How to circumvent NVIDIA driver voltage restrictions
How to circumvent NVIDIA driver voltage restrictions
I've increased the overclock on my GTX 960 with msi afterburner to 1400mhz and want to reach at least 1500mhz. While running Unigine the temperatures stay around 60°C, but perfcap in gpuz shows vref and vop. Is there a method to supply more voltage to my GPU? My core voltage and power limits are already at their maximum in afterburner. I also have a 1600w ATX power supply, which should provide ample power. Thanks!
Swazzie shared their experience with overclocking a GTX 960 using msi afterburner to 1400mhz, aiming for at least 1500mhz. They encountered temperatures around 60°C in Unigine and see vref and vop values in perfcap. They are seeking a method to increase GPU voltage without hardware changes, mentioning their ATX power supply is sufficient. They also asked about the specific model of the 960 they own, noting some are locked in the BIOS.
Swazzie:
I tried overclocking my GTX 960 with msi afterburner to 1400mhz but want to reach at least 1500mhz. In Unigine temperatures stay around 60C, which motivates a higher boost. However, perfcap in gpuz shows vref and vop values. Is there a method to supply more voltage to the GPU? My core voltage and power limits are already at their maximum in afterburner too.
I have a 1600w ATX power supply, so I should have plenty of power available.
Thanks!
The only option without hardware changes is flashing to a custom BIOS.
Which version of the 960 do you own? Some are locked in the BIOS and can't be altered. I need this info before I create a custom BIOS for you.
A screenshot of your GPU would be useful, especially one showing the sensors tab while the GPU is under load.
Vellinious :
Swazzie :
I tried overclocking my GTX 960 with msi afterburner to 1400mhz but want to reach at least 1500mhz. When I run Unigine, temperatures only hit 60C—which is why I’m aiming higher—but perfcap in gpuz shows vref and vop. Can there be a way to supply more voltage to my GPU? My core voltage and power limits are already maxed out in afterburner too.
I also have a 1600w ATX power supply, so I should have plenty of power.
Thanks!
The only option without hardware changes is flashing to a custom BIOS.
Which version of the 960 do you own? Some are locked in the BIOS and can’t be altered. I’d need that info before I create a custom one.
A screenshot of your GPU would help, especially one showing the sensors tab while the GPU is under load.
I have the PNY EVGA GTX 960 OC.
Not under load:
Under load:
Swazzie :
Vellinious :
Swazzie :
I tried boosting my GTX 960 with MSI afterburner to 1400mhz, but I want to reach at least 1500mhz. When I run Unigine, the temperatures only hit around 60°C—which is why I’m hoping for a higher boost—but in perfcap under gpuz it shows vref and vop. Is there a method to supply more voltage to my GPU? My core voltage and power limits are already at their maximum in afterburner too.
I also have a 1600W ATX power supply, so I should have plenty of power available.
Thanks!
The only option without hardware changes is flashing to a custom BIOS.
What model of the 960 do you own? Some are locked in the BIOS and can’t be altered. I’d need that info before I create a custom one.
A screenshot of your GPUZ would help, especially one showing the sensors tab while the GPU is under load.
I have the PNY EVGA GTX 960 OC.
Not under load:
Under load:
Please follow the link and explain your case, linking those two screenshots. They should assist you. Honestly, without cooling the GPU, it probably won’t help much—but... well, it’s worth a shot.
Keep in mind, if you go wrong with flashing to a custom BIOS, you could brick your card, and recovering it is very difficult if it happens. Be careful....
http://www.overclock.net/t/1573308/nvidi...on-request
Vellinious shared his experience with Swazzie. He tried overclocking his GTX 960 using MSI afterburner to reach 1400mhz but wants to go higher, aiming for at least 1500mhz. While running Unigine, his temperatures only reached 60°C, which motivated him to increase the setting further. However, when checking perfcap in gpuz, he sees vref and vop values. He is wondering if there’s a way to supply more voltage to his GPU. His core and power limits are already maxed out in afterburner.
He also mentioned having a 1600W ATX power supply, which should provide ample power.
He asked for advice on whether the only solution without hardware modification is flashing to a custom BIOS. He provided details about his GTX 960 model and noted that some versions are locked in the BIOS and cannot be changed. He requested a screenshot of his GPUZ showing the sensors tab during load, as well as two images: one when the GPU is idle and another under load.
He shared his PNY EVGA GTX 960 OC model and explained his situation, mentioning the risks involved. He advised caution, warning that flashing to a custom BIOS could brick the card, making recovery extremely difficult if it happens. He also provided a helpful link for further guidance.
