nVidia Graphics card overclocking tutorial

[radodrill]

Overclocking the CPU is becoming quite commonplace these days; however, overclocking the graphics cards usually falls by the wayside. This tutorial will cover the basics of overclocking nVidia graphics cards through the drivers as well as hard-OCing them by means of editing the card's BIOS image and flashing it to the graphics card.

 

I'm dividing this tutorial into 4 sections:

1. Software overclocking with:
   
   1. 
      
   2. ntune
      
   3. coolbits/sedona registry tweaks
      

[*]Loading/editing the graphics BIOS image with:

• NiBiTor
  

[*]Flashing the new BIOS with:

• nvFlash
  

[*]Appendix

1. Useful links
   
2. Important nvFlash switches
   
3. Creating/editing registry/batch files
   
4. Source code for the registry and batch files used in this tutorial
   

 

Note: To download the .reg and .bat files please right-click --> "Save As"

 

Downloadable PDF version of this guide (in rar file)

[radodrill]

Section 1 - Software overclocking

 

Section 1.a - Software overclocking with ntune

 

nVidia ntune 5.05 provides options for software overclocking and temperature monitoring of nVidia graphics cards. On select motherboards based on nVidia nForce chipsets it enables software overclocking/monitoring of other system components as well; but this will not be addressed in this guide since the focus is graphics overclocking.

 

To access the nVidia control panel simply right-click the Desktop and select "NVIDIA Control Panel"

 

The section we're interested in here is the "Performance" options in the left menu. Here we have to accept the license agreement for the performance options (click for full-size pic)

 

Now the "Adjust GPU Settings" option is available and allows the clock settings to be changed. (click for full-size pic)

 

After changing the clock settings the apply button will appear at the bottom of the screen to accept the new settings. (click for full-size pic)

 

Within the 32bit OS environment there is also an option to "test" the new clocks before accepting them; this is not available in Windows XP X64 as seen above. (click for full-size pic)

 

The test available in the nVidia control panel is by no means a definitive way of determining the max stable overclock, quite often the graphics hardware will flawlessly run settings where the test would fail. This is why the new clock settings must be thoroughly tested to verify proper operation. I have found that the "Deep Freeze" test in 3DMark06 is usually one of the first tests to show signs of artifacting when the GPU and/or RAM clocks are set too high. To ensure a stable graphics overclock it's best to run the full battery of 3DMark06, 3DMark05, 3DMark03, 3DMark01SE, as well as testing in your favorite games to verify that everything is artifact free.

 

 

Necessary software

ntune 5.05

 

Return to the Table of Contents

[radodrill]

Section 1.b - Software overclocking with Coolbits/Sedona

 

For those of you who prefer the classic nVidia control panel and don't wish to install additional programs; the classic control panel and overclocking options can be enabled with 2 simple registry tweaks (the registry files can be downloaded below).

 

sedona.reg will allow you to access the Classic control panel

coolbits.reg unlocks the overclocking capabilities within the classic control panel

To simplify things, I've compiled them both into a single file; namely coolbits_sedona.reg

 

After merging the sedona tweak to the registry we are able to switch the view to the classic control panel. To access the Classic CP, load the nVidia CP and select View --> "Use Classic NVIDIA Control Panel..." (click for full-size pic)

 

This will open a message indicating that the classic control panel will be accessible through the display properties

 

To load the classic CP, right-click the Desktop and select "Properties"

 

Select the Settings tab and click Advanced

 

Select the tab for your display adapter (in my case the GeForce 8800 GTX) and click on the "Additional Properties"

 

This will open a side menu beside the properties box; here we are interested in the "Clock Frequency Settings" section (enabled with the coolbits registry tweak).

 

Clicking on this (for the first time) will open a window where you have to accept the Overclocking License Agreement

 

Now the Clock settings can be adjusted with the sliders. Before the new clocks can be applied the new settings must be tested by clicking the "Test Changes" button. If you wish to have these settings applied whenever you re-start the computer, then you should check the "Apply these settings at startup" box

 

When you click the "Test Changes" button the following window appears. As you recall from section 1.a the XP X64 drivers do not have the test feature, which results in an error when you press the OK button; as such, if you're running the X64 edition of windows then it's best to use the New NVIDIA control panel

 

If you check “Apply these settings at startup” a message box will pop up to inform you that pressing CTRL will revert the clocks to the default, which can be useful in the event of system instability due to the overclock.

