Overclocking - BFG Gefoce 7800GS

[Richard the Lionheart]

I decided to experiment a bit with overclocking my BFG 7800GS AGP card and here are some numbers....

Specs:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.41 GHz
BFG Geforce 7800GS AGP
1 Gig DDR-400 RAM

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400/1250 (default)

3DMark06 - 2864
3DMark05 - 5659

Max Temp: 47-50 C
Idle Temp: 40 C


480/1400

3DMark06 - 3269
3DMark05 - 6470

Max Temp: 48-50 C
Idle Temp: 43-44 C


495/1410

3DMark06 - 3346
3DMark05 - 6617

Max Temp: 50-51 C
Idle Temp: 44-45 C

Temp readings could be lower or higher on a colder or warmer day. So far over the length of time I've owned this card, I haven't hit anything higher than 55 C though.

Personally, I didn't see much difference in frame rates between the default settings and the 495/1410 settings when it came to in game performance (F.E.A.R experienced a slight boost of 5 FPS). The only real improvement I saw was in the 3DMark05/06 scores. In fact, Company of Heroes experienced a decrease in performance! :hmmm:

So what do you all think? Considering the jumps in clock speeds, are the performance increases worth it? Tips?

[Hadrian]

That's some pretty heafty OCing with a 95MHz increase (wow!) in the core frequency and 160 in the memory. That's a huge core overclock H&G! 80MHz memory OC ain't shabby either dude!

Yeah, it's worth it, and the increased temps are minimal to say the least. Leaving the core alone, you might be able to get the memory timing up to 1450, maybe?

My 7900GTX's are 650c/1600m stock. I've OCed 'em to 700c/1732m. There's a noticable performance difference at the upper end.....

[Richard the Lionheart]

That's some pretty heafty OCing with a 95MHz increase (wow!) in the core frequency and 160 in the memory. That's a huge core overclock H&G! 80MHz memory OC ain't shabby either dude!

Yeah, it's worth it, and the increased temps are minimal to say the least. Leaving the core alone, you might be able to get the memory timing up to 1450, maybe?

My 7900GTX's are 650c/1600m stock. I've OCed 'em to 700c/1732m. There's a noticable performance difference at the upper end.....

Well the funny thing is that as far as the Core is concerned, the nvidia control panel won't let me go to 500 MHz....but 495 is apparently fine. The memory can go to 1450 easily yes.

The thing that has surprised me with this card is the heat. It really seems to experience only minor increases in temperature when overclocked. Then again, I've read that BFG cards (especially this card) are very good for overclocking.

So I've been running it 450/1410 for 2-3 and no temp problems or any artifacts or anything.

@Oldgamer: I bought the card for $230 at Newegg. Other places sell it for $300-350 apparently. Remember though, this is AGP, so buy it only if you're planning on keeping your AGP based system for another year or so.

P.S. I don't use M2TW or RTW for overclocking or anything, they're useless due to their engine and due to the fact that they rely mostly on the CPU.

[Shaun]

I decided to experiment a bit with overclocking my BFG 7800GS AGP card and here are some numbers....

Specs:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.41 GHz
BFG Geforce 7800GS AGP
1 Gig DDR-400 RAM

----------------------------------------

400/1250 (default)

3DMark06 - 2864
3DMark05 - 5659

Max Temp: 47-50 C
Idle Temp: 40 C


480/1400

3DMark06 - 3269
3DMark05 - 6470

Max Temp: 48-50 C
Idle Temp: 43-44 C


495/1410

3DMark06 - 3346
3DMark05 - 6617

Max Temp: 50-51 C
Idle Temp: 44-45 C

Temp readings could be lower or higher on a colder or warmer day. So far over the length of time I've owned this card, I haven't hit anything higher than 55 C though.

Personally, I didn't see much difference in frame rates between the default settings and the 495/1410 settings when it came to in game performance (F.E.A.R experienced a slight boost of 5 FPS). The only real improvement I saw was in the 3DMark05/06 scores. In fact, Company of Heroes experienced a decrease in performance! :hmmm:

So what do you all think? Considering the jumps in clock speeds, are the performance increases worth it? Tips?

I also think you should OC your CPU.

[Boudicca]

Nice to see as I have the same system. I will try to do some overclocking I think.

[Oldgamer]

How much does that 7800 cost? And why risk it?

