What's the point of overclocking graphics cards?

[Dougx1317]

I OC'ed my XFX 6970 from 880/1375 to 1000/1475. I benchmarked using Furmark, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat, and BF:BC2. The highest change I got was 8FPS and the average was about 4FPS. Am I doing something wrong or why would I want to run my card at 1.3V for 4FPS difference? I remember getting similar results when I OC'ed my 4890 a while back.

System:
i7 860 @3.2Ghz
4GB @1450Mhz CL7
2x OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD
Gigabyte P55A-UD3
XFX 6970 2GB
FSB 700W PSU
Windows 7 64-bit

 

[Dougx1317]

Overclocking my processor to 4Ghz yielded positive results in Furmark, but not in Stalker COP. BF:BC2 seems pretty unaffected. I can't believe that Furmark is CPU bound. And my i7 @3.2Ghz was holding it back. What the heck?

 

[Salt-City_Slasher]

I have turned my clocks from 900 to 960, taking temps from 38-44 degrees.

This however is no where near bad temperatures for a graphics card when multitasking.

As far as performance goes, I have only done one benchmark doing the boost and it showed performance in FPS.

So I can't say that it helps for anything besides for FPS in gaming! Other than that I rather have the temps lower for basic use.
and crank it up only when playing games.

 

[simon12]

Overcloking a processor makes a big difference overclocking a GPU makes a small difference overclocking RAM makes almost no difference, its just the way it goes. To answer the question in the title overclock you card to get that 4Fps if you need it.

 

[Dougx1317]

Overcloking a processor makes a big difference overclocking a GPU makes a small difference overclocking RAM makes almost no difference, its just the way it goes. To answer the question in the title overclock you card to get that 4Fps if you need it.

Alright. I guess I won't overclock my GPU much then. It's nice to see that extra clock speed. But it's not worth 4FPS for all the extra heat and energy used. At least I didn't void my warranty trying it.

 

[Salt-City_Slasher]

I bought a Gigbyte card which came with OC Guru. It comes with three settings OC, Gaming, and Green. I can also make my own personal settings in which I can click instantly and go back in forth.

I only turn it to gaming or oc when playing video games. I wouldn't do it otherwise.

OCing my CPU is a different story, I keep it at 3.6 all the time and will put it up to 3.9 if I feel I need the extra power for like gaming.

My memory is clocked at 7-8-7-21-2t, and have it at 1200 and oc it to 1250 because it isn't stable past that. I find no reason to change it from 1200, for anything, but I personally just have my OC/Gaming settings set to change it to 1250 and my GPU to 960.

My system stays very cool with just stock fans in a CM 690 2 advanced and a hyper 212+ in push pull facing up.

 

[Toxxyc]

Some cards such as the one OP mentioned is already so good, OC'ing the GPU won't show much difference. I know, however, that overclocking my GTX460 Cyclone from 675MHz (reference, 36'C) to 850MHz (using Afterburner, 41'C) makes a major difference in games. The FPS doens't drop that much in games when action scenes come (like in Dead Space when you get a crapload of monstrosities suddenly on the screen) like it does when I don't OC. Also, when I OC that much, I run Dead Space at 1920 x 1080, and it makes very little difference on the GPU fan speed (on automatic setting) and temperature. I think the hottest I ever got the GPU was at 925MHz with automatic fan speeds and a test using an incredibly potent PhysX screensaver, at 1920 x 1080 with everything maxed out. It ran at 6FPS, and I got the GPU to 56'C. Thus, I don't mind overclocking my GPU. You, on the other hand, might object to it, as your GPU doesn't need the performance boost. Rather get another one and pop them in XFire (I'm getting another GTX460 Cyclone to run them in SLI).

 

[4745454b]

Overcloking a processor makes a big difference overclocking a GPU makes a small difference overclocking RAM makes almost no difference, its just the way it goes.

It depends on where the bottleneck is. If your GPU is sitting around waiting for the CPU to send it some data, then increasing the CPU clock speed will show the biggest gains. But if your CPU fast enough and your GPU is struggling, then increasing its clock speeds is best. Considering the parts in question, I suspect his bottleneck is his monitor.

