X800GTO2 OC Question

[sciroccs]

Greetings Everyone,

This is my first post on this forum. I have a Sapphire X800GTO2, 16pipes running, red pcb, 8 mosfets, 1.6 Samsung memory, R480 core, 1 DVI and 1 VGA, PCI express power connector top right corner of card, Zalman VF900-cu cooler, and a Thermaltake 480W PS. I'm running an Athlon 64 3700.

I have managed to get a stable 510mhz GPU and 580mhz Mem overclock. Temps are 42c idle and 69c under constant load. The OC seems a little low to me considering most people are getting at least 520mhz GPU and close to 600mhz + Mem. I'm happy with the result, but was wondering if anyone could offer advise on squeezing more out of this card. Could the video driver be limiting my results, or is this irrelevant? I'm using an Omega 2.6.75a video driver.

Would it be safe to assume that if I can't hit 520mhz GPU, that flashing the card with X850XT bios wouldn't be a good idea, or get me any more performance? Thanks

 

[Thermopylae_480]

Flashing it with the BIOS might help, but 69~C is getting up there. It might push you over. You won't know though unless you try. Each GPU, even if it's the same model, overclocks differently. Some do a little better than others, some a little worse. It's the luck of the draw. I think your OC is within standard deviation, all you can do is tweak it a bit. The drivers shouldn't effect your OC.

 

[sciroccs]

Thanks Thermopylae_480, I think I'll give the Bios flash a try.......what the heck, if it doesn't work out, it'll just give me a reason to buy a new card.

 

[rogue1981]

I have the same card as you and I play HL2 with 500/570 OC, without any additional cooling, and my max temp under load is about 60degC.

 

[dolf]

The only way to reach 520 plus (530 for instance) is to voltmod the Vcore. (1,45V or max. 1.5V would be enough). Only then you can use X850XT BIOS for 1xVGA/1xDVI. (be carefull because most of the XT BIOSes are for dual DVI). You can find 1xVGA/1xDVI X850XT non VIVO BIOS here in the "BIOS collection" but if you have VIVO GTO2 - you should contact me because I have my special mods of dual DVI X850XT and XT PE BIOSes to 1xVGA/1xDVI.

 

[rogue1981]

Hi Dolf, I have the Dual DVI VIVO model. ATI tool claims that I have an R430 core, but I'm pretty sure with my OC, and red PCB, that I have an R480 core. Would there be any benefit of flashing the BIOS? I only have stock cooling, so I dont think I should really take it past 500/570 anyway, so that I dont fry my card..Cheers

 

[Agility]

Well the best way is to detach your cooler and check the core personally. You didn't see what was it when you installed the Zalman cooler? By the way was your Sapphire GTO2 16Pipeline out of the box or you flashed it?

 

[rogue1981]

I havent installed a Zalman, you might be confusing me with sciroccs who originally posted this thread. My cards was 16 pipline out of the box. I dont really want to start take my card apart since Im not an expert..But Im pretty sure that the R430 wouldnt have had red pcb, wouldnt have had 16pp out of the box, and wouldnt get up to 500/570..Am I silly ofr not cooling my card, or are those Overclocks and temps I mentioned nothing to worry about.. Cheers

 

[Agility]

Oops i got confused.

To sicross:
Is your card 16pipelines out of the box?
Did you check your core when you installed the zalman cooler?

To rogue1981:
Your card is a PowerColor GTO 16pipeline i assume?

 

[rogue1981]

My card is a SapphireX800GTO2 Dual DVI VIVO

 

[Agility]

I've never heard of a Sapphire X800GTO2 giving R430 cores... Can someone update me? I probably lost the timings as i live within the universe X_x

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/127

 

[rogue1981]

Oops, I think it was the X800's that had the R430 cores..

 

[Agility]

Have you checked your core personally by removing the cooler? If not use ATI Tool. It should detect as R480 core but with 12pipelines. Use the link on my post to get a method on flashing it to a XT bios.

 

[rogue1981]

I dont want to really mess around with removing the cooler since Im not an expert. Ati tool detects R430 core and 16 pp, but like we discussed before it has to be a 480 core that isnt being detected properly. So I assume that flashing the BIOS wont really be of any benefit since I have all the pp already. It would show up as 480, but that doesnt really worry me too much. What do you think of my overclocks with stock cooling?

