Overclocked GPUs for Folding

[dustyshiv]

Guys,

I have a question. I have OCed CPUs but not GPUs. Newbie to OCing. I have in my arsenal

Pair of 9800GTX- Main Infantry
Pair of 9600 GSO-Air support
Pair of 9800 GT- Artillery support

All are folding at their stock speeds. What performance boost could I get from OCing?

Whats the best software to OC? Currently have EVGA Precision 1.81.

After OC, which is the best software to test stability?

Appreciate your suggestions and help!!

Cheers,
Shiv

 

[hat]

well, my 9600GSO runs at 700/1700/850(1700). I like to use EVGA Precision to overclock and Furmark or the OCCT GPU test with check for errors on to test for stability. After I confirm stability at the clocks I like, I use NVFLASH to copy the BIOS, then I use NiBiTor to edit it, then I use NVFLASH again to replace the BIOS with my edited one. The only thing I change is clockspeeds. I do it this way becase the clockspeeds are "burned" into the card, if you will, instead of being reprogrammed by some application whenever Windows starts.

 

[theonedub]

Precision is the tool, Furmark for stability. You really only want to OC the shaders for F@H. I want to make sure my cards are stable so I let them run at least an hour of furmark, but I think you can get away with 15-20mins.

All of those cards are great clockers. I will let someone else mention the stock PPD cause its been way too long for me to remember. I know my 9600GSO now @ 1674 shaders does 3500-3700PPD across all projects if not more.

 

[Jstn7477]

well, my 9600GSO runs at 700/1700/850(1700). I like to use EVGA Precision to overclock and Furmark or the OCCT GPU test with check for errors on to test for stability. After I confirm stability at the clocks I like, I use NVFLASH to copy the BIOS, then I use NiBiTor to edit it, then I use NVFLASH again to replace the BIOS with my edited one. The only thing I change is clockspeeds. I do it this way becase the clockspeeds are "burned" into the card, if you will, instead of being reprogrammed by some application whenever Windows starts.

You can also just use GPU-Z to dump the BIOS.

 

[dustyshiv]

I have never done bios flashing on a vid card. Could OCing be done without flashing? I rarely restart my comp. So once I set the clocks, wouldnt tht be enough?

 

[hat]

No you don't have to flash the BIOS, I'm just one of the few that prefer it that way.

 

[DrPepper]

I have never done bios flashing on a vid card. Could OCing be done without flashing? I rarely restart my comp. So once I set the clocks, wouldnt tht be enough?

It's easier to use EVGA precision to overclock your cards. It's done on the desktop and it tracks temperatures as well.

 

[dustyshiv]

Thnx for the suggestions guys. Since I have three cards on the mobo, is there a way to specify which card needs to be tested for stability in Furmark or OCCT?

OCCT GPU just displays my 9800GTX which is in the PCIe primary slot.

Furmark, when it runs, stresses only the 9800GTX. The temps on the other cards remain normal.

 

[sneekypeet]

may need to set which card runs the monitor and swap the cable accordingly to test each individual card.

 

[[Ion]]

I run my 8800GT (same as 9800GT) at 1728mhz on the shaders. It is folding and Furmark stable, almost all 8800GTs/9800GTs seem to be able to reach this speed, so you could try it. I get 5.75k PPD on the 353s, about 4700 on the 787s, and 4200 on the 1888s.

 

[hat]

I would take the cards out and clock one at a time, then flash the BIOS after I find good clocks. That way they're always overclocked and there's no more fiddling around to do with them.

 

[vega22]

msi afterburner is about the same as evga but it allows you to setup your own fan rpm profile (what rpm depending upon temps) which is a great addition imo and for that reason alone its a win for me over precision.

 

[Beertintedgoggles]

You can also just use GPU-Z to dump the BIOS.

It seems like no one here knows this but you can also use nbitor to grab your bios off your card.

 

[hat]

I'd rather use nvflash to do it rather than a windows program, just the same as most people prefer to flash thier motherboard bios with a DOS program than with a windows program.

 

[Beertintedgoggles]

I always use nvflash to flash the bios, it's just that everyone seems to include grabbing the card's bios with GPU-Z as an extra step in the process to mod the bios. I grab the orig bios with nbitor and save it, then mod what I want (save), then flash with nvflash.

 

[dustyshiv]

Usually the core clock and shader clocks are linked. If u increase one..the other increases as well. Since F@h is more focused on the shaders..is it better to increase only the shader clocks?

What would be the best shader clocks for 9800GT and 9600GSO? I have the Zotac GT and XFX GSOs. GTXs are factory OCed..so I dont wanna OC them. All of them are actively cooled by fans set at 100%. GT stocks at 1375 and GSO stocks at 1450 MHz. Damn...9600 GSO Shader clocks are much higher than the GT!!

 

[theonedub]

I run the core and shaders unlinked, like nearly everyone else. My GSO runs 1674 shader and stock core. Some say you can push it to 1700. Thats the upper range but you are at the mercy of your card and what comes back Furmark stable.

 

[dustyshiv]

Damn...just noticed that the shader clocks on my GSOs are 1334 MHz

 

[[Ion]]

Damn...just noticed that the shader clocks on my GSOs are 1334 MHz

I ran my GSOs at 1550, and they were completely stable, so I would try for that. Mine were the 96sp PNY G92 ones