Why OC? A stock GTS450 is about the same in performance as the GTS250, 4850, 5750, etc. If you OC the snot out of it, it performs more like a 5770, GTX260, 4870. Same with the GTX460. When OC'd to its max its more like a GTX470, but much cooler and using less power. Both of these cards allow you to spend less money, but get a higher level of performance if you OC. Also notice that neither of these cards are high end gear. OCing high end stuff doesn't usually pay off because its so fast already.

 

[Salt-City_Slasher]

I use only use 1920x1080 even when I run the game in the other room on my 55" HDTV. I only run lower if the game doesn't allow 1080.

Using oc guru or afterburner, I can only max it to 950, and with auto voltage. I usually put the fan speed at 50-60%, but I don't think I have seen its temps past the 60's.

I am getting a 2nd 5770 tomorrow, and I will CFX the, I am going to have to configure them so that I do not getting any heat issues.
I also am expecting a package, that will include a 6 channel fan controller in order to control and add extra fans.

My temps are extremely low, but my gpu does have a "VGA" bracket that has a fan in it, plus I will be adding a side 140mm, so I will have two fans blowing air below, between and on top of both gpus!

 

[w33dg0d]

Overclocking is all for preferance, i only see it as a way of running hardware empty prior to upgrading. The main performance advantage in overclocking would be CPU overclocking, there is minimal performance differances in overclocking a GPU apart from a few extra frames.

I see overclcoking as either a hobby, or a waste of time - its just how you view it and variable on whether your hardware is highly OC compatiable .

 

[lindseyhunt1090]

i personally think 8 fps is good.. depending on the game your playing. i have a 6870 and just ordered a 6970 and looking at some of the benchmark results the 6970 is only 8 to 15 fps ahead of the 6870.. so its like your almost getting the performance of a card inbetween.. 8 fps is huge on a game like crysis. could be the difference between playing it or not..

 

[Salt-City_Slasher]

Ocing is also an "affordable" way of getting performance.

Like getting a 5850 and OCing it to be a stock un-oced 5870.

I personally made sure everything was able and ready when considering ocing.

Like a Black Edition CPU, 1600cas7 memory, 212+ for coldness, and a nice case for air flow!

 

[Dougx1317]

Thanks for all the replies. I like to get discussion going like this.

After further testing, I found that I can easily run my 6970 at 950/1450 without any voltage increase. Without the increased voltage, the temperatures and fan noise seem to stay within reason. So, I suppose there's no real reason not to keep it here. Lindseyhunt1090 brings up a good point about 8FPS being useful in some games but not others. I guess I just don't really see a tangible difference going from 40FPS to 48 in BF:BC2. But I can see the point if my FPS is in the 20's or 30's.

As 4745454b pointed out, my bottleneck may be in my CPU now. I think it's crazy that my i7 could actually be a bottleneck, but I guess that just shows how good the 6970 is. I have my CPU OC'ed to 3.19Ghz. I know it can go up to 4Ghz, but Speedstep doesn't work after 3.19Ghz. In my mind, it's important to let the CPU go down to 1.3Ghz when I'm not gaming. Am I right in thinking that? Is it worth a lower overall clock speed to allow speedstep to do its thing? Does anyone know why speedstep won't work at higher clock speeds?

 

[Salt-City_Slasher]

Well every last chips and every last part of your computer is different.

There are times when identical chips won't perform the same even in same environment. Some chips won't OC to the standard max.

Anyways every person uses the computer for different reasons, so it is all about testing, and more testing. A lot of people will buy performance parts and never OC it. So it is entirely up to you!

 

[Dougx1317]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know whether a 6970 will get more improvement in most games from a core increase or memory increase? I remember there being a specific review that tested this for the 4890. The few tests I've done don't show much of a difference, so maybe the core and memory speeds are well balanced on the 6970.

Is there any program that measures the power usage of your computer?