Do video cards 'degrade' over time?

[Delitus]

Someone clear this up for me...

I have a GeForce 6800 Ultra. I used to be able to overclock it to 449/1190 without any artifacts, but now it can only go up to about 430/1160 before it starts showing small but noticable artifacts! Also, I used to get around 8.9k for my GFX score in AquaMark3. Now I only get about 8.5k...

What is happening?

 

[dug777]

for the second q- change in drivers could xplain it 😛 Or do a defrag (prob won't help much but it always makes me feel a lot better 🙂 ) I guess u could have burnt somethin out...wildly guessing here but when i cooked my 9800pro it was fine in 2d but 2d apps were wildly artifacted...

this was no use at all i'm afraid- but it does bump it up so i guess not all in vain

 

[Lonyo]

If you have a lower overclock, you will have a lower core.
Different driver sets can change temp I believe (or so some people have reported).
Also, there's an obvious issue: HEAT.

When you have a computer, and it runs, you get DUST.
This can clog intake fans/whatever else, reducing airflow. and meaning temperatures in the case go up.

I had the same thing happen with my 9800Pro (used to be OK at 430MHz, now it's only 400MHz core, RAM always sucked (Infineon))

 

[Delitus]

So is heat the cause of artifacts?

 

[Cerb]

1. Drivers affect overclocking potential.
2. Overclocking does have the potential to cause damage to parts of the core. While not amazingly common, it is not impossible, and has been recorded, that trying too high overclocks can result in not being able to hit even stock speeds afterwards.
3. Overclocking causes mroe power to be used. Power = heat. Most off-the-shelf heatsink/fan setups deal with normal heat through a few normal years of use. Aftermarket ones tend to be big because they'll do a better job, which results in higher OCs, and longer OC'd life. Possibly a longer life span in general, though the cards are horribly obsolete by the time you'd get aorund to doing any good testing on the subject.

 

[jose]

Heat destorys electronics in the long run.

The hotter it runs the shorter it will last...

Poor case ventilation & higher oc'ing will shorten the life of any component..

Regards,
Jose

 

[Peter]

Jose got it right. Heat accelerates electromigration, the one big limiter to chip life. Also, cooling fans degrade over time, heatsinks clog up.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Peter
Jose got it right. Heat accelerates electromigration, the one big limiter to chip life. Also, cooling fans degrade over time, heatsinks clog up.

All electronic components degrade over time. Many o/cs that were stable may no longer be w/o increasing the voltage (again).

Burn-in is a myth. You get your best o/c with new components.

 

[SilverTrine]

Overclocking a high end card is just greedy IMO. Your card just gave you a severe warning by not running speeds it previously did, you probably shortened your cards life by years, I would advise putting the card back to stock and leaving it there.

FYI I say this out of experience, every card I reguarily gave a significant overclock died within 3 years. After the 3rd overclock card dies within 3 years you kind of figure things out.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: SilverTrine
Overclocking a high end card is just greedy IMO. Your card just gave you a severe warning by not running speeds it previously did, you probably shortened your cards life by years, I would advise putting the card back to stock and leaving it there.

FYI I say this out of experience, every card I reguarily gave a significant overclock died within 3 years. After the 3rd overclock card dies within 3 years you kind of figure things out.

Silvertrine- don't you know he got 1.7 more fps and 28 more 3dmarks with that OC? For Christ's sake, if that's not worth risking your $500 card, I don't know what is.

Think of all the fun he had OCing! He got to click on the button in Coolbits, then say "Oh yeah! I'm an OCing scientist- free 2fps here I come!"

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: SilverTrine
Overclocking a high end card is just greedy IMO. Your card just gave you a severe warning by not running speeds it previously did, you probably shortened your cards life by years, I would advise putting the card back to stock and leaving it there.

FYI I say this out of experience, every card I reguarily gave a significant overclock died within 3 years. After the 3rd overclock card dies within 3 years you kind of figure things out.

Silvertrine- don't you know he got 1.7 more fps and 28 more 3dmarks with that OC? For Christ's sake, if that's not worth risking your $500 card, I don't know what is.

Think of all the fun he had OCing! He got to click on the button in Coolbits, then say "Oh yeah! I'm an OCing scientist- free 2fps here I come!"

ROTFLMAO!! I love it!

I'm not into overclocking either, not worth my time and the risk of damage to my stuff. I buy the faster part if I want it to be faster.

