# 9600GT, strange voltage?



## iDont (Dec 15, 2008)

Hello,
I want to volt mod my 9600GT, it will be my first time I'm going to solder on a computer part. 
So I borrowed a multimeter from a friend of mine, but it gave me some strange readings.

This is my current setting: 1.15V idle (factory overvolted I guess? The default 9600GT GPU voltage is 1.10 idle)




So I booted up my PC and measured the idle voltage. I used the Vgpu measure point from the TPU article about volt modding the 9600GT



Indeed, it is ~1.15V idle.



> Default vGPU voltage for the GeForce 9600GT is 1.10 V at idle, note that vGPU increases spontaneously by ~0.05 V when entering 3D load.


Quote from the TPU Article (http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/150/2)

So I fired up Furmark and guess what. Using the same Vgpu measure point this was my voltage during load:



~1.10V, shouldn't this be ~1.20V then?

As I previously said, this will be my first volt mod, but I seem to mess it already up someway before the actual soldering. Can anyone explain this strange reading for me?

This is how I've set the multimeter.




All help is greatly appreciated,
-iDont

btw, I know that some 9600GT cards have problems with load stability when volt modded, but I am willing to try it anyway. If I will encounter the infamous 'Black Screen of Death', I can say atleast I've tried it and gained expierence from the experience


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## RadeonX2 (Dec 15, 2008)

I think it's normal seeing the drop of voltage under load. I have vmod mine but it does blackscreen so I had to set it back 1.15v I have a reference design 9600GT. I don't have a multimeter so I don't really know if mine does vdroop that bad.


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## iDont (Dec 15, 2008)

RadeonX2 said:


> I think it's normal seeing the drop of voltage under load. I have vmod mine but it does blackscreen so I had to set it back 1.15v I have a reference design 9600GT. I don't have a multimeter so I don't really know if mine does vdroop that bad.



Thank you for your reply. Though, the article says the Vgpu should go up by ~0,05V instead of going down. If it would be the Vdroop causing this low load voltage, then the Vdroop has to be around 0,1V, which is a lot for a stock graphic card (correct me if I'm wrong, I don't know much about graphic card voltages etc.)


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## RadeonX2 (Dec 15, 2008)

if you had applied 1.3 vmod then your stock voltage is 1.15v, @ load it increases by .05v increment until it gets to 1.3v. have you applied the vmod?


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## iDont (Dec 15, 2008)

RadeonX2 said:


> if you had applied 1.3 vmod then your stock voltage is 1.15v, @ load it increases by .05v increment until it gets to 1.3v. have you applied the vmod?



Ah, so you are saying that the Vgpu will climb to the set voltage, instead of going directly to the set voltage and then adds +0,05V on load?

If so, then I had understand the article wrongly.

Thanks for your reply

Edit: forgot to say: no I haven't applied the Vmod yet


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## RadeonX2 (Dec 15, 2008)

yes correct. Well you should try the vmod if it blackscreens you can undo the vmod just resolder and unsolder those pads.


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## iDont (Dec 15, 2008)

RadeonX2 said:


> yes correct. Well you should try the vmod if it blackscreens you can undo the vmod just resolder and unsolder those pads.



Alright, thank you very much for your help. I don't know yet when I am going to solder the card, as I first got some work for school to do. Anyway, I'll post the results when completed.

Got to ask some help from friends first as well, cause I don't have that much soldering experience yet, though I guess it won't be that hard.

-iDont


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## RadeonX2 (Dec 15, 2008)

ok then, wish you luck on the soldering journey. Just be careful soldering the pads, it's very tiny


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## iDont (Dec 15, 2008)

I've done it  my first volt mod! 

I've done the 1,25V Vgpu mod. I haven't tested for stability yet, but IF I don't have the black screen of death problem, I'll solder the VID2 pins together as well for 1,3V on the GPU.

And to RadeonX2:
My idle voltage is now 1,25V and load 1,20V. It seems that my card is idle'ing at the set voltage and drops by .05V on load. It seems odd to me as it doesn't 'comply' with the TPU article, saying the voltage should _increase_ by .05V when entering load. That doesn't matter though.

I love this site
-iDont


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## Solaris17 (Dec 15, 2008)

its because the card is loading that it is dropping it could be because your psu or the rail is experiencing a drop when the card loads.


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## RadeonX2 (Dec 16, 2008)

yay good job!  test it with 3dmark06 if it blackscreens on firefly forest and ATItool mostly the artifact scan will blackscreen your 9600GT immediately, if it does not blackscreen you have a new batch or a good card!


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## iDont (Dec 16, 2008)

RadeonX2 said:


> yay good job!  test it with 3dmark06 if it blackscreens on firefly forest and ATItool mostly the artifact scan will blackscreen your 9600GT immediately, if it does not blackscreen you have a new batch or a good card!



After I've done the 1.25V mod for the GPU, I've stressed the card for 2 hours with Furmark stability test and half an hour of Atitools artifact scanner. The card passed both, though the card is one of the first batches I guess (bought it back in march).

Then I removed the mod (first time I have undone a mod ) and soldered other pins for 1.35V on the GPU.

Unfortunately I don't this this card is a good clocker though, it artifacts around 850MHz core speed and 2050MHz at the shaders (two dots appearing every 2 seconds at the same place, at 2100MHz the artifacts didn't worsened though). Temps top out around 71C with the stock Glaciator heatsink with OCZ Freeze thermal paste. It does a pretty good job, considering the little amount of noise it makes. At stock volts I could get my GPU at 750/1925.

I'll propably try 1.40V and _maybe_ 1.45V later, as I like to trade in some of the life span for the extra performance it gives. The card wouldn't be used to the end of its lifespan anyway

-iDont


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