MSI Afterburner overclock help?

[Raycorrupt]

Hi guys,

So I'm not sure if this was the right place to put my thread, but I was having some trouble using MSI Afterburner.
I have a GTX 680 reference card, and I used MSI Afterburner to set power limit to 132%, core clock to +125 and memory clock to +375.

So my question to you guys is:
Is that decent increase for a reference card or could I go higher? And, more importantly, how do I set it up so that it only applies the overclock when I'm running 3D programs (like World of Warcraft), so I don't get too high temps when idling?

I'm really new to the overclocking field, so any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Siraj

 

[bgunner]

The first thing you need to know is that once you OC the card you need to stress test it to be sure the card is stable. Use OCCT do do this. Use its GPU test with error checking enabled to stress the card. IF the card errors the OC is unstable and needs to be lowered.

Power limit: adjusts the point that the GPU will throttle the core frequency to prevent overheating. Adjust this as needed to keep from throttling BUT also keeps you under the Thermal limit.

3D clocks: the card will adjust the core speed due to work load and type of work automatically. This means that (even OCed ) the card will run in lower 2D clocks unless a 3D application/program is running. You should see this in the graph that Afterburner has.

When OCing: adjust one clock at a time. Adjust it till it errors then back it down 2 MHz and retest each time till you become stable with no errors. Write this setting down on a piece of paper then set it back to stock and move on to the next clock setting. do the same here. then once both max clocks are found you can put them together and retest to be sure they will be fine together. DO NOT rush the testing. Test each setting for a minimum of 30 mins with OCCT's GPU test with error checking on. Watch your temps to so you do not get to hot.

EDIT: Just for future reference this should have been put in Graphics & Displays and/or Overclocking.

 

[Raycorrupt]

how do I set it up so that it only applies the overclock when I'm running 3D programs (like World of Warcraft), so I don't get too high temps when idling?

Thanks,
Siraj

Thanks for the informative assistance. Could you answer my second question too?
Many thanks

 

[bgunner]

I believe I did already answer that question with : "3D clocks: the card will adjust the core speed due to work load and type of work automatically. This means that (even OCed ) the card will run in lower 2D clocks unless a 3D application/program is running. You should see this in the graph that Afterburner has. " But here is a more thorough explanation.

In the settings Under "General Tab" under the heading of "Compatibility Property's" make sure you do not have "Force Constant Voltage" checked off. this will keep the voltage at it's highest even when in 2D clocks creating more heat.

The GPU raise and lower the clock speeds due to GPU usage and either 2D or 3D work loads. This is done automatically and no need to do anything else to keep your card cool under Idle conditions. When Idle, the Core Clock should drop to its lowest setting and voltage to its lowest setting determined in the cards BIOS. This is an automatic power saving feature and has an added feature of keeping the card cool during low use times. The card should not stay at max frequency's.

If you use the Graph provided with Afterburner and look at the core clock/Core frequency you will see it drops when just on your desktop with out a game running. Once you start a 3D application the GPU switches into its 3D clocks speeds and ups the core frequency to what you set it to in the sliders.

This core speed change was introduced in the GTX 400 series for Nvidia and even sooner in AMD with their HD 5000 series GPU's. Your GPU is already doing it for you and there is nothing you need to do to keep it cooler at idle when OCed other than raise the fan speed. IF you are experiencing a Higher temp than when the GPU is at stock settings it would be caused by the Memory being OCed. Because when memory frequency's are switched from a low frequency to a high frequency and vise versa you may get screen tearing during the switch. To prevent this the memory usually stays at the setting you have OCed it to in Afterburner. {Not always and depends on how many monitors you are using} Because the memory is running faster and is still getting its full voltage a slight increased temp may be seen. Easily taken care of by adjusting your Fan speeds to compensate.