HELP! Weird OC on GTX 950?
HELP! Weird OC on GTX 950?
Hi. I’m currently working on some overclocking for my Gigabyte GTX 950.
I’m trying to push the card but I’m not sure if it’s actually succeeding. When I set a +100 overclock, both Valley and Heaven report it’s running at 1492 MHz (1392 when left at default), but HWMonitor and the built-in Afterburner monitor show much lower speeds—around 1.2 to 1.3GHz. This makes me a bit confused about whether I’m seeing the correct numbers or if something is off. The clock seems to swing between 1.2 and 1.3 in both tools. Any advice on what’s happening would be really helpful. I’ve done overclocking before, but never on a GTX 950 or any PCIe-powered card, and the results are different from what I expect. If you need more details or other screenshots, just let me know.
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There might be several factors at play.
Let’s begin with the basics. The card has power, voltage, and no-load restrictions.
The power limit needs to be raised by at least 10% before a stable overclock can be achieved.
For such a small adjustment, I’d keep the voltage unchanged.
Regarding the no-load limit, it might appear complex, but it becomes clear once you understand it.
When the card isn’t under sufficient load to require boosting, it won’t increase its speed.
This means if it’s hindered by Vsync, Gsync, a slow CPU, or a game with simple graphics (such as Rocket League or Undertale), it won’t boost.
In these cases, the overclock settings are often disregarded.
So you're wondering if the numbers you see when running Valley on Max at 1080p are accurate due to your OC and monitor limitations, or if Valley isn't actually pushing your card to its limit. You also mention that in other situations Valley shows higher speeds than what your hardware can handle, which makes you question its reliability. You're curious about the tools you should use to properly check your overclock under load, so you can improve it more effectively.
What you're suggesting is that when I'm using valley on Max settings at 1080p and it displays a value of 1492, it's likely due to my OC and the monitors simply not being capable. Or perhaps valley isn't pushing my card to its full potential (which seems very unlikely).
I want to mention that I've increased the overclock beyond those levels, and valley indicates it's running at the higher speed, but on the monitors it still shows stock speeds. So I think I shouldn't rely solely on valley or heaven to gauge my progress. What tools should I use to accurately measure my overclock while under stress so I can more effectively try to push it and find my optimal setting?
Valley's clock speed readings aren't reliable. I recommend using Afterburner for that. Valley only reflects the card's current setting, whereas Afterburner will show the actual performance.
Examine the numerous graphs in MSI Afterburner while valley is running. If any of the limits—Power Limit, Voltage Limit, or No Load limit—reach the peak on the graph, then you should consider raising that value.
To boost the power limit, drag the Power Limit slider to the right. To increase the voltage limit, add 12mV to the current voltage setting (which equals 0.012 volts).
If changing the voltage isn't possible, open Afterburner's settings via the gear icon and try Unlock Voltage Control again.
If the No Load limit is hitting its maximum, it might mean the card isn't being challenged enough to improve. Keep in mind that synthetic benchmarks such as Valley, Haven, 3DMark, etc., aren't true substitutes for actual gameplay. Often, the no load limit triggers earlier in synthetic tests than during real play.
I tested it thoroughly and my stock clock reads 1202 under load, with an adjustable +240 offset. However, I encountered artifacts above +200. Altering the voltage had no effect, so I kept it at stock with a +200 offset. It tends to swing between 1300-1400, usually around 1350 instead of the expected 1400. There shouldn’t be any throttling either, as it hasn’t reached the threshold for throttle. Adjusting voltage from 0-56 (the maximum offset) didn’t help balance it, and I set a power limit of max +116 with temperatures prioritized at 95°C. Despite this, performance is still higher than stock and should provide some improvement. Next, I’ll check if overclocking the memory will boost it further.