MSI GTX 970 OC Edition Safe Overclocks

[SnowSmasher]

Hey, I was just wondering if somebody could give me some safe overclock settings on MSI Afterburner without any extra cooling for the GPU. Keep in mind that the graphics card I want to overclock is an MSI GTX 970 OC Edition. Thanks

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Nobody can give you precise figures as overclocking isn't an exact science.

The best method, in my opinion, is to start by increasing the core clock in increments of 10Mhz. Once you've reached a point where the PC starts to crash, set the core clock back to its previous setting. Repeat this process for the memory clock.

Whilst increasing the clock speeds, have a GPU stress test running in the background (I use MSI Kombustor) and a tool to monitor GPU temperature (I use MSI Afterburner). The clock changes are dynamic, so you can keep the test running whilst you make the clock changes. Leave 20 minutes between each clock increase so you have some certainty that the overclock is stable.

Finally, once you've reached the limit of core clock and memory clock, run an extended test equivalent to a typical gaming session. That solidifies the stability of the overclock.