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GTX 260 Overclocks and Vantage Results

555BUK

555BUK

555BUK

Soldato
Joined
10 Feb 2007
Posts
3,452
With GTX260's available at bargain prices I thought I would buy a couple. So far I am running just a single card because my PSU cannot handle both.

Please list your cards and overclocks (260's only please).

Card: Gainward GTX260 Golden Sample (55nm)
Overclock: 734core / 1584shader / 2484mem
Vantage Score: 14300 (11774 graphics / 40102 cp) Linky
Cooling: Stock (but fan set high to keep shader clock stable)
 
EVGA Superclocked 216 55nm

Stock is 626 from memory

Running at 780/1572/1150 at 55% fan speed now on stock cooler

I find it falls over if I leave the fan on 40% as it gets too hot for that insane clock speed but stable at 55%

The only disappointment is the memory overclock. Leaving core and shaders at stock, yellow dots appear above 1150 memory speed yet I often see people on here with 1200-1300 memory speed (including yours at 1242 :().

Oh well you can;t have it all ;)

Vantage score P13866
11352 graphics, 41311 cpu

That score was with the core at 721 and shaders at 1512 though. Must do another run tonight now I have found the max of my card. Also that run was with my cpu at 3.4Ghz as I was testing for stability with the new card so didn't want my normal cpu benchmarking overclock to be a factor as I run my rig at 3.4Ghz on a day to day basis now.

ANyway its the best £145 I have spent on a pc upgrade for some time. :)

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dmv=929326
 
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I have a BFG 260GTX MAXCORE (216) OC and a Sparkle (OCuk OEM) 55nm 216sp sitting comfortably at 729/1458/1300, probably can go beyond that but trying to overclock and test 2 cards in SLI isn't quite as straight forward as a single card, usually I'd have tested them independantly but I was in a hurry to get this thing built :P

I think thats about as high as the shader clocks will go (which in turn limits the core due to the ratio) without volt modding or extreme cooling. The memory on the BFG I know craps out about 1333 ish not sure on the sparkle.

I'll have to put win7 on to get vantage results.
 
ANybody know why my memory craps out so low?

Just got a bad card or do you think taking the heatsink off and applying better thermal compound would work?
 
Some manufacturers use different latencies on their memory... which will hold back how high the bus speed goes... I believe commonly its either 1.0ns or 0.8ns.
 
You might be getting just as good performance tho... some of the boards are using tighter timings on the RAM which will limit your bus speed more but give just as good performance...

I'd have to double check but I think the RAM on these cards is rated for 1400MHz (at slightly looser timings).
 
Sitting stable at 675 core, 1453 shaders, 1153 mem, but it loses signal to the monitor after a few seconds of Furmark @ 700mhz +. Quite disappointing.

Same Gainward as you've got 555BUK. Any tips?
 
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reflux said:
Sitting stable at 675 core, 1453 shaders, 1153 mem, but it loses signal to the monitor after a few seconds of Furmark @ 700mhz +. Quite disappointing.

Same Gainward as you've got 555BUK. Any tips?
Click to expand...

unlinking core/shader clocks and leaving shaders at 1458 should get you 729Mhz on the core.

There aren't actually many cards 260 series that will run a 1500+ shader clock stable, most people claiming those clocks are either extremely lucky, telling lies or just haven't tested the card enough. (Or they are voltmodding/extreme cooling the card).
 
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reflux said:
Sitting stable at 675 core, 1453 shaders, 1153 mem, but it loses signal to the monitor after a few seconds of Furmark @ 700mhz +. Quite disappointing.

Same Gainward as you've got 555BUK. Any tips?
Click to expand...
These cards do not like running hot so I always set the fans to 100% for benching. This allows my shaders to run at 1544 completely stable, 1566 almost stable, and 1588 flakey but benchable. With the fan on normal 1566 will not survive Furmark for more than 10mins (75deg + does not like my card).

I think heat may be what is restricting your card. I run mine at 702/1502/1215 as 24/7 clocks on 35% fan inside a case with excellent cooling.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Unlinked my core and shaders and just ran 25 mins of Furmark without problems with the core clocked at 729mhz :) Was 85c with the side panel on but dropped to 80c with it off @ 40% fan.

Gonna push the memory up next and then get the shaders as high as I can.

555BUK, did you say you had a fixed bios for the 2D clocks?
 
My first hour of overclocking a Gainward 260 Golden Sample: 720/1512/1224 with fan at stock (40% increasing to 42% when pass 72C, max temps 75C). I will try to push further the GPU core but I had a crash at 720/1548/1224 so I am not hoping much more with default fan speed.

Default Nvidia drivers (quality set up) give me P12387, GPU 10443and CPU 27008 (my dear opteron at 2820MHZ :rolleyes:)
 
reflux said:
555BUK, did you say you had a fixed bios for the 2D clocks?
Click to expand...

For people with Gainward GTX260 216 Golden Sample cards with part numbers EAN 4260xxxxx0025 only

This fixed bios solves issues with 2D clocks and voltages running at 3D settings. It should save you electricity and extend the life of your card.

You need these files.
0025 BIOS
NVFlash

Instructions.
1). Read the sticker on your card to confirm part number. It must begin 4260 and end 0025.
2). Make a DOS bootable floppy or USB disc (use Google if you do not know how).
3). Copy above bios and unziped NVFlash onto disk.
4). Change PC bios (if necessary) to boot from floppy.
5). Boot from Floppy
6). Backup original bios with command "NVFLASH -B BACKUP.ROM"
7). Flash new bios with command "NVFLASH -5 -6 0025260.ROM"
8). Hit "y" key when prompted and hold your breath.
9). Restart your PC and check 2D clocks work correctly.

If you brick your card it is your fault for following instructions an unknown person posted on the web. However, this is the official FIXED Gainward bios which I sourced directly from the Gainward Tech Support chaps in Germany. It worked for me.

This will not work on any other card because Gainward (it's actually made by Palit for Gainward) use non-reference parts.

This info is not available anywhere else (yet), so all credit goes to me:).
 
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