Best program to OC my eVGA 7800GT?

mazeroth

Golden Member
Jan 31, 2006
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My 6600GT came with a built-in OC utility, but I don't see it with my 7800GT. Which program should I download to OC this baby? Rivatuner?

Thanks!
 

TheRyuu

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2005
5,479
14
81
Coolbits (2)

Trust me, if your a beginner Coolbits is definitly the way to go. Very easy to use just slide the slider pretty much.
 

paulxcook

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
4,277
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I liked Rivatuner. But, my advice is to not overclock it, wait a few weeks, then step up to a 7900 GT for almost nothing once it's released. That's what I'm doing.
 

the cobbler

Senior member
Mar 8, 2005
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Originally posted by: paulxcook
I liked Rivatuner. But, my advice is to not overclock it, wait a few weeks, then step up to a 7900 GT for almost nothing once it's released. That's what I'm doing.


You're not OCing the card...why?
 

paulxcook

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
4,277
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Why bother finding max core and mem if he's just going to step up to a different one in 2 weeks?

As for me personally, I'm not overclocking because I tried and anything past 470/1100 crashes my PC. So I gave up and left it at the stock OC.
 

duragezic

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
11,234
4
81
Coolbits simply enables the tab in the Nvidia display options. Works well enough for me so I've never had a need to try out RivaTuner.

And since its a EVGA, if you have it registered, you have a lifetime warranty on it whether or not you overclock it. Damn good company I'd say.

Anyone have an idea how much the step up from a 7800GT to a 7900GT will cost?

And yeah finally the 7800GTs rarely overclock well. I'm at 475/1150 and its unlikely I'll try going higher since I don't want it overheating or artifacting.
 

mazeroth

Golden Member
Jan 31, 2006
1,821
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Mine came 470/1100 stock, so I doubt I will get much improvement overclocking it. The 7900GT step up looks very tempting, but how much do you want to bet they'll have the MSRP at like $399 on the eVGA site?
 

the cobbler

Senior member
Mar 8, 2005
643
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Originally posted by: paulxcook
Why bother finding max core and mem if he's just going to step up to a different one in 2 weeks?

As for me personally, I'm not overclocking because I tried and anything past 470/1100 crashes my PC. So I gave up and left it at the stock OC.


only takes a couple hours at most. eVGA covers antyhing but physical modification under their warrantly, which is why I asked. also, maybe I am missing something, but didn't he just upgrade to a 7800GT from a 6600? I don't see mention of 7900.
 

the cobbler

Senior member
Mar 8, 2005
643
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Originally posted by: duragezic

And yeah finally the 7800GTs rarely overclock well. I'm at 475/1150 and its unlikely I'll try going higher since I don't want it overheating or artifacting.


Rivatuner includes hundreds of low-level controls that the simple Coolbits registry edit does not. One of which is "DisableInternalClockTest". i.e. with Coolbits, your card will actually start artifactin/hit the wall well, well below your max core and memory speeds.

Coolbits "Detect Optimal Frequencies" stops my GPU at 490mhz/1160mhz or so. With the internal clock test disabled, my card easily reached 510/1220mhz.

With regards to 7800GT being "poor overclockers"...well, that is just ludicrous. Especially because they are easier to volt mod than falling off a tree, and they respond extremely well to it. I have done nothing but a .1v core increase via bios flash, and a .3v increase on the vmem via "pencil trick". No soldering. Gives me 550mhz/1390mhz speeds= I get ~9200 in 3DMark05 and 4500 in 06. That's a pretty healthy whipping over stock 7800GTX 256mb cards, and puts mine about on par with a stock 512mb GTX.
 

the cobbler

Senior member
Mar 8, 2005
643
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Originally posted by: mazeroth
Mine came 470/1100 stock, so I doubt I will get much improvement overclocking it. The 7900GT step up looks very tempting, but how much do you want to bet they'll have the MSRP at like $399 on the eVGA site?

It's going to sell for $299.

You'd be surpised how much more your GPU probably has left in it. Overclocks of 500mhz core and 1250mhz memory are very common with 7800GTs. With volt mods, most of them should do 575/1350 or better.

also stock speeds for 7800GT are 400/1000mhz, so the eVGA cards really aren't all that cranked up. There's a lot of headroom left in these cards. My OCs are 150mhz on the core and 400mhz on the memory above those reference speeds, which is still cool to the touch under load.
 

paulxcook

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
4,277
1
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Originally posted by: the cobbler
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Mine came 470/1100 stock, so I doubt I will get much improvement overclocking it. The 7900GT step up looks very tempting, but how much do you want to bet they'll have the MSRP at like $399 on the eVGA site?

