allow frequency adjustments

[forcer]

i used a registry file that adds an option allowing you to adjust the clock frequency on my geforce 2 mx/mx 400.

i just thought id ask about it before i went ahead n changed the settings.

the core clock frequence is at: 200Mhz

the memory clock frequency is at: 183Mhz

whats the reccomended settings i should put it at?

and when changing the settings what does it actually improve?

whats the chances of it ****ing my hardware and in what way will it break it?

will i need extra cooling after doing this there isnt a fan on my hdd, but i do have 3 fans running.( processor, power suply, and a airflow out the back)

 

[Krux]

if you OC the card within 10% of its stock speed there is 99.9999% chance nothing will ever happen to the card and it will run fine tell well.... u buy a new one. But if u push it past 10% there is a very good chance u can damage it. performance increase will be minimal on a card like that, but hey just overclock it 10% and enjoy the extra 5 or so fps you get.


try it at 220core 200ram

 

[forcer]

is it worth overclocking it for just 5fps, i dont know much about that, is it that big of an increase?

 

[Krux]

depends what kinda of games are you playing?

 

[forcer]

vice city, rise of nations, black and white, phreatorians... ect

 

[Krux]

you might notice a difference

 

[Taurus]

i found an old post i did about overclocking your video card. you can read it here.

you really can't damage anything if you increase in small steps with some testing (benchmarking or game playing) in between. if you have any other questions, ask.

 

[LeeJend]

Having lots of experience frying video cards I disagree with Taurus.

1). There is no overtemp protection built into video chipsets.

2). Video card coolers are usually wimpy compared to CPU coolers so much less capable to deal with heat increases.

3). The thermal damage mechanism in high speed semiconductors is migration of the dopants in the semiconductor material. This effectively increases losses, lowers the device voltage rating and means that as you subject a part to higher temperature the part degrades over time and gets even hotter speeding the degradation of the part. The dopant migration is a strong function of temperature. Sooo, if you push a part past where its internal junction temperature is guaranteed "no dopant migration" the part will start to slowly die, even though it still works. Even worse once it has degraded enough it will stop working at it's "not overclocked" speed. I've seen this happen first hand.

Considering the advantage of 10 or 20% speed increase is the risk worth it? My answer is yes under only one circumstance:
If the card is too slow to enjoy a game you like, and you have the desire and money to replace it, go ahead and overclock. The time you buy before having to replace the card will almost always save you money on the next card. And at the rate vid card prices drop the odds are in your favor the new card price will drop more than what you could have sold the old card for (assuming it fries).

As for 5 FPS being worth it, it depends. If you're at 25 FPS now and can get to 30 FPS that will be a noticeable difference. If you're over 40 FPS don't bother. 30-40 is iffy.

 

[Taurus]

Originally posted by LeeJend
Having lots of experience frying video cards I disagree with Taurus.

1). There is no overtemp protection built into video chipsets.

2). Video card coolers are usually wimpy compared to CPU coolers so much less capable to deal with heat increases.

3). The thermal damage mechanism in high speed semiconductors is migration of the dopants in the semiconductor material. This effectively increases losses, lowers the device voltage rating and means that as you subject a part to higher temperature the part degrades over time and gets even hotter speeding the degradation of the part. The dopant migration is a strong function of temperature. Sooo, if you push a part past where its internal junction temperature is guaranteed "no dopant migration" the part will start to slowly die, even though it still works. Even worse once it has degraded enough it will stop working at it's "not overclocked" speed. I've seen this happen first hand.

Considering the advantage of 10 or 20% speed increase is the risk worth it? My answer is yes under only one circumstance:
If the card is too slow to enjoy a game you like, and you have the desire and money to replace it, go ahead and overclock. The time you buy before having to replace the card will almost always save you money on the next card. And at the rate vid card prices drop the odds are in your favor the new card price will drop more than what you could have sold the old card for (assuming it fries).

As for 5 FPS being worth it, it depends. If you're at 25 FPS now and can get to 30 FPS that will be a noticeable difference. If you're over 40 FPS don't bother. 30-40 is iffy.

leejend, i don't see where i made points relating to #1, 2, or 3? i was merely giving a basic walkthrough on how to overclock an nvidia card. answering forcer's question.

btw, i had mt gf2 gts overclocked 220/400 (+10%/+20%) for almost 3 years now and it runs perfectly. i can't say i've seen any video card die from long-term overclocking. but this is just my experience. and most overclocking i've performaned has yielded at 10% or more increase in benchmark scores... which translates to increasing your game resolution up a notch or bieng able to turn on/up AA or AF a little and get the same fps as before the overclock.

so i still say overclocking's worth it, as long as your card has room to (more than 5% from stock) and has decent cooling. but this is a personal preference and what i go by.

 

[LeeJend]

Funny you should mention the GF2 GTS. It's what I borrowed from a frined while I was deciding what to replace my last fried video card with.

The GF2 GTS was the most overclock friendly, stable, cool running, video card I have ever used! It worked so well I delayed buying a new card until my buddy wanted his back.