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I just downloaded real temp and thankfully it shows CPU temps as well as all cores. Not sure how accurate it is, but it seems to reflect what core temp shows

Anyway, my GPU is running around 51 deg C, when running Octane it goes up to about 61 deg C, does this indicate that there is room for overclocking? A 10C rise for a 100% computational GPU isn't a bad rise IMO! Not sure what safe temps are!?

61 deg is average...

i woudl'nt recommend overclocking at all

Radiance

I was impatient and downloaded evga precision. I tried what I thought was a modest OC and launched Octane, bang, I had to reset windows!

I'm not even gonna try anymore, once nVidia release new GFX cards then I will most likely upgrade mine.

Thanks for the advice

I have a GTX285 which is a nice card but it overheats real easy. There is an Nvidia utiliy that lets you control the fan speed and supports a wide range of cards. http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_sys ... _6.03.html. The install adds a new section to the Nvidia control panel. I usually bump the fan speed from the default of 40% to 70% for gaming and now Octane rendering.

The GTX200 Series have fans but the automatic settings is not working that great
I use EVGA precision with my GTX260, with fan at 60% at full load I never get past 60°

Also Octane use more GPU than games, that's why the GPU get hot pretty quick
For people having too much heat even with the fan at full speed, they need to downclock their cards

As said in other posts, OC'ing the GPU is generally not a good idea. GPU's are not designed to be run at 100% for long periods of time. This is why just a minor OC will generally have bad effects pretty quickly. I imagine a heavy duty water cooling system might handle the increased temps ok, but the OC also plays with other parts of the internal GPU which can cause bad results when running for long periods at 100%. I wonder if using a dedicated GPU for rendering would eliminate some of these issues. I'll test it out when my second card comes in the mail.

Hi,

As i've mentioned before, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NOT TO OVERCLOCK YOUR GPU.

Even with factory overclocked commodity cards like EVGA, Gainward, ASUS, XFX etc,
i've heard and witnessed myself various issues with factory overclocked GPUs.

I recommend downclocking factory overclocked GPU's a little bit to the standard clocks of the chipset involved,
and NEVER OVERCLOCK your gpu.

You're only going to be getting a slight / unnoticeable speed gain (eg it will make your render end in 9,5 minutes instead of 10 minutes), while you risk destroying your card.

IMO the risk is greater than the reward, much greater in fact and i would'nt want anyone to fry his new beloved GPU.

Yours,
Radiance

You guys can use tools to properly validate your speeds and fans settings, not to mention the voltages it you are using the evga voltage tool. I'm not saying you should overclock your card but plenty of people do without any issues at all. The first step is to gather the information and tools. GPUZ is a nice app that displays all your gpu information in realtime. ATI TOOL works for both ati and nvidia and has built in stress test to check if your card is stable. It will scan the image over time and detect any fluctuation not seen by the naked eye. Also FURMARK is a wonderful app that basically does the same thing as ati only it has a few different options. Usually you can get around a 20% overclock on a 200 series GTX card without too much tinkering, but that only gets you 10-15% increase in the real world. I use my GPU for everything including rendering, gaming, dual monitors, video encoding etc. and also Folding@HOME which maxes my GPU 24/7. It all depends on whether you think the 15% is a safe bet or not. Anyhow if you try it at least you know how to be safe now.

Neo3d wrote:plenty of people do without any issues at all.

Yes, but how many of those people are using an app that pegs 100% of the GPU for 100% of the time? Even in heavy gaming the GPU is not tasked nearly as hard as Octane. The results of these other users cannot be used for comparison.

If you are going to tread here, best have a backup card at the ready.

Just to state the obvious. It's a good idea to open your machine and clean out the inside every once in awhile. It's amazing how fast those heat sink fins and fans get clogged up with dust and lint.