Question about video card overclocking

[spencer]

I'm not much of a gamer but when I seen the Elsa Gladiac GTS 32MB for $127 from buy.com a couple weeks ago, I couldn't pass it up. I've been playing some UT just to see what all this card can do and I searched through quite a few threads trying to figure out which drivers and utilities I needed. I finally got it overclocked to it's max but should I select the setting to "apply these settings at startup" or is that bad for the card? It's running 215 core and 390 memory right now. Is it better to just overclock when I want to play a game?

 

[MCS]

If you're going to overclock at all then you might as well Apply at startup.

Otherwise you will have to go through setting it each time. It won't make much difference anyway because the card is not being stressed during ordinary 2D Windows usage.

 

[cmaMath13]

You will find that if it is going to lock-up, then it will most likely occur while you are playing a 3D game and be completely stable in your 2D applications.

Plus, make sure your computer case is WELL ventilated. Good ventilation will allow you to overclock your video card (or cpu) more reliably.

 

[BFG10K]

playing some UT just to see what all this card can do

You're wasting your time overclocking your video card for UT. UT is almost entirely CPU dependent.

 

[spencer]

BFG10K,

I've read that before but when I first got this card and ran UT, it would get choppy so I decided to overclock and I haven't noticed any choppiness since.

 

[MCS]

You could try getting the lastest patch for UT and running it in OpenGL mode instead. I find OGL to by far superior to D3D on Geforce cards and UT.

 

[MCS]

What CPU speed are you running?

 

[spencer]

I'm running a 650 duron @ 900 with 192MB ram on an Epox 8KTA+. I'll look into the OGL patch.

 

[cmaMath13]

It could be your overclock cpu, too. Your system may not be completely stable, if it is locking up in games.

Try this: Run CPU and Video card at default speeds. Does you system still lock up? If so, then you know it is the overclocking!

 

[MCS]

cmaMath - He didn't say that he was experiencing any lock-ups...

spencer - your CPU and video card (even at default speed) should run UT great...but give the OpenGL a go and see if you like it!

 

[cmaMath13]

Oops, sorry. :disgust:y.

 

[billyjak]

I wouldn't go any higher if you want stability, I run mine at 212 388 stable and it's on 24/7 hours a day.

 

[MCS]

I dont bother overclocking mine at all - CL GTS 32MB.

I had a CL GF DDR before that, it was overclocked to 150/345 since day one, and after about 9 months white dots started to show up. I clocked it back down to default and the white dots were still there, and they continued to get worse too, I saw snow in a every game!

Its a hard lesson to learn but I am sure it was the memory that was damaged, not the core. I have read about this happening to other people too.

I keep my GTS at default.