Swazzie :
Vellinious :
Swazzie :
I've pushed my GTX 960 with msi afterburner up to 1400mhz, but I want to reach at least 1500mhz. When I run Unigine, the temperatures only hit 60C—which is why I'm aiming higher—but in perfcap under gpuz it shows vref and vop. Is there a way to supply more voltage to my GPU? My core voltage and power limits are already maxed out in afterburner too.
I also have a 1600w ATX power supply, so I should have plenty of power available.
Thanks!
The only option without hardware modification is flashing to a custom BIOS. Which version of the 960 do you own? Some are locked in the BIOS and can't be changed. I’d need that info before creating a custom one.
A screenshot of your GPU would help. Please include one showing the sensors tab while the GPU is under load, too.
I have a PNY EVGA GTX 960 OC.
Not under load:
Under load:
Please follow the link and explain your situation, linking those two screenshots. They should assist you. Honestly, without keeping the GPU cool, it probably won’t help much—but... well, it’s worth trying.
Keep in mind, if you go wrong with flashing to a custom BIOS, you could brick your card. It’s either impossible or very hard to recover, depending on what happens. Be careful...
http://www.overclock.net/t/1573308/nvidi...on-request
Thanks for the advice. I understand the risks. In your opinion, is it worth it? People say if you’re unsure, don’t proceed—but I don’t usually follow such rules. How risky is it really? Is it as if you have to be reckless to ruin the card or should you just hope it works?
With the GPU already at 61°C under load, extra voltage probably won’t help much. Maxwell usually runs better when cooler, so adding more voltage only increases heat—against their preferred method. It might give a slight boost, but I doubt it adds much value. It’s always worth a try...
Is it dangerous? Yes, it can. Power fluctuations, bios file issues, or problems during flashing can happen quickly. I’ve flashed Maxwell cards several times and only had one bad attempt. But that was on a GPU with dual BIOS, so recovery was easy.
My take? On the stock air cooler, you won’t gain enough margin to justify the effort. Just my two chances.
Vellinious :
Swazzie :
Vellinious :
Swazzie :
Vellinious :
Swazzie :
I've overclocked my GTX 960 using msi afterburner to 1400mhz but would like to push it to at least 1500mhz. When I run Unigine my temps get only to 60C (which is why I'd like to push it more) but when I look at perfcap in gpuz it says vref and vop. Is there a way to allow more voltage to my GPU? My core voltage and power limit are maxed in afterburner as well.
I also have a 1600w atx power supply, so should have PLENTY of power.
thanks!
The only way to bypass the voltage restrictions without hardware modding, is the flash to a custom bios.
Which model of 960 do you have? Some of them are hardlocked in the bios, and can't be changed regardless. Would need to know this information before creating a custom bios for you.
A screenshot of your GPUz would also be helpful. Please include one with the sensors tab, while the GPU is under load, as well.
I have the PNY EVGA GTX 960 OC
Not under load:
Under load:
Follow the link. Explain your situation, link those 2 screenshots. They should be able to help you. Can honestly say, that without keeping the GPU cooler, it likely isn't going to do a lot of good, but.....eh, it's worth a try, anyway.
Be aware, that if you screw up flashing to a custom bios, you WILL brick your card, and it ranges from impossible to very difficult to bring them back should that happen. Buyer beware....
http://www.overclock.net/t/1573308/nvidi...on-request
Thanks for the help, and I do know the risks of this.. In your opinion would it be worth it? I know people say if you're not sure of yourself don't do it, but I don't ever follow those rules lol. Just HOW risky is it? Is it like you have to be stupid to brick your card or is it like hold your breath and pray to god it works hard?
With the GPU already running at 61c under load, additional voltage isn't likely to do a whole lot. Maxwell tends to run better when cooler, so adding voltage is just going to increase heat...counter to how they like to run. It may gain you a little extra overclock, but I don't think it'll really add any value. It's always worth a shot....
Is it dangerous? Can be....power flickers, or there's something wrong with the bios file, or something happens during the flash....it can go sideways pretty quick. I have flashed Maxwell cards a few hundred times and only had one bad flash. But that was on a GPU with a dual bios, so it was easy to recover.
My opinion? On the stock air cooler, you're not going to gain enough headroom to make it worth the trouble. Just my two copper.
Alright, well I'll just see how it works for now... Maybe sometime in the future I will flash a bios when I have a watercooler. Thanks for the help!