BFG GTX 260 Maxcore 55 Overclocking help

Hello All!

This is my introduction as well as my search for help with my gtx 260.

My rig as of now consists of..

BFG gtx 260 maxcore 55
Intel Q8300 quad core @ 2.5Ghz
8 gigs of ram

and some other various effects such as a 22in HP monitor.

The main focus of this thread is to get some feedback from those who know more(alot) than me, and to just see what others have to say.

I recently browsed through google for some decent threads regarding my card, but every one of their numbers seem inconsistent with what my card can put out. Using Rivatuner, I bumped up my numbers to 704/1519/1100 as stated in 2 other reviews, and my FPS in CS:S and CoH drops to about 22(I use these two games simply for the simplicity of CS:S and CoH being a game I enjoy).

I'm getting a little frustrated, and I do realize not every card is the same, but I figured I'd get RELATIVELY similar numbers.

Any input would be greatly appreciated

That is quite strange the fps should be at the very minimum of 60fps in cs:S with that card, do you have the latest drivers installed ?

I do, I have the latest drivers installed. As far as I can tell, something just doesn't seem right.

Also, funny story, about 5 minutes ago, I tried to go into the Nvidia Control Panel to turn physx off(if it was not already) because someone suggested that it killed FPS in some cases, and my screen went pink. Not the fuzzy, boxy pink thats associated with the pink screen of death, but just plain pink.

Restored to 24 hours back and theres no more problem, but awfully weird.

yeah to get better fps you need to overclock ur cpu. its creating a bottleneck. put it to 3.2ghz at least and ur fps will soar and ur computer will be faster in general

No one has any suggestions?

There could be sooo many things causing this...

1. HOw did oyu bench? Was it the same exact bench that the review you looked at used?
2. Was the system they used the same as yours?
3. Your quad has VERY low clockspeeds, overclock it for better results.
4. DId you run it at the same resolution?

etc.....etc.......etc...

1. I havn't benched it at all, minus a few tests back when I first got the card. I'm not looking for "Maxed out all the way!!!!" I'm just trying to find what others have accomplished with the card, and why I can't seem to produce the same numbers.

2.They had a different set-up, yes, but the issue is not about the FPS not being high enough "stock", it's the fact that when I overclock my card to the number(and even shortly below) what is said to be what my card can handle, my FPS drops to about 20.

3.I'm not to keen on working in the bios regarding my processor, and last time I tried following a guide, my processor seemed to not let me overclock?

4.Yes, resolution has not changed, graphical settings have not changed, just exiting game, change clocks, rebooting the game(and sometimes windows because the FPS stays low even at stock settings sometimes).

I'd really appreciate some input

I have two of these cards. If I am not mistaken, you have reached the upper limits of your card. Could it be throttleing back on you? Have you tried a benchmark like 3DMark06. Try backing off to about 690ish/1450ish and test your results. Also are your fan speeds set to high and actually cooling? Too many variables as ED has pointed out.

Also I would like to point out, that your CPU is severely underclocked for what most people overclock these cards too. Take your CPU to 3.0-3.2 at least.

Well, thats the problem, I can't even get to 690. That is why I came here for some help, because I can't go anywhere close what some would call "the norm" regarding the clock speeds.

I would love to OC my CPU, but as I explained above, I'm not great in Bios, and the last time I tried, it seemed as though I was "not allowed" to enter anything different than the default values.

If someone would be so kind as to just give me a few guidelines for overclocking my CPU, I'd be glad to give it another shot. (if this would solve the issue)

What are you using to OC your card? I use EVGA Precision. You can Download it over at Guru.

As far as your CPU overclock goes. It is possible your on a system like a DELL or HP that has locked bios, in which case you are pretty much SOL. However if you would use a digital camera and take pictures of your bios screen we may be able to help you out.

to OCF!

Im using Rivatuner, and I like it alot more than Precision.

Im on an Asus, which, I thought I read somewhere that it was not as "locked" as an HP or Dell. I could be wrong though.

Thanks for the warm welcome, I'd like to start attending regularly as I'm about finished with my first year of college and actually have time for this sort of stuff

iBones said:

Well, thats the problem, I can't even get to 690. That is why I came here for some help, because I can't go anywhere close what some would call "the norm" regarding the clock speeds.

Click to expand...

A lot of the "I just overclocked to a bajillion jiggahertz" are just brag posts from those who lucked out and got huge overclocks. There is no "norm" and no "you should get this clock." Most cards will probably clock to 630-660MHz core. That sounds low, but that's what we (as in BFG) considers so absolutely stable that we are willing to warranty it at those speeds. You can check other manufacturers to see what their factory overclocked models are clocked at too. That should tell you what the manufacturers are willing to put a warranty on.

With that being said...

If your FPS significantly drop during overclocking, then your GPU is switching to low power mode. Besides clocking it lower, you can also manually raise the fan speed, and make sure your chassis has great ventilation. Monitor your GPU temperatures to see what it is hitting. At stock speeds the GPU works fine at 80-90°C. As clock speeds go up, the tolerance to temperature seems to go down. If you've had the card for a while you should consider using compressed air to blow the dust out of it.

Like I said earlier in the thread, I'm not looking for bragging rights or the outright highest the card can go, but somewhere similar to whats been known to work on the card and to get the relatively best performance out of my money.

That being said, Even if I set the fan to 100%, the FPS still drops. Is there anything else I can do to ensure that it no longer drops to low power mode? I appreciate the replies, It just sucks that it seems as though the general consensus is "tough luck" and that I kinda just got a relatively crappy card.

Anyone know how Asus machines handle trying to OC the CPU? Are they still locked like HP/Dell?

Have you tried backing off a bit on the overclock and seeing if that helps?

Im not sold on the idea that it goes to low power mode without seeing the clocks drop in the middle of the testing...

Whats an "asus machine"? What motherboard do you have exactly?

Yea I backed it off, and it seems im stable at 631/1386/1149. Not quite what some others have accomplished, but I suppose it's going to have to do.

The brand of computer is Asus, and my mobo is the Asus CG5270.

I have a Evga maxcore 55 260GTX 700 core clock is to much i push mine to 700, lasted every bit of 30 seconds! I found that it will run stable at 659/1447/1200, it seem to affect the temp a bit under full load it runs around 75 Celsius.