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    Overclocking my 980m

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by Axtun, Aug 22, 2015.

  1. Axtun

    Axtun Notebook Enthusiast

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    So, I have been overclocking my 980m since day 1 I got my laptop with +135 on core and +100 on memory (can't go higher on memory for some reason, GPU-Z only detect the +100 even if I try to go above it). I've had little to no problems until recently.

    The games would freeze (Witcher 3), with audio running then when I alt- tab, the game crashed and sometimes, it shows that the display driver has stopped working. So I tried dropping the clock to +130 but the crash is still happening.

    So I need some advice from the guru's here. Anything I'm doing wrong? How come the clock was stable previously but now I had to drop it? And one more thing that I've noticed is that when I drop my memory overclock, (it was at +135 +100, I dropped it to +135 +0) My FPS actually increased.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
     
    Axtun, Aug 22, 2015
    #1
  2. octiceps

    octiceps Nimrod

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    If reducing your memory overclock increased performance, then it's unstable and you went too far. That's how GDDR5 works.
     
    octiceps, Aug 22, 2015
    #2
    Spartan@HIDevolution likes this.
  3. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    GDDR5 detects memory errors and retransmits the data, this is part of normal operation. The frequency of that happening increases drastically when clocking beyond the stable point so you end up retransmitting more than gain and loose performance.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Aug 22, 2015
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  4. Axtun

    Axtun Notebook Enthusiast

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    I see, thanks on the info on the memory clock. What about the core clock? It was working fine before but now I had to drop it down.

    I've changed the drivers back and forth to try to solve the problem but its still the same.
     
    Axtun, Aug 22, 2015
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  5. Axtun

    Axtun Notebook Enthusiast

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    Update: I used MSI Afterburner to show my GPU clock on screen and I get 540MHz. Is this normal?
    GPU-Z shows my clock is 1038MHz


    [​IMG]
     
    Axtun, Aug 22, 2015
    #5
  6. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    A glitch. But holy crap,87C for your 980M? Time to give that sucker a good repaste.
     
    HTWingNut, Aug 23, 2015
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  7. TomJGX

    TomJGX I HATE BGA!

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    Indeed... Etherm seems to be the only one who has had such high temps on 980M till the OP... A Repaste is really needed...
     
    TomJGX, Aug 23, 2015
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  8. Axtun

    Axtun Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yeah, ><. I'm going to repaste it next week. Is it possible that the temperature is the reason that cause the crash? What is the 'normal' temperature anyway?
     
    Axtun, Aug 23, 2015
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  9. thegh0sts

    thegh0sts Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    MSI AB? seriously? you have no voltage control you might need to boost the core voltage too.
     
    thegh0sts, Aug 23, 2015
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  10. Axtun

    Axtun Notebook Enthusiast

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    What other software would you recommend?

    Another thing is, I don't know much about overclocking and I'm afraid of increasing the voltage as I heard it may damage the system if not done properly. Mind giving some advice on how to do so?
     
    Axtun, Aug 23, 2015
    #10
  11. thegh0sts

    thegh0sts Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    evga precision x or nvidia inspector. you only really need to bump up the voltage by about 12.5mv anyway.
     
    thegh0sts, Aug 23, 2015
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  12. Axtun

    Axtun Notebook Enthusiast

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    I see. But do I need to mess around with the BIOS or something like that? And will the 12.5mv damage the system or something?
     
    Axtun, Aug 23, 2015
    #12
  13. ryzeki

    ryzeki Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    Overclocking always carries the risk of damaging. There is no absolute safe setting, as all GPUs behave differently. Some will overclock like crazy on little voltage, others will require extra voltage just to raise your clocks a bit.

    That being said, keep an eye on your temps at least, so that you can rest assured your OC is not overly demanding. Also keep in mind that 980m can quickly consume extra power easily with OC so don't max out your PSU.
     
    ryzeki, Aug 24, 2015
    #13