1. #1
    High Overlord aktorsyl's Avatar
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    Overclocking GPU & memory

    Hi guys,

    So I've read a lot of doomsayers saying you should avoid overclocking the graphics card memory clock, as it can overheat the VRAM.. and since the VRAM usually don't have temperature sensors (or very good cooling), it can permanently damage your card.

    Having said that, it seems to overclock pretty easily. As a test I managed to push an extra +155 core clock on my GTX 980 (Gigabyte G1 Gaming edition, which is already a bit factory-OC'ed), and could push memory clock up to +500 too. Both of these on +0 extra voltage. Must've been a good lottery card. There are even people who push +750/1000 on the memory clock, but I'm not quite that brave. I must say though, OC'ing the video memory clock makes a hell of a big difference in minimum fps.

    Tested the OC settings on Unigine-Valley and 3DMark and they seemed stable enough, but I've reverted to stock clocks until I can get some more clarity on that VRAM thing. Don't exactly want to fry the card just yet. Anyone know how accurate that is?

    (I usually never overclock GPU's but some people suggest that OC'ing it may reduce the coil whine which is unfortunately quite common with the GTX970s and 980s in certain batches. While the OC didn't help the coil whine at all, it produced some amazing FPS results)
    Last edited by aktorsyl; 2016-06-26 at 05:04 AM.

  2. #2
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    You are fine to overclock the gpu memory, you have a decent aib card which looks as though it is a good overclocker, just monitor the temperatures and make sure it doesnt go above 90c (thermal throttle is probable set lower, can change in ocing software).

    With regards to the coil whine, do you have it? if so most coil whine I would say is caused by the PSU, you need good clean and enough energy coming through. Which PSU do you have?

  3. #3
    High Overlord aktorsyl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MrBojingles View Post
    You are fine to overclock the gpu memory, you have a decent aib card which looks as though it is a good overclocker, just monitor the temperatures and make sure it doesnt go above 90c (thermal throttle is probable set lower, can change in ocing software).

    With regards to the coil whine, do you have it? if so most coil whine I would say is caused by the PSU, you need good clean and enough energy coming through. Which PSU do you have?
    But I can't keep an eye on the temperature, as the sensor only monitors the GPU temp, not the memory chips temp.

    I have a Seasonic 750W PSU, but the coil whine is typical GPU one where it makes more noise on higher fps, less noise on lower fps, and no noise when the GPU isn't in use. Tried swopping out the PSU and it made zero difference, so it's definitely the GPU doing it. Anyway, I'm getting off-topic here :P
    Last edited by aktorsyl; 2016-06-26 at 05:24 PM.

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