Are you looking to get the best performance from your favorite games without buying a new graphics card? Overclocking can provide significant performance benefits, but there are also some serious risks to consider. Whenever you increase your execution speeds beyond the manufacturer's specified limit, you run the risk of damaging the card. If, on the other hand, you go through the process with caution and patience, you will be able to overclock safely and without incurring any inconvenience.
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Preparation
Step 1. Update the video card drivers
Before overclocking, be sure to update the latest video card drivers. You can download them from the Nvidia or AMD site, depending on the manufacturer listed on your card. Having updated drivers will allow your card to run in the most stable mode possible. Updated drivers often increase overclocking performance as well.
Step 2. Download the right tools
To overclock you will need some programs available for free. These programs will provide you with the performance benchmark, allow you to adjust the timing and voltage of the graphics card, and monitor performance at various temperature levels.
- Download a benchmarking program. There are several, but one of the fastest and most intuitive to use is Heaven, available for free from the Unigine developers. Another popular program is 3DMark.
- Download an overclocking program. Nvidia and AMD both have their own overclocking utilities, but MSI Afterburner is one of the most popular and used programs. It can work with virtually any Nvidia or AMD graphics card.
- Download a monitoring program. While benchmarking and overclocking programs will detect temperatures and speeds during the process, it's still a good idea to have another monitor to make sure all settings are identified correctly. GPU-Z is a lightweight program for monitoring the temperature, clock speed, memory speed, and every other aspect of your graphics card.
Step 3. Find information about your graphics card
Going through the overclocking process without first checking your video card can cause unnecessary time wasting and inevitable headaches. The goal is to find the same clock speed other users get with your same graphics card, and also what is generally considered your card's safe voltage level.
- Do not immediately apply these numbers to your video card. Since each card is different, it is not possible to know what might happen if you enter the wrong numbers. Rather, use them as a guide during the overclocking process to judge the effectiveness of your parameters.
- Visit some forums, such as Overclock.net, to find other overclockers that have the same video card as you.
- Overclocking a laptop's GPU is not recommended. Laptops have more trouble dissipating heat, and overclocking can cause the temperature to rise quickly, dangerously.
Part 2 of 5: Benchmarking the Video Card
Step 1. Open the benchmarking program
You will need to install it after the download. Most users will be able to leave the settings at their default values during installation. Once the program is installed, open it to start the benchmarking process.
Step 2. Adjust the reference settings
Before running the benchmark, you will be able to adjust the graphics settings of the card. Adjust the settings to the desired value and make sure the resolution is set to "Desktop". If the benchmarking program doesn't work very well with your chosen settings, you can change them later.
Step 3. Click on "Run"
The benchmarking program will be launched and displayed on your PC monitor after the first few loading screens. If the performance is poor you can exit the program and readjust the settings, although this is not strictly necessary, as during the overclocking process you should notice an improvement in performance without having to adjust the settings.
Step 4. Click on "Benchmark"
Once the program is running, you will see a row of buttons at the top of the screen. Click on the "Benchmark" button to start the benchmarking process. In Heaven 26 different processing will be performed and it will take several minutes to complete the process. After the benchmark is finished, you will be given a score based on the performance of the graphics card.
Step 5. Record your score
Write down your score, it will help you easily compare results as you speed up your card.
Part 3 of 5: Increase the System Clock Speed
Step 1. Open MSI Afterburner
You will see a row of scroll bars on the left side of the program and a hardware monitor on the right of the screen. You can also run GPU-Z so you have an additional monitor to check the readings.
Step 2. Find the "Core Clock (MHz)" bar
This bar controls the GPU core clock speed. If your board has a "Shader Clock" bar, make sure it is connected to the "Core Clock" bar. If they are linked, you will see a link icon between the two parameters.
Step 3. Increase the Core Clock speed by about 10MHz
When making adjustments to the speed of your card for the first time, it is always advisable to proceed in small amounts, such as 10MHz. This value allows you to notice the improvements without exaggerating and risking overstepping the limits.
Step 4. Click on "Apply"
The changes should take effect immediately. Follow your GPU-Z readings to make sure the new speed value is shown.
Step 5. Run the benchmarking program
Once you've made your first adjustment and verified it, it's time to run the benchmarking program again and get a new score. While running the benchmarking program, pay attention to see if there is a noticeable improvement in image quality or framerate compared to the previous time.