It's going to sell for $299.

You'd be surpised how much more your GPU probably has left in it. Overclocks of 500mhz core and 1250mhz memory are very common with 7800GTs. With volt mods, most of them should do 575/1350 or better.

also stock speeds for 7800GT are 400/1000mhz, so the eVGA cards really aren't all that cranked up. There's a lot of headroom left in these cards. My OCs are 150mhz on the core and 400mhz on the memory above those reference speeds, which is still cool to the touch under load.

You must have gotten a very good card, or I got a dud. Maybe the pencil mod will be my next step if I don't step up to a 7900 gt.

As for why I brought up the 7900 in the first place, it just seems like it'd be a great deal (if it is actually $299). I thought the OP might be interested to know. I also said I liked Rivatuner, so I wasn't completely off-topic.
 

TecHNooB

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2005
7,458
1
76
Any word on the new vers of ATI Tray Tools that's supposed to support NVidia cards as well? If it weren't for ATI Tray Tools and ATI's image quality, ATI would be done. Because they're certainly not the fastest and their CCC doesn't cut it.
 

Throwmeabone

Senior member
Jan 9, 2006
933
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0
I'm skeptical that you will be able to get the 7900GT for $299 in the EVGA step up program. They list their 7800GT's upwards of $400.
 

the cobbler

Senior member
Mar 8, 2005
643
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0
Originally posted by: Throwmeabone
I'm skeptical that you will be able to get the 7900GT for $299 in the EVGA step up program. They list their 7800GT's upwards of $400.


good point...msrp in eVGAs stepup is always high, isn't it?

otherwise they'd be giving the 7900s for ....free :)
 

the cobbler

Senior member
Mar 8, 2005
643
0
0
Originally posted by: paulxcook
Originally posted by: the cobbler
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Mine came 470/1100 stock, so I doubt I will get much improvement overclocking it. The 7900GT step up looks very tempting, but how much do you want to bet they'll have the MSRP at like $399 on the eVGA site?

It's going to sell for $299.

You'd be surpised how much more your GPU probably has left in it. Overclocks of 500mhz core and 1250mhz memory are very common with 7800GTs. With volt mods, most of them should do 575/1350 or better.

also stock speeds for 7800GT are 400/1000mhz, so the eVGA cards really aren't all that cranked up. There's a lot of headroom left in these cards. My OCs are 150mhz on the core and 400mhz on the memory above those reference speeds, which is still cool to the touch under load.

You must have gotten a very good card, or I got a dud. Maybe the pencil mod will be my next step if I don't step up to a 7900 gt.

As for why I brought up the 7900 in the first place, it just seems like it'd be a great deal (if it is actually $299). I thought the OP might be interested to know. I also said I liked Rivatuner, so I wasn't completely off-topic.


not at all, sorry if it came off that way. No luck with RT either? yeah, the duds are out there. Bright side = you are still at a nice OC with that card at stock. 7900s look great, but I'm waiting to see how they OC. If they don't have much extra headroom, I'm probably better off with another volt modded 7800GT (and hope to get a good one).
 

Bad Dude

Diamond Member
Jan 25, 2000
8,464
0
76
Originally posted by: the cobbler
Originally posted by: duragezic

And yeah finally the 7800GTs rarely overclock well. I'm at 475/1150 and its unlikely I'll try going higher since I don't want it overheating or artifacting.


Rivatuner includes hundreds of low-level controls that the simple Coolbits registry edit does not. One of which is "DisableInternalClockTest". i.e. with Coolbits, your card will actually start artifactin/hit the wall well, well below your max core and memory speeds.

Coolbits "Detect Optimal Frequencies" stops my GPU at 490mhz/1160mhz or so. With the internal clock test disabled, my card easily reached 510/1220mhz.

With regards to 7800GT being "poor overclockers"...well, that is just ludicrous. Especially because they are easier to volt mod than falling off a tree, and they respond extremely well to it. I have done nothing but a .1v core increase via bios flash, and a .3v increase on the vmem via "pencil trick". No soldering. Gives me 550mhz/1390mhz speeds= I get ~9200 in 3DMark05 and 4500 in 06. That's a pretty healthy whipping over stock 7800GTX 256mb cards, and puts mine about on par with a stock 512mb GTX.

