# Under clocking  = cooler card???



## infernoir (May 8, 2005)

Would under clocking your video card on windows start help keep your pc cooler than if it was running at default speeds?
I don't play games all the time and if I could find the min. clock for my 9800 pro, maybe my pc would have a cooler idle temp.
If this is true, should Ati Tool have a find min. function?


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## Jimmy 2004 (May 8, 2005)

There is no point in a find min when its an OVERclocking tool. If you want to overclock, turn down your clocks as much as you like. I doubt it would damage your card but there doesn't seem much point as the card will be designed to work at good temperatures at stock speed. Don't think it would really lower the idle temp much anyway...


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## Tijgert (May 8, 2005)

Yes, it will be cooler, every bit helps.
Just think that the increase in temp when oc'ing is greater than the decrease when uc'ing, but every bit helps (Deja Vu!  )


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## grazzhoppa (May 9, 2005)

I've found that there is a clock speed that if you go under things become unstable.  My memory speed seems to be more fickle than the core, where it can only underclock 30mhz from the default.  My R300 core does 190 stabily.  Underclocking probably doesn't help in any way, its just another thing to tweak...


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## Pookzoon (May 15, 2005)

I have found that underclocking certainly helps a lot to keep the temp. down. My Sapphire 9800Pro runs at about 70C at the default speed of 378 core/338 mem and will go as low as 200.12/200.12 (lower than that it hangs up the system). At that underclocked speed it runs at 58C. My GPU fan is pretty noisy and my barebone makes it hard to keep temperatures under control so to me this is very important. At the underclocked speed, the GPU fan is off or at a very low speed which makes it silent.


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## Marholl (May 16, 2005)

hey dont underclock i wondt do thth if i was you.
the best is overclock


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## Tijgert (May 16, 2005)

> hey dont underclock i wondt do thth if i was you.
> the best is overclock


Besides the plethora of spelling errors and the non argumented giving of opinion, do you have any clue as to what people are trying to do here?
Or do you just want to join the conversation for the fun of it?


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## INSTG8R (May 16, 2005)

I am gonna have to say  Underclocking it will not serve any real purpose besides causing possible instability. Yes 9800s run warm even at stock but turning it down will not make too much difference in overall system temps.
Better options are better case cooling,make sure all cables are neat and tidy to maximize airflow,etc


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## Tijgert (May 16, 2005)

Underclocking will reduce both temperature and power consumption and increase the life of your hardware either way you look at it.
Personally I only UC on my laptop to squeeze those 2 extra minutes out of the battery.


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## zAAm (May 16, 2005)

Yeah, underclocking CPU's does a better job of lowering temps than GPU's. And o'course, what you'd rather want to do is lower the voltage of the GPU, which would (if it is stable enough) probably lower temps more considerably... But by all means, if you think it good to underclock your 9800, go ahead. It may not accomplish much, but I'll bet you'll feel better knowing that your card will last an extra 3 months?


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## Tijgert (May 16, 2005)

If you happen to sell the card in the extended lifespan you had given it, it will get you money you otherwise would not have gotten.


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## zAAm (May 16, 2005)

True, but the card will probably last long enough before your next upgrade to be sold at stock speeds as well? If you don't overclock these cards would mostly last a long time. I've had one for 4years (which is longer than the average upgrade time I guess) and only failed after I overclocked it too much... . Although you get exceptions to every rule.


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## Pookzoon (May 16, 2005)

It's not just the extra life span that's caused me to consider underclocking (in fact I don't care about the life span, it will probably last until my next upgrade anyway  ), it's the temperature. In a barebone system, being small and all, there's (almost) no room for extra cooling, better heat sinks and what have you. So underclocking is the only way to make my system cool when I don't need the power. And since ATITool will automagically set the clock back to where it should be when I start a game, there's no loss, only gain. I gain quietness because as my barebone gets hotter, all the fans start blowing louder (they're temperature controlled). Lowering the voltage isn't an option    because you would have to permantly mod the card and there's no easy way to undo that on-the-fly when you start playing a game...


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## zAAm (May 16, 2005)

Then it's definitely justified...


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