 

[Agility]

It's personally fine but is it possible of you have the full name of your entire graphics card? EXample Sapphire X800GTO2 Limited Edition 1.6ns blah blah. Never heard of anyone having a R430 readings for GTO2.

 

[sciroccs]

Hey Agility,

I had 12 pipes out of the box. I flashed the card to get the full 16. When I installed the Zalman cooler, I did check the core; it was the R480. I also have the 1.6ns Samsung mem with 8 mosfets. I also have the PCI-E power connector on the card, which is connected to my Thermaltake 430W PS. Do you think that I still may benefit from doing a volt mod? I thought that since I have auxillary power to the card already, that the voltmod wouldn't be necessary? I have managed 510GPU/598mem stable for 5+ hours. 3D Mark05 is 6130. I want more

 

[dolf]

Hi Dolf, I have the Dual DVI VIVO model. ATI tool claims that I have an R430 core, but I'm pretty sure with my OC, and red PCB, that I have an R480 core. Would there be any benefit of flashing the BIOS? I only have stock cooling, so I dont think I should really take it past 500/570 anyway, so that I dont fry my card..Cheers

Flashing the card and the "correct" recognition of the core like R480 have to bring you few % more performance at the same clocks. You can use normal X850XT BIOS (dual DVI) but your card should work stable at 520/540MHz.

 

[sciroccs]

Hi Dolf,

You had originally suggested a voltmod in this thread. What do you think in my current set up.......could I benefit?

 

[Apamedvapen]

Hmm it sounds strange that you can't OC that much with your X800GTO2. I myself managed to unlock and OC my X800GTO C3D to 16P, 590MHz GPU / 559MHz Mem. To add, my card had the R423 core and 2.0ns memory, so I find it strange that I get such high clocks while you get lower.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l148/apamedvapen/namnls.jpg


Alittle offtopic:

Does anyone know if I gain more on higher memory clocks or GPU clocks on different cards?

 

[dolf]

Hi Dolf,

You had originally suggested a voltmod in this thread. What do you think in my current set up.......could I benefit?

You can benefit max. performance but without becoming greedy. Voltmod it just enough to handle XT or max. XT PE speeds (with good cooling) and be happy with it. (I did exactly the same 3 times with my 9800PRO 128MB - 9800XT 128MB; X800XT to X800XT PE and finally X850PRO VIVO to X850XT PE because I know that over that I can get 5-10% max. more performance - and so what?)

 

[p-jack]

I myself managed to unlock and OC my X800GTO C3D to 16P, 590MHz GPU / 559MHz Mem.

same here, my C3D can hit 589/589 on stock voltage

 

[sciroccs]

Hmmmmm, interesting? I guess I just got a sub par piece of silicon? Ah, what the heck, for what little money I spent, I should just be happy with what I was able to achieve.

 

[Apamedvapen]

same here, my C3D can hit 589/589 on stock voltage

I managed to get 600/600, but that was very instable, so I lowered it to 590/560 because it also wanted mroe volts at higher clocks (freezing, reboots, cashes etc) and that I did not want to do.

Anyway, back to my question again:

Anyone who knows if higher GPU clock is better then higher memory clocks? Reason I ask this is because I'm often able to clock alot on either the GPU or the Mem. If the memory is clocked highest, it is the GPU that can't be clocked so much because of artifacts, and vice verse.

Same on both my old X800GTO and my current X1800XT.

 

[Agility]

Go for GPU...

 

[roycebayles]

R430 = R480

My SAPPHIREX800GTO2 DUAL DVI CAME WITH THE BIOS SAYING IT WAS R430 12 PIPES, BUT I TOOK IT APART CLEANED IT AND IT WAS R480,THIS WAS WHILE I HAD IT APART TO PUT ATI 5 SILENCER ON IT. ANYWAY,540 ON MY GPU IS A BIT UNSTABLE.530 IS OK,610 IS MAX STABLE ON MY MEM.I FLASHED IT TO XTPE AND USED RABBITT TO LOWER THE GPU CLOCK A LITTLE. I RECOMEND ZALMAN FANS OVER ac ATI SILENCER.IVE HAD BOTH MY X800'S FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND THE ZALMAN STILL COOLS LIKE DAY 1. THE AC ATI SILENCER 5 REV. 2 RUNS MY CARD HOT AROUND 73DEG. USED TO COOL IT 42 UNDER EXTREME LOAD. IT JUST WORE OUT I THINK.