Overclocking my MSI GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II/OC

[toneekay]

Okay, so I haven't really done too much overclocking on video cards with increased voltages, and I need the help of the resident overclocking gurus! So far I've managed to overclock my card through MSI Afterburner giving me a 970/1940/2300 (voltage not touched) over the stock OC of 880/1760/2100. This is about the highest I can get the card (stable) without the driver crashing on the stock voltage. I like the nice little increase I've gotten so far, but I want MORE... and I KNOW there's MORE TO BE HAD!

So, my question is this: Any tips on how much voltage I should increase by and when should I stop? What would help me gain more FPS, higher core clock or higher memory clock?


GPU:
MSI GTX 560 TI Twin Frozr II/OC
- Stock OC: 880/1760/2100
- Current OC: 970/1940/2300
- Fan: Custom settings (temps never see over 65 degrees at full load)

Benchmark/Testing:
- Unigine Heaven
- 3DMark11
- Any other free bench/test programs you can recommend?

System:
- 2500K @ 4.4ghz


I'll post up pictures later when I get home from work; I really want to see over 1ghz on the core.
Thanks

 

[toneekay]

Okay, here's what everything looks like right now...

 

[toneekay]

Okay, so I was playing with the voltages a bit and feel like 1.1v is the highest I'd like to go. So far I've gotten the card up to 1000/2000/2450... I've only ran Unigine Heaven once, and have yet to do any further extensive testing. It's getting pretty late so I'll just leave it at that until tomorrow so I can do some more fine tuning followed with benching/testing.

 

[toneekay]

Here's with the 1.1v; should I go any higher?

 

[Gabkicks]

I will have a Twin Frozr II/OC 1gb soon

If you just OC the core and leave the memory alone, do you get a drop in framerates in games?

 

[toneekay]

Here's some of my comparisons from Heaven benchmark as far as frame rates with the core bumped up, and the memory around the same:

880/1760/2100 (stock)
- FPS: 31.0
- Scores: 780
- Min FPS: 14.6
- Max FPS: 79.5

1010/2020/2100
- FPS: 33.8
- Scores: 852
- Min FPS: 16.6
- Max FPS: 86.3

1015/2030/2200 (highest I could get stable)
- FPS: 34.5
- Scores: 868
- Min FPS: 16.0
- Max FPS: 89.0

I was really pushing the card, benchmark after benchmark; I'm sure the temps were what made the "min fps" drop between the 1010 & 1015 clock. Right now I have the card running at 1000/2000/2400 (@ 1.1v) which keeps the card cool enough, yet put out decent frames.

1000/2000/2400
- FPS: 35.1
- Scores: 885
- Min FPS: 16.3
- Max FPS: 89.7

 

[toneekay]

Here's what GPU-Z reads:

 

[togan]

Quite adventurous of you to embark on such a perilous journey...

I have the exact same card as you.

However,I don't know how to unlock the voltage adjuster in AFTERBURNER=(

toneekay,would you be so kind as to share your "secret" with me...

My rig specs:

CPU:i7-3930k (Stock)
MOBO:ASUS X79 SABERTOOTH
HSF:Noctua DH-14 SE2011

I use FurMark and FluidMark to bench my gpu.

At stock volts the GPU running@ 850/1700/2125 with 2560x1440 res
was under alot of load...90-95% gpu stressed,but surprisingly the memory was
only at about 25% usage. Temps were fine GPU 55C,basically I feel the memory
could go higher and the CPU might be bottlenecking my GPU...is there a way of
enabling "Turbo Boost Tech 2.0" to constantly "overclock" the CPU Mhz to 3.5-8 vs 3.2

As I do not want to "VOID" the warranty with this new processor.

PS.Does MSI allow voltage to be modified to GPU,and still be valid for warranty if anything
goes BoOm!!!


togan

 

[toneekay]

Onto the GPU:
- To unlock voltage, you much first go into your AB settings, and under the general tab there should be boxes under "Saftey properties." Check unlock voltage & voltage monitoring. After applying those settings, AB may have to be restarted, and after it pulls up, you'll see the voltage control meter on the top.


For OCing your CPU:
- There's an option in your bios that allows you to disable turbo boost (should be named turbo boost, or speedstep, or etc). As far as OC goes, you'll have to search on the proper method to OC your processor.

 

[toneekay]

Not sure if anyone is following this, but I have put the voltage back to stock (1.025v), decreased the clock/ram speeds, and preparing my setup for another 560Ti for SLI


Here's some updated benchmarks from Heaven with my new monitor; finally running 1920x1080 (before it was like 1366x768).

Stock 880/1760/2100:
FPS: 20.6
Min: 7.1
Max: 49.7
Score: 519

925/1850/2200:
FPS: 21.6
Min: 7.7
Max: 51.9
Score: 545

950/1900/2300 (current):
FPS: 22.4
Min: 7.9
Max: 54.7
Score: 565


After I get my second card here in a couple days, I'll also post up benchmarks to compare single vs. dual. Along with that receiving the new card, I'll be overclocking BOTH to the 950/1900/2300 speeds posted above and keep it there... I don't want to bump up the voltages since I want to make the cards last for as long as I can (which is the reasoning for bringing down the voltage on my current card).

