Overclocking 9700 Pro for the first time

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dick Justice
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Dick Justice

Just installed an ArcticCooling VGA Silencer and I'm wondering what core and
memory speeds I should shoot for.
 
It depends on whether you are using it for normal applications or video
intensive games. With Catalyst and Omega drivers I use:

typical applications - 378MHz for the core and 337MHz for memory (9800
Pro defaults);
games such as CMR3 - 344.25MHz core and 330.75MHz memory.

The games setting runs without a trace of noise or artefacts in 3DMark 2001
SE (benchmark 16,726) and 3DMark 03 (5,295) with an XP Thoroughbred type B
2600+ at 200 x 11.5 (1.65 vcore). I have an aircooled system with two 80mm
26 cfm side mounted fans blowing across the 9700 Pro.

John
 
Dick Justice said:
Just installed an ArcticCooling VGA Silencer and I'm wondering what core and
memory speeds I should shoot for.
Click to expand...

I have a 9700 Pro too. When I installed the VGA Silencer a couple of weeks
ago, I thought I would use Powerstrip and just keep increasing the core
speed and running 3dmark until I started to get artefacts or a lock-up or
crash.

So I started at about 360 and kept going up in 5's or 10's. But it just
kept going, and going and going.... and going and going and going!

When I got to 405MHz, I thought Powerstrip can't be working. But it is.
Eventually it crashed during a 3dmark loop at 415MHz.

To give the card a bit of a breather, I decided I would not run it flat out
just for web browsing, So I flashed the bios with new core and memory
settings and "just" run a bit faster than 9800 Pro speeds for normal use
*with the VGA Silencer on its Silent setting*! So I normally run at 384.75
Core /344.75 Memory for day-to-day use. But I can crank it up to 410MHz and
run all day at that speed if I want to!

Amazing product.

Chip.
 
Chip said:
I have a 9700 Pro too. When I installed the VGA Silencer a couple of weeks
ago, I thought I would use Powerstrip and just keep increasing the core
speed and running 3dmark until I started to get artefacts or a lock-up or
crash.

So I started at about 360 and kept going up in 5's or 10's. But it just
kept going, and going and going.... and going and going and going!

When I got to 405MHz, I thought Powerstrip can't be working. But it is.
Eventually it crashed during a 3dmark loop at 415MHz.

To give the card a bit of a breather, I decided I would not run it flat out
just for web browsing, So I flashed the bios with new core and memory
settings and "just" run a bit faster than 9800 Pro speeds for normal use
*with the VGA Silencer on its Silent setting*! So I normally run at 384.75
Core /344.75 Memory for day-to-day use. But I can crank it up to 410MHz and
run all day at that speed if I want to!

Amazing product.

Chip.
Click to expand...
Wow 410MHz? What's your memory at when running at 410?


How tricky is it to flash the BIOS? I've done it many times on motherboards
but never a video card. Also where did you get the BIOS update for your
9700Pro?
 
Dick Justice said:
Wow 410MHz? What's your memory at when running at 410?


How tricky is it to flash the BIOS? I've done it many times on motherboards
but never a video card. Also where did you get the BIOS update for your
9700Pro?
Click to expand...

Regarding the bios update, I just used "biosedit.exe" to edit my own bios
file with the speed settings I wanted. You save your existing bios from
your card using some flashing tool I can't remember the name of, edit the
file and then flash it back again. Its dead easy.

I am sorry I can't remember the name of the flash tool, and I haven't time
to look - it is Xmas Eve! - but you can find all you need to know at
www.rage3d.com in the forums.... or you can wait until New Year, when I will
have time to look up the details for you.

Oh, yes, memory. 350 is as high as mine will go. I run it at 345 usually.

Merry Christmas!

Chip.
 
Dick said:
Wow 410MHz? What's your memory at when running at 410?
Click to expand...

Even my Hercules AIW 9800SE can do that. The 4 hidden pipelines are enabled
and the results are:

max core 432 MHz
max mem 364.5 MHz

max combination core:mem 425.25:364.5 with 3D Mark 6404
save combination now is 418.5:351 with 3D Mark 6302
How tricky is it to flash the BIOS? I've done it many times on
motherboards but never a video card. Also where did you get the
BIOS update for your 9700Pro?
Click to expand...

Martijn Stam
 
Martijn Stam said:
Even my Hercules AIW 9800SE can do that. The 4 hidden pipelines are enabled
and the results are:

max core 432 MHz
max mem 364.5 MHz
Click to expand...

What's that got to do with the price of bread?

Dirk and I have 9700 Pro's, not 9800s

Chip.
 
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