Adjusting core voltage to its highest setting in Afterburner
Adjusting core voltage to its highest setting in Afterburner
I adjusted my MSI 980 Gaming using this guide: I skipped the memory OC part but worry about setting the "Core Voltage (mV)" fully to the right. Is it safe to push the voltage up, even reaching the power limit? Currently it's at +87mV and 122% (max) in Afterburner, with a GPU-Z max VDDC of 1.24V.
If your goal is to reach its maximum possible performance, then yes. But if you're content with the current output, then no. I own an MSI GTX 970 and really enjoy it. I tried overclocking and achieved solid performance. However, I realized I don't require a high overclock because it's already capable of handling what I need. When it begins to lose efficiency or when I need more power, I'll boost the voltage and adjust the clocks. If you plan to increase the voltage, do so gradually and test it, rather than pushing it all at once.
Currently, my OC is +87mV with 122% and 163MHz, without memory OC. The boost in the game has reached 1504MHz. This was tested during stress testing for stability in Uniengine heaven and Kombustor, as mentioned in the guide. I never experienced any issues until instability like artifacts occurred. Is it safe to maintain the OC profile continuously?
At 1080p Tessellated Spheres X64 with 8x MSAA, the maximum temperature is nearly 70°C.
After responding to this post, I chose to experiment with my 970 once more. I adjusted the Heaven settings to match the configurations in my games, boosting my core clock by 125 (from 1205 to now 1342) and memory by 80 (from 3505mhz to now 3580mhz) at a temperature of 71°C without raising the voltage. I plan to keep the voltage low for your OC settings if you're comfortable with them. You won't need full volts.
Thanks will attempt later to reach the minimum voltage while keeping current clocks if feasible. Therefore, it is safe to set the power limit at its maximum.
Airbus580 :
Thanks will be considered later for reaching the lowest voltage while keeping current clocks stable if possible. It seems safe to keep the power limit at its maximum? Good advice! It will definitely aid in extending the life of your card, without any doubt. Adjust it gradually and never exceed what it requires. If stability fails, you can either lower the clock speed or slightly raise the voltage. Running it at full capacity isn't advisable—it only harms the card and worsens heat issues. As Mr Kagouris mentioned, it also helps with managing heat better.
From my own research, setting the power limit to maximum is acceptable, yes. I’ve configured it at full, which works well. In the MSI Afterburner tool, it monitors temperature and enforces a 85°C cap, which I believe is the safe threshold for me. My highest recorded temperature was 72°C during intense stress tests.
Let us hear your experience, it would be great to see your results. Good luck!
Power limit determines the maximum power your card can use. In today's cards, it handles fluctuating clock speeds well, making it a kind of "performance" adjustment. Pushing it to the highest setting can increase boost clocks, while lowering it below the default may stop the card from operating at full capacity—this is usually done just to cut heat, not for precise voltage changes. Keep it at the maximum for optimal performance.
Overclocking is in progress...
Heaven benchmark completed with a memory clock of (+50MHz) reaching 1778MHz at standard voltage, +162 cores, and 122% power usage. Attempted to increase core voltage but the GPU failed during the test.
Edit: Tested 100MHz memory clock, resulting in a sensor reading of 95.8MHz and a delta of approximately 1800.9*2 - 1753*2.
Where are you currently at with your overclock? Is 162 core the maximum voltage you can handle? If you're stable at 162 core with stock voltage, you might be able to raise your memory clock. You can adjust it in small steps of 15-25mhz and check the results. I've achieved +160 Core/+300 Memory at stock voltage during 2 Heaven and 3 Firestrike tests this afternoon, with a max temperature of 71°C. Determine your stock limit before considering higher voltage.