I have the lowly 6600GT (128mb), and I don't overclock. On M2TW, I run bilinear filtering, no antialiasing, and untoggle vertical synch. Everything else, including Texture, I run at maximum settings, with no lag at all. The closeups are spectacular, and you don't notice the lack of antialiasing or anisotropic filtering x 4 at all (they are math-intensive anyway). With your card, you should be able to do the same as me, and maybe get away with a little antialiasing and at least trilinear filtering.

Consider what you could be doing to your hardware before you overclock, and ask yourself if you really need a shield to look completely "round" from 100 feet.

EDIT: If you can run a game at 26 fps, you've made it. The human eye can't distinguish much beyond 25-26 fps (similar to a movie). With all of my games I shoot for 26 fps. When I've got the settings adjusted to that level, there's nothing more to do.

[Shaun]

How much does that 7800 cost? And why risk it?

If done correctly, OCing is no risk at all. That is only what people dont really have muhc knowledge of OCing say. It certianly is worth it and is NOT a risk of done correctly.

I have the lowly 6600GT (128mb), and I don't overclock. On M2TW, I run bilinear filtering, no antialiasing, and untoggle vertical synch. Everything else, including Texture, I run at maximum settings, with no lag at all. The closeups are spectacular, and you don't notice the lack of antialiasing or anisotropic filtering x 4 at all (they are math-intensive anyway). With your card, you should be able to do the same as me, and maybe get away with a little antialiasing and at least trilinear filtering.

Consider what you could be doing to your hardware before you overclock, and ask yourself if you really need a shield to look completely "round" from 100 feet.

EDIT: If you can run a game at 26 fps, you've made it. The human eye can't distinguish much beyond 25-26 fps (similar to a movie). With all of my games I shoot for 26 fps. When I've got the settings adjusted to that level, there's nothing more to do.

But maybe he wants the highest settings possible, for that he will need a whole new system. OCing takes him that bit closer to better graphics.

[Oldgamer]

Shaun,

My whole point was that I can get screens that look like those at the totalwar.com site, and on the box of the game, with a limited graphics card on a 4-year old microprocessor, without a bit of lag. It's alright if he wants to get better graphics, and I completely understand. I just want him and other folks at TWC to know that they don't have to have a completely new and extremely expensive system to make M2 look great.

Also, a friend of mine who has a computer business says that overclocking the 7800 works, and works well. But he would suggest adding additional fans to protect the system. They're not all that expensive, and might save him a lot of money.

[Shaun]

Shaun,

My whole point was that I can get screens that look like those at the totalwar.com site, and on the box of the game, with a limited graphics card on a 4-year old microprocessor, without a bit of lag. It's alright if he wants to get better graphics, and I completely understand. I just want him and other folks at TWC to know that they don't have to have a completely new and extremely expensive system to make M2 look great.

I didnt say you never got graphics like that on the box, but the point that I was making is that some of us just want to OC our parts to get the max out of them. What resolution do you play at? What settings? I am sure that on the box they have the settings at max, same with totalwar.com, I dont think your 6600GT can play at max with no lag.

[Incinerate_IV]

Wow those 7800GS are quite the overclocker. Download Riva Tuner and use that to overclock, it removes all the limits. Since you are only at 55C right now I think you'll have no trouble reaching 550 core. And if you want to go higher I highly recommend you remove the stock heatpad and replace it some Artic Silver 5. That dropped the temperature by a good 5-10C on my old 7900GT. The stock thermal pad just plain suck.

[freekyjason]

quick question (without meaning to sound arguementative) is overclocking really necessary? i know there are benefits to it, but there are downsides too. with good cooling you can keep the temps down, but doesnt it still stress the item oc'ed?

everyone seems to be buying parts these days 'cause it can oc'ed!' and they get better performance. but then you look at the damage it can do to parts and you need to buy new parts sooner.

does the performance out-weigh the cost? what i mean is does it truly need to be done, or is it just done because 'it can'

again im just interested, cause i dont oc anything in my system. but people do ram, cpu, video etc. is it really that beneficial?

[Richard the Lionheart]

quick question (without meaning to sound arguementative) is overclocking really necessary? i know there are benefits to it, but there are downsides too. with good cooling you can keep the temps down, but doesnt it still stress the item oc'ed?

everyone seems to be buying parts these days 'cause it can oc'ed!' and they get better performance. but then you look at the damage it can do to parts and you need to buy new parts sooner.

does the performance out-weigh the cost? what i mean is does it truly need to be done, or is it just done because 'it can'

again im just interested, cause i dont oc anything in my system. but people do ram, cpu, video etc. is it really that beneficial?

