Overclocking 980 EVGA Precision X (voltage increase)

[verte200]

So currently I'm using Precision X, OC Scanner, GPU-Z, Firestrike(3dmark) to overclock. I have pushed my base clock with no memory clock to 1517MHz with no crash on stock voltage. I have increased the voltage to by 10mV every time and still cannot clock any higher. My normal voltage is 1206 on Precision X. My temps are very stable around 60 degrees at the highest barely turning to 65 every once in awhile when running for more than 10 minutes. Increasing my voltage to 50mV still will not allow me to overclock any further. Basically is the highest I actually could reach. Also my power target is at 124% and my temp target is at 84 degrees.

Edit: So my highest clock was about 1542MHz with 1951.7MHz on memory. This also with 31mV which is the maximum that EVGA will allow me to put because it reaches 1250mv at that point. Putting the slider up any further does not increase the voltage. Is there a way to go passed the 1250mv so I can get a better clock that is stable. My temps rise to 69c on full load after running Heaven 4.0 for two hours.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What is your model number. There are five models as seen here http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#m=14&c=185 and four different core clock speeds.

My normal voltage is 1206

Is this a typo? I don't see how your voltage could be 1206. Stock core clock?

 

[verte200]

It is 1206mV on stock voltage.

 

[Darkbreeze]

You cannot have a voltage of one thousand two hundred and six volts. You're wrong or whatever you're using to read the voltage is wrong. Maybe 1.206v or you're reading 1206Mhz.

As with NVIDIA’s Kepler cards, NVIDIA’s Maxwell cards are subject to NVIDIA’s stringent power and voltage limitations. Overvolting is limited to NVIDIA’s built in overvoltage function, which isn’t so much a voltage control as it is the ability to unlock 1-2 more boost bins and their associated voltages. Meanwhile TDP controls are limited to whatever value NVIDIA believes is safe for that model card, which can vary depending on its GPU and its power delivery design.

For GTX 980 we have a 125% TDP limit, meanwhile we are able to overvolt by 1 boost bin to 1265MHz, which utilizes a voltage of 1.25v.

As taken from here http://www.anandtech.com/show/8526/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-review/22

 

[Darkbreeze]

Ok, so I see that you changed the readings to mV, which is much different than V. So 1206mV would be 1.206V. That's more reasonable and understandable.

 

[verte200]

Sorry about the confusion. So would there be anyway to go over the safety voltage of 1.25v.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Are you using version 4.2.1 of Precision? Do you have the most recent GPU driver, version 344.75, installed.

 

[verte200]

I have the most recent driver installed and have the latest Precision X installed.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Maybe you need to increase the memory clock in order to go any further with the base clock and voltage? You are installed in the PCIe #1 slot closest to the CPU right? What is the model number of you PSU, maybe it's hit a wall? I dunno, usually you can go far beyond what's even healthy for the card, not the other way around.

 

[Darkbreeze]

This article and the 980 OC'ing article linked to in it should tell you all you need to know unless you are somehow hardware limited elsewhere.

 

[verte200]

Maybe you need to increase the memory clock in order to go any further with the base clock and voltage? You are installed in the PCIe #1 slot closest to the CPU right? What is the model number of you PSU, maybe it's hit a wall? I dunno, usually you can go far beyond what's even healthy for the card, not the other way around.

I did increase the memory clock until it went unstable (in which I dialed it down) I'm installed on the second PCIe#2 becuase my big cpu cooler runs a bit to close towards my graphics card. As far as the psu its corsair ax1200i. I know my hardware is very good. From other articles I heard EVGA will allow a max voltage settings of 1.205 on Precision and same with MSI Afterburner. So I'm guessing at this point it must be overclocking voltage through bios. I looked through the guide several times and I passed the max boost clock of 1515MHz. However I'm not sure what they mean by 7.8GHz because my memory is 3905MHz (Heaven 4.0). So my current speed is 1542MHz gpu clock with 3905MHz memory clock all under 74c

 

[Darkbreeze]

You need to be in PCIe #1. Nothing will be right if you're in the other slot, plus it will not ever run at the best possible speed as that slot is always limited to slower speeds and settings than the PCIe #1 slot. There isn't even any point in overclocking the card in that slot. This is why you can't increase the settings, for almost 100% certain. Probably even 110% certain. Plus, your performance will likely be about 30-60% better in that slot WITHOUT any overclock, than in the slot it's in now. I don't know of any coolers that should interfere with the GPU if they are installed facing the correct direction. What are your system specs? MB, etc.:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2299418/obtain-basic-advanced-system-information.html

 

[verte200]

You need to be in PCIe #1. Nothing will be right if you're in the other slot, plus it will not ever run at the best possible speed as that slot is always limited to slower speeds and settings than the PCIe #1 slot. There isn't even any point in overclocking the card in that slot. This is why you can't increase the settings, for almost 100% certain. Probably even 110% certain. Plus, your performance will likely be about 30-60% better in that slot WITHOUT any overclock, than in the slot it's in now. I don't know of any coolers that should interfere with the GPU if they are installed facing the correct direction. What are your system specs? MB, etc.:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2299418/obtain-basic-advanced-system-information.html

Since all my slots are PCIe 3.0 x16 shouldn't that mean I have the same speed no matter which slot.

