Overclocking the GT 540M

Hi,

I tried little overclock 750 / 1500 / 900 mhz and gpu-temperature didn't go over 64 c. Laptop is Toshiba p750, i7-2670QM, GT540M 2GB, 8GB RAM.

3dmark06 gives 10302points, is that reasonable?

 

Not bad. Push to 800/1600/1000 and you'll see some gains. I run 815/1630/1000 100% stable at 66*c.

 

im running 800/1600/1020 and im getting temps maxing around 74C in bf3, but my cpu is i5-2410m usually running around 6C warmer than GPU. im playing on 1366x768 most things on high and aa/af on x2 iirc. machine is k53sv-a1 w/ 8gb RAM upgrade and as5 repaste already.

thing is my room temp is around 20-21c...what are your room temperatures like guys? would like to know to get a better idea of how hot my machine is running. compared to everyone elses.

one thing also, im running core i5-2410 already throttlestopped down to 2ghz to keep my temps down, there doesnt seem to be a big fps change with higher clocks anyhow. Dont quote me on it though, since i havent tested it, just judging from gameplay. also might depend on the games played though.

 

Since I got my 2720QM I have to say wow it improves the overall performance over the 2630QM. When playing on my 40" samsung I can run it at 1920x1080 with all high except low shadows, no bloom since i hate it, and no HBAO on battlefield bad company 2 and it runs great! Continuous 30fps! I run my overclock at 815-1630-1000 since any higher results in instability. One other thing is i can't allow turbo boost in game since it causes temps to go too high. So I run windows power options cpu min and max when plugged in at 99% which is 2.2Ghz. It gets better fps than the 2630qm by about 5-10fps with the 2720qm Engineering sample I'm running. When gaming for 8 hours at the 99% cpu fps is always very smooth and temps run continuously at 78*C on the CPU and GPU. It's totally stable. So, the GT 540M is really a hell of a chip when running at 815Mhz.

In regards to the 2720QM it'll run 3Ghz continuous on turbo boost with all 8 cores active and ocassionally I've seen 3.4Ghz!!! This is unreal! The 2720QM also has an ultra low voltage state that it runs at 798Mhz and it gets over an hour longer battery life than the 2630QM. I got 4.5 Hours on the 2720QM!!! Before I'd get only 2.5-3 hours tops.

Oh yeah and after i put the new cpu in either my cpu or gpu would hit 100C in a matter of seconds! So I did a lot of testing. If the heatpipe heatsink is 1,000th of a mm off in terms of sitting on the chip it'll not cool at all! So I spent hours bending the heat pipes so the heatsink sat flush on both chips. I had the laptop motherboard out sitting on my desk which in windows testing it. I ultimately had to put a copper shim on the GT 540M which made a huge drop in temps from before without it! It idles at 39*C now! before it would idle up with the 2720qm at 55-60C. Now with the copper shim on the GPU using only Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 my cpu idles at 45*C and my gpu with the copper shim will idle all the way down to 37*C.

Oh yeah and with the board out of the case even with turbo boost locked in at 3Ghz and the GPU at full load at 815Mhz. They both wouldn't even break 70*C!!! I gamed it up and both chips only rose to 67*C!!! That's with turbo boost on! So with the board in the case it makes temps go up a lot! There's about a 10*C increase with it in the case. I think it's because the fan could suck and blow freely and blew a higher cfm. Pretty cool huh?

So If you had the 2760QM or the 2860QM it will increase gaming performance with it's normal clock at 2.4Ghz.

With turbo boost on in game it makes the gpu heat up and become unstable also. The CPU will go up to 85*C and the GPU will too. Anything up in the mid 80s is not stable. You want below 80*C and it's always stable.

