Is the GTX 970 Overclocked Secure?
Is the GTX 970 Overclocked Secure?
I've been using a GTX 970 for roughly a month and chose to overclock it. This is my first attempt, so I wanted to be cautious and kept things safe. Is the overclock at least 90% safe? Also, I didn't adjust the power limit or core voltage since I've heard those can cause damage.
It mainly depends on temperature. Increase the overclock and run Unigine Valley for 5-10 minutes to check your maximum temperatures. Aim to keep your card below 80°C. If it gets too hot, reduce the overclock or modify your fan settings.
TJ Hooker:
The main factor is temperature. Increase the overclock and run the Unigine Valley benchmark for a short period (5-10 minutes) to check your maximum temperatures. Ideally, you should keep your card below 80°C. You can reduce the overclock or modify your fan settings if it becomes too hot.
Ok, my readings stayed around 56°C on 3D Mark, is Valley more suitable for testing?
3DMark scores are relatively brief, which helps prevent your graphics card from overheating during long gaming sessions. Valley is a good example—just let it run as needed to measure steady-state temperatures. Furmark represents the typical worst-case stress test, but I believe it’s excessive. The temperatures you observe with Valley are much closer to what you’d experience in everyday use.
Many factors depend on your GPU's performance. Highly overclocked GPUs, like those from EVGA, offer the top quality chips for stability when pushed to their limits. My EVGA SSC 970s run at 1190MHz on the core and 1342MHz at boost, which is roughly 4% above the standard Nvidia 970 spec. I can push them even higher to 160MHz without changing the voltage, a 12% jump over the factory setting. Such performance isn’t typical for regular factory-standard cards.
TJ Hooker explains that 3DMark tests are brief, so the graphics card doesn't overheat as much during extended gaming sessions. For longer runs, he suggests running Valley until steady state temperatures are reached. He also mentions using MSI Afterburner with max temps at 79 and auto fan control.
You should be safe as long as your temp limit is configured. I’m not very familiar with the temp limit in Afterburner, since I don’t think it’s available (maybe because I have an AMD card). Fans on auto should work fine.
TJ Hooker:
You should be safe if the temp limit is set correctly. I'm not very familiar with the temp limit in Afterburner, since I don't have that setting (maybe because I use an AMD card). Fans on auto should work fine.
Thanks! Afterburner includes an MSI card but it works with everything, including AMD models like mine.