Talk about DiscussionGTX 680 Lightning/Power edition overclocking and BIOS talk.
Talk about DiscussionGTX 680 Lightning/Power edition overclocking and BIOS talk.
Hi everyone, I just got an MSI Power edition (Lightning) GTX 680.
I didn’t win the silicon lottery with this one, but maybe I did with the memory lottery:
OC: 1163/1175MHz Core @ 1.175V
3881MHz (7762) Memory @ standard voltage
Some people have managed to get this card up to over 1200MHz—could I be getting a faulty chip?
Is this memory clock suitable for my card? My 1050 Ti defaults at 7008MHz!
Thanks, and please share your thoughts!
I enjoy the 600 and 700 series models, especially having a 670 x3 windforce and 780 lightning setup, which was impressive. The MSI 780ti also impressed me. When you apply stress to the card and check the maximum boost with gpu-z, the peak core clock you get is 1175. EDIT: Refer to post #331 for my GTX 670 windforce score at 1080p high setting superposition, along with a few earlier posts from 1080p medium. https://forums. You can use this benchmark to easily test your GPU and see if you're gaining any performance or facing instability.
I frequently relied on LN2 bios during overclocking my 780 Lightning. Power down the machine and switch off the power supply using the designated button. Then check your graphics card for the LN2 bios switch:
https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/ms...ew,25.html
This is the second or third image in this discussion. Re-enable LN2 and restart the computer; you should see a voltage limit up to 1.212v instead of the usual 1.175v.
After updating MSI via Burner Options, press the mark to unlock voltage monitoring and then unlock voltage control. Choose one of the three options in the dropdown, select "Extended MSI", save the changes, and you may need to reinstall your PC afterward. Even after completing these steps, if the unlocked voltage still isn’t visible, try the following:
This method won’t work with BIOS versions other than those listed below:
80.04.09.00.F8
80.04.28.00.3A
(unlocked LN2)
80.04.09.00.3A
(unlocked LN2)
1.) Launch GPU-Z and verify the "BIOS Version" display.
2.) On the main screen, click the "i" Info icon to retrieve your BIOS version.
EDIT: If you need to unlock the voltage without using these specific versions, refer to this guide:
https://www.overclock.net/forum/69-nvidi...-club.html
Keep in mind that using LN2 bios disables thermal throttling features and allows you to raise the power limit to its maximum. Always ensure your power limit is set above 150% to avoid bottlenecks.
i wouldn't push memory too high because it could damage the card over time and won't match the performance of a core OC. other people's results with memory overclocks show they can reach 7400mhz but stay steady at 1400mhz on the core. edit: just lower it to a max of 3500mhz (7000mhz total) until your core stabilizes.
Hi fagetti,
Thanks for the details!
My PSU is a Coolermaster g750m rated at 750 watts, paired with a z77 motherboard and an i7 3770 with 16GB RAM.
I tested both BIOS versions that came with the card; they look almost the same:
Left switch: 80.04.47.00.43
Right switch: 80.04.47.00.16
In MSI Afterburner, both are labeled 'MSI NGTX680 POWER EDITION'.
I’ve also read your post at the link you shared — it confirmed that the 80.04.09.00.F8 BIOS was the only one with voltage control.
Yesterday I attempted to flash the 80.04.09.00.F8 BIOS into the GPU using LN2 BIOS mode, but the process failed and I had to re-flash it from scratch. I assumed this version supported voltage control.
Later, I tried the 80.04.28.00.3A BIOS and it worked! However, I couldn’t exceed a voltage of 1.175V, so I’ll consider trying it again once more and report back.
Regarding the memory, I’m not sure about your 780 Lightning model, but my 680 Lightning has temperature sensors on both the RAM and VRM. During overclocking, it never exceeded 62°C, and I didn’t apply over-voltage, yet performance dropped. I was worried it would damage the components.
Appreciate your help and updates!
P.S. I might rename this thread to better reflect the BIOS info.
I have a sensor in my 780 lightning for VRM but not in memory, and I don’t see those high VRM temperatures with 1.212-1.25v. I also had other voltage settings that I never changed. Try uninstalling the MSI Afterburner and then installing Evga Precision—it’s similar to MSI Afterburner and I used it for my 780 lightning. You might need to unlock its voltage from the options, adjust the left-side slider to 1212, and if that still doesn’t reach 1.212v, figure something out. Use 100% fan speed after 65-70°C so you won’t experience thermal throttling.
You are able to exceed 1.212v using various techniques, but I won’t recommend it until you’ve tested a few weeks to discover the most stable overclock for your core clock at this voltage. Don’t adjust memory voltage unless you leave it at the default; always drop down your memory clock to around 6000-7000mhz as a starting point so you can identify a stable core clock. Benchmarking a lot is crucial when working with memory, as performance drops before artifacts appear. Once you reach your limits, reduce memory speed by -25mhz and keep it there. This helps you find a stable core clock before moving on to memory tuning.
Success!!!! I tested the 80.04.28.00.3A bios once more and now I can adjust/increase the voltage. Here’s what I discovered:
With my original Power Edition bios, I was able to modify the voltage slider in Afterburner, but the voltage remained fixed at 1.175V even when the load changed.
(Default core clock is around 1110MHz with an OC stable at 1163MHz).
Using this new ln2 bios, the frequency drops to 1201MHz @1.154V under load, which is unstable compared to the previous 1163MHz @1.175V.
For now, I’m lowering the core clock by about 30MHz and it’s stable at 1163MHz @1.154V. Later I’ll try raising the voltage to see what frequencies are possible. I’ll proceed carefully.
I can push the voltage up from 1.154 to around 1.254 with a +100mhz setting on the slider, but I’ll also test 1.2V.
I have three voltage settings I can tweak: Core, Memory, Aux1 (greyed out).
I did a quick search and found that for a CPU, the Aux voltage corresponds to the PLL voltage. The PLL controls the clock generator for the GPU, so it seems clocks require more voltage as they increase.
Regarding memory, I didn’t plan to change its voltage since it might affect stability, so I’ll keep it unchanged.
I’ll proceed with this overclock method and share my findings later. Thanks again!
I wouldn't recommend altering memory and auxiliary voltages. I used to read a lot about these voltages while overclocking a 780ti, and some folks ended up damaging their cards when they messed with them. You might want to lower your memory clock back to the default setting before you install the core—it can lead to instability.
What are your temperatures under load? Especially for the GPU and VRM? The GTX 680 Lightning already starts throttling the boost clock at around 70°C, which is a small reduction but still worth keeping the fan at full speed if you want to maintain core clock integrity. VRM temps need to be quite high; I remember having them consistently below 90°C. Running the fan at 100% helps with that. Replacing thermal paste with products like NT-H1 or Gc Gel Extreme could lower those numbers by about 10°C, but you don’t have to do it if your temps are under control.