Cya guy's

 

I'm experiencing annoying problem with my 540m 2GB. When I'm playing COD:MW 3 on 800/1000 I always gets this strange freeze after which my geforce downclocks to 202/324!!!!! And I'm like what has just happened?! To restore default clock I need to reboot the whole system and I have no idea what is causing this sudden decrease of performance or how to fix it, that is why I'm counting on you guys, please help.
CPU: I5 2430m 2,4ghz with TB
RAM: 4 gb 1333mhz

 

First go power options advanced menu on your computer. Then move to the cpu section. Set your min on AC to 0 and set your max to 99%. Try that and if it still does it. Why by the way means your gpu's rolling up in the 90's*C. First go get EVGA Precision and set your OSD to display, your core clock, percentage usage, temperature, and frame rate. Make sure your watching your cpu core temps once the cpu kicks into turbo mode to make sure the cpu is staying under 80*C while in game and make sure your gpu does the same. Get AIDA64 to monitor your core temps on it's own OSD where it displays your core temps in real time right on your desktop. I set transparency 0%. You should set it up to automatically start up minimized and with windows. In aida64 there is an update seconds tab in the options menu that you can set them all to 1 second update time.

Otherwise if it's still doing is simply pull back that max AC percentage in the advanced windows power options menu. If it still does it while at 99% which is your intended speed not in turbo mode. Otherwise try 90%, or 85%, or more if you feel it necessary.

Pretty much your cooling system is lacking, so I'd pull it apart. Put a 100% pure copper shim on the GPU with arctic silver ceramique 2. you have to put thermal paste on the part the heatsink that contacts the gpu. Then squish the shim on there. Then look at your heatsinks and make sure you don't bend them at all. It's very delicate heat pipes. Just clean all surfaces with 90% alcohol until they perfectly clean before applying thermal paste.

That's all sorry yeah I know it's long.

 

Thank you very much for this really informative post. I have done what you told me (apart from disassembling notebook and upgrading the cooling system) and now I am not experiencing that downclocking (so far). When I'm playing Cod my gpu temperature is around 70-75 degrees. What was the purpose of changing AC max? Since I do not want to loose my warranty I consider buying a cooling pad. Could you recommend me any?

 

What it does is auto reduces the CPU clock Max as to reduce temps.

 

Hey all. Figured I'd pop back in with an update.

After last time decided to tweak it up to 800/1030 and have had no problems still since. I'm going to leave it at that. No crashes, no artifacts, at least a 10fps increase in most games, heat seems fine, comp runs well. Without a doubt it was worth it. Again remember the Samsung RF711 may handle my OC differently than your Dell/Asus/etc so remember to check your own temps

 

tried 800/1000 , the game runs fine for 20 min or so , then begins to hang. any idea if this could be overcome with using modded bios ?(Underclocked one ? )

 

Did you meant undervolted bios ?

 

ya..

/10char

 

you can try the undervolted bios , it is possible that it will help you , but keep in mind that every chip is different and reacts differently .
your problem sounds like high temperatures issue , try to get the temps down first ( plenty of advice here if you read the posts ) .

 

What CPU do you have in your system ? What temps are you getting ?

 

i7 2630QM

At idle , GPU hangs around 52-55c and it can shoot upto 90+ on heavy gaming , last time i asked whether it was normal , it was answered , it was ok.

The thing is , ambient temp here in india is hot now , as summer is about to set .

Thought of re-pasting with good thermal paste , but looking the procedure , i thought i would stay away.

anyway did a total reinstall of the OS with Windows original W7 x64 , rather than what dell provided . in general the OS feels lot snappier. yet to install games and try how it fares.

will surely flash the bios if it might help controlling the heat. Will it work with OC ?

also is Intel HD 3000 uses system RAM for all the graphics process it does ?

 

Yes try the low voltage bios , if you disable the turbo boost on your CPU that will help reduce the temps too .I think your temperatures are on the higher side , its a mystery to me how can people with identical systems be getting such a different results in OClocking and heat .

 

ambient temperature has much greater impact. As i said , its summer time here (starting) , and already the temps are touching 36c and bound to go up further.

anyway i am on A09 bios , shall i simply flash the newer and modded A10 or flash original A10 and then flash A10 modded ?