I PAID for my 6800 Ultra OC @ Stock
I PAID for my 3500+ @ 3500+

I have a STABLE system and dont get scared shitless that my overclock is causing problems every time my machine farts and closes IE. I know its just MS being MS

 

[nRollo]

I'm not against OCing, and do it on lower end cards I can afford to lose, but think buying top end and leaving it stock is the best way to go. (so I mainly agree with you Radicldreamer)

OCing a 6800Ultra is pointless:
The sad truth
Observe the Gainward CoolFX 6800, stock clock 450/1200-
12X10 4x8x
6800U 400/1100 80fps
CoolFX 450/1200 88fps

16X12 4X8X
6800U 60fps
CoolFX 67fps

Can you tell the difference in 60 and 67 fps w/o the counter on? I can't. That's a bigger OC than he was doing, so he's possibly damaged his very expensive card for no reason at all. Sad.

I wouldn't OC my XT PE for anything, like it too much, can't afford another if I burn it up like the OP.

BTW- If someone REALLY wanted to do the boards a service, they'd start a poll of how many people have had video cards fail while OCd so people wouldn't think "Everyone does it- it's perfectly safe if you're an OCing scientist!"

 

[zakee00]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: SilverTrine
Overclocking a high end card is just greedy IMO. Your card just gave you a severe warning by not running speeds it previously did, you probably shortened your cards life by years, I would advise putting the card back to stock and leaving it there.

FYI I say this out of experience, every card I reguarily gave a significant overclock died within 3 years. After the 3rd overclock card dies within 3 years you kind of figure things out.

Silvertrine- don't you know he got 1.7 more fps and 28 more 3dmarks with that OC? For Christ's sake, if that's not worth risking your $500 card, I don't know what is.

Think of all the fun he had OCing! He got to click on the button in Coolbits, then say "Oh yeah! I'm an OCing scientist- free 2fps here I come!"

he probably got quite an fps increase from a 50MHz core increase. i mean, thats the difference between the GT and Ultra to begin with, and you can prolly bump up the AA level or res one more notch and stay playable.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: zakee00

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: SilverTrine
Overclocking a high end card is just greedy IMO. Your card just gave you a severe warning by not running speeds it previously did, you probably shortened your cards life by years, I would advise putting the card back to stock and leaving it there.

FYI I say this out of experience, every card I reguarily gave a significant overclock died within 3 years. After the 3rd overclock card dies within 3 years you kind of figure things out.

Silvertrine- don't you know he got 1.7 more fps and 28 more 3dmarks with that OC? For Christ's sake, if that's not worth risking your $500 card, I don't know what is.

Think of all the fun he had OCing! He got to click on the button in Coolbits, then say "Oh yeah! I'm an OCing scientist- free 2fps here I come!"

he probably got quite an fps increase from a 50MHz core increase. i mean, thats the difference between the GT and Ultra to begin with, and you can prolly bump up the AA level or res one more notch and stay playable.

Errr Zakee- did you SEE the review I linked to? Where the card runs stock faster than his OCs to?

There is no "running it at a higher level" due to his OC. Just running it a little faster on the same level.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: zakee00

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: SilverTrine
Overclocking a high end card is just greedy IMO. Your card just gave you a severe warning by not running speeds it previously did, you probably shortened your cards life by years, I would advise putting the card back to stock and leaving it there.

FYI I say this out of experience, every card I reguarily gave a significant overclock died within 3 years. After the 3rd overclock card dies within 3 years you kind of figure things out.

Silvertrine- don't you know he got 1.7 more fps and 28 more 3dmarks with that OC? For Christ's sake, if that's not worth risking your $500 card, I don't know what is.

Think of all the fun he had OCing! He got to click on the button in Coolbits, then say "Oh yeah! I'm an OCing scientist- free 2fps here I come!"

he probably got quite an fps increase from a 50MHz core increase. i mean, thats the difference between the GT and Ultra to begin with, and you can prolly bump up the AA level or res one more notch and stay playable.

Let's see if you're right Zakee- AT reviewed a 6800UE which clocks at 450/1200 stock. Let's look for that increase in fps and ability to run at higher speed you speak of.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=2113&p=5
Hmmm 37 vs 41 fps. Won't be able to tell the difference there.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=2113&p=6
Ouch. 51 vs 54 fps no difference there either.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=2113&p=7
44 vs 50 is closer to the kind of gain you're talking about, but still not enough to risk $500 for me- and not the difference between running at that setting or not. Either is marginal.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=2113&p=9
Halo I'll give you. 50 vs 60 fps is a big difference, although to me still not worth risking $500..

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=10
D'oh. 71 vs 78 fps - no functional difference again.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=11
D'oh. 77 vs 82- no functional difference.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=12
Ouch. 50 vs 51fps - your logic doesn't seem to be holding up Zakee.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=13
Ouch. 40 vs 44 no running at a higher level here.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=14
61 vs 61- no difference at all.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=15
68 vs 74- no functional difference.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=16
49 vs 50 no difference here either.

