Weird VGA overclock abilities - 3 cards with = Mhz Limit

[Gak]

Hi!

 

I don't know very well why i am writing this in the first place, but i guess that it is always because of that hope that i may be missing something.

 

So i have an Ultra-D AB0. From what i know it isnt one of the best revisions. With this board i have had 3 graphic cards. Counting with this 7600GS.

 

Sapphire X800GTO2

Connect3D X800GTO

XpertVision 7600GS

 

Now the odd part. All theese three cards, had their core Mhz limit around 515/520. No more, no less. In order to have a stable 3d environment i always have to find myself running them around 500Mhz core speed.

 

Their memories never had problems. Always overclocked like hell.

 

This is obviously a disappointment since every single one of those cards used to overclock like hell. Or at least in their vast majority, they all used to go up at least near 550Mhz at the core. Some of them even do 600Mhz. With the GTO2 it was rather easy to see, and the majority of the 7600GS are doing at least!, 550Mhz.

 

Do you guys think this is a coincidence? A threesome coincide? Three graphic cards wich have precisely the same physical limits? Or should i be looking at the motherboard or some other bios configuration?

 

They all present the same symptoms when past that 515/520 barrier. 2D mode is ok, i launch a game it is still all ok, as soon as i start to play, image freezes, sound enters a loop, then screen goes blank and im forced to reboot.

 

With my old rig, before this Ultra-D, i was used to see some artifacts before reaching a point where the card would crash. Now, that doesn't even happen. It simply crashes. The three cards. Always behaving the same way.

 

I have tried to pump a bit the PCI-E frequency, i've tried them in the second PCI-E slot with Sli enabled and disabled, iv'e tried with different coolers (VF700 and 900), i've tried different bioses (GTO2)...

 

I just don't have any other ideia. And this is leaving me kind of sad.

[knopflerbruce]

Long shot: Try to up the LDT/Chipset voltage.

 

I don't know what those do, but if it doesn't work, just put both of them back to stock values.

 

Try the cards in a different machine, and see if they OC better.

 

Edit: Another long shot: Maybe you're putting too much stuff on one rail, the OCZ has many rails, but they're not so powerful one by one.

 

I'm speaking about the 12v ones, of course.

 

Edit2: Video card temps?

[thefabe]

Long shot: Try to up the LDT/Chipset voltage.

 

back to stock values.I don't know what those do, but if it doesn't work, just put both of them

 

Try the cards in a different machine, and see if they OC better.

 

Edit: Another long shot: Maybe you're putting too much stuff on one rail, the OCZ has many rails, but they're not so powerful one by one.

 

I'm speaking about the 12v ones, of course.

 

Edit2: Video card temps?

Don't up these voltages they have nothing to do with your graphics card and I have yet to see them help when overclocking Why would you suggest to someone to up voltages when you have no idea what they do? You could do a volt mod on your card but it sounds as if you have just reached their limit on your board. besides this says your core clock is 400 so 515 is pretty good http://www.pluscorp.com.au/Product.asp?Cat...D=2&ProdID=8334

[Gak]

Hi again!

 

About the temperatures they have always been around safe and fresh values. No problem shurely comes from them!

 

About the psu rails, my systems is described in my signature... Do you think there are too much devices in the +12v line?

 

I find it more easy to believe that "(...)it sounds as if you have just reached their limit on your board(...)".

 

I don't have any friend with PCI-E boards around here. But i'll try to test this 7600GS later next week with a "friend" from MSN wich lives considerably near (far!).

 

If it wasn't the third card with the same, exactly the same, Mhz limit, this wouldnt intrigue me. But it is repeating as it is some think that is limiting them below their own limit. Cause as i said, they don't even have a point where they start to give artifacts. They just crash.

 

And btw, the core speed is 450Mhz... Not 400. I believe it's the "regular" version wich has 400Mhz. This is the "Sonic" version, more 50Mhz at the core and GDDR3 memory.

 

I've already also put the card for sale hoping that someone buys it so that i can go and pick up another one... Just to be shure this isn't just a stroke of bad luck...

 

Anyone has more ideias? Feel free to post them, please....

[Gak]

I've got news!

 

I've found that with this 7600GS things do behave a little bit different...

 

I've found this some minutes ago and i have done several times to be shure that it wasn't just a stroke of luck...

 

With this card, the computer instead of just freezing (and having to reboot therefore), by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, or Alt+Tab allows me to return to the Desktop.

 

Afterwards, with the TaskManager i shutdown the 3D application and with the aid of RivaTuner if i reload the display driver im able to reload the 3D application again (however with the same results, after a while (random i guess but no more than a minute, at max, sometimes a lot less) it crashes again.

 

I've monitored religiously the temps now, and i've found that with 16Cº room temp, VF700 at full rpm's, there isn't even a "difference" between idle and fullload.

 

31Cº idle - 33Cº fullload

 

However the card, as the other two, refuses to give anything more past 515/520Mhz at the core...