Overclocking the Gigabyte 560 ti UD

[MiniPython]

Hi everyone!

I'v recently bought the Gigabyte GTX 560 ti, the "Ultra Durable" version.. Here it is in Gigabyte's site: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3957 (It's the rev. 2 card)

This card is a major upgrade for me considering I previously had an old gt 240. I bought it primarily for battlefield 3 after I'v grown tired of playing it on low resolutions and minimal graphic settings..
According to benchmarks I'v seen online though, this card can't handle battlefield 3 on ultra setting on full HD resolution. I'm still happy to be able to play it on high settings of course, but: I'v seen that the SOC (Super Overclocked) edition of this card by Gigabyte can actually outperform the GTX 570. The 570 runs battlefield on ultra settings quite nicely, so I was wandering..

After looking at the 560ti SOC on the Gigabyte site, it seems that is has exactly the same heat sink and appearance as the regular 560 ti I have (besides the cool artwork):
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3729

If I'm right, and it is the same card as mine, doesn't it mean that I can overclock my card and get the same performance and stability the SOC edition has?

I don't want to damage my card, so i thought i'll ask the pro's before trying to overclock it myself.. Thanks!

Edit: Sorry for the re-post! I thought it didn't register, but it simply put it in the nvidia sub-forum, sorry!

 

[Sunius]

You can try that. I have the same card just factory overclocked, it's solid stable at 975 MHz core clocks, however, when going to 1000 MHz it gets quite hot, so I can't really maintain it during the hot summer.

Furthermore, it will still not handle BF3 on ultra graphics. Remember, GTX 570 has more VRAM. Here's a video of performance of ALMOST ultra graphics, everything at max except MSAA, which is on 2x. That is more than playable, but setting it to pure ultra makes it noticeably lag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg15cHH3faU

 

[MiniPython]

How much fps are you getting? And also, doesn't the vram mostly affects the resolution? Its weird you're having heat problems, the SOC edition uses the same heat sink, And i would assume gigabyte won't sell an unstable product.. Thanks for the fast reply btw!

 

[Sunius]

You should be able to see the FPS counter at the top right corner of the screen.

Well, to reach stability with those clocks I have to increases voltage. The SOC version has 950 MHz clock, which is easily reachable. However, as I go higher, temps tend to get the in way.

 

[nforce4max]

Since you want to overclock further than it's stock clocks then you are going to want to keep this whole card as cool as possible. Don't bother with overclocking the memory as you might get 10-15mhz or more on the core by leaving the memory alone.
Be careful with the volts but if you do Everything right you might get passed the 1ghz mark on the core. Back to cooling set the fan speed at 80% and monitor temps while playing a game for a few min. Don't bother with the power virus called furmark. Cards tend to be stable in furmark but then crash when loading an actual game.

If the temps climb into the 80s or higher set the fan speed to max. You don't want the power vrm for the gpu to overheat beyond the 115c mark or it will degrade, the memory can degrade if allowed to run at similar temps as the core for extended periods of time. The fans on these cards are pretty weak and there is a lot of back pressure so in the future you could remove the face plate and add two high flow 80mm fans. I did all this to my gtx460 and it has been very solid for two years now. Looking back most have stopped working because people were either retards or just lazy and allowed their cards to roast. Theirs typically only lasted a few months to a year before failing.

 

[MiniPython]

Should I take the risk? I want this card to last for the next few years... Thanks for the detailed guide, I'll might try and overclock it a bit, but not too much..

 

[shamsmu]

Having the same heat sink has nothing to do with the maximum overclock potential. Gigabyte hand picks their SOC card chips and it's hard to overclock a non SOC model that high. I used to have the Gigabyte gtx560 ti soc version myself it was clocked at 950mhz. So I tried overclocking it higher but it crashed every time i went past 970. In the end, I was never able to achieve the clocks of 1000mhz soc version even though I had an identical SOC model only clocked 50mhz lower. So I sold it and got an Asus gtx 580 which, surprisingly, I could overclock all the way to 985mhz on air. I guess it really depends on your luck when it comes to overclocking, sometimes you just end up getting the golden chips.

 

[MiniPython]

You should be able to see the FPS counter at the top right corner of the screen.

Well, to reach stability with those clocks I have to increases voltage. The SOC version has 950 MHz clock, which is easily reachable. However, as I go higher, temps tend to get the in way.

At the "Specification" tab it says the core clock is at 1000MHz:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3729#sp

 

[Sunius]

Yeah that model is discontinued because too many people got an unstable card.

 

[shamsmu]

At the "Specification" tab it says the core clock is at 1000MHz:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3729#sp

there were 2 different SOC models, one 1000mhz and another was clocked 950mhz.

 

[MiniPython]

Having the same heat sink has nothing to do with the maximum overclock potential. Gigabyte hand picks their SOC card chips and it's hard to overclock a non SOC model that high. I used to have the Gigabyte gtx560 ti soc version myself it was clocked at 950mhz. So I tried overclocking it higher but it crashed every time i went past 970. In the end, I was never able to achieve the clocks of 1000mhz soc version even though I had an identical SOC model only clocked 50mhz lower. So I sold it and got an Asus gtx 580 which, surprisingly, I could overclock all the way to 985mhz on air. I guess it really depends on your luck when it comes to overclocking, sometimes you just end up getting the golden chips.

Unfortunately the gtx 580 is out of my reach at the moment.. But i'm hoping a mild overclock on the core of the 560 ti will do the job for battlefield 3... Or I might try and push it to its limits, I hope it won't catch on fire, lol

 

[MiniPython]

there were 2 different SOC models, one 1000mhz and another was clocked 950mhz.

Is this the one you're talking about?:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3775#sp

Do you think I could push my card to these settings?

Yeah that model is discontinued because too many people got an unstable card.

Really? Well i guess the heat sink isn't enough for 1000Ghz..

 

[Sunius]

Just try and see if you can push it. Nobody else but you will be able to tell it.

 

[shamsmu]

^^+1 you won't know unless you try. Each card has its unique overclock potential. If your lucky, it might even get past that. Otherwise, it won't.

 

[MiniPython]

Yea, I guess you guys are right.. Thanks for the advice!