Overclocking a GTX 970.

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Axk29

Axk29

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I understand that there are specifics before actually overclocking. I do have MSI Afterburning and so far I am enjoying my games. However, I do want to see how far I can take my GPU. Reviews says that I can run ~1500 Mhz overclocking the GPU. I am concerned about the voltage, memory clock, fan, temp limit and power limit though. I mean it's not hard to move the scroll to get 1500 mhz but I watched a video that I need to watch the other things too. How do I overclock this "safely." Since it's never 100% safe to OC.
 
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Damn_Rookie
Graphics cards are realistically fine up to 80 degrees Celsius (that's the temperature that the reference 980 operates at, for example). I wouldn't personally want to go much beyond, but they're designed to cope with temperatures higher than that; heck, the 290 and 290X were designed to run continuously at 95 degrees. Plus you need to keep in mind that you have control on the temperature it operates at via the fan settings; want it cooler, set the fan higher, want it quieter, set the fan lower - it really comes down to personal preference.

Just keep in mind all GPUs are different, and just because someone else with the same model graphics card got a particular result, doesn't mean you will. Taking it slowly is key.
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Ghost24

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MSI Afterburner is a good starting point. Try adding +100-150 to the core clock and 150-200 to the memory clock, then hop into Unengine valley for some stress testing. Now you can compare your results with the default ones, if it improved then hurray if not then it can mean the card is close to its full potential.

If you want to make sure everything is allright then go up in smaller increments.


Look if there are significant improvement.
 
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Axk29

Axk29

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what about the voltage and what not? and what's a good temp to stop at?
 
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Axk29

Axk29

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Well my GPU seem to "overclock" itself. I'm not sure what the real term would be but I read somewhere that this is normal. Since my GTX 970 has a base of like 1177 boost of 1356 or something like that. It does crank up to 1430 without me doing anything to it. And the highest I've seen my card running is about 71 C, due to Crysis 3, normally its ~65-68 C on other games. Do you still think I can OC despite me reaching the ideal temperatures already?
 
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Axk29

Axk29

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Yes, I understand that according to their website it can be only boosted at 1329Mhz but however mine reaches 1430Mhz without me doing anything to it. Unless MSI afterburner has been lying to me. But I do want to try to overclock upto ~1500 Mhz since some guy in youtube did it, I just wondering what is the temp I should stop at.

 
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Damn_Rookie

Damn_Rookie

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The 1430 MHz you're seeing is normal and a function of GPU Boost (both versions 1.0 and 2.0). The cards have a base clock and boost clock set by the manufacturer, but the actual clock speed you see under load is variable, and depends on a number of variables (power, temperature, etc). If there is headroom, the card will increase the clock due to GPU Boost.

The oddities of GPU Boost mean that two identical cards (identical models that is) can actually run at different clock rates when under load, even with everything else being kept the same. This is down to the silicon lottery - the natural variation in silicon chips; some are 'better', some are 'worse'. This point in particular makes it a little difficult to benchmark these graphics cards accurately, which is why many sites (hardOCP for example) specifically highlight the actual clock speed seen during games, and not just the boost clock the manufacturers set. The actual clock speed for you, for example, seems to be 1430 MHz (although this will probably vary a little depending on the game).
 
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Axk29

Axk29

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Well I did figure this was the case though, my clock load doesn't exactly change it stays at 1430 when playing but temperatures do vary. Still I am wondering about temp still if I were to overclock my card by 100 more Mhz. Ghost mentioned that (+100 - 150 core clock, 150-200 memory, 20-25 more voltage, and temp that I should stop is still concerning me)
 
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Damn_Rookie

Damn_Rookie

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Graphics cards are realistically fine up to 80 degrees Celsius (that's the temperature that the reference 980 operates at, for example). I wouldn't personally want to go much beyond, but they're designed to cope with temperatures higher than that; heck, the 290 and 290X were designed to run continuously at 95 degrees. Plus you need to keep in mind that you have control on the temperature it operates at via the fan settings; want it cooler, set the fan higher, want it quieter, set the fan lower - it really comes down to personal preference.

Just keep in mind all GPUs are different, and just because someone else with the same model graphics card got a particular result, doesn't mean you will. Taking it slowly is key.
 
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Z

-Zenos-

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