So there you have it Zakee. A 6800UE, clocked higher than his 6800U OC, made a difference on one
, maybe two, out of eleven games.

Was that worth him damaging his $500 investment? Not in my opinion, but I'm not wealthy. The piddly gains he got from his OC meant nothing to his gaming performance, and now he may well be out $500 for his OC. (unless of course he opts to steal one with a fraudulent RMA, and then he's become a thief for meaningless gains and stolen $500 from honest people who did nothing to him but supply him with the product they promised)

Starting to see why it's pretty risky to OC high end parts?

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: zakee00

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: SilverTrine
Overclocking a high end card is just greedy IMO. Your card just gave you a severe warning by not running speeds it previously did, you probably shortened your cards life by years, I would advise putting the card back to stock and leaving it there.

FYI I say this out of experience, every card I reguarily gave a significant overclock died within 3 years. After the 3rd overclock card dies within 3 years you kind of figure things out.

Silvertrine- don't you know he got 1.7 more fps and 28 more 3dmarks with that OC? For Christ's sake, if that's not worth risking your $500 card, I don't know what is.

Think of all the fun he had OCing! He got to click on the button in Coolbits, then say "Oh yeah! I'm an OCing scientist- free 2fps here I come!"

he probably got quite an fps increase from a 50MHz core increase. i mean, thats the difference between the GT and Ultra to begin with, and you can prolly bump up the AA level or res one more notch and stay playable.

Let's see if you're right Zakee- AT reviewed a 6800UE which clocks at 450/1200 stock. Let's look for that increase in fps and ability to run at higher speed you speak of.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=2113&p=5
Hmmm 37 vs 41 fps. Won't be able to tell the difference there.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=2113&p=6
Ouch. 51 vs 54 fps no difference there either.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=2113&p=7
44 vs 50 is closer to the kind of gain you're talking about, but still not enough to risk $500 for me- and not the difference between running at that setting or not. Either is marginal.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=2113&p=9
Halo I'll give you. 50 vs 60 fps is a big difference, although to me still not worth risking $500..

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=10
D'oh. 71 vs 78 fps - no functional difference again.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=11
D'oh. 77 vs 82- no functional difference.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=12
Ouch. 50 vs 51fps - your logic doesn't seem to be holding up Zakee.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=13
Ouch. 40 vs 44 no running at a higher level here.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=14
61 vs 61- no difference at all.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=15
68 vs 74- no functional difference.

http://www.anandtech.com/video...c.aspx?i=2113&p=16
49 vs 50 no difference here either.

So there you have it Zakee. A 6800UE, clocked higher than his 6800U OC, made a difference on one
, maybe two, out of eleven games.

Was that worth him damaging his $500 investment? Not in my opinion, but I'm not wealthy. The piddly gains he got from his OC meant nothing to his gaming performance, and now he may well be out $500 for his OC. (unless of course he opts to steal one with a fraudulent RMA, and then he's become a thief for meaningless gains and stolen $500 from honest people who did nothing to him but supply him with the product they promised)

Starting to see why it's pretty risky to OC high end parts?

i don't like your posts as a general rule...but the man has a valid point here IMHO 😱

 

[apoppin]

it really isn't "risky" if you follow O/C'ing "rules". . . . keep it conservative and with ZERO artifacts and NO overheating . . . . Boosting the AGP voltage is the REALLY dangerous part compared with a simple o/c. 😉

You also have to consider that the 6800Ultras are really o/c'd GTs (well, not really but) . . . . in a sense, they are already "O/C'd" by nVidia . . . . to push them further is not as "safe" as pushing a 6800GT to Ultra speeds, 😉

Finally - aside from comparing benchmarks - there is probably no reason to keep your Ultra o/c'd . . . . is there ANY game that really demands more than the ultra can deliver? If so, and you like 16x12(+) with max everything and dual displays, perhaps you should consider SLI. 😛
:roll:

i (still) have a 9800xt that is safetly and automatically o/c'd by ATI's Overdrive . . . . i can force it higher - but WHY? an extra 2 FPS isn't worth it . . . it's easier and safer to just turn down the resolution or details. . . .

 

[fishmonger12]

you might have damaged the card. the room might be warmer. there might be dust in your heatsink fan.

but really, why overclock something that already does its job? i thought the whole idea of overclocking was to add another year of life onto a component after it had already done its time (ie OCing an athlon xp to avoid upgrading for another year). ocing a card that already idles at ridiculously high temps and is already the best on the market makes NO sense. 🙁.