first time overclock
first time overclock
I recently increased my CPU and GPU performance. I used a Gigabyte motherboard and adjusted the BIOS to upgrade my Intel i5 6600K from 3.5 to 4.2 using the CPU upgrade option. Everything worked smoothly and reached a maximum of 70°C during a Prime 95 stress test. My GPU is a GTX 1080 FE, which I overclocked to 210 on core and 800 on memory with MSI Afterburner. The fan speed was set at 65 power boost, maintaining a temperature limit of 90°C. This run lasted 15 minutes with Kombuster, reaching a peak of 90°C. While playing NFS Heat, the CPU hit 50°C at 100% load and the GPU reached 71°C under the same conditions. From other overclock attempts, I’ve noticed that a 1080 FE with 210 and 800 seems to be an extreme overclock. I haven’t adjusted the voltage yet. Am I overheating or is something going wrong? I’m just trying it for the first time and would appreciate any advice.
Kombustor isn't particularly effective for a GPU stress test, and 15 minutes is significantly insufficient for stability checks. A longer period—15 to 20 minutes—is suitable for air cooling tests, though an hour is better for liquid coolers. For power and voltage stability, 15 to 20 minutes is still too brief.
Download and launch Asus Realbench, then click the Stress Test section. During the test, set the duration to 8 hours; the longer it runs, the better, so consider taking a break. When checking memory, use half of your RAM value—avoid confusing this with GPU VRAM. If that succeeds, stability is likely.
Also, keep the GPU temperature below 90°C. You're attempting to overclock, so aim for a higher fan curve (80-90%) if possible; otherwise, don't overclock. It's quite aggressive, but these adjustments might help.
I downloaded realbench and intend to try it tonight. Most of the overclocking guides suggest setting the temperature to max (92) and making gradual increases until the stress test fails or shows artifacts, which is what I did. What should I set the maximum temperature to for stress tests? Should I lower it while gaming? I plan to keep this card for another 2 or 3 years, so what temperature is safe enough to avoid extreme wear? Also, should I focus on FPS during the stress test or is running until it crashes the only requirement for basic overclocking?
Power and temperature restrictions should be increased to their highest values.
These GPUs are sensitive to heat and have specific temperature limits beyond the standard and safe power settings. Setting higher limits gives the GPU extra room for performance.
I recommend keeping temperatures below 85°C for regular use.
Higher temps can cause issues like artifacts, crashes, and instability.
Additionally, certain game engines don’t support GPU overclocking at all. This can lead to confusion and frustration as people try to fix problems with complex solutions when simpler fixes exist.
If a particular game causes trouble while others don’t, it might help to disable the overclock first.
I’ve also heard that Control is a solid benchmark for GPUs, but the issue here is that it’s not accessible to everyone, so it may not be practical for all users.
I won’t spend money on a game I don’t want just to test an overclock; I’ll use what’s available instead.
But if you own that game, keep pushing your limits.