Problems when increasing clock speeds with RX 480 MSI Gaming X
Problems when increasing clock speeds with RX 480 MSI Gaming X
Daniel Thomas suggested sticking to one thread. Roland Of Gilead mentioned he hasn't replied to this thread yet and noticed his response isn't there. He shared that he has overclocked before, even changing the GPU in his laptop (GTX 1050), which seems stable. However, the readings in the graphs show no overclocking, which is unusual since his activity fluctuates and his GPU crashes only when a small boost is added to memory clock. This inconsistency makes him wonder if the issue lies with the card or something else. He believes it could be a problem with the component itself. Trial and error was his initial thought. He also noted that many modern cards are already at maximum performance and that pushing further for extra frames often causes instability. He questioned whether the instability is worth the risk, especially since his RX clock is already high and any further boosts might cause crashes during games. Some games perform poorly with CPU or GPU overclocking, while others do so with little effect. He suggested testing at stock settings to rule out the card as the problem.
There are no assurances with overclocking. Various components respond differently, and some perform well while others struggle. It's typical to find a factory-optimized card that's already near its maximum potential.
Roland Of Gilead:
Daniel Thomas :
bignastyid :
Please keep it to one thread
Roland Of Gilead :
I'm only responding to this thread or a few others. I don't see my reply here. I've actually adjusted the settings before. The GPU in my laptop (GTX 1050) seems stable, but the graphs show those readings without any changes. That's unusual. Why does my activity fluctuate when nothing is happening? And why does my GPU crash only if I add a small +50 boost to just the memory clock? That's not normal for most GPUs. Even my laptop clocks higher than that. Could it be related to the card itself or something else?
Sadly, this could be the case. Just because one system, chip, or GPU can be adjusted doesn't mean your next component will. Trial and error.
A thought, though: I like adjusting settings, but I don't see much benefit for GPUs. More often than not, cards today are already optimized or have SSC features, reaching near their limits. Adjusting a GPU usually gives only small gains, and I wouldn't consider it worth the instability. If you're playing at 120 FPS and your adjustment brings you to 123 FPS, is it worth it? Probably not. The extra frames won't be noticeable except maybe in benchmarks. So why do this for the sake of it? Your RX is already clocked high. Pushing it a few frames just to crash games doesn't make sense.
Some games react poorly to CPU adjustments, others to GPU ones. Maybe the issue lies with the card itself. That's something you can test by running it at stock settings and comparing performance in games and benchmarks. Rule it out.
If it works fine at stock, then the problem must be with the optimization you're trying to apply.
You're right. I've seen a minimum of 5 FPS improvement on my RX 480. The performance is usually good without it, but based on what others have reported, they often get a noticeable boost with very little effort. In the future, I might use that extra power, but I'm curious—could it be my card or something else in my system causing trouble?
Daniel Thomas:
Roland Of Gilead :
Daniel Thomas :
bignastyid :
Please keep it to one thread
Roland Of Gilead :
I'm just getting back to this discussion, or maybe another one. I don't see my reply here. I've actually tried overclocking several times before. I even changed the GPU settings on my laptop (GTX 1050), and that version seems quite stable. The surprising part is in the graphs—those numbers appear without any overclocking at all, which is odd. Why does my activity fluctuate when nothing is happening? And why does my GPU only fail if I add a small +50 boost to just the memory clock? That's not normal for most GPUs. Even my laptop clocks go up more than that. Could it be related to the card itself or something else?
Unfortunately, this could be the case. Just because one system, chip, or GPU can be overclocked doesn't guarantee the same with your next component.
Trial and error.
A quick thought though: I appreciate overclocking, but I don't see much benefit for GPUs. More often than not, modern cards are already optimized with OC/SSC features and reach near their limits. Pushing a GPU's clock further usually brings instability. If you're getting 120 FPS while playing at 1080p and your overclock gives you 123, is the extra gain worth it? Probably not. The minor boost won't be noticeable except possibly in benchmarks. So why would you intentionally cause instability?
Your RX is already clocked well. Pushing a few more frames just to beat games feels pointless.
Some games react badly to CPU overclocking, others to GPU overclocking. Maybe the problem lies with the card itself. It's easy to test—run it at default and compare performance in games and benchmarks. Rule it out.
If it works fine at stock settings, then the instability you're experiencing is likely due to an unstable or unreliable overclock.
You're right. I've seen a small improvement of at least 5 FPS on my RX 480. The gameplay is usually smooth without it, but I've noticed others can squeeze out a decent boost with minimal effort. In the future, I might be able to leverage that extra power, but I'm still curious if it's my card or something else in my system causing trouble.
That's true to some extent. There can be performance gains, but as bignastyid mentioned, cards that are already factory-optimized have very little room for further tweaks.
Your RX is a solid choice for 1080p at 60fps in most games. The challenge ahead is finding a better card for noticeable improvements. Overclocking it for just a few frames to gain extra FPS isn't worth it.
🙁
But Volta and Vega updates are definitely coming soon, so for now, with my GTX1060—which performs similarly to your RX 480—upgrading the GPU seems more practical than risking a small performance bump from my card.
On the darker side of things. I've heard about people having mining malware on their computers, though I can't confirm it. Some say they have 100% GPU usage almost from the start, and gaming isn't feasible. If you're facing something similar, I'd suggest reinstalling Windows to remove any threats and testing again. If usage fluctuates, it might be due to other software or background processes. Personally, Chrome is quite heavy, and I've noticed odd activity on my system, but closing Chrome clears the usage.
Roland Of Gilead shared his observations about unusual system behavior. He noted reports of malware affecting GPU usage, with some users experiencing near-total GPU consumption and no gaming capability. He suggested reinstalling Windows to remove potential threats and tested again. For intermittent changes, he attributed them to background software or processes. He mentioned Chrome as a performance issue and observed reduced usage after closing it. After upgrading to an SSD, he cleaned the system, moved programs to the main drive, and found smoother operation with improved GPU performance. He also noted possible registry issues from recent hardware changes, concluding that a fresh Windows installation was necessary.
Daniel Thomas shared his experience with Roland Of Gilead about unusual system behavior. He noted some users reported high GPU usage and difficulty running games, suggesting possible malware or driver conflicts. He tried reinstalling Windows after replacing the hard drive with an SSD, moving programs to the main drive, and found smoother performance and stable GPU operation. He attributed past issues to registry problems from hardware changes and recommended a clean install for resolution.