Max voltage for R9 390?
Max voltage for R9 390?
Requesting advice from a friend who owns an R9 390, looking to perform some overclocking. I’m new to AMD graphics cards and don’t know the limits of voltage adjustments. On Nvidia cards, the voltage is fixed, but with AMD it’s unclear if there’s a safe upper bound for everyday use. Assuming temperatures are manageable, what should I consider?
Requesting advice from someone who owns an R9 390 with overclocking plans. Lacking experience with AMD graphics cards, I’m unsure about voltage limits. On Nvidia cards, the voltage cap is fixed, so you push the overvoltage to its maximum and adjust for overclocking. With AMD, there might be a safe voltage range, but it depends on the chip design. Assuming thermal performance is stable, I also have an MSI Gaming R9 390 that’s already optimized, so I’m confident in providing guidance. The general rule seems to apply.
I'm reaching out to a fellow enthusiast who owns an R9 390 and is considering some overclocking. I’m new to AMD graphics cards, so I’m unsure what voltage limits are safe. On Nvidia boards, the maximum voltage is fixed, but you can push it higher if needed. For AMD, I understand there’s a safe range, but I’m not sure about exact thresholds for daily use. Assuming temperatures stay under control, the situation differs from Nvidia.
I also have an MSI Gaming R9 390 with a 1060 MHz core and factory-optimized memory. I’ve already done some overclocking, so I can speak to this topic. The main factors are silicon variation and thermal conditions. Generally, there’s a cap for the core around 1200 MHz (or slightly lower) and about 1750 MHz for memory. Unlike Nvidia, AMD allows more precise adjustments—often in whole MHz increments.
The R9 390 already has a chip that nears its limits both thermally and structurally. Raising the voltage significantly won’t help much and could raise temperatures by a lot (sometimes over 15°C to 20°C). I keep it at 1100 MHz for the core and 1600 MHz for memory, with a power limit of +35% and no extra voltage applied (using MSI Afterburner).
Without extra voltage, I can reach around 1104 MHz stably. Increasing voltage by 19mV gets me to 1120 MHz, but sometimes artifacts appear. Raising the core voltage to +100mV and boosting power by 50% allowed a valley run at 1140 MHz, though temperatures reached about 86°C with the side panel open for better cooling.
In conclusion, successfully overclocking an R9 390 is possible up to around 1140 MHz with careful tuning and moderate voltage changes. Pushing it further isn’t worth the added heat or risk of damaging the GPU in the long run. Take your time adjusting—don’t panic over occasional freezes or crashes; that’s just part of the process.