Can I overclock my MSI Amd Radeon R7 240 successfully?

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mikac2014

mikac2014

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First, I'd like to say that my PC is not cleaned (I didn't clean the dust yet). Now, I would like to clock my MSI Amd Radeon R7 240 2GB DDR3 from 780mhz(boost clock) to 850mhz if possible,if not something lower,and 900mhz(memory clock) to 1000mhz or less if I cant OC it to 1000MHZ. I will hold my Fan Speed @ 50%-70%. I have a 500W ATX PSU and Intel G3220 @ 3.00GHZ DC, Gigabyte H81M-DS2 Motherboard, 8GB Kingston RAM @1333mhz and a HD754JJ HDD with 750GB and 7200 rpm. I have spare watts(i think), so could I overclock it? I'd try but I think that I'll damage something if i don't put reasonable clocks since it's a Low-end card and I'm afradi of overheating. I know the result differs but should I try it?
 
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ShadyHamster
First off, 500w psu is more then enough for that system, that system minus the graphics card will draw around 60-70w, the graphics card can draw 75w max.
If you are using amd catalyst control center to do the overclocking there is really no downside to it since you cant adjust the voltages.
Increasing the clocks (for the core first, do the memory after) by 15mhz then check to see if its stable.
I recommend using unigine valley for stress testing, run it for 10-15mins if you see no artifacts or no crashes after that time increase the clocks by 15 then repeat.
Remember to check temps while overclocking, gpu-z is a good program to monitor temps.
Once you find a clock speed that is unstable reduce the clock by 5mhz each time until you find...
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ShadyHamster

ShadyHamster

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First off, 500w psu is more then enough for that system, that system minus the graphics card will draw around 60-70w, the graphics card can draw 75w max.
If you are using amd catalyst control center to do the overclocking there is really no downside to it since you cant adjust the voltages.
Increasing the clocks (for the core first, do the memory after) by 15mhz then check to see if its stable.
I recommend using unigine valley for stress testing, run it for 10-15mins if you see no artifacts or no crashes after that time increase the clocks by 15 then repeat.
Remember to check temps while overclocking, gpu-z is a good program to monitor temps.
Once you find a clock speed that is unstable reduce the clock by 5mhz each time until you find the highest stable clock.
Once you've found the stable clock i usually run valley again for 30-40mins just to make sure the overclock is solid.
Repeat for overclocking the memory, unless your card has a temp probe for the memory you wont have to monitor the temps so closely.

As for memory oc'ing not offering any advantage, that will differ from card to card, when i was running a hd7950 oc'ing the mem offered quite a considerate increase in performance, my r9 290 on the other hand gain next to nothing from oc'ing the memory.
DDR3 is a huge bottleneck for a graphics card, as it's a low end card i'm unsure how a mem oc will effect performance.
 
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mikac2014

mikac2014

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Thanks :) But I'm worried. I ramped up the clocks to about 955mhz and to 820mhz in an instant 3-4 months ago and I'm scared if I damaged something. I also put the Fan Speed to 40% to about 50%, but that's ok. I returned them to stable clocks after about 5mins, in other words, to 780-mhz and 900mhz clocks. Even if it wasn't stable at athta clocks, if i return it to fabric clocks, wil everything be ok. I'm good @ computers,but this topic is relatively new to me.
 
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Alpha3031

Alpha3031

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It's fine if you don't touch the voltages.

 
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mikac2014

mikac2014

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And can I use MSI Afterburner's Kombustor stress tests (FurMark Core Burner) to determine if my clocks are stable by comparing the FPS i get with fabric clocks and the FPS i get with OC-ed clocks? I won't touch the power limit nor the Core Voltage.

 
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ShadyHamster

ShadyHamster

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I suggest using Unigine Valley instead of Kombuster
https://unigine.com/products/valley/

Kombuster puts an unrealistic load on the gpu and can even damage some gpu's.
Run Valley for about 30mins, if no crashes check for artifacts.
You should also play your games for a few hours to make sure its 100% stable.
 
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mikac2014

mikac2014

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So, by artifacts you mean glitched shapes and squares that show up when the GPU Load is at Max? If the clock is stable, there should be no glitches, randows slowdowns etc. Am I right? And by how many days or hours will I shorten my Graphics' life if I OC to the highest table possible (stable, of course)?
 
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ShadyHamster

ShadyHamster

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Yes, artifacts are usually lines or squares on the screen that shouldn't be there.
Here's an example:
http://i55.tinypic.com/23rx2k2.jpg

If you aren't overvolting the card the lifespan wont be effected all that much by overclocks alone.
Generally you will have upgraded before you see any effects of a mild oc.

 
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