c0m4nch3
27-11-2003, 11:33:29
Este texto foi retirado no site americano, mas nao sei traduzir
Fonte: The ModFathers
Introduction.
Overclock this; overclock that; don't leave out your poor video card. Overclocking, a term referring to running components in your computer faster than they are specified, has become quite the craze, and for good reason. Depending on your hardware setup you can get some serious performance gains from tuning your system up a bit. Many people realize the fact that you can overclock your AGP video card, amongst other components in your rig, however, there is a huge difference between knowing and doing.
When attempting to overclock your video card there are a couple things to take into consideration. First and foremost comes the topic of cooling the card. When I say 'card' I am referring to the two components you can overclock on the card: the memory and the GPU (graphics processor unit). Overclocking the components of the card runs them at higher speeds and in turn heats them up faster and to higher temperatures. A "so-so" cooler on your video card is rendered just about worthless under the stress of overclocking. Having said this, make sure you have appropriate cooling on both your GPU and memory in the form of a high quality heatsink and fan (on the GPU) and some nice aluminum or copper ram sinks (on the memory).
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/1.jpg
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/2.jpg
Once you've got the whole "proper cooling" thing under control on your video card you will want to accurately benchmark the card and record the results. Benchmarking the card with a program like 3dmark 2001se (for DirectX 8 cards) or 3dmark 2003 (for DirectX 9 cards), free from FutureMark, will allow you to document the effects of your overclocking job and effectively test the card to make sure it is working properly. The Modfatha recommends benching the card prior to your overclock and then slowly increasing the memory and GPU clock speeds by 5mhz increments and re-benching every time till you notice any sort of weird artifacting happening in you benching including strange shapes, wire meshes or in worst case scenarios, lock-ups.
As far as software for overclocking goes there are a few options out there. When you purchase a higher end video card they will most likely come with some software tweaks that will allow you to overclock the card, however, these apps usually aren't highly recommended due to their lack of features and overall instability. The tiny program that came with the MSI FX 5200 card we used for this article (affectionately referred to as 3D! Turbo Experience) only allowed us to overclock the card in larger increments and was just plain problematic in general. Powerstrip and Riva Tuner are some of the more popular third party software tweaks for overclocking video cards. Both come highly recommended and can be found by doing a comprehensive Google search.
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/3.jpg
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/4.jpg
When overclocking your card keep in mind a few things. First off, obviously cooling; the better the card is cooled the better overclocking results you will see. Secondly; overclock both the GPU and memory in small increments and then test it by benching, once you have found a setting to be stable then and only then can you move forward to the next setting. Make sure you pull back once you see that the card is artifacting. There is no immediate danger of smoking any components however it is always possible when attempting mods like this.
How We Made Out
Although results will totally vary based highly upon card and cooler you use, the make and model of the card and the software you end up using to overclock the card it might interest you to know how the Modfatha made out with his FX 5200 card for this project.
After replacing the stock passive heatsink on the MSI FX5200-TD128 (non-ultra) card we used I first started benching to see how the card performed on one of my Athlon XP 1800+ test rigs with 768 megs of DDR 2700. The results were as shoddy as one would have expected from a budget 5200 card.
Memory speed 405 420 430 440 450 460 465 470
GPU core speed 249.75 260 270 280 290 300 305 310
3dmark 2001se Score 5074 5331 5392 5462 5466 5526 artifact lock
After quite a bit of difficulty getting the MSI overclocking utility to work the Modfatha turned the job over to one of his favored AGP overclocking utilities. Powerstrip has served me well in the past and really lets you tweak a ton of performance settings well beyond even what a hardcore user would need. To my dismay I had quite a bit of trouble getting Powerstrip to work with this MSI card and no matter what I tried it would not let me adjust the GPU core and the memory timing speeds, almost as if the card was 'clock locked'.
After many hours fiddling with settings and rebooting to try and get Powerstrip to function correctly I finally turned to an equally powerful piece of AGP overclocking software. Riva Tuner did the job flawlessly and provided equal if not more tweaks to such detailed topics as Direct 3D, Direct Draw and OpenGL amonst others. The settings for Riva Tuner are limitless and the Modfatha really got the card dialed in and making use of every last ounce of juice this card had to offer. In the end I got the card to run at a stable 300/460 (GPU core/memory). Note a bad overclock considering the card's stock settings of 250/405. That ended up granting me an extra 500 3dmarks. Not much compared to a higher end card but, relatively speaking, its quite an overclock for a low end FX 5200.
