bunch of questions on 7900GT

[Xarulsis]

I plan to overclock my Nvidia 7900GT but I have a few questions. I have read all of the guides yet I still have questions.
My plan is to get my video card to the factory overclocked speeds of
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130033

or if possible

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130016

Will I have to volt mod my 7900GT to reach these levels? Or can I just adjust the speeds useing coolbits?

What temperatures should I aim for? And do the temperatures measured need to be that of the motherboard?

What is the #1 way I can tell if I overclocked my card to far?

Thanks in advance

 

[PZEROFGH]

You will not have to voltmod your GPU to reach ~550mhz, anything above 600-800mhz you would want to voltmod your GPU 1.4-1.55V.

Your temperature should be roughly under 80C, but up to 100C is fine, aftermarket heatsink if recommended if you are volt modding.

#1 way to tell if your video card is overclocked to far, is play your favorite game for a few hours, run 3dmark, or use ATITOOL artifact scanner.

 

[Xarulsis]

WOW! Thanks for the quick response, and answering my questions!

 

[joshd]

I took my 7900GT, using stock voltages, from its stock, 450/600 to 560/800. they wont go any higher than that.

i am still on the stock cooler, as i decided it is enough already, and i am not going to voltmod. i used to load at 80*C, but now i have balanced a 120mm fan on top of the stock cooler, blowing down into it, and around it, onto the memory. it now loads at 67*C.

 

[mophead740]

smart...
much cheaper and probebly easier than aftermarket cooling

 

[vipercrazed]

wow 80c huh, mine is at 520, bfg tech, stock 475

running at 57c, hah!

well it is watercooled didnt think it worked good though, mounting bracket never fits it snug

 

[Apokalipse]

use ATI Tool, not Coolbits. for some reason, coolbits tends to be less stable.

if you want to voltmod, I've made a guide to do it:
http://www.techist.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=116776

to get past 550MHZ, you usually have to voltmod.

I recommend not going above 1.4V unless you have aftermarket cooling.

 

[magouster]

Might I suggest a bit of caution when overclocking the 7900GT, as some memory problems seem to be creeping up. Supposedly the Samsung memory doesn't quite like running at such high speeds, with the Infineon memory more keen to do so. Take off the heatsink to see what VRAM you have before proceeding.

 

[The General]

You could just get an eVGA 7900GT KO Superclocked, then you wouldn't have to voltmod it as they come stock at 1.5v.

 

[Lord AnthraX]

use ATI Tool, not Coolbits. for some reason, coolbits tends to be less stable.

if you want to voltmod, I've made a guide to do it:
http://www.techist.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=116776

to get past 550MHZ, you usually have to voltmod.

I recommend not going above 1.4V unless you have aftermarket cooling.

I got to 594 before I had to volt mod mine


Yes I agree aftermarket cooler will save you lots of trouble.

Originally posted by the general
You could just get an eVGA 7900GT KO Superclocked, then you wouldn't have to voltmod it as they come stock at 1.5v.

Thats no fun