8800GT Volt mod success!
8800GT Volt mod success!
Here’s the rewritten version at the same length and tone:
I managed to apply a volt modification to my 8800GT using a 1Kohm resistor. I set the idle desktop voltage to 1.26V, and under load it fluctuated between 1.29 and 1.3V (using ATItool artifact scan, worst-case scenario). This allowed me to boost my core to 770, shader to 1925, and memory to 1000.
This resulted in an impressive jump—124 points over my previous 700/1000 OC in 3DMark06. It was a stressful experience, with my $240 card nearly failing for just 124 points. This modification is clearly a waste of time, effort, and money. Even with my Accelero S2 and turbo module, temperatures soared above 90°C during scans. While running 3DMark06 it only reached around 80°C for a brief moment. Definitely not worth the investment.
Additionally, I followed the instructions on this website:
http://iax-tech.com/video/8800gt/8800gt01.htm
The process was thorough. The modification actually works. It enabled me to push my core up to 770 and shader to 1925. However, the performance gain wasn’t as significant as claimed on the site. After their OC/volt mod, they achieved over 1000+ points in 3DMark06. At their standard speed, they scored much higher than mine. My scores were around 49xxx, while theirs were near 55xx. Their SM3 scores were similar. Post-modification, they excelled in the 6000s range. I know their CPU is much faster on average—about 2500 CPU points compared to my near 6400. I’m unsure if this impacts their scores, but after following every step they suggested, I only managed a few points in SM2 and almost none in SM3. I suspect the heat from overvolting was the main issue, and I was able to run the artifact scan without errors at those speeds (previously anything above 720 cores would freeze the driver). GPU-Z also confirmed this.
I can’t understand why my results were so much lower than theirs. It’s not that these tests are realistic—synthetic ones often show bigger improvements than real gameplay. I don’t think I’d notice any meaningful gain with this overclock.
In short, if you manage to hit 700 core and 1000 memory, stick with it—it won’t improve much further. I even removed the wires after installing the pot, leaving it on for a keepsake (and the sticky pad is still a pain). I’ll share photos of the modded card later. It worked, but not as well as expected.
I haven't encountered any issues with temperature, but I'm using a modified VF900 with an 80mm Scythe fan spinning at 1300rpm. What I discovered is that raising the voltage beyond 1.2 without the card shutting down proved difficult.
ATI Tool artifacts appear at 730 vcore, 1000 mem, or 1900 shader. Running 700 / 975 / 1850 actually brings 3DMark from around 11,700 to about 11,100.
This makes me think... I might experiment further and try reversing the mod if it doesn't improve things. It seems much simpler than soldering that component—those pins are really tiny!
The eVGA 8800GT will not exceed 1.2v, resulting in 740/950/1900 stable so far. ATI Tool artifacts around 750 core. 3DMark06 is approximately 12,350 with the CPU (E6750) at 3.44. The score appears to rely on a mix of GPU and overclocking. Between the two O/Cs I notice an improvement of about 11% in 3DMark.
I think so, but for my specific case I just removed the soldering and kept my 700/1000 OC setup. I'm satisfied with that because some people find it difficult to maintain stability at 1Ghz. I'll leave it as is and might try again when I get a Q6600, which will be affordable in about a year or two.
I question whether the prices of the Q6600 will drop significantly.
If you're hitting 90 degrees with the Accelero and Fan's setup, you might have some serious problems.
I'm using the same configuration as you—8800gt, Accelero cooler with turbo fans—and I've managed to push my card up to 770 / 1050 / 1900 just by adjusting the software volt settings. The hottest temperature I've reached is 42 degrees.
My experience shows significant improvements with this setup.
Testing also indicates that going beyond 1.1 volts doesn't help much (stock is 1.05). As I mentioned earlier, I got an extra 60 / 50 / 150 by increasing it to 1.1 v.
No worries, but something seems off here.
You're experiencing some significant problems with your setup. Running the same configuration as yours—8800gt, Accelero cooler with turbo fans—has allowed you to reach temperatures between 770 and 1050 degrees, depending on the settings. The hottest readings are around 42 degrees, while with the volt mod and cooler, it only goes up to 710 and 1750, reaching a peak of 63 degrees. I've noticed substantial improvements with this configuration.
Testing also indicates that pushing the card beyond 1.1 volts isn't beneficial (stock is 1.05). As I mentioned earlier, going up to 60/50/150 at 1.1V added an extra 60/50/150, so I'm puzzled.
Your clock readings are confusing—core temp, memory temp, but the shader seems to be at 1050 or maybe 1950? If you had it at 1925, I'd adjust the shader to 1950 and recheck. When using ATITool's artifact scan, the driver stopped responding and the temperature spiked. My Accelero S2 setup is correct; I usually idle around 38-40°C, rarely exceeding 50°C during gameplay, and it rarely goes above 47°C in testing. With my stock cooler, the difference is huge—I used to idle at 60°C and loads were in the 80s. I'm unsure what changed.
Could you list your gains from the volt mod? If possible, provide a breakdown of CPU, SMAP, and 3DMark scores in a 3Dmark06 format? Thanks.
My shader runs around 1800, hard to recall exactly from the start—I'm at work. My card stays at 32 degrees and never goes above 43. I plan to remove the turbo fans and replace them with two 120mm fans to check if it improves performance. I don’t have precise 3DMark scores, but I noticed a noticeable boost. After work, I’ll run more tests and update you. I’ve been playing COD4, Crysis, and World of Warcraft—though WoW isn’t very demanding, it never drops below 60 FPS. Last night I experienced a crash in COD4, so I lowered the frequency to 3MHz just to be safe. Overall, I’m playing at high settings with no anti-aliasing, but I’m getting 40–50 frames. I can do two AA passes, but it drops to 28–35, which is too low for me.
Well i have numbers for you.
Not a huge gain, but a gain none the less.
My rig is a 6400+, 2 GB memory, nothing insane.
My score in 3dmark on all stock settings was 11246
My score in 3dmark overclocked at i got a 11559 a difference is 313 points.
these were my settings.
740 core
1782 shader
1044 memory.
Now i'm not sure if this will effect score at all, but i did have my 2nd monitor running. I figured thats how i play games so i left it on.
All n All i overclocked my video card an average of 10%. It was free and easy to do. With my cooling setup i'm not going to worry about anything. Hell if i blow it up it means i get to buy a better one :-D
Also i got rid of those turbo fans and put 2 120mm fans on the S1 and i never saw temps over 39 degrees during my 3dmark run.