Should i boost my GPU & memory clock from VGA?

Jouteikei

Reputable
Jun 18, 2014
16
0
4,510
As some of you know that i bought GTX 960 Asus.

So there are GPU tweak programs from Asus. I can boost GPU from 1291 to max 1443 and memory from 7200 to max 8200 if i want. Also there is a third option to increase fan speed. Is this what we called overclocking? Should i max it or raise a little?

Any consequences? Because to be honest my best old vga before this was HD 6670 so i never bother to tweak or overclocking etc. Even though i heard about it.
 
Solution
Other manufacturers will put out overclocked cards that are the exact same GPU that you have at higher clocks. If temperatures are the issue then all you have to do is monitor temps till you are sure you are not going above recommended temps. and even then GPU's are designed to lower clock speeds automatically to keep a safe temperature.

so yes you should overclock your card if you are not getting 60 fps in the games you play.

the quick and easy of it is:

1. start with your core clock and use heaven benchmark in windowed mode while using msi afterburner or the asus program to monitor and change clock speeds

2. increase the core clock by 10Hz at a time till you start to see artifacts in the heaven benchmark (make sure you are at...

Russel Johnson

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
277
0
10,860
Only overclock these if you really need it. It will increase the heat of the card and with insufficient cooling may shorten it's life span. You can go and order case fans if you really want to, or buy a more expensive water cooling unit specifically for a GPU. If you buy fans, try buying from Noctua for really good quality.
 

fkr

Splendid
Other manufacturers will put out overclocked cards that are the exact same GPU that you have at higher clocks. If temperatures are the issue then all you have to do is monitor temps till you are sure you are not going above recommended temps. and even then GPU's are designed to lower clock speeds automatically to keep a safe temperature.

so yes you should overclock your card if you are not getting 60 fps in the games you play.

the quick and easy of it is:

1. start with your core clock and use heaven benchmark in windowed mode while using msi afterburner or the asus program to monitor and change clock speeds

2. increase the core clock by 10Hz at a time till you start to see artifacts in the heaven benchmark (make sure you are at 100% utilization of your GPU).

3. once you see artifacts lower that number by 50Hz

4 do the same to your memory increasing then testing by 10Hz increments.

once you see artifacts then lower by 50Hz to the memory.

this will be stable in 90% of games, if you ever have a issue then save your OC speeds and go back to default speeds and test.

none of this will effect a warranty and 10%+ gains in fps can be achieved
 
Solution
fkr has great advice for this. With a GTX 960 don't worry about heat, those are such efficient cards as it is. An overclocked GTX 980 gives off less heat than my R9 280 (which performs about the same as a 960).

I've used MSI Afterburner for GPU overclocking for the past few years, it's very simple. My only advice is don't touch the voltage until you have more experience. Feel free to raise the power limit to 20%, that won't hurt anything. But raising voltage without knowing what you are doing can cause problems.

By the way, when we say look for "artifacts", this helps: http://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-overclock-your-graphics-card/#page-2
But ignore the advice of boosting memory first. Boost core clock first.
 

Jouteikei

Reputable
Jun 18, 2014
16
0
4,510
I have been using heaven benchmark. I want to boost my perfomance but without cause any problems like life span etc.

Benchmark_Settings.jpg


My_GTX_960_benchmark.jpg


temperatures at 59 - 61 C with ultra settings etc. So do you guys said that the main indicator is the temperatures? should i tweak not more than 80 Celcius? Do you think using asus GPU tweak will void warranty? then why they provide it?


My_asus_GPU_Tweak.jpg
 

Jouteikei

Reputable
Jun 18, 2014
16
0
4,510
i have been thinking to tweak it to 1351 GPU clock and 7500 memory clock without increase any fan speed. is it safe?

to be honest i still don't really know what i am dong.
 
Just keep raising the core clock 10Mhz at a time and checking for artifacts. Once you find a stable core clock, do the same for the memory. You will likely not get much hotter than you are already, I would leave the fan on the default profile unless you want a more aggressive ramping.