Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

[bloodbrood]

Hey guys! I currently have a 6800GT in stock clock speeds and cooling. I would like to get that extra boost by overclocking it.

My problem:
-Stock cooling is all I have [Where I live, Vantec Iceberg and Thermaltake are the only cooling solutions available, what do you guys recommend?]

-My drivers (BETA 81.95) aren't at all working well [What's a good driver for my card?]

-What should my ambient and GPU temp. be? [Right now, at stock cooling, GPU is at 70 (idle) and ambient is around 56 (idle)]

-Lastly, in RivaTuner I see options for controlling the fan speeds at 3D performance. [They are currently at 53%, should I increase this to 100% or will my PC automatically change it?]

Before I overclock and finally set things straight with my 6800GT I would like to listen to you guys first. Please dont post any links or things just post in here. Your tips are much appreciated!

[Blak_Phoenix]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

Stock cooling is fine if you just want to OC a little. Im still using stick and i have mine up to 25% OC'ed and the temp has been fine. But if you want some "real" OC'ing then it would be best to get a good Video cooling system. Vantec Iceberg and Thermaltake are both good soloutions, but i dont know enough about themn to give any advice on which is better.

[bloodbrood]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

You're using a different card though but thanks for the help dude. Any 6800Gt owners out there? LETS HEAR FROM YOU! YES YOU!

[Flares]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

55 idle and 70 under load is about right (although 70 is a *little* hot [my 6600GT topped out at 70, the 6800GT tops out at 60c]).Whilst PC is switched off, try giving the fan housing/heatsink a little squeeze to make sure it's making good contact with the chipset and then recheck the temp in the control panel.
Follow the steps below and if you have any freezing, rebooting, or artifacts, lower the overclock at little until it stops. If you need extra cooling, Vantec and Zalman do good gpu coolers. Search for some brands on Google, ie "Vantec GPU Cooler" and you will get plenty of reviews and info to help you choose. Make sure the cables in your PC are tidied away from the cards so air can circulate better. If you have problems, also consider removing the PC case side as a temporary measure. For most people, core 400-410 and memory 1.05-1.11 are usually attainable without the need for third party coolers.

1. Dump Rivatuner.
2. Download and install the XTreme-G 81.98.v2 drivers.
3. Install Coolbits 2.0 registry hack to open up your Nvidia control panel overclocking (and other) options.
4. Control Panel/Display/Settings/Advanced/6800GT/Clock Frequency Settings - Overclock to core 400mhz, memory 1.05ghz. If you're feeling cautious, move the core clock from stock in increments of 10mhz and test each time. For testing, you could run a couple of instances of 3DMark05 and play Bf2 for a while. If there's none of the problems mentioned occuring, carry on overclocking.

Consult the BF2 Tweak Guide for advanced options and tweaking.

[bloodbrood]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

hey thank you very much for the reply but i cant seem to get it exactly at 400mhz. its always like 399 or 401. Are there any settings to change this? and when i dload the 81.98 driver it installs 81.95v2 is this normal? wtf.

Oh cool! i just found out Cooler Master and Artic silver cooling is available. Which is the best out of the four brands now? Cooler Master, Ttake, Artic silver, or Vantec Iceberq?

[Flares]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

Don't worry about 1mhz.. :) 399 or 401 wil do.

Mine shows up as 81.98...
Download and install Driver Cleaner Pro and retry the driver installation. Make sure you follow the DC Pro readme/instructions exactly.

I dunno which is the best cooler out of those, I'd have to read the numbers. Although from what I've already read or been told, the Vantec Iceberg is v. good.

[imported_Grudge]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

I have an arctic silver cooler for my 9800 pro and ordered another one for my incoming 6800 gt. The cooler for my 9800 worked great, cooling it by about 10-15 degrees on average, and i expect it to work the same for my new card.

G

[bloodbrood]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

cool thank you very much for the replies guys! oh and bby aany chance could you direct me to 3dmark 06 dload site?

[bloodbrood]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

How do you reduce artifacts? Can you reduce artifacts by cooling? does heat cause artifacts or is it just the video card itself? I need to know because i can only go 390/1.04 w/o artifacts (actually a few artifacts are visible)

[Flares]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

It's probably a temperature issue. What's your temp under load? Play BF2 for half an hour or so, alt tab out and check your temp.

[bloodbrood]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

under load it goes to 80 degrees celsius. i think thats pretty hot. does heat affect artifacts? of so, i will buy new cooling this week.

[Flares]

Re: Need Help: Overclocking, Fan Speeds, and GPU Temp.

They're probably heat artifacts. 80c is getting rather hot. Cooling is a good idea.