 

[toneekay]

Here's a quick update on this... Got my second card in today and here's what Heaven looks like on GTX 560Ti SLI

Stock 880/1760/2100:
FPS: 40.7
Min: 8.8
Max:101.3
Score: 1024

925/1850/2250:
FPS: 43.0
Min: 7.9
Max: 107.7
Score: 1084

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the performance of the dual card setup... BF3, RAGE, and few other titles looked even better than before with EVERYTHING maxed out! This is all on a 1GB card as well... I don't get too much noticeable frame rate drop, screen tearing, or anything like that in the games I'm playing which is a good thing (due to what most say about running 1GB dual card setups). The ONLY concern I have is that the primary card runs A LOT hotter than the second; there's about a 3-4 degree difference at idle, but once I start stress testing or play any intense games, there's a difference up to 10 degrees!!! It's all good though because even with the slight overclock, the temps never go over 75 degrees which is all gravy in my book!

 

[togan]

Still trying to find best config for perf/stable

toneekay:

Here is latest OC for my MSI N560GTX Ti 448 PE/OC

STOCK:VDDC=0.975v
GPU CORE:750
SHADER:1500
MEMCLK:975(1950)

OC:VDDC=1.050v
GPU CORE:900
SHADER:1800
MEMCLK:1050(2100)

I never did get AFTERBURNER to let me play around with VOLTAGES =(
So I used Nvidia Inspector instead

PS. I ran this OC profile through EVGA OC SCANNER and the Stress Test found NO ARTIFACTS
Do you think this is safe OC to run 24/7 for mainly gaming purposes...TEMPS are under 70C with 90% GPU LOAD during STRESS TEST.

PPS: Off to run more Stability Tests FURMARK/HEAVEN

togan

 

[toneekay]

Looks solid!

Before my MSI cards when I had my EVGA 448 cores, I was running with a 900 core stable; I think you'll be good running your OC'd settings for gaming purposes. Remember, gaming doesn't put too much load on your GPU like benchmarks or stress tests so you're safe there!

 

[togan]

toneekay:

With the GPU now stable and optimized,do you know how to OC CPU...

I am thinking of using my ASUS OC TUNER from X79 SABERTOOTH,however I don't really want to OC the RAM
and I see that the OC TUNER overclocks BOTH at same time

I only want a mild OC on the CPU,say 4ghz from 3.2ghz so only 800mhz increase...

PS.As for OCing the GPU,with my native res monitor 2560x1440,would upping the MEMORY SPEED CLOCK of VRAM
give more performance or should I stick with higher CORE/SHADER CLOCK...I usually don't bother with any form of AA
while gaming.

PPS.I adjusted the VDDC on GPU to 1.038,seems stable...

Thanks
togan

 

[toneekay]

For the CPU overclock, you can simply bump up the cpu multiplier in your bios to x40 to receive your 4000mhz (4.0ghz). These newer processors are great at auto adjusting everything necessary to handle clock rates up to that high.

For better performance on the GPU, I would say you'll see more performance with a higher core/shader clock, but you'll benefit with having BOTH core/shader and memory increased.

 

[notea]

Here's a quick update on this... Got my second card in today and here's what Heaven looks like on GTX 560Ti SLI

Stock 880/1760/2100:
FPS: 40.7
Min: 8.8
Max:101.3
Score: 1024

925/1850/2250:
FPS: 43.0
Min: 7.9
Max: 107.7
Score: 1084

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6983379495_f1db2fc489_b.jpg



Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the performance of the dual card setup... BF3, RAGE, and few other titles looked even better than before with EVERYTHING maxed out! This is all on a 1GB card as well... I don't get too much noticeable frame rate drop, screen tearing, or anything like that in the games I'm playing which is a good thing (due to what most say about running 1GB dual card setups). The ONLY concern I have is that the primary card runs A LOT hotter than the second; there's about a 3-4 degree difference at idle, but once I start stress testing or play any intense games, there's a difference up to 10 degrees!!! It's all good though because even with the slight overclock, the temps never go over 75 degrees which is all gravy in my book!

the temp difference is because of the minimal space between the two cards, the second card is actually choking the primary card of cool air, you have two options, first is to get a liquid GPU cooling systems for your GPUs, which will be costly, second is putting an aftermarket fan on the side panel of your case to provide cool fresh air to your GPUs, this is the way to go if your budget is limited, but then if you already got 2x 560ti's, i dont think money will be an issue... go for the liquid cooling option

 

[notea]

toneekay:

With the GPU now stable and optimized,do you know how to OC CPU...

