Overclocking: how high is "high" for GF4 ti 4200?

[snik]

I have an Asus GF4 Ti 4200 128mb. 3.3 ns BGA memory. I'm running 290/620 right now. Just ran 3mark 2001 and it was flawless without hiccups: no slowdown, stuttering, or artifacts at all. 12870 3dmarks. I just upgraded the card from an old Gainward GF3. Are these clocks high for a Ti 4200? What other tests can I perform to test stability of the card?

 

[BoomAM]

Raise it until you get artifacting.
If it was me, i`d go out and buy some cooling for it anyway, even if it was stable.
When OCing it, as well as increasing the speed of the card, you also reduce the lifespan, so by putting extra cooling on it, it sorta even its out. Keep in mind that the lifespan on the card is probably something like 10-15years, and OCing would probably reduce it to 8-12 years, and by the time it messes up, theres a strong chance that you`ll have replaced it.

 

[BenSkywalker]

What other tests can I perform to test stability of the card?

3Dmark 2K1 running 1600x1200x32 with 4xS AA and 8x AF Quality(or application depending on the drivers) setting and leave it looping for an hour or so. I can run over 300MHZ using the default 3DMark2K1 settings without issue, crank it up a bit and they show up(although sometimes it takes a half hour or more).

Currently my Ti4200 is running 290/560 although I have 4ns RAM so it actually is a reasonable amount OCed(you may get to the ~650 range with 3.3ns). Stability hasn't been an issue when I raise the clock more, only image corruption. I couldn't break 260/555 running default AGP volts, a slight bump up to 1.6 gave me an extra 30MHZ on the core(although only 5MHZ effective(2.5MHZ actual) on the RAM). BTW- I have yet to run in to stability issues when OCing, it is a matter of image corruption to varrying degrees. It is usually possible to OC to the point where image corruption is horrendous before you will experience stability issues.

 

[snik]

Thank you for quality answers, guys. I was infact, looking into buying a gpu cooler and ram sinks. Any reccomendations?

 

[BoomAM]

If you want it all in one pack, then the Thermaltake highest performace cooler gf4, comes with HSF, and ramsinks.
Or if you want silent cooling
Tweakmonster BGA ramsinks - the best ramsinks out
Zalman ZM-80A - A big ass heatsink, cools well with or without fan above it. Its used on 9700pros that have been OC`d, and even it stock form, they give out more heat than a ti4200 thats been OC`d.

 

[snik]

Originally posted by: BoomAM
If you want it all in one pack, then the Thermaltake highest performace cooler gf4, comes with HSF, and ramsinks.

Which would be what model?

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: snik

Originally posted by: BoomAM
If you want it all in one pack, then the Thermaltake highest performace cooler gf4, comes with HSF, and ramsinks.

Which would be what model?

This one.

GF4 cores should hit ~300MHz, as they're all A3 revision (or later). Might require a voltage bump on standard Ti4200's as mentioned, but the Ti4200 Turbos (Ti4400SE), Ti4400s, and Ti4600s (Ti4800s) have the 8-layer PCBs which facilitate higher clock speeds at stock settings. I've got my bros rig with a Ti4200 at my place for service, and plan on sticking a TT GF4 cooler on it. I'm also gonna bump up his voltage as he's getting my rev. 1.4 A7N8X; his old board doesn't support VAGP adjustments. I think he's only getting 285MHz currently and ~580 on the memory side.

Chiz

 

[Rocktavio]

What does the rest of your setup look like. I have a 9700 PRO but don't get such high 3D marks...but then again I am running it on an old Asus A7V MB /w 4x AGP, a Tbird 1.33GHz and PC133 memory...which I am sure is a bottle neck. I am just wondering how much performance gain I will get if I upgrade my MB, memory and CPU...

 

[BoomAM]

Originally posted by: Rocktavio
What does the rest of your setup look like. I have a 9700 PRO but don't get such high 3D marks...but then again I am running it on an old Asus A7V MB /w 4x AGP, a Tbird 1.33GHz and PC133 memory...which I am sure is a bottle neck. I am just wondering how much performance gain I will get if I upgrade my MB, memory and CPU...

Im sorta in the same situation. Ive got a KT7A-RAID, 768mb of PC133 memory and a XP1800, w/ 9700pro and i get about 10294 3dmarks2001.
According to the ORB thing, with DDR memory, i`d get about 12000. Which falls in line with the 20% difference between SDR & DDR.

 

[snik]

Asus A7N8X
AMD XP 2400 @ 2.21 GHz
Corsair XMS 256mb

Using 3D Mark 2001 SE /w default settings

 

[Rocktavio]

Damn...Shouldn't a 9700 PRO be doing much better than a Ti4200? I guess it just might be time to upgrade...Anyone have any info on whether it is worth it to fork out an extra $30 or $40 for a Barton CPU with 333MHz bus or just stick to the faster clock speed cheaper AMD CPUs? Is Asus the best NForce 2 MB or is there something better? Is there a big difference in performace between the regular and delux version, or is it just SATA and and extra NIC that is the difference?

 

[CraigRT]

Go more on the core... the memory can only be overclocked so much before it's completely useless due to the slower GPU

my GPU runs at 315, so I say push more.. the GPU speed is fairly important on this video card if the memory is running that fast.

 

[snik]

When overclocking video, should one overclock core in proportion to the memory? i.e., If I increase the core by 20% should I increase the memory by 20% as well? Or should core and memory be overclocked "out of sync"?

 

[BenSkywalker]

When overclocking video, should one overclock core in proportion to the memory? i.e., If I increase the core by 20% should I increase the memory by 20% as well? Or should core and memory be overclocked "out of sync"?

Usually you go as high as you can for both(some older boards, particularly non nV, are set to run in sync but AFAIK all boards introduced in the last couple of years run async without issue). In certain situations having the core clocked up to 800MHZ wouldn't do you any good if you RAM isn't clocked high enough as you will be bandwith limited, and the reverse is also true(and likely to be increasingly common) that sometimes you will be core limited and additional RAM speed won't do you any good. Clock 'em both as high as you can(without introducing problems) and you do the best you can for your particular board.

 

[snik]

Originally posted by: BenSkywalker

When overclocking video, should one overclock core in proportion to the memory? i.e., If I increase the core by 20% should I increase the memory by 20% as well? Or should core and memory be overclocked "out of sync"?

Usually you go as high as you can for both(some older boards, particularly non nV, are set to run in sync but AFAIK all boards introduced in the last couple of years run async without issue). In certain situations having the core clocked up to 800MHZ wouldn't do you any good if you RAM isn't clocked high enough as you will be bandwith limited, and the reverse is also true(and likely to be increasingly common) that sometimes you will be core limited and additional RAM speed won't do you any good. Clock 'em both as high as you can(without introducing problems) and you do the best you can for your particular board.

Thanks, BenSkywalker. I ordered one of those Zalman Heatpipe Coolers . Can't wait to slap on some AS3 and overclock more when the cooler arrives