Help overclocking an old GTX 280

[DigDog]

hi guys; since Skyrim came out i'v been wanting a bit more power on a budget from my decrepit GTX 280 (i got zero money atm so no new card).

the card in question is a Palit, and i'm using RivaTuner to OC' it, and FurMark to stress test it; here is the question.

I'm using at the same time GPUZ, FurMark and RivaTuner's monitoring functions, and although the card is stable at 637 core(602 default), 1371 shaders and 1161 memory, the three apps give me different temperature readings - furmark gives me 100c on the core, riva about 95c, and gpuz a ridiculous 65c. The fan is also trying to hoover away my hamster, or at least it sounds like it.

1) which of the 3 can i trust best?

2) which part - core, shaders, memory - gives the most heat when OCd?

3) is there any way i can squeeze a lil more juice out of this card without remaining GPU-less within the week ?

thanx in advance - i know y'all come up with a solution

Diggus

 

[Crap Daddy]

Use MSI Afterburner for all. Temp check and overclocking plus you can set up a custom fan profile. Do you own Skyrim? It should run pretty well on your card at stock - without mods -. The game needs a fast CPU so you'd be better off overclocking that. I wouldn't run the card above 80C

 

[DigDog]

so, afterburner is reliable?

 

[Crap Daddy]

Yes.

 

[notty22]

Consensus is not to use Furmark anymore, except for real specific testing. No reason to cook your card to death.
Use a game benchmark that cycles, or Unigne Heaven, something like that for stability testing. 40 minutes of testing should prove stable.
The 280's are 65nm tech, there probably is not alot of o/c headroom.
good luck

 

[DigDog]

in fact, i see that while skyrim makes the GPU lout as a jetcraft, it doesnt in fact get the temps as high as FurMrak does, so its safe for gaming at 634mhz.

however, i'm still intrigued as to whether its the core or the ram that contributes most to the heat.