I am thinking of using my ASUS OC TUNER from X79 SABERTOOTH,however I don't really want to OC the RAM
and I see that the OC TUNER overclocks BOTH at same time

I only want a mild OC on the CPU,say 4ghz from 3.2ghz so only 800mhz increase...

PS.As for OCing the GPU,with my native res monitor 2560x1440,would upping the MEMORY SPEED CLOCK of VRAM
give more performance or should I stick with higher CORE/SHADER CLOCK...I usually don't bother with any form of AA
while gaming.

PPS.I adjusted the VDDC on GPU to 1.038,seems stable...

Thanks
togan

the intel ivy/sandy B chips are very easy to overclock, im at 4.5 ghz on my core i5 2500k without any voltage bumps, just go to ur bios and bump up the multiplier to 40,
PS: disable intel speedstep technology, turbo boost and enable LLC or internal PLL over ride

 

[R0drigU]

Guys, I have the same GPU (GTX560TI Twin Frozr II) and processor (i5 2500k) and Im playing BF3 with the graphics on Ultra with the GPU at 950/1900/2300 and the temp never goes over 60ºC. Does that mean I can leave it like that forever? The only thing I have to worry about is the temperature of the GPU? I never touched the core voltages...

 

[taydee]

Well as long as this thread is still alive/necro, i hope its ok for me to ask. I've been wanting to get this card for a couple weeks because I found it pretty cheap on sale, but it kinda gets rough reviews on newegg. But if you guys have been OCing it this whole time without out problems I guess they are pretty steady?

Reviews I was referring too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Video%20Cards-_-MSI-_-14127565&AID=10440897&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[toneekay]

Guys, I have the same GPU (GTX560TI Twin Frozr II) and processor (i5 2500k) and Im playing BF3 with the graphics on Ultra with the GPU at 950/1900/2300 and the temp never goes over 60ºC. Does that mean I can leave it like that forever? The only thing I have to worry about is the temperature of the GPU? I never touched the core voltages...

Yeah, those are within limits of the GPU; you should be fine.

Well as long as this thread is still alive/necro, i hope its ok for me to ask. I've been wanting to get this card for a couple weeks because I found it pretty cheap on sale, but it kinda gets rough reviews on newegg. But if you guys have been OCing it this whole time without out problems I guess they are pretty steady?

Reviews I was referring too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Video%20Cards-_-MSI-_-14127565&AID=10440897&PID=3938566&SID=

They aren't too bad, both of my cards that I had gotten ran fine without any problems.

 

[envy14tpe]

Guys, I have the same GPU (GTX560TI Twin Frozr II) and processor (i5 2500k) and Im playing BF3 with the graphics on Ultra with the GPU at 950/1900/2300 and the temp never goes over 60ºC. Does that mean I can leave it like that forever? The only thing I have to worry about is the temperature of the GPU? I never touched the core voltages...

I have same GPU 1GB and 2500k:
How are you keeping the temps at 60C. Mine: 940/1880/2100 and temps reach 70C. I also have upped
the voltage to 1.025V I notice you didn't touch the voltage.

What is your mobo? And what kinds of case fans?

 

[toneekay]

My motherboard was the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3... As for the temps of the card, I had 2 front intake, 1 side intake, and 3 rear/top exhaust fans. With all of those fans, the card was relatively cool. It wasn't until I got the second card in which turned the box into a personal foot heater.

 

[vae victus]

Wanted to give this thread a bit of a bump. I'm going around the net looking for information on how to properly OC a gpu and the OP has pretty much the exact same card as me and his findings are invaluable on how i should go about OCing my card. Thanks for your hard work Toneekay!

 

[Guest]

I also have the MSI GTX 560 TI TWIN FRONZ II OC 2 GB. I have it since November 2011 but it was only a few weeks ago that i decided to start experiements with overclocking. Ok, so yesterday i did this overclock: I downloaded MSI after burner. Then i set the gpu core from 870 mhz to 970 mhz and memory from 2100 to 2300. I also set the memory from 2100 to 2300 mhz. And finaly i changed the fan settigns from auto to manual and i put it to 100%(so now the fan will work at 100% all the time). After i did the overclock i played bioshock infinite for about 1 hour and a half on max settings and i didnt notice any slowdowns or artifacts. Temperatures dont go more than 70c. Now my question is as it seems that at these settings the gpu is stable if i leave it forever will the gpu be damaged or it can still work ok at these overclocked settings no matter for how much time i will have it?

 

[Guest]

i also did some benchmark with some very demanding games like Tomb Raider and i must admit the perfomance increase i have noticed is a lot! In Tomb Raider with evrything maxed 128x1024 but without TressFX at stock speed i get 42 .2 fps average while now it gives me a 52 fps average. And in many more benchmarks that i did i noticed a big boost in perfomance. Now i see here that some people have managed it to make it to work at even 1010 mhz core. But to do this i read that we need to also increase voltage? If this is true then no i will not increase volatage because i am afraid that it will damage the card.