Underclocking 660TI OC

[Slice0691]

I have been having issues with the graphics drivers not responding and recovering. I've read the thread in the sticky as well as the one at Nvidia.com.

I have a very stable OC on my I2500K at 4.4Ghz.

According to the stickies, it may be a problem with the OC of the GPU even if done at the factory.

My question is, for testing purposes, how do I underclock the GPU?

Asus P8Z68/V-Gen MB
OCZ 750 watt power supply (bios reporting 12v on the 12v rail)
Gigabyte 660ti OC or EVGA 580ti OC (depending which is in the system).
Lastest windows approved drivers (not beta though tested with several of the latest beta drivers also)

Temps are good etc.

Thanks in advance

 

[gigabit]

I believe evga's precission lets you under clock as well as over clocking

 

[Bobnova]

MSI Afterburner and EVGA precision both let you. You can dial the power limiter way down too.
Amusingly, they both have exactly the same lower limits.

That said, if you have to underclock the card (and that fixes it) the card is dead and needs to be RMA'd.

Does it do it with the GTX580?
Which OCZ 750w PSU model?
Have to tried running at stock CPU clocks? I realize you're sure it's stable, I'd like you to check anyway just in case.

 

[Slice0691]

Thanks for the suggestions.

It happens with both cards.

I ran memtest86 last night and after about 15 minutes the screen got filled with garbage, so perhaps it's a ram issue.

I just installed new ram (and have a new power supply waiting if the ram didn't fix the problem). Going from Crucial Ballistic to Corsair Vengence on the ram. The new power supply if needed is also Corsair.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Slice0691]

It's getting interesting now.

For giggles I bumped up the overclock to 4.5. I have never been able to run IBT through 5 passes at 4.5, no matter the voltage.

I just ran it for 5 passes at 1.5v LESS than I was at 4.4 and it passed 5 passes .

Now to do some gaming and see if I get the driver time out error again.

*edit* no problems yet. I think I'm in good shape. Thanks for the help.

 

[Slice0691]

Update:

Over the past week, I have had three cases of the "graphics driver stopped responding" causing WoW to crash.

I have just completed replacing the OCZ Stealth 2 Extreme 700w with a Corsair CX750.

I'll post here as soon as I crash or as soon as I think the problem is solved.

Sorry for bumping my own thread, but an edit probably wouldn't have been read.

A sincere thanks for the help.

 

[Bobnova]

Bump for an update is fine (IMO, anyway) when it's been a few days. It makes it show up on the "My Posts" page and such.

I hope that fixes your issue! Please do report back if it continues working! Or if it doesn't too I suppose.

 

[JeremyCT]

Run another MemTest, too.

Out of curiosity, what's your power situation for your rig? Are you plugged into the wall, basic surge, power conditioner, UPS? A lot of people ignore this, but it can have a huge impact on the longevity and stability of computer components.

 

[Slice0691]

I'm plugged into an APC UPS. Haven't tested that in awhile, for all I know the battery is dead in that . I "think" it still conditions the power though even if it were dead, but I'm not sure.

 

[jason4207]

Try plugging straight into the wall or a power strip. When my UPS was dead it gave me power issues.

 

[Slice0691]

I've had no issues since swapping the power supply. Still overclocked at 4.5ghz.

I'll be adding the old ram when I feel like messing with it, but I have a suspicion that will be good. I'm assuming I can mix crucial and corsair ram (two slots each). They have the same timings.

 

[gigabit]

Personally i dont like mixing brands because iv had no luck with it.But it can work as long as timings and voltages are the same.Personally id sell one set and buy another matching set.Im anal like that though.

 

[JeremyCT]

I want another set where all the specs match. Timing AND voltage. Usually though, I'm like Gigabit. Matched sets only.