So what is this VRel & V0p in GPU-Z? I seem to have an issue.

RobertCon

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Hi guys,

Tinkering a bit with a new GTX 760 - mild OC, nothing crazy; it seems to be performing very inconsistently, with notable frame rate changes in games after awhile. I ran 3D Mark yesterday, got a certain score (in the 17000's on the Sky Diver test), and today can barely break 16000. When taking a look in GPU-Z for anything odd, I get "VRel & V0p" perfcap reasons. This is a relatively new feature for GPU-Z from what I hear, but I'm wondering if this means there's a problem. I'm running a fairly high end PSU (850W), so anything related to power seems odd.

Bottom line, I seem to have some issues, my 3D mark score dropped since yesterday, and my framerates in games seems a bit off. Bad card? I broke the card? I'm crazy?

Thanks for any feedback, I appreciate it.
 
Solution

frag06

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vRel = Reliability. Indicating performance is limited by reliability voltage.
VOp = Operating. Indicating performance is limited by max operating voltage.

What program are you using to OC? Also, you should use Firestrike for testing.
 

RobertCon

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Hi,

Does that mean an inherent problem somewhere? My PSU is a new XFX one (850w, top ratings, works great). I hooked it up with a 6 + 2 pin and a 6, as is needed, so I doubt that's the issue.

I'm using EVGA Precision X 16, since my last card was EVGA; this GTX 760 is a Gigabyte. I found Gigabyte's OC utility somewhat clunky.

Firestrike result:

SCORE
5791 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760(1x) and Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
Graphics Score 6605
Physics Score 7564
Combined Score 2546

That's with a 1195 mhz on the GPU clock, 1802 on the mem clock, 1260 on the boost (GPU-Z stats).

I could just be expecting too much, or unaware of the nuances of the 760; I've been running my 560 TI for years.
 

frag06

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A Graphics score of 6605 with a 760 is pretty good. But it may not be downclocking itself if you're experiencing frame drops in games. You may need to add voltage or up the power target (what is it at?) or back the clocks down a bit. This doesn't sound anything like a PSU issue.

Precision X is good, but give MSI Afterburner a try. It is the best OC tool.

Btw, what exact model is the card?
 

RobertCon

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Gigabyte GTX 760 OC http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4663#ov

I read quite a lot of reviews before buying this particular model, and all of them had very good things to say about it (particularly the cooling, which I must say seems both amazing AND quiet compared to my older EVGA).

Should I make a swap to Afterburner and work with that? I used it years ago (I had a 280 GTX by MSI back in the day).

Should I be worried about the the Vrel/VOp message? I've heard it's not neccessarily 'bad', but like I said, it's a new feature to my eyes, and sounds more like a problem.

I did turn on the KBoost in Precision - I wanted to make sure the card wasn't downclocking itself due to some power management issue I may have missed.

EDIT: I set the power target to 108% - that's as high as it will let me go. I generally prefer to not mess with voltage; I understand OC'ing relatively well, but I'm not a 'math guy', so I usually leave the voltage parts out.
 

frag06

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Yes, give AB a try. And no, you shouldn't be worried about Vrel and VOp. They are both quite common.

Game on the card for awhile with AB open. After you're done, take a look at the graph and see if clocks are going up and down frequently and check your GPU usage.

Also, use Fraps to monitor your FPS if you aren't already. If you see big frame drops, turn K-Boost off and see if that makes a difference.

A little voltage increase shouldn't hurt anything. It's nice to leave it at stock, but sometimes it needs a little boost.

What is your ASIC score? Right click GPU-Z and click "Read ASIC quality".

 

RobertCon

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ASIC score is %80.9

As per voltage, what would you knock it up by? Most programs seem to not let you add too much - which is good. OC Guru II (Gigabyte's program) doesn't let you add too much, which I suppose stops real problems from happening.

I dialed back the mem clock offset in Precision, down to +600 (from +700), and upped the Gpu clock offset to +110 (from +100). Performance seemed better - was too much mem clock offset actually hurting performance? It looks that way... in 3D Mark now:

SCORE: 6346 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760(1x) and Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
Graphics Score 7370
Physics Score 7273
Combined Score 2843

Since this was on Firestrike, that seems decent, but opinion is welcome. Vrel/VOp still there in GPU-Z.

Thanks for all this advice, by the way; the GTX 760 is a new beast to me. I know it isn't top of the line (and never was), but since I game purely at 1080p on a single monitor, it seemed the best choice for quality performance around my price level ($200 - $250).
 

frag06

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That graphics score is very good. Your right around 770 levels. Your ASIC score is also very good. While it doesn't really factor into the overall OC ability, a high scores means you need less volts to achieve higher clocks.

You don't have to raise the voltage, but 10mv would be good to see if that fixes the frame drop problem. The only time you really need to add voltage is when you start seeing artifacts or you crash, or sometimes when the card is downclocking itself.

The reason you can only add so much voltage is because of NVIDIA's Green Light program. They limit the amount of voltage you can add. It is done so people don't burn up their card, but most enthusiasts hate it, as it limits OC ability.

The 760 is a great card for 1080p. :)
 
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RobertCon

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Alright, I think we're more or less at the solution:

1. Vrel/VOp is not actually 'a problem'.
2. Try Afterburner instead.
3. Up the voltage by 10mv if the frames keep stuttering/dropping

In general, was I right about the mem clock being set too high possibly causing underperformance? Dropping it down by 100, and upping the GPU clock slightly (+10) actually increased performance, at least in the benchmark.

This will sound stupid, but what would the numerical 10mv 'look like' in the Precision program? +0.10mv or some such? I don't normally touch voltage, so that's why I ask; I don't think something like OC Guru, Afterburner, or Precision would let me add so much voltage that the thing melts down in five minutes, but I want to do this properly!

Thanks again! I think we've almost nailed this down.
 

frag06

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The memory clock can cause problems, but you usually see artifacts or get crashes when it is set too high. But it is also usually much more dependent on extra volts. You will see that with many cards, you can push and push the core without a mV bump, but then you touch the memory and get problems. You will also see that a core boost will affect your score much more than a boost in memory clock will.

And yes, the high memory clock could have been causing issues if it needed more voltage.

In precision a 10mV bump will read as, for example, from 1200 to 1210 (1.200 to 1.210). It won't let you add more voltage than allowed by NVIDIA, which isn't much. But to bump it up in AB, you will need to allow voltage control. Go to Settings and check "unlock voltage control".

 

frag06

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Precision only works in six and seven mV increments. 12mV should be fine, however. If you need precise control over mV, you MSI AB.

 

RobertCon

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Alright, thank you very (very) much for all of your help; I can now pass on what I've learned to others, if they need it too.

The bottom line appears to be the Vrel/Vop are not actually problems (from what you relayed), and that some voltage tweaking is in order; I'll go with the +12mv, and grab Afterburner and learn that one again as well.

I'll post a reply if anything goes odd in the next day or two, but thanks again!
 

frag06

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No problem, happy to help!