overclocking 9800Se to 9800Pro

[RSanders]

Heh. I don't know if I really have a reason to softmod mine right now, as all my games play perfect on it.

I am going to download 3dMark03 and do a benchmark, then softmod and do a benchmark.

I am using the stock fan and I have a CPU fan and case fan, so maybe there won't be any heat issues.

 

[Delorian]

I think the saphhires come with a better fan, I have 4 case fans, a TT Volcano 12+ on my cpu (full blast sounds like a hairdryer) and of course the PS fan. All that only allows a little OCing on the vid card and a boost from 166 to 200 fsb on my cpu/mobo. When I tried to take the fan off the vid card and put it back on, the fan wasn't secured as the little clips weren't tight at all and the core heated up about the time I got my desktop loaded up. Display went crazy and artifacts were abundant. Freaked me out! Just pulled the card back out, reseated and it was fine. I'm definitely going to look into getting another fan sometime soon, just loving the jump from a geforce 2 Ti to 9800 pro in the meantime. Hope your softmod goes well. Remember, even if you get artifacts, the problem may not be the extra 4 pipes, artifacts can be caused by software/drivers/overheating or the 4 pipes being damaged. If it does give you artifacts but you are still able to maneuver through your OS, I would try a different driver set or underclocking, there's always the chance!

 

[Colrenea]

I have an AMD xp2000+ cpu with 512 mb of cheap ram, 1 hard drive, a floppy, and 2 optical drives. I have 1 fan at the back and the power supply fan. My power supply is an Antec 300w. Should I be able to run a 9800 SE or Pro with my power supply, or do I need to upgrade it first?

 

[RSanders]

Just ran 3dmark 03 without the softmod and with the softmod.

The PC specs are:
Athlon 2500+ barton
512MB of PC3200 Ram
80GB HD
ATI Radeon 9800SE (Sapphire 256-bit)
1 CPU fan and 1 Case fan (not sure if this has much to do with scores)

Without softmodding: 3206
With softmodding: 4650

I didn't get any artifacts, so that is good. I didn't get the scores of you Delorian, but you payed about $15 to $20 more for yours I guess.

BTW, Would 4650 3DMark03 scores be around a 9800 NP??

Also, how do I know for sure that 8 pipelines are unlocked?

 

[GeneralGrievous]

That score is kind of pathetic for a 9800 Pro. I'd expect at least 5k. Are you sure AA and AF are off? You can tell if all 8 pipes are unlocked with ATItool or rivatuner.

 

[RSanders]

I have a 9800SE 128mb 256-bit. Not even close to a 9800Pro there buddy.

I just overclocked this card just a little bit (from 325/290 to 350/300) then from 350/300 to 370/315

Without Softmod: 3206
With Softmod: 4650
With Softmod and Overclock (350/300): 4902
With Softmod and Overclock (370/315): 5135

 

[RSanders]

I havn't really waited for the Core/Memory max to settle in on ATITool.. I always just stop when I get tired of waiting. Anyway I still havn't got any artifacts. Can you usually increase the memory about the same amount as the core?

 

[Delorian]

Hey guys, been kinda busy this Memorial day wknd,

RSanders - To tell if you have the 8 pipes unlocked you could use the program RivaTuner which is a free download, if it tells you that your card is 8x1 then all 8 are unlocked, 4x1 would indicate that 4 are still disabled. Those speeds sound about right as your core and memory are clocked a bit slower than a regular 9800 pro which is 380 core/340 mem. Your scores are pretty good though for the price you paid. If these cards unlock, then you can't beat their value, which we both got pretty lucky. That OC is pretty good, yours must have better cooling than mine. To get closer to a Pro, you could try to put some heatsinks on your ram and get it up about 30-40 Mhz more if possible, then you would be very close to Pro speeds. Congratulations on your successful unlock.

Colrenea - I wouldn't rely on a 300W power supply to last much longer as your power needs are expanding beyond that. I would strongly recommend getting at least a 400W power supply before upgrading that system much more. Your current PS might work with the card but it all kind of depends on the individual components. I would see what ATI says about that on their website before making any purchases.

 

[BudAshes]

i tried this ona power color 9800se a while ago but the soft mod gave me artifacts.

 

[jhurst]

Just use ATiTool to determine how many pipelines. Its like right there under settings.

 

[Delorian]

Originally posted by: Xafgoat
i tried this ona power color 9800se a while ago but the soft mod gave me artifacts.

Sorry to hear that, I think the card would still be worth the money without the softmod, but definitely gives a bonus with one. W/o softmodding, the card is relatively the same as a 9600 xt, which is going for about the same price. Better luck next time I suppose.

 

[BudAshes]

Originally posted by: Delorian

Originally posted by: Xafgoat
i tried this ona power color 9800se a while ago but the soft mod gave me artifacts.

Sorry to hear that, I think the card would still be worth the money without the softmod, but definitely gives a bonus with one. W/o softmodding, the card is relatively the same as a 9600 xt, which is going for about the same price. Better luck next time I suppose.

eh, wasnt a big deal i just sold it on ebay and for some reason i got more than i payed for it and bought a 9700 pro.

 

[Delorian]

eh, wasnt a big deal i just sold it on ebay and for some reason i got more than i payed for it and bought a 9700 pro.

Hey more power to you! Seems that worked out better anyhow.
:beer: