Computer keeps crashing after barely overclocking GPU?

shawry · 6 May 2013 at 14:14

Hey

I recently decided to overclock my 7870 to improve performance. However, the thing is that the pc keeps crashing after barely overclocking it. Ive tried raising volts as far as it goes (1.3v) yet i still crash every time :mad:

im stuck and haven't got a clue what to do is there something im missing?

I use MSI afterburner, ive tried increasing Core clock on its own (1.3v + powerlimit %20) still no luck :confused:

Can anyone help me? Thanks

CPU Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor
Video Card PowerColor HD 7870 PCS+ Vortex II Edition 2GB GDDR5
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Power Supply Corsair CX500 - 500 Watt

eddyr · 6 May 2013 at 15:46

The clock you've set could just be beyond what the gpu can do and/or the 1.3v could be demanding too much from your vrm's and causing them to overheat and deliver unstable power. Backing down should help.

What oc settings did you try? Did gpuz register a corresponding voltage increase?
And what are stock volts, speeds and temps (core and vrm's)?

5960xNvidiaGamer · 6 May 2013 at 16:13

If its crashing then its not stable.

shawry · 6 May 2013 at 16:48

eddyr said:
The clock you've set could just be beyond what the gpu can do and/or the 1.3v could be demanding too much from your vrm's and causing them to overheat and deliver unstable power. Backing down should help.

What oc settings did you try? Did gpuz register a corresponding voltage increase?
And what are stock volts, speeds and temps (core and vrm's)?

The stock setting are
Core clock = 1150Mhz
Memory = 1250Mhz
Core volts = 1.263
65c full load no OC
75c with OC

I raised the core by 25Mhz from stock with & without voltage increase and i still crash and yeh gpuz does register a voltage increase.

GPU-Z screen shot http://gpuz.techpowerup.com/13/05/06/br9.png

5960xNvidiaGamer · 6 May 2013 at 16:52

Some cards simply dont overclock, that could be what you have.

Litmoose · 6 May 2013 at 17:50

1150 stock is quite high anyway, try ocing the mem a bit

shawry · 6 May 2013 at 17:56

Litmoose said:
1150 stock is quite high anyway, try ocing the mem a bit

I have but no luck with that either

eddyr · 6 May 2013 at 18:04

It's a good speed already. The volts are a tad high but not surprising with a factory oc. As above some silicon just can't hit higher clocks.

The only last consideration is temperature. Both the core itself and the vrm's. Not sure on your make/model's monitoring capabilities but the sensor tab on gpuz will show core temp and possibly any vrm temp readouts. High temps on either will affect overclock ability. In my experience and from what I have picked up reading about keeping both sub 70 deg celsius is ideal for pushing higher clocks.

Something Else · 6 May 2013 at 18:07

what drives are you using?

shawry · 6 May 2013 at 18:29

Somthing Else said:
what drives are you using?

13.1 ATM i had issues with 13.4 (in games 1080p left boarders around screen) so i went back to 13.1.

eddyr · 6 May 2013 at 19:50

OC load temp is high enough that it could be an issue, hard to say. but still need vrm temps, they could be 100+ for all we know

Short of spending £ on cooling for little real world gain, due to the diminshing returns alongside ramped up temps and volts as you go higher than your current clocks, you wont know for definite.

1200 core is a typical averge oc limit for hd7xxx, you just don't hear of them as often as the 1250-1300 ones, so you are not missing out on much tbh.