Also any good cooler for L502 ? as our fan is in the side , only less heat dissipates at the bottom

 

you can flash modded A10 directly if you want

 

In your climate the 760MHz should be OK , and safe .
My room temperature is always around 25 +- 1degree and the highest temperature i have seen on the GPU was 75C ( 900MHz OC ) .

 

Guys, sth happened to my 750/950 540M. It all started with me trying to get Batman: Arkham City to work. I've replaced many files whose names I don't remember and now when I am playing any game my 540M works only on 30-35% of GPU (EVGA monitor) and the temperature is around 60c, while a week ago I was closing in to 80c in stress and the gpu was being used in almost 100%. What is going on? Have I damaged my 540M with OC or by installing strange software?

 

@Kol5
I dont think you damaged the card, is very strange to damage that card with that such low OC,also when the graphics card its faulty, it just dont work at all, or it just crashes all the time and you get graphical errors.

I think you just screwed some kind of files and configuration, try to revert all changes you did and try again.

try doing clean unistall and install of affected items.

and as a last resource, you can format and reinstall the OS, however I know that is annoying as hell >-<

 

@kol5 , try restore to earlier System restore point. Like Capitan said , reinstalling might help , you can also try repairing the system with Windows installation disk

Also doing a Clean install , i mean removing the backup driver of Nvidia completely might be good idea.

@Capitan

thanks will try , any precaution i should take ?

 

@naveen_reloaded
do you mean precaution while flashing the custom bioses?

sure, there are some things you should make sure:

* make sure you downloaded the correct mod for the correct card.
* make sure the downloaded file is ok, use the Checksum tool I suggested to make sure that the codes match.
* make sure your laptop battery is fully charged, and make sure it is plugged to the wall.
* close all other apps before start flashing
* never interrupt the flashing process, even it looks stuck, after the reboot it take some seconds to show the flashing screen, but thats normal.

about OCing the card, just put an eye at the temperatures and ensure the current OC is stable before go further.

 

just checked the checksum .. few things i want to clarify ,

- Does CPU matter here ? i mean i was reading your mod thread and there was some mention about cpu , mine is i7 2630QM

- Does less volt mean = less performance ? for GPU ?

- So is reverting back to default bios is by simply flashing the one given in dell website right ?

Again thanks a lot for the BIOS MOD

 

I will reply on your own message

 

Thanks a lot Capitan

It is my mistake , anyway , the question regarding the CPU is whether i7 is compatible with the modded bios ? I am planning to OC the GPU to 750/935 Just want to be clear i7 + GPU OC ing doesnt affect each other , sure will keep an eye on the temps.

anway thanks a lot for the reply , will wait for ur reply and flash it ASAP.

 

@Naveen_Reloaded

any proccesor compatible with the stock bios will be compatible with the modded bios, the changes at the bios are minimal

 

thanks a lot

 

Updated



Pls try GPU-Z to monitor the volts and other stuffs , CPU-Z doesnt detect the GPU (540M/Optimus)

thanks a mil to Capitankasar... Tomorrow will try to run skyrim and report back on speed , need to install it fresh.

@ Capitan , waiting for more interesting mod from you

 

Installed Skyrim and without any OC , ran the game . the game itself selected for "High"

Here is the max the GPU reached while playing the game for 20 minutes are so. Framerates are nothing to write about , was little choppy at times.



Not sure , but even idle temps seems to be a little higher.

Will OC little by little to see how it fairs.

Any good setting for skyrim on 540M ?

 

96 C is quite high for only 20mins. Probably keep an eye on that.

 

tried few OC settings. The temps are some kind of locked at 95/96 c

Taken from MSI kombustor

Actually it used to reach 100c

@Matix5 see this http://forum.notebookreview.com/7494098-post118.html

and this http://forum.notebookreview.com/7494754-post121.html

800/910 SCORE: 1678 points (29 FPS, 130000 ms) 93c seem to be good balance .. last few runs are done in successive manner , hence the base temps itself was high

 

Those post are all true, however my XPS struggles to reach 80C (if at all) in gaming and this is with overclocking already in place. (785/985)

I have however done a repaste, undervolted and removed the fan dust filter thou.

