I've tried iTurbo, Trixx, and whatever Asus names theirs. The Asus came closest, it said it would only unlock voltage on Asus cards.
I'd just like to tell you that this post got me thinking. I stated earlier that I'd tried overclocking the Northbridge with no success, but I decided to give it another go yesterday. Clearly, I must have done something wrong the last time, because it now works, and !WHOA! the performance increase! I never would have thought it could make such a difference, but it really has ironed out those framerate drops quite nicely. I've yet to stability test it, but I have high hopes for it.When you overclock that unlocked AMD Ph II 550, are you also overclocking the CPU-NB? It's a separate thing to overclock it, but I know it really improves performance in games like SC2 (e.g., 20% change, on top of what you get when overclocking the CPU), so maybe it will also help Battlefield 3?
the price here makes 7850 the price/performance card to have for a single 1920x1080 user.
I just ordered a 23 inch monitor so I need a 7850 card now.
*Edit*
Actually, is there a specific brand or model of the HD 7850 you all recommend that is the best for overclocking and feature filled?
There is no "best" brand. It is pure luck of the draw whether your 7850 will OC high or not. Buying an "OC edition" that comes with stock clocks above the reference 860/1200 clocks is the best you can do about potentially getting a higher OC as those cards SHOULD have been binned by the manufacturer. This is why I paid extra ($255) for a XFX Black Edition. This was while some 7850's were selling at $210 after rebate.
Unfortunately, there is still no guarentee and I am a good example. My 7850 came with a stock voltage of 1.213V that cannot be increased, and tops out at about 1180/1485 (in Unigine Heaven), still crashes on Kombuster. The ASIC quality is 71%.
However, since you are purchasing a card rather late in the second half of the 7000 series generation cycle, chances are that the card you buy will be newer and have fewer manufacturing defects, allowing for higher stability at lower voltages and greater OC potential. Buy from a retailer that sees high volume of sales to increase your chances of getting a more recently manufactured card.
The most important thing about buying is actually knowing if the card will OC. As you probably already know, there are 7850s that have locked voltages. Certain brands like Sapphire and HIS seem to be spotty with which cards can be overvolted and which ones cannot. I wrote about this on another forum not too long ago and off the top of my head, I think the MSI Twin Frozr III version, the tri-fan Gigabyte version, and the XFX cards are most consistently unlockable (all on newegg). You should pick whichever one of those is the cheapest and hope for the best. Good luck!
I think the heatsink/fan is an important consideration. Many who have bought reference cards have replaced the heatsinks, which winds up costing more money than buying one with a good cooler in the first place.
However, none of this means that you'll get a good overclocker. I bought the HIS 7870 IceQ, which has seemingly the best cooler. Stock voltage was 1.218v, and that will only get me to 1150 core. I have to go to 1.28v to get 1200, which isn't worth it. It's unstable at 1.203v and 1150 core.
I can't complain much. The performance jump from 1150 to 1200 isn't much. I wish I could lower the voltage more, but it's definitely a safe voltage. I don't think the card exceeds 65° at stock voltage. It's also close to 3 times faster than my 4870
What driver version? I think there was a driver that had problems with flash stability, especially when overclocked.I have been using this card for 3 months now. Great card, but occasionally the driver crashes when on certain videos on YouTube or flash based sites. Any idea?
What driver version? I think there was a driver that had problems with flash stability, especially when overclocked.
Supposedly it identifies the quality of the chip and whether it's high-leakage or not. Low-leakage chips generally have better power consumption numbers and will overclock better on air while high-leakage chips are power hungry but can overclock higher if you can cool them well enough. It's definitely not the be-all, end-all label and I haven't seen definite trends in my experience or with what I've seen online.hmm my card is showing 73% on ASIC quality. what does that mean ?
Keep the core under 90C and the VRM's under 110C for the best longevity. Core voltage shouldn't affect the memory unless it raises temps enough to keep the RAM too hot (this will depend on the type of cooler your card has).Some quick questions:
What are the maximum safe temps for the 7850? And what do you guys get on your overclocks?
Also, if I raise the voltage, will that affect the video memory?
Supposedly it identifies the quality of the chip and whether it's high-leakage or not. Low-leakage chips generally have better power consumption numbers and will overclock better on air while high-leakage chips are power hungry but can overclock higher if you can cool them well enough. It's definitely not the be-all, end-all label and I haven't seen definite trends in my experience or with what I've seen online.
Keep the core under 90C and the VRM's under 110C for the best longevity. Core voltage shouldn't affect the memory unless it raises temps enough to keep the RAM too hot (this will depend on the type of cooler your card has).
Woof are you guys really fine with ~90C core temps? That's hardcore, I almost flipped out when my stock Sapphy hit 70C on CCC max OC limits. Thankfully I got a nice HSF and that issue was never seen again.
I did do a murder run at 1265/1650 with 1.225v the card got to around 65C with the new cooler, but I couldn't get higher than those clocks. Damn ASIC 68% rating.
I'd just like to tell you that this post got me thinking. I stated earlier that I'd tried overclocking the Northbridge with no success, but I decided to give it another go yesterday. Clearly, I must have done something wrong the last time, because it now works, and !WHOA! the performance increase! I never would have thought it could make such a difference, but it really has ironed out those framerate drops quite nicely. I've yet to stability test it, but I have high hopes for it.