7600GS passive: Overclocks + temperatures??

[A554SS1N]

Hi All,

I'm a cheapskate after a passive version 7600GS (trying to save cash and get good bang for buck, so to say, and.... ahem, can't really afford a GT anyway) and I have been reading reviews showing that when the core and memory in particular, are overclocked from default 400Mhz/800Mhz to 500Mhz/900Mhz roughly, there is quite a large increase in performance - to a level that I would be happy with as the stock performance isn't quite enough for me.

1st Question: Do I pay more and get an XFX Xtreme 7600GS, but risk finding out it's one of the ones that hasn't been through QC, and get a load of hassle? Or are people getting pretty much the same OC anyway, so I stick with a cheaper 7600GS and OC it myself (prefered choice)?

2nd Question: It's all very well reviewers posting figures from around 60C upto 76C for the core in load conditions in an open test rig (w/ passive version), but what are people actually getting in their own systems? I'll be getting a fairly 'airy' case with other cool running parts myself, and know a few tricks for lowering temps with passive cards (like opening the PCI slot below the card) so unless people are getting temperatures into the 90C's, I've got a few options for cooling that would work.

Ta for any info/experiences people can provide!!

 

[secretanchitman]

either an XFX, eVGA or a BFG card will do you good, so even if you overclock or the card doesnt work in your computer, it'll be backed with a lifetme warranty!

i hope you have a well ventilated case, so the heat output from the 7600GS wont be trapped...

btw, the cheapest 7600GT is $150 after rebate, so $170. not saying the 7600GS is bad though...heh.

 

[A554SS1N]

Thanks for your reply.

I'm in the UK, and the site I'll be getting stuff off (Overclockers uk) only has Leadtek or XFX 7600GS - I'd heard of people having problems returning XFX cards that didn't meet the overclocks and we're also alot hotter than stock, so wondering whether to be cautious and get a cheaper Leadtek @ £88 rather than an XFX Xtreme @ £99 and just OC myself.

The case I plan to get is an Antec NSK 4400 - the insides aren't great; just like the old SLK1650B, but it has a rear 120mm fan and site TAC holes for bringing fresh air in. I also live in a fairly cool climate (had an odd hot day where the room got to 25C but most of the time the temperature is 21C or less throughout the summer). Probably pairing it with an AM2 X2 3800+ depending on price, so a relatively cool CPU - for some reason I'm waiting until July 24th or thereabouts

 

[Ichigo]

You don't buy passively cooled cards to overclock them. End of discussion.

 

[A554SS1N]

Well, fortunately not everyone has the same attitude as you Plus, the discussion involves a request for temperature information too, so it's it's hopefully not 'end of' yet!!

 

[Ichigo]

The whole point of buying a passively cooled card is for silence. If you want to overclock, there are plenty of heatsink/fan combinations out there that will cool your card nicely and pretty much quietly. Otherwise you won't overclock the card much, if at all, as well as have it hit high temperatures. If you're going to compensate by using a lot of fans to create airflow, I'd wonder why you couldn't just buy a 7600GS with a heatsink and be done with it.

 

[A554SS1N]

The point of mentioning Overclocking was because the XFX Xtreme version was quite a bit higher frequency wise with the same passive cooler, and although some temperatures I've seen are high, there are some which have looked Ok (for example one of the reviews said they only reached 76C) - so it's a question regarding whether I can OC to that level which is handled Ok by another pre-overclocked passive card. As for using other fans, at a last resort, I'd be much happier using an 80mm Panaflo which is very quiet than a stock high rpm fan if it came to using that, hence the reasoning for that, plus I'd have the option of running fanless again in the winter months anyway. I know what you're saying, and I am after quietness, but I'm just wondering about pushing the limits of a reference speed card to the same values as ones that are already able to handle it, nothing more - hence the "should I do it myself and see how it goes or get the pre-overclocked card" question. Boundaries are there to be broken, and if I can get a bit extra performance that'd be great, hence the request of whether others have had success or not.