My specs:
i7-4770k
Asus Maximus VI Extreme
EVGA ACX 2.0 980 SC
G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz
1 TB Samsung Evo
Windows 8.1
Corsair AW1200i
Latest drivers and updates installed.

 

[Darkbreeze]

No. The other slots are not primary slots. They are secondary slots. There are sometimes very complex population rules. Apparently the 1st and 3rd slots use the CPU PCI lanes but I can't verify that.

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?37247-Asus-Maximus-VI-Extreme-PCI-Expres-slot-problem

Some motherboards come with two PCI-Express x16 slots so you can run two full speed video cards at once. This is normally used only by serious gamers who want the highest possible performance in 3D games. NVIDIA has a dual-card implementation called SLI and ATI has a version called CrossFire. In these modes, both video cards work together on the same game to increase performance. Many motherboards with two PCI-Express x16 slots have special rules about using the second x16 slot. With some motherboards you have to plug a small circuit board into the motherboard to enable the second x16 slot. Even when enabled, the second x16 slot may have special restrictions. In some cases that slot may not work with anything but video cards. The manual of a dual x16 slot motherboard will tell you if there are any restrictions related to its x16 slots. Don't assume that you can treat them like "normal" PCI-Express slots unless the motherboard manual says so.

The Maximus VI Extreme comes with four dual slot spaced PCI-E slots which run through the PLX bridge chip to allow for full PCI-E 3.0 to four cards at x8 bandwidth. ASUS ensures the best possible performance for up to two GPU’s by having the top slot consistently fed directly from the CPU PCIe lanes and the black middle slot being fed by the CPU as well in a dual card arrangement. However when fitting more cards then only the top slot has native PCIe configuration while the other three red slots will be run through the PLX multiplexer to best give the proper needed available bandwidth.

And apparently, according to this chart taken directly from the motherboard manual for your model, the #1 slot must be used in single card configurations although obviously, since you are using the second slot, it's not an all or nothing arrangement. I do think however that the slot population rules are what is affecting your overclock. It seems also that there are issues, as I read in another forum, about having a GPU in any slot other than the first slot if you have anything in any of the other slots, so that could be a factor as well. I'd try using it in the 3rd PCI slot, since it shares lanes with the 1st slot, and see if that resolves the issue. If not, you need to see about maybe turning your cooler to orient the other direction if that will allow the clearance necessary or maybe get a different board or cooler if it can't be resolved.

 

[verte200]

No. The other slots are not primary slots. They are secondary slots. There are sometimes very complex population rules. Apparently the 1st and 3rd slots use the CPU PCI lanes but I can't verify that.

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?37247-Asus-Maximus-VI-Extreme-PCI-Expres-slot-problem

Some motherboards come with two PCI-Express x16 slots so you can run two full speed video cards at once. This is normally used only by serious gamers who want the highest possible performance in 3D games. NVIDIA has a dual-card implementation called SLI and ATI has a version called CrossFire. In these modes, both video cards work together on the same game to increase performance. Many motherboards with two PCI-Express x16 slots have special rules about using the second x16 slot. With some motherboards you have to plug a small circuit board into the motherboard to enable the second x16 slot. Even when enabled, the second x16 slot may have special restrictions. In some cases that slot may not work with anything but video cards. The manual of a dual x16 slot motherboard will tell you if there are any restrictions related to its x16 slots. Don't assume that you can treat them like "normal" PCI-Express slots unless the motherboard manual says so.

The Maximus VI Extreme comes with four dual slot spaced PCI-E slots which run through the PLX bridge chip to allow for full PCI-E 3.0 to four cards at x8 bandwidth. ASUS ensures the best possible performance for up to two GPU’s by having the top slot consistently fed directly from the CPU PCIe lanes and the black middle slot being fed by the CPU as well in a dual card arrangement. However when fitting more cards then only the top slot has native PCIe configuration while the other three red slots will be run through the PLX multiplexer to best give the proper needed available bandwidth.

And apparently, according to this chart taken directly from the motherboard manual for your model, the #1 slot must be used in single card configurations although obviously, since you are using the second slot, it's not an all or nothing arrangement. I do think however that the slot population rules are what is affecting your overclock. It seems also that there are issues, as I read in another forum, about having a GPU in any slot other than the first slot if you have anything in any of the other slots, so that could be a factor as well. I'd try using it in the 3rd PCI slot, since it shares lanes with the 1st slot, and see if that resolves the issue. If not, you need to see about maybe turning your cooler to orient the other direction if that will allow the clearance necessary or maybe get a different board or cooler if it can't be resolved.

I haven't tried this yet, but from the chart and your advice it seems as though I could soak up some extra power either way. So I can maximize my overclocking potential. Thank you very much for all the help you have provided and I will definetly be sure to switch the cards to either the first or third slot to get the most out of it. Thanks again!

 

[Darkbreeze]

No problem. Hope that helps get the problem resolved.