Both pieces of software can be found from doing a search on Google and the Modfatha equally recommends either one as a great alternative to the utility or software that the card comes with. Both of the programs also can be set to start up with Windows and run silently, minimized to the system tray. If you get some really incredible overclocks send them into the magazine or post them on the forums, the Modfatha is eager to hear of your success with this guide.
Guide
Parts Needed:
AGP video card of choice
After market video card cooler and ram sinks (if applicable)
Step 1:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step1.jpg
This mod really doesn't require any special equipment other than possibly some better cooling paraphernalia. For this guide we snagged the shoddiest looking FX 5200 card we could find. This MSI FX5200-TD128 doesn't even come equipped with an active cooler on it. We have opted to replace it with a ThermalTake Crystal Orb with the addition of some ThermalTake Aluminum Ram Sinks for the memory.
Step 2:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step2.jpg
First off, we have got to get rid of the inferior stock heatsink so some real overclocks can be obtained. Without proper cooling overclocking is out of the question. Flip the card over and you should notice two small pins coming through the backside. Push each compression pins together with some needle nose pliers and force them back through to the other side.
Step 3:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step3.jpg
Most all heatsinks will have some sort of thermal grease or thermal pad adhering them fast to the GPU in addition to the pins. There are a couple ways to break the heatsink free. The old fashioned way would be to gently twist the sink back and forth till it comes loose. Another suggestion is doing some hardcore gaming to really heat that sink up so it comes off a bit easier.
Step 4:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step4.jpg
After cleaning up the GPU a bit and possibly putting some high grade silver thermal compound on the GPU like Artic Silver or Antec's Reference Compound its time to install your new cooler. When purchasing a proper heatsink make sure you take notice to the material. The Crystal Orb pictured here is made from Copper with Nickel Plating. Copper rules followed closely by Aluminum.
Step 5:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step5.jpg
When considering cooling don't forget about your ram. As we overclock our card its memory will become increasingly hotter. Without proper dissipation of this heat errors will occur. Keep in mind that the card we used only had memory modules on the front of the card however if your card has modules on the back you will want to place a heatsink on them as well.
Step 6:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step6.jpg
To connect the ramsinks to your memory modules modders everywhere use what is called thermal tape (aka frag tape). Frag tape is essentially tacky, thin double sided tape that adheres the sink to the memory module. After cutting it remove the backing on the one side and stick it to the ramsink, then remove the opposite side backing and press it down to your memory.
Step 7:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step7.jpg
If you compare this photo with the image displayed in Step 1 you will immediately see the difference in the appearance of the card itself. No longer does it look weak and frail but now it gives off the aura of being quite badass. Reinstall the card with the most up-to-date drivers (Detonator [Nvidia] or Catalyst [ATI]) and we are off to the races.
Step 8:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step8.jpg
Unlike overclocking a CPU within the bios, video card tweaking requires additional software to run the card at increased clock speeds. Most video cards will come with some sort of application included on the driver CD that comes with the card. The MSI utility, affectionately titled 3D! Turbo Experience was weak at best. This flashy, web-based utility had hardly any of the functionally we have come to expect from quality vendors.
Step 9:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step9.jpg
One of the most powerful video card overclocking utilities available is a tiny application called Powerstrip. Powerstrip is free to try and can be setup to run when Windows starts up and runs minimized in the system tray. With this nice little application you can tweak all the individual settings of your video card in 1 MHz increments.
Step 10:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step10.jpg
Another impressive AGP overclocking utility that we tested was Riva Tuner. In the end Riva Tuner is what we ended up using due to its seemingly flawless tweaks and features and its further compatibility with our MSI FX 5200 card. Riva Tuner works similarly to Powerstrip and runs when Windows starts up and quietly minimizes to the system tray.
Step 11:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step11.jpg
When actually implementing your overclocking software, it is best to use a benchmarking program to determine your progress. We chose to use Futuremark's old standby, 3dmark 2001se. Overclock your GPU and ram at small increments (1-7 MHz) and then bench repeatedly after every adjustment being sure to look for video artifacting. When the screen artifacts, back up, you've gone to far.
Step 12:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step12.jpg
If your just not satisfied with the results (and noise) of conventional cooling then alternatives do exist. Above you can see a Danger Den Maze 4 water block being installed. Incredible performance gains can be had by water cooling. As usual, for more info on this or any other article or guide by the Modfatha head on over to HERE to read up on the hottest and the latest in modding news and How-To's.
