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Basics

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Stability testing & Overclocking

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Updates and  Final Words

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STABILITY TESTING AND OVERCLOCKING

Before we begin, I would like to go over how to do stability testing and how to detect if you have overclocked too much and made the graphics card unstable.

Stability Testing Software - 3DMark03
For this guide I will be using 3DMark 03 for stability testing. Download 3DMark 03 HERE

I am sure that most of you have used this popular benchmarking software before. It is easy to use, just install and run with the default settings. That is basically all you have to do. The only catch is, you have to detect any rendering errors which are due to instability by yourself. Currently there is no 100% reliable software that can automatically detect instability due to overclocking your graphics cards. So, keep your eyes peeled!

Game Test 4 is the most sensitive to any instability due to overclocking past the limit.

However, remember that to run all the tests in 3DMark03, you need a graphics card that fully supports DirectX 9.0 pixel shaders. So, some older graphics cards may not be able to run certain tests, especially Game Test 4. If that is the case, then do not worry. Just observe the other tests carefully for any sign of distortion, which is the 1st sign of any instability. These distortions or anomalies are sometimes referred to as artifacts. They all mean the same thing: UNSTABLE.

This is what you have to do:

1. Run 3DMark03 a few times before you overclock. Look at it carefully. Look for any graphical glitches that happen before you overclock. If you see any flashing/flickering textures, or anything weird, maybe it is due to faulty drivers. Use different drivers if this is the case.
    
2. Below is a picture showing what the water normally looks like in Game Test 4:
     Click on the thumbnail to view full picture
   
    
3. Unstable memory - Below is a picture of what it may look like if you increase the memory speed slightly over the limit.
   Notice those small squarish things forming on the water?
     Click on the thumbnail to view full picture
   
    
4. Unstable core - Below is a picture of what it may look like if you increase the core speed slightly over the limit.
   Look closely, maximize the window. Notice the fine white dots on the water?
     Click on the thumbnail to view full picture
    

Remember that the above are ONLY EXAMPLES of what may happen when you overclock past the stable limit. Those graphical glitches usually occur in a Radeon 9500 and above. Your card may show different signs of instability. So just use the above as guidelines, not laws.

Remember that if you overclock too much past the limit, your system may crash and you will have to restart.

OVERCLOCKING

Now that we already have RivaTuner and 3DMark03 set up, it is time for the fun part... overclocking!

Before we begin, I would like to remind you that to get a stable overclock, you will have to spend a great deal of time testing for stability. Use 3DMark, and run all your favorite games to see if there are any graphical problems that may suggest instability.

What we are going to do now is find the maximum stable overclock for the memory 1st, and then move on to find the max stable core speed.

Overclocking the Memory
The lower slider in the RivaTuner overclocking screen is the Memory clock. Move it to the right to increase clockspeeds, and to the left to decrease clockspeeds. Now, this is what you must do:

1. Increase the Memory clock by 5MHz at a time. After each increase, run 3DMark03 once and keep your eyes peeled for any weird rendering errors, artifacts, or glitches, (they all mean basically the same thing!) as explained in the stability testing guidelines above.
    
2. Once you notice some slight graphical anomalies, reduce the speed by 10MHz and run 3DMark once more. If there are no more anomalies, then run 3DMark at least 4 times more and watch every run carefully for any weird glitches. Remember, Game Test 4 is usually the 1st one to show any anomalies.
    
3. If you are not sure, just lower the clockspeeds back to normal and run 3DMark again to see if that little something you noticed was an error due to instability, or just something normal.
    
4. If everything is fine and running stable, then go play all your favorite games, especially the newer ones that stress the graphics card a lot. Check for any problems.
    
5. If you still see some glitches/errors, reduce the Memory clock by about 5MHz and try again. Keep doing this until you find the maximum stable speed.

Once you are done with overclocking the memory, reduce it back to the DEFAULT speeds. Now we will overclock the core.

Overclocking the Core/GPU
The upper slider in the RivaTuner overclocking screen is the Core clock. Move it to the right to increase clockspeeds, and to the left to decrease clockspeeds.

Do exactly the same thing as the guidelines for Overclocking the Memory (above), the only difference is you move the Core clock slider instead. Easy huh?

Once you find the maximum stable overclocked speed for the core/GPU, Combine the maximum stable Memory clock that you found earlier with this Core clock. Run 3DMark a few times again just to make sure everything is stable. If it is unstable when both max overclocks are combined, then try reducing the speeds a little bit.

AS ALWAYS.... TEST! TEST! TEST!!!

Congratulations, you should now have a stable, overclocked graphics card!

Next Page - Updates and Final Words

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Copyright© 2004 by Farhan Mohamed Ali