Overclocking my Video Card?

Hey guys, I just ordered a laptop with a lesser video card than I originally wanted (wanted a 9600m GT, settled for a 9200m GS =/). So as a result, I want to push this card to the best of it abilities, so my friend told me about "overclocking" my card...Unfortunately I have no idea what it is/how to do it, so if anyone can tell me if it makes a big difference (or if it could damage my laptop in any way), that would be useful.

Also, I've heard my card is eligible for GeForce Boost or Hybrid Power, but yet again I have no idea what these are, and I was wondering if these would help my video card also...

Sorry for being so inept in this field, and any help would be appreciated,
Thanks a lot!

 

Yes you can overclock it, but it will reduce the cards long term life due to the extra heat created. You will see around 20-40% improved performance depending on the overclock.

Geforce boost? I think you are referring to turbocache which uses the system RAM when you have run out of dedicated video memory.

I strongly suggest you research and read overclocking guides before attempting to do so..

 

Here is a guide you can look at: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=219954

 

side note for you if you do attempt an OC, get a laptop cooler first, its much safer and you can push the card more.

 

I agree on getting a cooler for the laptop.
A quality one such as Zalman Nc2000b is recommended since it can lower overall temperatures by 10 C.
In effect, you could overclock your card by an amount that would usually increase the temps by 10 C.
With the cooler, you are effectively reaching stock temperatures and are in no particular danger of reducing the card's lifespan from the 'excess heat' because it's nullified.

 

I always think that you can overclock only desktops because heat problems... and looks like it's possible with extra cooler to laptop ???

about life of the card, do you really care how long it lives? If it died you have a reason to buy new one

 

It's definitely possible to overclock gpu's in laptops even without the coolers.
It's true that the overclocking will produce bigger heat, but at the same time, if the temps are manageable to begin with and don't reach critical levels, then oc-ing won't significantly reduce the gpu lifespan (but it will reduce it).
I was suggesting a quality cooler because it provides decent room for overclocking and would keep the temps on stock ones when a cooler is not used.
Of course, OC-ing relies on the type of gpu in the computer ... stable overclocked frequencies vary from gpu to gpu, even if they are identical.

 

Thanks a lot for your help guys.
Just one more question, how much would a decent cooler cost me?

 

Remember that not all laptops can benefit from the same cooler. Zalman NC 1000 and 2000 are known for its outstanding performance because it cools the whole base of the laptop, therefore distributing cool air to all vents.

I think it would be better if you found a cooler that suits your specific laptop vent's configuration. This would cool it even better than the Zalman.

If your like me and your lappy's vents are all over the place, then the Zalman is great for you

 

i just got the l305-s5901 with integrated gmx4500mhd. is there a way to overclock this using any utilities?

 

(Forgive me if incorrect)

In my experience the only way at all to make any of the Intel IGP's faster is by using SetFSB, and it wont be anything like a GPU overclock of a dedicated.

For most intents and purposes, the 4500MHD is what it is.

 

I highly recommend not attempting to OC on an integrated graphics unit. Their cooling is not as good as it would be if it were dedicated.

 

forgive me if this has been asked before, but can a good processor and ample ram make up for a crappy video card?

I have a 2.53GHz T9400
4GB of ram
and a Nvidia 9200m GS

 

For FPS games, no (maybe by a few fps but it will still be bottlenecked by the GPU)

For RTS games, yes (still bottlenecked by the GPU due to slower 3d graphic processing.)

What applications/games do you plan to use?

 

Generally, no, especially on graphics-intensive games.

 

See:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=346297&highlight=overclock

 

Nothing really demanding, World of Warcraft mainly, and possibly Diablo 3 or Starcraft 2 when they come out.

 

WoW will run just fine...

Diablo 3 and SC2 still hasnt released the system requirements so i dont know. Blizzard games usually have very low system requirements to play.

 

Check the link in my sig for details of its gaming capabilities while it has been overclocked.

Most older FPSs will run at med-low settings, CoD4 for example. I will borrow WaW off a friend because i dont think it will run, but worth a shot.

Same with RTSs, it run Soulstorm like a dream but Supreme Commander and I think DoWII are close to unplayable.