Can you overclock the GPU in a prebuilt system?

[voiidwulf]

Hello, I have a Dell XPS 8500 Special Edition.

Intel Core i7 3770 3.4GHz

AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB GDDR5

16GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM

460W PSU


Can you overclock the video card in a prebuilt like this? Would I need to upgrade the PSU in order to do so? I realize the power supply is lacking. I am planning on getting something around 700W soon.

Thanks,

 

[dudewitbow]

generally yes, you can, gpu functions are usually unlocked.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

You sure you only have a 460w PSU? AMD recommends a 500w power supply for a system with an HD 7870 in it and OEMs usually go with those guidelines. That being said, Dell has really stepped up the quality of their power supplies and I'm sure what you have provides plenty of 12v amps ( more imporant than total watts ).

Yes you can overclock you graphics card. Either with the AMD driver or a 3rd party tool like MSI Afterburner.

 

[stant1rm]

I really likw MSI afterburner, it's a great tool for overclocking. Easy to use and has profiles for different games.

 

[voiidwulf]

Awesome

It seems to have quite a performance boost in a lot of games.

Thanks,

 

[azathoth]

The motherboards OEM's usually use are locked down, the GPU's however are bought from other manufacturers, and have no such restrictions.

Heck, overclocked my Laptop's GT555M by 300Mhz using MSI afterburner

 

[voiidwulf]

Lawl, nice. I'm going to try that with my old laptop tomorrow.

 

[stant1rm]

The motherboards OEM's usually use are locked down, the GPU's however are bought from other manufacturers, and have no such restrictions.

Heck, overclocked my Laptop's GT555M by 300Mhz using MSI afterburner

And how quickly did you have to reverse the overclock before you damaged the GPU?

 

[voiidwulf]

So would it increase the required watts to overclock it? I think my system is pretty much at its limits with that PSU, and I dont want to overload it or anything.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Not enough to matter. Dell is very good with power supplies an would not put one in that is straining to run at the limits. As I said above amps are more important than watts.

 

[voiidwulf]

Ok, good.

Thanks,

 

[voiidwulf]

Best answer selected by VoiidWulf.