new fan for the cards.

the results are astonishing, from 71C under load to 62C.

When i'll find my camera battery i will make some photos on how i arranged the fans for optimal air flow.

[Marshmallow64]

Very good temps Zantal. Im jealous =P

[Zantal]

Very good temps Zantal. Im jealous =P

and this is with italian summer temps =) someone might get to 55C under load in a cooler country :p


btw 64C at 50% fan 62C @ 60% gonna try @ 100% (but noise is unbearable)

but i still can't find the battery for the camera so it'll take a while to post the photo


how much ppl get on air? my system doesn't require too much experience to build and temps are really low considering the overclock and the overvolt i have done

[Zantal]

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww274/dataacid/100_1045-1.jpg

here it is, the fan to the right was a bit more expensive (20 Euros) the fan to the left is only 10euros, but i wanted a better fan to pump fresh air into the cards so i choose that one.


the fan to the left 7 brings the hot air to the outside of the case, the fan to the right brings fresh air to the inside.

notice how i placed the fans, optimal air flow so the intake fan doesn't get the hot air from the other one

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww274/dataacid/100_1047.jpg

[EarthDog]

So awesome, yet so ghetto at the same time!!

[jason4207]

I guess you don't need to worry much about cable management if you run it w/ the side door off all the time and put fans in there like that. I prefer to keep the case closed. Otherwise I'd just get a test bench and run it completely open-air w/ strategically placed fans.

[Zantal]

So awesome, yet so ghetto at the same time!!

not so good looking but very effective =)


and for jason


I don't manage my cables, i just put them in a fairly ordered way and just leave it like that

there are simply too many cables in that case (most are not even necessary)

[Shadowmage]

Hah, that's pretty clever! My case already has pretty good ventilation (Antec 900) but I guess trying this out wouldn't hurt :)

[BobbyBubblehead]

Respect to Zantal on out the box thinking and plain getting the job done.

I like it like that... who needs `clown fans`? not zantal nor myself :)

each to there own...

Good Stuff... enjoy it :D

[Aruji]

Haha. You deserve an award for this. It's soo ghetto but efficient. Thanks for showing me. :D