GTX 1070 Clock Questions
GTX 1070 Clock Questions
I have a MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X 8 GB card and a I5 6600k. i was looking into overclocking my card but have no experience. When looking at tutorials the people in the videos had much higher clocks when they haven't even overclocked yet. Here is a photo of MSI afterburner with factory settings. Is a clock of 961 MHz normal and 60 degrees celcius seems high for only having chrome open.
https://imgur.com/a/3vlf4
The screen shot you shared shows a 965Mhz performance, whereas the maximum was recorded at 1974Mhz. During heavy usage (around 92°C, which is quite hot but within the GPU's throttling limits), it reached slightly less than that, yet remained significantly above its official rating.
GPU Boost 3.0 significantly reduces uncertainty. When the GPU isn’t in use, it can drop to very low performance levels. Running applications like Chrome, which often rely on hardware acceleration, will utilize the GPU for screen graphics. The same applies to Windows. The 60C setting seems reasonable, though we’d need to consider the internal temperature and other variables. (It looks like they recently reached 92C, then idle; fans likely stopped spinning and it’s just cooling passively.)
For your setup, a GP104 GPU generally supports clock speeds up to around 2100Mhz, though possibly lower. Many pre-installed cards automatically increase their speed beyond 2000Mhz because they were initially set higher during manufacturing. Air coolers usually stabilize near 1900Mhz during extended use. The GTX1070 memory clocks begin around 8000Mhz effectively. High overclocks are possible, but the outcome depends heavily on the specific memory modules you choose. You’ll need to try different approaches.
A straightforward method is to run a benchmark and observe the default frequency of the card.
Voltage settings are limited without hardware changes or a fresh BIOS setup. Typically, set the voltage to 115%-125% based on the card’s requirements, apply an offset that places you within the 2000Mhz range (aim for the maximum benchmark result plus the offset), and check stability. Adjust the voltage slightly down if needed to lower temperatures.
Memory performance is somewhat unpredictable—keep increasing until you encounter crashes or visual artifacts, then gradually reduce the voltage to stabilize temperatures.
Sure! Overclocking is like making your computer work faster than it normally does. You see, sometimes things run a bit slow, so you can push them a little harder to make them speed up. It’s kind of like trying to run a race a little faster by using a little extra energy. But don’t worry, it’s not about being annoying—just a bit of fun with your tech!
The screenshot you received shows a 965Mhz output, whereas the maximum was recorded at 1974Mhz. During heavy usage (reaching 92°C, which is quite hot but likely the GPU's throttling threshold), it was slightly lower than that, yet still significantly above its official ratings.
Nvidia introduced GPU Boost 3.0 to enable the GPU to utilize available temperature and voltage headroom, allowing it to surpass its standard specifications. To push these cards beyond their limits with a variable clock speed, tools like MSI Afterburner or EVGA Precision are used. These programs provide adjustable settings for offset adjustments.
For example, the rated clock speeds are:
- Base: 1506Mhz
- Boost: 1683 MHz
The card shown in the picture operates at 1974Mhz, which is achievable because the temperature and voltage demands did not surpass the card's intended performance range.
When attempting overclocking, you increment the clock by small steps—typically 11Mhz at a time. Factory-optimized cards might start at around 1793Mhz with a boost ratio of 177Mhz, reaching up to 1970Mhz. This is remarkably close to the card in the image. Minor variations in the base clock are normal and may shift the actual value by one or two points.
Further overclocking pushes the limit even higher, aiming for something like 88Mhz or more, around 2058Mhz. However, this usually demands a voltage increase. Most cards only allow voltage adjustments in percentage increments, with factory settings capped at 110%, 120%, or occasionally 125%. Most guides simply recommend pushing it to the maximum initially.
Overheating is a risk, but since the card self-throttles, you can usually adjust the voltage until performance stabilizes. If it crashes or freezes, reduce the overclock slightly.
Memory management also plays a role—offsets are applied, doubling in value (e.g., 4000Mhz becomes 8000Mhz). Adding an offset of 200Mhz results in an effective increase of about 400Mhz (to roughly 8400Mhz). However, stability depends on the specific model; you’ll need to raise it incrementally until you encounter crashes or artifacts. Then, lowering it by a few steps often improves consistency.
Some cards let you predefine temperature thresholds before throttling occurs. The default is usually around 82°C, though this varies per model.
The aim is to find a balance between clock speed and thermal performance. A high clock rate is useless if it only lasts a few seconds before throttling. This process will become intuitive as you experiment, with measurable gains in percentage terms.
A solid reference for overclocking is available at the provided link. For a 1080, similar methods work (though memory performance was quite strong). The starting speed was around 2012Mhz, and stable 2100Mhz was achievable with 10388 memory under water cooling.