Unusual performance with boost and overclocking on the EVGA RTX 2080
Unusual performance with boost and overclocking on the EVGA RTX 2080
I possess an EVGA RTX 2080 XC. It has performed reliably so far, with solid performance. Recently, I began exploring overclocking to gain extra speed in VR games, which is where I noticed some problems. First, the chip doesn’t increase its frequency beyond its base 1515Hz under stress—this was verified by benchmark tools and GPU-Z. It does lower its speed when idle, but I can’t get it to ramp up, even with ample temperature room (it won’t boost at 50-60°C). GPU-Z shows the "perfcap reason" as "Idle," and tweaking power settings in the Nvidia control panel has no effect. I’m also facing challenges with overclocking: EVGA Precision displays an unusable slider, always showing "0%". While I can fine-tune temperatures, clock speed adjustments don’t change the actual frequency in tests (it stays at 1515MHz). Changing voltage seems to have permanently locked my setup to that configuration, requiring a PC restart after posting. Sensors look normal. Additionally, clicking "apply" or "default" results in a blank screen for a few seconds, unlike previous cards such as the R9 290X. Software like FurMark reports power and voltage limits at zero, which is concerning. Enabling "boost lock" in Precision doesn’t help either. These issues have appeared with both EVGA Precision X1 and MSI Afterburner. I’ve also reinstalled GPU drivers via DDU, though the Windows 10 install remains clean from about a month ago.
It's unclear what you're referring to. Only one boosting program can run on a machine at a time. Running more than one will likely interfere with system performance. I don't really like MSI Afterburner—it feels heavy and tends to create more issues compared to other options available.
evga enforces strict binning on their GPUs, so your model likely won’t fit. ftw3 and beyond are solid overclockers based on what I know. Avoid using fumark—it’s pointless. GPUs will throttle if they sense it, which is why it’s in the VBIO settings. This is essentially misleading marketing; it’s meant to make customers think nothing is overheating when it actually just limits performance. For normal overclocking, tweak frequency and power limits. Voltage isn’t usually necessary, especially for beginners, and can harm the GPU if you use questionable software like precision x1. It’s not inherently bad, but it’s buggy and unreliable. Afterburner tends to perform better overall.
It's a bit clunky at times, but it remains one of the top overclocking tools, packed with features and regularly updated. I'm wondering what other options exist since most seem unreliable—buggy, heavy on resources, or just not functional. Personally, I don't find it overly sluggish once you master the shortcuts and settings. Adjusting underclocking on a GPU usually takes around five minutes (without testing for stability), and the curve editor is quite useful. The main interface is straightforward from the start (mostly). Also, I really like the fan control—it's fully customizable, though it doesn't affect fan stop unless you tweak the starting temperatures, which is where most manufacturers' curves fall short because they start too late.
Absolutely, that makes sense. I’d remove X1 since I’m not confident about it. Installing the newest version of Afterburner works well for me—they often release beta updates. Keep everything at the default settings, enable the overlay, and test a few games to confirm it doesn’t enhance performance. Regarding power sliders, the current default limit seems to be in place; sometimes it’s restricted by the card. Frequency sliders appear functional, which is good news. Removing X1 and switching to Afterburner would likely be a better approach.
Sure, in this situation it's crucial to remove x1 entirely. Who knows what it did? I was wondering about the present power limit—it can't be zero, right? Can you adjust the slider to a negative direction or not at all? This is tricky because x1 adds complexity and seems quite unstable. You might also want to check with gpuz → advanced → vbios → it should show all current limits along with their minimums and maximums.
the only effect is that you mention it doesn’t increase performance, which I think occurred after installing precision x1. no, it can’t because that’s the upper limit (the slider is already fully set). as noted, some budget models are locked, and pushing power above 100% offers little benefit at least in real-world use. I was referring to the power cap since it’s usually something adjustable, though I didn’t say it could be raised. Also, could you share a screenshot of the overview page when gpuz opens? This one.