Overclocking isn't "necessary". Sometimes, but not always, it results in an increase in performance. So whether or not it is worth it to overclock your gpu or cpu really depends on how the hardware handles overclocking and whether it results in a worthwhile boost in performance.

[Maical]

does the performance out-weigh the cost? what i mean is does it truly need to be done, or is it just done because 'it can'

considering an AMD X2 3600+ windsor OC-ed @ 2600mhz (safe value, fsb is 1000mhz, altough 2800mhz is doable too) is just as good as an intel e6300 and close to an AMD x2 5000+, id say the overcloking is really worth it and it out-weighs the cost
basicly, if u want a good cpu wich ull never overclock, save some money, get a cheaper one and overclock it, ull get the same performances (at least this is how i see the issue)

in the video card situation i dont know if the performance boost is just as significative, BUT what i know is that only some producers put safety mechanisms in they;re video cards, so overclocking isnt as safe as in the cpu situation

[belson]

quick question (without meaning to sound arguementative) is overclocking really necessary? i know there are benefits to it, but there are downsides too. with good cooling you can keep the temps down, but doesnt it still stress the item oc'ed?

everyone seems to be buying parts these days 'cause it can oc'ed!' and they get better performance. but then you look at the damage it can do to parts and you need to buy new parts sooner.

does the performance out-weigh the cost? what i mean is does it truly need to be done, or is it just done because 'it can'

again im just interested, cause i dont oc anything in my system. but people do ram, cpu, video etc. is it really that beneficial?

Thats not argumentative, its a good question and one I'm sure many people have. And yes it is worth it. If you buy an E6600 at $320 and overclock it to 3.0ghz, then it is running just as fast as the $960 X6800(at stock speeds.) In other words you saved $640!

First off, I would just like to say that yes overclocking reduces the life of all your components. The heat is bad for them and the extra voltage is bad for them. That being said, the average life of a processor is rated at 15 YEARS. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that ocing cuts that in half. To me, a processor life of 7 years is more than enough. I will be very very sad if I am still using the same computer I am now in 7 years. Is there anyone out there that is happy with the computer they bought 7 years ago? Also, computer parts fail all the time, whether you oc or not.

Whether or not ocing is 'necessary' really depends on who you are. It is 'necessary' to me to have my components run as fast as they possibly can. Thats just who I am, the reasons I do it is because it does really help, I can, and it is fun. I'm going to guess that the max speed is not 'necessary' for you. You'd rather have a stable system that runs well (but not the fastest) and the piece of mind that nothing will go wrong from anything that you did. That is absolutely, 100% okay. I'm not going to sit here and say anyone who doesn't oc is stupid, because thats not true. There are many reasons not to overclock, such as it takes time to do and some people don't want to take that time.

considering an AMD X2 3600+ windsor OC-ed @ 2600mhz (safe value, fsb is 1000mhz, altough 2800mhz is doable too) is just as good as an intel e6300 and close to an AMD x2 5000+, id say the overcloking is really worth it and it out-weighs the cost
basicly, if u want a good cpu wich ull never overclock, save some money, get a cheaper one and overclock it, ull get the same performances (at least this is how i see the issue)

in the video card situation i dont know if the performance boost is just as significative, BUT what i know is that only some producers put safety mechanisms in they;re video cards, so overclocking isnt as safe as in the cpu situation

Nice overclock! A 3600+ windsor at 2.6 is probably the same as a stock 5000 and most likely better than an E6300, especially if you're got good RAM oced. (that is, until you overclock the 5000 or e6300 then they would blow you and me (opyt 165 @ 2.6) away. ) As far as the video card overclock, it gives you about the same returns that a CPU overclock does. Maybe slightly less. And as Shaun and I are preaching, overclocking your gpu is never a risk if done right. As long as you monitor your temps, you will see artifacts long before you reach the critical point of your card.


Everybody, think about overclocking like this. Everyday you drive your car is a day that you could be in an accident. That is exactly why they license drivers, because unless you know what you are doing you could be killed. Does this stop you from driving? No, because you trust the machine and you trust the operator. It is the same for overclocking, (except that only the machine could get hurt.) If you don't know what you're doing, something bad could happen. But if you do know or if you have a good guide, there is no risk. Now if only they taught overclockers ed in school . . .

[drak10687]

well, some parts are made for overclocking, and people who are avid overclockers will probably get new parts before their old ones fail anyways. Also, many cards and processors may be sold as underclocked "budget" cards, because its cheaper for companies to do that, than to make a new production line of slower cards.