Enhance performance of Strix RTX 2080s Advanced Edition using MSI Afterburner
Enhance performance of Strix RTX 2080s Advanced Edition using MSI Afterburner
Good morning everyone!
In these unusual circumstances, my initial experience with a new OC setup didn’t go well. I accidentally fried the motherboard—PC shop said it was defective, though maybe it wasn’t entirely my fault because it was just a minor overclock. Now I’m eager to try again with a brand new motherboard. Here are my current PC specifications:
- 9900k (stock)
- ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super Advanced Edition
- DDR4 Trident Z RGB 3200 - c16
- Gigabyte Aorus z390 pro gaming wifi
- 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD
- Fractal S36 CPU water cooling
- Fractal Meshify S2 case
- Corsair AX850 power supply
- Dell s2719DGF 1440p 155hz 1ms gaming monitor
I plan to overclock the GPU using MSI afterburner to boost FPS, but I’m careful not to damage any components. I’ve watched many tutorials and am a beginner, yet I learn quickly. I’m confident I can discover the optimal settings for Core clock and memory speed.
However, I’m still unsure about adjusting the core voltage or power limit.
Questions:
1. Should I raise the power limit to 125%? The linked temperature cap reaches 84°C. What are the risks?
2. Should I even change the voltage? Or should I stick to adjusting the power limit, Core clock, and memory clock only?
Thanks a lot!
OC in phases. Gradual adjustments.
Begin with standard configurations. Increase clocks in small jumps until issues appear. Reset to defaults. Adjust memory similarly, moving down one or two steps at a time. Raise power limits gradually until you reach stability. If power caps cause instability, reduce both clocks and memory further, starting from around 112-115%.
Avoid changing voltage settings until you achieve optimal clock and memory performance. Often, a slight undervoltage correction is necessary.
You can safely handle maximum voltage and power limits since the hardware is secured. I followed this approach on my 2080Ti 2100Mhz core 2020Mhz MEM. To achieve higher power limits, you should update your GPU bios and physically adjust the card for increased voltage. I plan to only flash my GPU when my warranty expires. It's best to maintain temperatures below 80°C. The lower the temperature, the better because NVIDIA's boost function works more efficiently. My card begins to degrade gradually after reaching 40°C.
Graphics card manufacturers sell their chips in different configurations and often use the superior ones in factory overclocked models to increase their value. Your chip might already be one of those overclocked units. You might have some extra overclocking potential, but it could also be limited. If you're just looking to test things out, that's fine—just keep in mind the possible risks. It's better to stick with a very high-end setup if you want the best performance. How much more do you actually require? If you need greater speed, consider purchasing a higher-tier card from the start.
If that is your graphics card, then you likely won't have much room to adjust. These cards are also affected by temperature, so if you want to increase performance further, be prepared to use more aggressive cooling settings. If your GPU is already running hot, those additional temperatures will probably stop most extra overclocking attempts on the card that came out of the factory.
OC in phases. Gradual adjustments. Begin with standard configurations. Increase clocks in small steps until issues appear. Reset to defaults. Adjust memory similarly, moving down by 1-2 steps each time. Raise power limits gradually until stability returns. If power caps are reached without stability, reduce both clocks and memory further, starting at around 112-115%. Avoid changing voltage settings until you achieve optimal performance. Often, a slight undervoltage correction is necessary.