UNDERclocking a video card

[katwomansz]

I have the great performer Nvidia 6800 GTO from Dell that is so great I have no reason to overclock it on DOOM 3, Rome Total War and all the latestest games of the day.

But as been posted here by others this card can reach 65°C Idle.
So if I'm just web surfing can I UNDERclocking this card when I don't need the full 3D perfomance?
The latest Forceware drivers have a tab to change clocking with separate 2D and 3D clocking settings which makes me think you can have separate settings for each.

I'm hoping to reduce the heat with summer on the way....

I would try an aftermarket cooler like many suggest at Newegg but I don't want to void the warranty. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Amplifier]

That could be a case issue. Open the side panel on your case and see if the temp drops... if it does then the issue is with circulation. If not then it's an issue with the card's cooling system.

 

[kylebisme]

I can't see how it could be considered an issue at all. As long is the temps stay within spec and there is no artifacing, the card is working fine. If it ain't broke...

 

[Emultra]

Get case fans and keep the power.

You're going to be needing it further ahead.

 

[2Xtreme21]

$10 says it's the temp bug. Use the most recent ones on nVidia's site and your idle temps will most likely go down about 10 or so degrees.

Edit: Hmm, you have already. Sorry scratch that... I didn't see that in your post. I think the 71.89's are temp bug free. You may just want to try a driver with a guaranteed no-temp bug such as the76.45's or a Xtreme G set (very nice drivers).

 

[ddogg]

dont underclock it....get a Zalman VF700ALCU or CU. and there was a bug on the 71 drivers as well.

 

[BobDaMenkey]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
I can't see how it could be considered an issue at all. As long is the temps stay within spec and there is no artifacing, the card is working fine. If it ain't broke...

Exactly. People need to stop freaking out about this so bad.

 

[katwomansz]

OK I'm not going to worry about the heat now because even 70°C is still a green bar. Above 70°C it becomes a Yellow bar. And even right after hard gaming its only 75°C-80°C tops. So that's not so bad with the stock cooler. I've read you can program Riva Tuner to measure temps during the game.

So maybe I'm worring too much. We turned on the air conditioner today as summer has arrived in Maryland. Nvidia has a warning at 135°C built into the driver! I would think it would be a puddle at that point. I can't seem to change the warning temp with the 71.89 drivers. I just want to protect my $300 investment. ooo Maybe a PCI slot cooler will do. But I've heard that Dell has made a solid plate on the 6800 that blocks both PCI slots. I don't want to take it out yet since it looks that way from the inside.

When I do open the case the temperature drops rapidly back to low 60s C. So I think the Dell XPS Gen 3 case needs a little more fanwork there on the video cards. (I hope this was added for the Gen 4 and Gen 5) The processor is shrowded with its own fan. But then Dell has no sensor on the CPU so if it cooks...you may never know until its too late.

OK next time I build it myself. But for the price I am happy with Dell's XPS series.

Well thanks for all the discussions and suggestions.