Could you give us the links to these mod please?
Thanks.
 

redbox

Golden Member
Nov 12, 2005
1,021
0
0
Originally posted by: the cobbler
Originally posted by: duragezic

And yeah finally the 7800GTs rarely overclock well. I'm at 475/1150 and its unlikely I'll try going higher since I don't want it overheating or artifacting.


Rivatuner includes hundreds of low-level controls that the simple Coolbits registry edit does not. One of which is "DisableInternalClockTest". i.e. with Coolbits, your card will actually start artifactin/hit the wall well, well below your max core and memory speeds.

Coolbits "Detect Optimal Frequencies" stops my GPU at 490mhz/1160mhz or so. With the internal clock test disabled, my card easily reached 510/1220mhz.

With regards to 7800GT being "poor overclockers"...well, that is just ludicrous. Especially because they are easier to volt mod than falling off a tree, and they respond extremely well to it. I have done nothing but a .1v core increase via bios flash, and a .3v increase on the vmem via "pencil trick". No soldering. Gives me 550mhz/1390mhz speeds= I get ~9200 in 3DMark05 and 4500 in 06. That's a pretty healthy whipping over stock 7800GTX 256mb cards, and puts mine about on par with a stock 512mb GTX.

do have the info for that volt mod and pencil trick?
 

the cobbler

Senior member
Mar 8, 2005
643
0
0
Originally posted by: Bad Dude
Originally posted by: the cobbler
Originally posted by: duragezic

And yeah finally the 7800GTs rarely overclock well. I'm at 475/1150 and its unlikely I'll try going higher since I don't want it overheating or artifacting.


Rivatuner includes hundreds of low-level controls that the simple Coolbits registry edit does not. One of which is "DisableInternalClockTest". i.e. with Coolbits, your card will actually start artifactin/hit the wall well, well below your max core and memory speeds.

Coolbits "Detect Optimal Frequencies" stops my GPU at 490mhz/1160mhz or so. With the internal clock test disabled, my card easily reached 510/1220mhz.

With regards to 7800GT being "poor overclockers"...well, that is just ludicrous. Especially because they are easier to volt mod than falling off a tree, and they respond extremely well to it. I have done nothing but a .1v core increase via bios flash, and a .3v increase on the vmem via "pencil trick". No soldering. Gives me 550mhz/1390mhz speeds= I get ~9200 in 3DMark05 and 4500 in 06. That's a pretty healthy whipping over stock 7800GTX 256mb cards, and puts mine about on par with a stock 512mb GTX.

Could you give us the links to these mod please?
Thanks.


bios volt mod thread @ MVKTech

pre-modded bios thread @ MVKTech

complete volt modding thread @ VR-Zone

the last one includes all possible volt mods to the 7800GT, including doing it the right way (soldering variable resistors), as well as the bios and pencil trick mods.
 

paulxcook

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
4,277
1
0
Originally posted by: the cobbler
not at all, sorry if it came off that way. No luck with RT either? yeah, the duds are out there. Bright side = you are still at a nice OC with that card at stock. 7900s look great, but I'm waiting to see how they OC. If they don't have much extra headroom, I'm probably better off with another volt modded 7800GT (and hope to get a good one).

Hey, no worries. I'm not disappointed as it was a great deal and the stock OC isn't too bad.

Thanks for the links, btw. If I don't step up I will probably try some of those mods.
 

CKXP

Senior member
Nov 20, 2005
926
0
0
i'm thinking about trying the pencil mod trick on the memory on my 7800gt, i've never pencil modded anything before. sounds simple, basically just filling in the resistor with graphite right? any type of lead in particular, or will good old #2 work. 7800GT Voltage Mods, and if screw up can i just erase the lead?
 

the cobbler

Senior member
Mar 8, 2005
643
0
0
Originally posted by: CKXP
i'm thinking about trying the pencil mod trick on the memory on my 7800gt, i've never pencil modded anything before. sounds simple, basically just filling in the resistor with graphite right? any type of lead in particular, or will good old #2 work. 7800GT Voltage Mods, and if screw up can i just erase the lead?

i use a good ol' #2, though there are better pencils to use, can't remember which

you actually draw around three sides of the resistor, no directly on it. You are basically connected both ends with the graphite line on one side.

if it goes horribly awry, yes just simply erase it and all will be normal

but very careful though, and do it in small increments. Takes quite a few passes for any voltage increase, then it will very suddenly increase with each stroke after that.