Overclocking ATI RADEON X800 XL AGP???

[bigrig00]

Hey guys, total n00b here.

How difficult is it to overclock an ATI X800 XL (AGP interface)? Can I expect to bring it up to performance of the higher end models of the X800 family (XT/PE)? Do I need aftermarket heat sinks and fans to avoid overheating the core? Any help in this would be appreciated...

Thanks a ton, guys!!!

 

[tirefire]

It's pretty easy to overclock it, but you can't get very far at all. I happen to have an X800 XL AGP, myself, and after installing a Zalman VF700 and the accompanying ramsinks, I could barely get any kind of overclock.

The reason is that the R430 core that X800 XLs use is optimized for low-cost, not high-quality, according to this wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon_R420

I'd still recommend replacing the cooler on there with a Zalman or somesuch to cut down on the noise, though.

 

[bigrig00]

Thanks, guys.

I really am not that concerned about the noise. I just want to overclock my core GPU about 30-50 Mhz without frying it. Do I need aftermarket hardware to do so, or am I ok just loading the ATItools and going with that?

 

[bigrig00]

Also, is there a software utility I can use to monitor the status of the GPU fan??? This is my second X800 XL card, the first one crapped out because the fan stopped working.

 

[kaotao]

It's not the best overclocker, but with some sort of aftermarket cooling you could expect to get 30-50MHz more from the core. I've OC my X800XL 30MHz core and 15MHz on the mem with stock cooling. My full load temps are around 60-65C.