Is GTX 970 overclocking safe? Could it cause harm?
Is GTX 970 overclocking safe? Could it cause harm?
Hello everyone, I was experimenting with my GTX 970 using MSI Afterburner. It was successfully overclocked at +400 on memory and +170 on core %120 power limit in Heaven and BF1. Later, I encountered a crash in BF1, so I adjusted some settings—150 on core 350 on memory—and it worked fine again. Even when idling on desktop with MKX running in the background, it crashed. Could this indicate GPU damage? I previously managed to get +185 on core +500 on memory before, but it always failed on BF1. The maximum temperature I recorded was 68°C. My model is an Asus Strix GTX 970 and the current driver is 382.33.
First of all: Each card behaves uniquely, so don't rely on overclocking for consistent performance.
I use MSI After Burner with an EVGA SSC ACX2 970. On top of the factory settings, I set Power to 100, temperature to 84°C, core clock at +170 and memory click at +400. While running games, I monitor them using HWINFO on my second screen. It becomes obvious that the card never exceeds 80°C at 1.200v.
Overclocked specs:
GPU Clock 1467.7 MHz
Memory Clock 1915.7 MHz
GPU Video Clock 1350 MHz
Typical for this model is:
GPU Clock 1165 MHz
Memory Clock 1753 MHz
This gives you a clear comparison. If a game crashes, it might not be related to overclocking—save your overclock settings in MSI After Burner for best results.
if it helps, i own the MSI 970 and have adjusted the same configurations. previously, it ran smoothly at 185 and 400, but m.e. andromeda and fallout 4 would crash frequently. now it's set to 170 and 370 without changing the voltage. it works fine in both games. however, my power limit only reaches 110%, which might be related. i'm considering using default settings next.
Keep an eye on the temperature, power limit will be adjusted accordingly. If your OC remains steady, you don't need to revert.
First of all, each card behaves uniquely, so don’t assume a single overclock will suit you.
I use MSI After Burner with an EVGA SSC ACX2 970. On top of that, I run Power at 100%, temperature at 84°C, core clock at +170, and memory click at +400. While monitoring the game on my second screen using HWINFO, it becomes obvious what’s happening—never exceeding 80°C at 1.200v.
These are the overclocked specs:
GPU Clock 1467.7 MHz
Memory Clock 1915.7 MHz
GPU Video Clock 1350 MHz
Typical for this card is:
GPU Clock 1165 MHz
Memory Clock 1753 MHz
That’s the standard range. If a game crashes, it might not be related to overclocking; the quickest way to confirm is to save your overclock settings in MSI After Burner, reset the settings back to normal, and try playing again. If it works, reduce the overclock by 10 on one setting and 50 on the other before retrying.
unless you modified the bios on the card, nvidia includes safeguards to avoid issues such as voltage or temperature limits. when these thresholds are reached, the system will reduce performance or enter low-power states until it restarts or resets. this behavior occurs even after a bad overclock, and the card's bios settings prevent further changes.