 

Within the 32bit driver set there are also options for "Fan always on" and to "Detect Optimal Frequencies". The detect optimal settings can provide a good reference starting point for overclocking

 

To switch back to the New NVIDIA Control panel, select the "Control Panel user Interface" in the left menu and select the "New NVIDIA control panel in the main window and click OK

 

As stated in the ntune discussion, the new settings must be thoroughly tested before proceeding to the BIOS editing/flashing sections.

 

 

Necessary files

 

coolbits.reg

sedona.reg

 

I've also compiled them into a single registry file

coolbits_sedona.reg

 

The source-code for these files and instructions to create them yourself are provided in the appendix

 

Return to the Table of Contents

[radodrill]

Section 2 - Loading/editing graphics BIOS images

 

For editing the BIOS files for the nVidia graphics cards we'll be using NiBiTor (nVidia BIOS Editor) v. 3.5a

 

First we have to load the BIOS file that we'll be editing. A large archive of graphics card BIOS images is available from MVKtech. We can also load the BIOS fron the graphics card using nvFlash; this will be discussed in the flashing section. At this time we'll be loading the BIOS image from the graphics card itself through NiBiTor.

 

To access the BIOS image of the graphics card, go to Tools --> Read BIOS --> Select Device...

 

This will bring up the Select Device window. I just left the first card selected, since I'm running 2 identical cards in SLI.

 

This enabled 2 additional options under the Read BIOS section of the Tools menu, namely "Read into NiBiTor" and "Read into File...". We'll read this into file to provide us with a backup copy of the file.

 

In the Save As dialog box enter the desired filename; since this will be the backup it's a good idea to be descriptive so it's easier to recognize what the file is.

 

Now it's time to Load the previously saved BIOS image file; go to File --> Open BIOS...

 

In the Open dialog box select the previously saved BIOS image

 

The clock settings from the BIOS file have now been loaded into Nibitor. The part we're interested in are the 3Dclocks. Here's where we enter the new clock settings (determined in Section 1). The other tabs provide control for some more advance features in the BIOS that won't be covered in this guide.

 

After entering the new clock settings we'll save the new BIOS file. Go to File --> Save BIOS...

 

Enter the name of the new BIOS image file that will be flashed to the graphics card

 

 

Necessary software

NiBiTor 3.5a

 

Return to the Table of Contents

[radodrill]

Section 3 - Flashing the new BIOS

 

To flash the BIOS file to the graphics we first have to create a bootable flash disk

 

First we make a bootable floppy; in Windows Explorer, right-click the floppy drive ans select "Format"

 

In the format window select "Create an MS-DOS startup disk" and click start

 

Now we copy in the nvFlash 5.57 utility files ("nvflash.exe" and "cwsdpmi.exe") from the nvFlash 5.57 archive

 

Finally we also copy in the new BIOS file; I've also added a batch file to simplify the typing during the flash, while it isn't necessary it makes life easier.

Note: when using the batch file you must either use the same BIOS filename or edit the batch file to match the filename you chose (see appendix 4.c)

 

I've also made a blind-flash recovery disk that will flash the new BIOS and restart the system by adding an autoexec.bat file. This can be handy if you happen to have screwed up the flash and have to revert to the original BIOS to restore functionality

 

Now for the flashing procedure. Let's first address backing up the BIOS stored on the graphics card. The -b command line switch instructs nvFlash to backup the BIOS image.

nvFlash -b originalBIOS.rom

 

In a multi-GPU environment this will prompt from which graphics card to copy the BIOS image

 

To bypass this prompt we can define the graphics card's index with the -i switch

nvflash -b -i=0 originalBIOS.rom

 

To flash the new BIOS image file to the graphics cards we use the following swirches -4 -5 -6 They allow BIOS files from different revisions and/or manufacturers of graphics cards to be flashed to the card(s) in the system, this can be handy when pairing for example an XFX and an eVGA card in SLI mode to ensure they can both be flashed to the same BIOS file.