(and I just read that it is quite hot where you are!)

 

Even i thought of repasting ,will try it later.removed dust filter ? can you post some pictures ?

80c with such high OC is excellent imo. What processor do you use ?

 

Hi i just got my machine and i wanted to mildly overclock the gpu. Any suggestions? i downloaded the 6.08 nvidia system tools but it wont let me apply any new settings. it keeps giving me the error this setting is invalid when i tried to adjust the sliders to 740/960.

 

That's completely dangerous!
96C is not safe at all, anything above 90C is not safe.

It's appalling that this temps is after applying modded BIOS!

Try repasting the GPU , keep the vents open.

Good luck

 

I have the i7 2630QM

If you are going to re-paste, remove the dust filter located underneath the fan on the silver base. (you will need to remove the fan first)

See this thread on taking apart the XPS:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...stallation-cpu-gpu-repasting-56k-warning.html

It is an excellent guide

gl

 

I am not really sure , Do see the links i gave for Matix5 , where DakkonA pointed that GPU has a shutdown mechanism when it reaches 105c .
I cant say i am not completely worried about this , but from the beginning , this has been the temps . Yes will really consider repasting , but unlike in Dell 1530 , where you can reach the GPU and CPU with just few screws , Dell has really made tough to reach them in L502.
Ran skyrim yesterday for almost 2 hours or so , with Msi afterburner in the background and OC of 800/910 , the temps max reach was 96c , never moved past it.

Thanks for your concern , will consider repasting ASAP when i has the right screw drivers and thermal paste.

try MSI afterburner , and also check if you are running them in admin privilege. Also try increasing them in steps of 5 or 10 from the default and run Furmark or even MSI kombustor to see for stability and artifacts.

Ya saw that thread before. anyway , while repasting , how did you apply the thermal paste , so that it covers the entire portion ?

How long did it take for you ? did you see any temp drops ?

 

Just put a small amouut on the CPU and GPU die and carefully spread it with an old library card. Only needs to be a few millimeters thick.

Took me about 30 - 45mins (slow and steady) and temperatures dropped by a few degrees. There was no doubt that the repaste was better than stock because the stock paste was all over the place - a mess to clean up, this probably took the longest part of the process.

 

Ok people, just got a Vaio f23 with 540m. Don't really know yet my ceiling, but right now I'm running 815/1020 without a any trouble. 3dmark06 benches at 10010 and I get a 1200 gpu score on 3dmark11. I can game at these settings forever without a glitch. Here's the problem... I use both hwmonitor and afterburner to monitor temps; without a cooling pad, the highest temp at these clocks either benching or gaming is 64c. I know that sounds great, and if that'd the real number, I'd be ecstatic, but it seems to good to be true, and the last thing I want is to fry my new rig while voiding the warranty on it. Since the software programs agree, I guess I have to question the sensor? Any thoughts...

 

To make sure the memory doesn't fry don't go above 1,000mhz. It may seem stable but there are no temp monitoring on the memory chips on the gt 540m and they get out of this world hot when pushing above 1,000mhz. I tested this with my laptop motherboard out and setup a little bench rig and tested them. They get so hot they'll sizzle the flesh right off your finger while in game anything above 1020-1050Mhz+. The weirdest thing is at 1Ghz even they don't get that hot. These memory chips have no heat-sinks or cooling of any kind.

Go and get AIDA64 extreme edition where ever you can find it, that's up to you. It has accurate monitoring plugins for all gpu's and cpu's. So you can monitor every temp, voltage, etc with perfect accuracy. Set up the OSD Panel on your desktop and get EVGA Precision to monitor your gpu in game via the OSD.