If the benchmarking program runs without any problems, it means that the overclocking operation is currently stable and can be continued
Step 6. Repeat the process by increasing the speed and benchmarking
Continue by increasing the speed in 10MHz intervals, checking the results of the benchmarking program each time. Sooner or later, you will start to run into some signs of instability.
The signs of instability will manifest themselves in the form of black screens, errors, bugs, out of phase colors, smudges etc
Step 7. Decide how to proceed
After encountering an unstable problem, you can reset the settings to the last working speed, or you can try increasing the voltage. If you have noticed noticeable improvements, or do not want to risk damaging your card due to the increasing energy flow, restore the last working speed and continue with 'Part 5' of this article. If you intend to test your card to the limit, leave the speed at the current value and proceed to the next step.
Part 4 of 5: Increase the Core Tension
Step 1. Click on the "Settings" button in MSI Afterburner
To avoid damage to the board, the "Core Voltage" bars are locked by default, a sign of how potentially dangerous this operation can be. Check the "Unlock voltage control" box in the "General" tab and click "OK".
Step 2. Increase the "Core Voltage (mV)" slider by about 10mV
You will hardly be able to select exactly 10mV, since the voltage can only be increased by a certain predetermined amount. Click on "Apply".
Step 3. Run the benchmarking program
Once the voltage is increased, run the benchmarking program to check if your overclock is now stable. Remember, you left the settings at an unstable speed, so if it stabilized after increasing the voltage, you can go back to increasing the clock speed.
Step 4. Repeat step 3
If the overclock is now stable, you can start again increasing the Core Clock speed by 10MHz intervals, running a new benchmark each time. Repeat this until you reach the next sign of instability.
Step 5. Observe the temperature
As the voltage increases, the GPU temperature will begin to rise. As you continue to ramp up the voltage, keep an eye on the temperature readings in the GPU-Z. We recommend keeping temperatures below 90 ° C, although many enthusiasts prefer to keep them at or below 80 ° C.
Improving the cooling of your computer's case and card can help increase overclocking capabilities, but it can be costly and time-consuming
Step 6. Increase the tension again
Once the next level of stability is reached, increase the core voltage again by 10mV. Run the benchmark and then repeat the core clock process. Remember to keep observing the temperature, as it will be one of the biggest limiting factors if you decide to push beyond the overclocking process.
Step 7. Do not go beyond the maximum voltage level
Remember the information on your card and make sure you do not exceed the maximum voltage level when making adjustments.
Step 8. Know when it's time to stop
At some point, overclocking will stop taking effect. You may reach the maximum temperature or voltage threshold, or the clock speed may simply become unstable, no matter how much the voltage is increased. If this is the case, move on to the next step.
Step 9. Repeat the whole process with the "Memory Clock (MHz)" bar
Once the core clock limit is reached, it's time to do the same with the memory clock. Repeat the process by increasing the memory clock by 10MHz intervals, increasing the voltage when you get to a point of instability (if you haven't reached the maximum voltage or temperature level yet).
Continue to benchmark after each adjustment. Increasing the memory clock can lead to improvements, but at some point it will actually start to hurt system performance. Pay attention to the benchmark scores to fix the most appropriate value
Step 10. Overclock SLI cards
The process for overclocking SLI cards is applied in the same way as for a single graphics card. Each card must be overclocked individually and the slowest card will always dictate the overall speed. Since no two cards are alike, one of your cards will be slightly slower than the other. Follow the above procedure to overclock each individual card.
Part 5 of 5: Testing Stability
Step 1. Start the benchmarking program
Running the "stress test" will take a significant amount of time, so make sure you don't need your computer for the next few hours. It is a process that does not require any intervention on your part, but you can still monitor and evaluate the performance.
Step 2. Click on the "Run" button
Instead of starting the benchmarking process in Heaven, choose "Run" and let the process run. Heaven will continue to scroll through the processing on the screen until you enter a different command.
Step 3. Beware of mistakes
As processing continues to flow, keep your eyes peeled for any glitches, bugs, or system crashes, as these will indicate unstable overclocking and you'll need to go back to readjust settings. If the system passes the test without any problems (4-5 hours), then you can start playing.
Step 4. Start your game
Benchmarking programs are great, but they're not the reason you're overclocking, the reason is game performance. Open your favorite game and test the performance. The old settings should work a lot better and you might even be able to boost them further!