Fonte: The ModFathers
Introduction.
Overclock this; overclock that; don't leave out your poor video card. Overclocking, a term referring to running components in your computer faster than they are specified, has become quite the craze, and for good reason. Depending on your hardware setup you can get some serious performance gains from tuning your system up a bit. Many people realize the fact that you can overclock your AGP video card, amongst other components in your rig, however, there is a huge difference between knowing and doing.
When attempting to overclock your video card there are a couple things to take into consideration. First and foremost comes the topic of cooling the card. When I say 'card' I am referring to the two components you can overclock on the card: the memory and the GPU (graphics processor unit). Overclocking the components of the card runs them at higher speeds and in turn heats them up faster and to higher temperatures. A "so-so" cooler on your video card is rendered just about worthless under the stress of overclocking. Having said this, make sure you have appropriate cooling on both your GPU and memory in the form of a high quality heatsink and fan (on the GPU) and some nice aluminum or copper ram sinks (on the memory).
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/1.jpg
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/2.jpg
Once you've got the whole "proper cooling" thing under control on your video card you will want to accurately benchmark the card and record the results. Benchmarking the card with a program like 3dmark 2001se (for DirectX 8 cards) or 3dmark 2003 (for DirectX 9 cards), free from FutureMark, will allow you to document the effects of your overclocking job and effectively test the card to make sure it is working properly. The Modfatha recommends benching the card prior to your overclock and then slowly increasing the memory and GPU clock speeds by 5mhz increments and re-benching every time till you notice any sort of weird artifacting happening in you benching including strange shapes, wire meshes or in worst case scenarios, lock-ups.
As far as software for overclocking goes there are a few options out there. When you purchase a higher end video card they will most likely come with some software tweaks that will allow you to overclock the card, however, these apps usually aren't highly recommended due to their lack of features and overall instability. The tiny program that came with the MSI FX 5200 card we used for this article (affectionately referred to as 3D! Turbo Experience) only allowed us to overclock the card in larger increments and was just plain problematic in general. Powerstrip and Riva Tuner are some of the more popular third party software tweaks for overclocking video cards. Both come highly recommended and can be found by doing a comprehensive Google search.
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/3.jpg
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/4.jpg
When overclocking your card keep in mind a few things. First off, obviously cooling; the better the card is cooled the better overclocking results you will see. Secondly; overclock both the GPU and memory in small increments and then test it by benching, once you have found a setting to be stable then and only then can you move forward to the next setting. Make sure you pull back once you see that the card is artifacting. There is no immediate danger of smoking any components however it is always possible when attempting mods like this.
How We Made Out
Although results will totally vary based highly upon card and cooler you use, the make and model of the card and the software you end up using to overclock the card it might interest you to know how the Modfatha made out with his FX 5200 card for this project.
After replacing the stock passive heatsink on the MSI FX5200-TD128 (non-ultra) card we used I first started benching to see how the card performed on one of my Athlon XP 1800+ test rigs with 768 megs of DDR 2700. The results were as shoddy as one would have expected from a budget 5200 card.
Memory speed 405 420 430 440 450 460 465 470
GPU core speed 249.75 260 270 280 290 300 305 310
3dmark 2001se Score 5074 5331 5392 5462 5466 5526 artifact lock
After quite a bit of difficulty getting the MSI overclocking utility to work the Modfatha turned the job over to one of his favored AGP overclocking utilities. Powerstrip has served me well in the past and really lets you tweak a ton of performance settings well beyond even what a hardcore user would need. To my dismay I had quite a bit of trouble getting Powerstrip to work with this MSI card and no matter what I tried it would not let me adjust the GPU core and the memory timing speeds, almost as if the card was 'clock locked'.
After many hours fiddling with settings and rebooting to try and get Powerstrip to function correctly I finally turned to an equally powerful piece of AGP overclocking software. Riva Tuner did the job flawlessly and provided equal if not more tweaks to such detailed topics as Direct 3D, Direct Draw and OpenGL amonst others. The settings for Riva Tuner are limitless and the Modfatha really got the card dialed in and making use of every last ounce of juice this card had to offer. In the end I got the card to run at a stable 300/460 (GPU core/memory). Note a bad overclock considering the card's stock settings of 250/405. That ended up granting me an extra 500 3dmarks. Not much compared to a higher end card but, relatively speaking, its quite an overclock for a low end FX 5200.