Those temps so good man. The most stable safe clocks are 815-1630-1000. The only thing that makes the gpu heat up is the CPU. Once the cpu gets to it's max clock/ turbo clock it produces devastating heat. So sometimes you will need to go in into windows 7 advanced power options menu to the cpu section and dial back the AC max percentage to 99% or below. To explain this. Say you have a i7 2720qm which clocks to 2.2Ghz while that setting is at 99%. When you set it to 100% it'll hope up to the highest clock allowable if temps will allow it (Up to 3.3Ghz but usually it'll stablilize at 3Ghz while in game. That makes the cpu heat up to 80*C and in turn makes the GPU roll up to 80*C. The GT 540M Throttles back to it's default 3d clock when it hits 80*C typically. So keep the gt 540m below 80*C and it's 100% safe. So say I set it to 85% it'll be at 2GHz max on the cpu so that'll drop the cpu to 70*C and in turn makes the gpu roll back to a totally stable 70*C or below.

Ultimately dial back you max clock on the cpu to reduce gpu temps and push further if you want. Usually on the i7 anything above 75% will result in no differences in frame rate in game.

THANKS CYA BROS

 

Thats great info chris, thanks. I'll be dialing back the memory to 1000 asap. I've looked at the logged max cpu temp after long gaming sessions; usually right around 70c. with no heat sink on the gpu, I'm tempted to get a copper shim and paste it on.

 

Hi all!

New member from Sweden here.

Last week I finally got my Asus k73sv with i7 2670QM, 8gb ram and the gt540m 1gb.

Tried overclocking using Msi afterburner after reading this thread, I cant seem to reach the same numbers as most users here though. If I go above 765 on core I get error messages in 3dmark 06, memory clock are set to 1001mhz. Max points I got in 3dmarks 06 was 10400, pretty far from the best results in this thread.

Am I missing something? Do I need to increase voltage or something in order to run core clock above 800?

Help much appreciated

 

Yeah a copper shim and Arctic silver ceramique 2 will render safe temps since not electrically conductive and I have had more luck with it than any other compound. Its super cheap too for 20g its $7.

About the above Asus k53 owner. Go get the latest BIOS update. Also u may need to dial back the CPU in the windows power options as stated above on this page. Then u can push to 800mhz+. If not uninstall the nvidia driver and install the lastest nvidia driver with new phsyx and see then.

 

Ok thanks Chris!

When you say update bios do you mean bios for motherboard or the graphic card? I currently got the version 209 on the motherboard, noticed on asus homepage that latest version is called 210 and it updates "CPU microcode". What is that?

Graphic card has the latest version from Nvidia (296.10)

Sorry for stupid questions but I am kind of new with these things

 

Well the driver is 296 for the gpu but want we want to do is write new firmware to your board. That's a lower level than drivers. The main thing you want to know about updating the bios is the new fan profile within acpi/ bios. It'll hike up the fan accordingly to increase stability on the top end of gaming. A bios update is always mandatory for laptops since they include enhanced fan profiles to keep your system cool and stable in any situation no matter what. At least that's how ASUS feels about them. Other manufacturers tend to lack when it comes to these types of things.

 

Any idea where I can find this firmware? My model is k73sv not 53, and my graphic is 1gb not 2.

Thanks again

 

ASUS - Notebooks- ASUS K73SV

Just flash in windows and you'll be good to go.

 

Chris you are right , I have i7 2630 , and this thing gets hot rapidly which inturn heats up the GPU , Dell should let go of thier single pipe-line - Exhaust system and place both these components as far as possible.

I am from India and ambient temperature itself is around 36c now . GPU/CPU gets hotter much faster here.

I have set all the max processor state to 90% , I dont think games will ever require 8 cores of i7 ever .. and put the fans on "Passive" mode , so that it will throttle down the CPU first and then kick the fans on , this way , the main culprit for the heat is handled first.

recently i added Cosair 4 GB ram , along with 4 gb factory ram . Placed the newer cosair in the SLOT #1 and factory (samsung) in SLOT #2

Games runs a little faster could be a placebo effect , but i feel the system in general is much snappier.

 

Chris: I feel confused now, if I follow your link then go to "download" and under bios I assume? I got version 209 and it seems the newest version on the download page is 210. Only info given about the changes from 209 to 210 is "Update CPU microcod".

So will bios 210 also update fan profiles and stuff?