Artifacts or voltage, which one is worse? OC GTX 970
Artifacts or voltage, which one is worse? OC GTX 970
Hey! So I'm just starting out with overclocking and thought I'd check what I could accomplish with my GTX970. Looks like you've got a lot to explore:
MSI Afterburner Settings:
110 % power limit
+210 core clock
+500 Mem clock
+0 Voltage
Fan set to auto
Temp limit set to 85°C
I used Valley benchmark and performed some stress tests in MSI Kombustor. Here are some GPU Z Readings after playing The Witcher 3 1440p DSR for a few hours:
Core clock max reading: 1552 mhz
(though it dropped to 1539mhz in the game, what does that mean?)
VDDC max: 1.2180 V
TDP max: 107.5 % (usually around 99-104 % during gameplay)
max 67% fan speed
mem controller load max reading: 76 %
Max temp: 74°C (side panel of the chassis was knocked over, right now I'm just dealing with the huge pile of laundry someone didn’t bother with)
FPS stayed around 40-45!
It’s been almost completely stable without even changing the voltage, but… I still have a few questions. They probably aren’t very helpful since they seem to be pretty basic. Ready?
All three issues are present, indicating a GPU instability. Voltage adjustments should be made carefully. Raising the voltage raises temperature.
botchling86 :
Hey! So Im new to overclocking but decided to see what I could do with my gtx970 and appears you can achieve a lot
HERES what I managed with for anyone interested:
MSI Afterburner Settings:
110 % power limit
+210 core clock
+500 Mem clock
+0 Voltage
Fan set to auto
Temp limit set to 85C
Ive used Valley benchmark and done some stress tests in MSI Kombustor and here are some GPU Z Readings after playing The Witcher 3 1440p DSR for a couple of hours:
Core clock max reading: 1552 mhz
(though decreased to 1539mhz in game for some reason, what does that mean?)
VDDC max: 1.2180 V
TDP max: 107.5 % (usually around 99-104 % in game)
max 67% fan speed
mem controller load max reading: 76 %
Max temp: 74C (side panel of the chassi thrown to the side. right now reciding on the extensive pile of laundry that someone just cant be bothered with)
FPS stayed around 40-45!
Has been almost completely stable without even touching voltage but.. just have a few questions. And they are most likely stupid and therefore maybe hard to answer... ready??
1.
I see artifacts in the Witcher 3 (little red dots) they appear very seldom but now and again. Is this anything to worry about? I mean I have no crashing at all and havent touched voltage.
2.
Whats worse for the graphics card.
-Artifacts?
-Extra voltage?
-Or is it mainly temperature?
3.
Considering how well this card overlocks, about how far could I push the core clock to really? Maybe have to increase the power limit further for it to be any point? and is this even a good idea?
Thanks so much for reading. Would love an answer to this.
They all need to be avoided. What's worse? Having a cold or the flu? Extra voltage(.25mv increments) isn't necessarily bad for the card. There is a line where too much voltage can be very bad for the card. Overclock too far and you usually start with artifacts. They can get worse or the system may freeze or crash. The OC is removed and the OC'er tries again. It won't damage the card. Mess with the voltage without knowing what you're doing and you could physically damage a card.
GPUs usually run hotter than CPUs. You should always keep the card under 80C. The 70s are too warm for my tastes. The 50s and 60s(on air) is a GPU's Goldilocks zone imo. Now that I have a top end card with an integrated 120mm AIO cooler it generally stays in the 30's and 40's when gaming and around 25 at idle. With Nvidia's GPU boost 3.0 temperature is playing a bigger role than ever. It is similar to thermal throttling. That means that cooling is your only weapon against the clock changes.
I've heard of 58 and 62c. So now you're target temp should be 56.
Thanks for your message!
For voltage, I assumed the limit in msi afterburner (87mv) would be safe, so I immediately set it to max to check if artifacts disappeared... but didn’t get any luck.
I was cautious at first when checking for artifacts and ran both valley and some MSI tests—everything looked fine.
My concern is whether I should still worry about damaging the card if no crashes appear in games.
Thanks for your response!
Regarding voltage, I assumed the limit in msi afterburner (87mv) would be safe. I immediately set it to max to check if artifacts disappeared. Unfortunately, no improvement.
At first, I was cautious and checked for artifacts using both valley and MSI tests—results were normal. My main concern is whether I should still worry about damaging the card if they appear in games. No crashes, but I want to be sure.
Could you take a screenshot of the snow? That would help determine if the issue is a cable problem or a graphics card fault. I found it was a cable issue after checking. If the artifacts are visible and the screen shows a clear message to replace the cable, I’d recommend an RMA. These cards have been under warranty for a while, so it’s worth considering.
Thanks. I know its an OC problem.The artifacts (the red blinking dots) are known to appear when using overclocked maxwell gpus in the witcher 3. They ONLY appear in the witcher 3 and go away when I lower the clock. So RMA? No. Was just wondering if it was ok to ignore the artifacts since they dont appear too often. But I understand artifacts=uncommon stress on the gpu thus causing damage in the long run? So no option but to lower it I guess.
🙁
botchling86 :
Thanks. I know its an OC problem.The artifacts (the red blinking dots) are known to appear when using overclocked maxwell gpus in the witcher 3. They ONLY appear in the witcher 3 and go away when I lower the clock. So RMA? No. Was just wondering if it was ok to ignore the artifacts since they dont appear too often. But I understand artifacts=uncommon stress on the gpu thus causing damage in the long run? So no option but to lower it I guess.
🙁
It does not mean uncommon stress. It means instability which imo would suggest that I talk to the manufacturer and ask for an RMA. Regardless, artifacts are never to be taken lightly or ignored or pushed aside.