Both pieces of software can be found from doing a search on Google and the Modfatha equally recommends either one as a great alternative to the utility or software that the card comes with. Both of the programs also can be set to start up with Windows and run silently, minimized to the system tray. If you get some really incredible overclocks send them into the magazine or post them on the forums, the Modfatha is eager to hear of your success with this guide.
Guide
Parts Needed:
AGP video card of choice
After market video card cooler and ram sinks (if applicable)
Step 1:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step1.jpg
This mod really doesn't require any special equipment other than possibly some better cooling paraphernalia. For this guide we snagged the shoddiest looking FX 5200 card we could find. This MSI FX5200-TD128 doesn't even come equipped with an active cooler on it. We have opted to replace it with a ThermalTake Crystal Orb with the addition of some ThermalTake Aluminum Ram Sinks for the memory.
Step 2:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step2.jpg
First off, we have got to get rid of the inferior stock heatsink so some real overclocks can be obtained. Without proper cooling overclocking is out of the question. Flip the card over and you should notice two small pins coming through the backside. Push each compression pins together with some needle nose pliers and force them back through to the other side.
Step 3:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step3.jpg
Most all heatsinks will have some sort of thermal grease or thermal pad adhering them fast to the GPU in addition to the pins. There are a couple ways to break the heatsink free. The old fashioned way would be to gently twist the sink back and forth till it comes loose. Another suggestion is doing some hardcore gaming to really heat that sink up so it comes off a bit easier.
Step 4:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step4.jpg
After cleaning up the GPU a bit and possibly putting some high grade silver thermal compound on the GPU like Artic Silver or Antec's Reference Compound its time to install your new cooler. When purchasing a proper heatsink make sure you take notice to the material. The Crystal Orb pictured here is made from Copper with Nickel Plating. Copper rules followed closely by Aluminum.
Step 5:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step5.jpg
When considering cooling don't forget about your ram. As we overclock our card its memory will become increasingly hotter. Without proper dissipation of this heat errors will occur. Keep in mind that the card we used only had memory modules on the front of the card however if your card has modules on the back you will want to place a heatsink on them as well.
Step 6:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step6.jpg
To connect the ramsinks to your memory modules modders everywhere use what is called thermal tape (aka frag tape). Frag tape is essentially tacky, thin double sided tape that adheres the sink to the memory module. After cutting it remove the backing on the one side and stick it to the ramsink, then remove the opposite side backing and press it down to your memory.
Step 7:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step7.jpg
If you compare this photo with the image displayed in Step 1 you will immediately see the difference in the appearance of the card itself. No longer does it look weak and frail but now it gives off the aura of being quite badass. Reinstall the card with the most up-to-date drivers (Detonator [Nvidia] or Catalyst [ATI]) and we are off to the races.
Step 8:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step8.jpg
Unlike overclocking a CPU within the bios, video card tweaking requires additional software to run the card at increased clock speeds. Most video cards will come with some sort of application included on the driver CD that comes with the card. The MSI utility, affectionately titled 3D! Turbo Experience was weak at best. This flashy, web-based utility had hardly any of the functionally we have come to expect from quality vendors.
Step 9:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step9.jpg
One of the most powerful video card overclocking utilities available is a tiny application called Powerstrip. Powerstrip is free to try and can be setup to run when Windows starts up and runs minimized in the system tray. With this nice little application you can tweak all the individual settings of your video card in 1 MHz increments.
Step 10:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step10.jpg
Another impressive AGP overclocking utility that we tested was Riva Tuner. In the end Riva Tuner is what we ended up using due to its seemingly flawless tweaks and features and its further compatibility with our MSI FX 5200 card. Riva Tuner works similarly to Powerstrip and runs when Windows starts up and quietly minimizes to the system tray.
Step 11:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step11.jpg
When actually implementing your overclocking software, it is best to use a benchmarking program to determine your progress. We chose to use Futuremark's old standby, 3dmark 2001se. Overclock your GPU and ram at small increments (1-7 MHz) and then bench repeatedly after every adjustment being sure to look for video artifacting. When the screen artifacts, back up, you've gone to far.
Step 12:
http://www.themodfathers.com/modfatha/ocgpu/Step12.jpg
If your just not satisfied with the results (and noise) of conventional cooling then alternatives do exist. Above you can see a Danger Den Maze 4 water block being installed. Incredible performance gains can be had by water cooling. As usual, for more info on this or any other article or guide by the Modfatha head on over to HERE to read up on the hottest and the latest in modding news and How-To's.