Can't OC the 460m past 760/1400

I understand that even video cards of the same model will not be exactly the same, but it seems that the majority of 460m OC'ers are able to get well above this. I've read several places that a general starting point for OC'ing the core clock is 800 MHz but I can't maintain stability past 760. I've tried using both the latest supported and beta drivers.

Maybe it is a case of me getting a bad card but I'm curious as to whether there is something I can do about this.

 

Can you post some temps? That could help us figure out what the problem is.

If your card pushes past 90 degrees, that should be a big indication. You should check if there is dust in your fan and if the thermal paste is even and/or if your heatsink is well placed. Anything wrong with your cooling system could severely limit your com's OC potential, so you might want to check that first.

 

Sorry I forgot to include that. The temperature stops rising once it hits 79 degrees when I FurMark it at 760 core /1400 memory. I am replacing my CPU today so I will definitely be repasting and dusting out the fan.

 

Unfortunately, you might just have bad luck. The card isn't bad per se, but it wasn't a high-grade bin either by the looks.

A rule of thumb you should know that not every GPU is built the same within the same model. Sure they got the same model and specifications, however not every single of them were made on the safe quality silicon wafer in the factories. In order for a GPU to achieve 460M status, nVidia ensures that the core they extract from the silicon wafers are able run stable on the reference clocks they expect the cores to run. nVidia doesn't guarantee anything beyond that. Therefore a low-binned wafered core can run fine on stock clocks as what the reference specifications recognizes, it might be able to go beyond that as a well as another identical GPU made on a better wafer or a higher binned model. Sometimes due to high demand, nVidia or ATI might even take high-binned GPU's destined for a higher model be put into a lower model to meet supply, which in the case people who are lucky to make them in their laptops can overclocks ridiculously well over the average batches.

Therefore, it is all luck really on overclocking. Some people can OC well, some can't, despite the same reference specifications and models. It is all up to luck how good the silicon wafer used in your GPU in relevance to OC-ing. Sure there is an average standard OC clock that people on the internet can set upon, however not EVERYONE might be lucky to hit it. There is always that probable chance.

 

Thanks guys, I definitely have no problem with what I have regardless.