nvFlash -4 -5 -6 newBIOS.rom

 

I've incorporated this process into newBIOS.bat so that I only have to type "newBIOS" at the command prompt

 

This will prompt you to confirm flashing to each graphics card present in the system

 

As with the backup procedure, the index command switch can also be used to flash to a specific card

nvFlash -4 -5 -6 -i=0 newBIOS.rom

 

We can also add the -A switch to automate the flash process to not require any user input. The -y switch can be implemented to have the system reboot once the flash procedure is complete

nvflash -4 -5 -6 -A -y newBIOS.rom

 

 

Necessary software

nvFlash 5.57

 

Necessary files

 

newBIOS.bat

autoexec.bat

 

Return to the Table of Contents

[radodrill]

Section 4 - Appendix

 

Section 4.a - Useful links

 

MVKtech has an extensive archive of graphics card BIOS images, utilities, and guides related to graphics card overclocking for nVidia and ATI graphis cards.

 

Guru3D is one of the prime sources of the latest revision graphics drivers, benchmarking tools, and more

 

GPU-Z provides the specs of your graphics card (Basically CPU-Z for the GFX)

 

If others can recommend other useful/necessary links related to grpahics overclocking, I'll be glad to add them to this list as well.

 

Return to the Table of Contents

[radodrill]

Section 4.b - Important nvFlash switches

 

Here's a list of some of the most important switches used by nvFlash as well as a description of their purpose

 

-? ==> Displays the help file

-b ==> creates a backub copy of the graphics card's current BIOS to

-r ==> removes write protection from the BIOS EEPROM chips (only some EEPROM's)

-w ==> write protects the BIOS EEPROM chips (only some EEPROM's)

-4 ==> forces flash and overrides vender mismatch

-5 ==> allows firmware and adapter PCI device ID mismatch

-6 ==> allows firmware and adapter PCI subsystem ID mismatch

-a ==> lists display adapters

-A ==> auto mode during flash

-y ==> re-boot when finished

-i= ==> forces device (allows flashing to/from a specific graphics card)

 

Return to the Table of Contents

[radodrill]

Section 4.c - Creating/editing registry/batch files

 

Creating the registry/batch files used in this tutorial is actually quite simple.

 

Start by entering the code into a blank window of notepad. In this example I'm creating the coolbits_sedona.reg file (source codes below)

 

click: File --> Save As

 

1 Be sure to select "All Files" as the "Save as type"

2 Enter the desired filename along with the .reg extension

3 Then click save

 

The procedure for creating batch files is exactly the same, only difference being that the .bat extension is used instead of the .reg

 

To edit a registry or batch file; simply right-click it and select "Edit"

This will open the file in a notepad window

 

Return to the Table of Contents

[radodrill]

Section 4.d - Source code for the registry and batch files used in this tutorial

 

coolbits.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENVIDIA CorporationGlobalNVTweak]
"Coolbits"=dword:1a

 

 

sedona.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENVIDIA CorporationGlobalNvCplApiPolicies]
"SedonaDisable"=dword:2

 

 

coolbits_sedona.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENVIDIA CorporationGlobalNVTweak]
"Coolbits"=dword:1a

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENVIDIA CorporationGlobalNvCplApiPolicies]
"SedonaDisable"=dword:2

 

 

newBIOS.bat

nvfash -4 -5 -6 newBIOS.rom

 

 

autoexec.bat

nvflash -4 -5 -6 -A -y originalBIOS.rom

 

Return to the Table of Contents

[dr_bowtie]

Great work on the guide man...

 

Looks very nice and the "click to view full size" helps when you need to see things a little bit bigger.....

[soundx98]

Very nice radodrill.

 

Excuse me a moment while I finish editing a .reg file

[radodrill]

Glad you guys like it a PDF version of this guide should be available in a few days.

 

For reference purposes you may want to do a GPU-Z validation and post it in this thread.

 

 

On another note: It would be nice to expand this guide to also address overclocking ATI graphics cards. If anyone here is familiar with software and hardware level overclocking ATI cards and would be interested in contributing to the guide please let me know. From my research the Software OC tool would be ATITool; BIOS editor would be RaBiT, and flashing would be done with ATIFlash.