Over clocking software

[skarface]

Alright i was taught/told that it is much better to oc hardware like ram and the cpu through the bios vs lets say through nvidia software in windows. Is there any difference vs ocing something in windows than doing it in the bios? How does everyone do it here?

[Jeffro64]

I was told the same thing so I do it in the bios.

[skarface]

I was told the same thing so I do it in the bios.

yea i was just curious because it would way easier to do it in windows than the bios!

[DrNip]

I say overclock in BIOS mainly but if you want to squeeze a lil more out of your cpu then use setfsb in windows, if your mobo allows for it. The advantage of doing that is you will be able to squeeze a lil more out due to not having to go thru the boot which causes alot of heat. GPU's you have to use software unless you modify the card.

[hellcamino]

Definitely use the bios for overclocking your cpu and ram with the only exception being setfsb for that last little bit you are trying to get for a bench. Using setfsb at that point is ok as you are already pushing your system to the very edge of it's capabilities and breakage isn't just a possibility anymore...it's a probability!

If you are looking for a 24/7 cpu+ram overclock then it's bios only! The reasons are simple:

Anytime you overclock, instabilty becomes likely and must be alleviated through testing and bios adjustments. If you just change your clock speed in windows using some ghetto software tool you will not only likely corrupt your os but you will corrrupt the bios as well!


When you alter a bios setting within windows you are assuming that the system is stable to begin with, if the system isn't stable and you adjust your bios this way you run a high risk of corrupting your bios and bricking your board and the os is almost guaranteed to be screwed up. I myself don't even use setfsb as I don't push my hardware to the point of likely failure, If attempting to break a world record....ANYTHING goes!

Video card overclocking has to at least initially be done with software and after testing can be flashed to the card, not all people are comfortable with flashing their cards but I at least am a fan of it. You will get slightly better performance with a flashed overclock due to cpu clocks being freed up and you are no longer relying two pieces of software (driver+oc software) to maintain stability to run your cards.

[skarface]

Definitely use the bios for overclocking your cpu and ram with the only exception being setfsb for that last little bit you are trying to get for a bench. Using setfsb at that point is ok as you are already pushing your system to the very edge of it's capabilities and breakage isn't just a possibility anymore...it's a probability!

If you are looking for a 24/7 cpu+ram overclock then it's bios only! The reasons are simple:

Anytime you overclock, instabilty becomes likely and must be alleviated through testing and bios adjustments. If you just change your clock speed in windows using some ghetto software tool you will not only likely corrupt your os but you will corrrupt the bios as well!


When you alter a bios setting within windows you are assuming that the system is stable to begin with, if the system isn't stable and you adjust your bios this way you run a high risk of corrupting your bios and bricking your board and the os is almost guaranteed to be screwed up. I myself don't even use setfsb as I don't push my hardware to the point of likely failure, If attempting to break a world record....ANYTHING goes!

Video card overclocking has to at least initially be done with software and after testing can be flashed to the card, not all people are comfortable with flashing their cards but I at least am a fan of it. You will get slightly better performance with a flashed overclock due to cpu clocks being freed up and you are no longer relying two pieces of software (driver+oc software) to maintain stability to run your cards.


Thank you for that very informative!!

[hellcamino]

Thank you for that very informative!!

No problem! As long as you can learn from others mistakes you are way ahead of the game...I learned the hard way.

[Jeffro64]

How hard is it to flash the video cards? I didn't know that could be done.

[hellcamino]

How hard is it to flash the video cards? I didn't know that could be done.

It's very similar to flashing a motherboard, in my case I had to do it twice for each card: once for each primary gpu and again for each secondary gpu (4870X2's) but for single core cards it is very simple.

[Jeffro64]

Hmmm, might try that if I ever find a high enough stable OC for my 280's.

[spfoam1]

Hmmm, might try that if I ever find a high enough stable OC for my 280's.

Camino is a guru of flashing the GPUs.

Here is an illustration of overclocking the mobo thru software in windows (like ntune or anything similar) :rroulette:

[skarface]

So what if there is an issue during flashing? Will the card be toast like a mobo would be?

[hellcamino]

So what if there is an issue during flashing? Will the card be toast like a mobo would be?

Rule #1 for flashing bios on any device : ensure your pc is stable BEFORE flashing.

Rule #2 Do NOT flash your pc during thunderstorms or any other power outage likely situation.


I copied this from i4 memory's forum written by T M:

Share the tips and tweak for 4870X2 which can be a real ***** to tame.
My comments will mainly be regarding CF two cards.

Max clocks limit - CCC checks the digital signature of the BIOS vs the clocks being used, if mismatch then video card no longer functional

Default Bios max clocks limit = 800/1000
Master: Grab your own using GPU-Z
Slave: Grab your own using GPU-Z

Asus TOP Bios max clocks limit = 900/1000
Master: http://www.mediafire.com/?48xsfx13bzx
Slave: http://www.mediafire.com/?k2l1dhn3m3m

To beat the clock limit, you can simply uninstall CCC (leave the driver)
If you wish to change CF or settings in CCC, just reinstall with the cards flashed/set down again and then afterwards uninstall again
Works awesome and my cards both run at 830/1020 on air

Adjusting clocks:
CCC - you must adjust each "card" seperately, and it wont look like it works for most cards but it does

Flashing:
Grab your default BIOS's using GPU-Z and save them using 8 characters or less for filename
Open Radeon Bios Editor (RBE) and edit the clocks/volts/fan as you see fit.
Save modified file with a different file name and 8 or less characters.
Flash in DOS using ATIFlash:

Master:
ATIFlash -p 0 "BIOS0".rom

Slave:
ATIFlash -p 1 "BIOS1".rom

If you are flashing your default card to Asus TOP, you will need to add -f to your command before the -p to force the flash.

More to come later.


Link to OP http://i4memory.com/f18/4870x2-overclocking-9747/


I recommend just flashing to the Asus TOP bios, they will leave you some headroom for overclocking and get you a little more familiar with the proccess with the least amount of hazard. I am using TOP bios on my 4870X2's without issue and if by chance you do have a problem you can always adjust your clocks back to stock or flash the cards back to stock.

[Kal-EL]

:happy2: nice post Frank.