GTX 1070 Overclocking Problems

[Krytern]

I have the MSI Armor OC edition of the GTX 1070 and I am using MSI Afterburner. I can raise the boost clock a little bit but the problem I am having is that the card refuses to go above 60c in temperature so the clock will go down to stay at that temperature. I can raise the speed of the fans fine, giving me more clock speeds but there is only so much I can do with that temperature limitation. The temperature limit in MSI Afterburner is set to 82 by default so I am not sure why I can't make it go higher. Any suggestions?

[Delicieuxz]

Do you have more than one OC application running? And are you clicking the check-mark button after moving the temperature limit slider to the right? Also, raise the power limit, as well.

[Krytern]

No I didn't click the check mark next to the temperature limit slider... Didn't even notice it was there. Sorry, new to overclocking I've just come straight from console gaming! I'll give it a try now and see how it does.

[Delicieuxz]

I think that the voltage on those cards is BIOS-limited. If so, you can crank the voltage limit slider in Afterburner to the right, without risking damage. But, you should confirm that's the case, before trying it.

 

If it is as I've said, I would increase the core voltage, power target, and temperature target sliders to the maximum, and then focus on finding your maximum stable overclock. Don't forget to also overclock the memory frequency, as you'll get as much, or more additional in-game performance from that as you will from raising the core frequency.

[Krytern]

It's still refusing to go above 60 so I am starting to think the temperature limit is set in the BIOS.

[Krytern]

With the temperature limit and without the fans being too loud I can get it to 1987mhz

[Drak3]

You can try reinstalling MSI Afterburner, or try EVGA Precision. If neither of those work, there might be a vBIOS update for the card (in which case, sorry, I can't provide any information on updating MSI card vBIOS), or your card might have a minor defect.

[Delicieuxz]

In Afterburner, have you clicked the gear button to open up the settings, and then checked the box next to 'enable voltage control'?

 

My 1070 goes to 1999 Mhz without doing any manual overclocking. Your 1987mhz is probably just GPU-boost auto-clocking your GPU to that speed.

[Delicieuxz]

Can you post a screenshot of your Afterburner overclock setup, like this?

 

[Krytern]

I'll do that when I get home onto my PC but with the voltage put up or left down the TEMP won't go above 60. So raising the voltage won't make a difference, since the clock speed will go down to keep the TEMP, at 60 or lower. What 1070 do you have?

[Krytern]

Here's the screenshot of my MSI Afterburner. I want to point out that the core clock speeds I am getting is not the factory boost. The factory boost I get is 1827mhz before I change anything. I don't see how core voltage can change anything when what's stopping me getting more overclock is the fact that the card won't go above 60 degrees it stays around 58-60, goes between the two, all the time.

[Delicieuxz]

Core voltage is what sets how high your GPU can overclock, and is also what establishes how hot your GPU will become. The higher the voltage, the more power the GPU will use, and the more hot the GPU will become.

 

Also, if you want your overclock to apply automatically each time you log in to Windows, click the Windows icon underneath Startup, on the lower-left side of the application.

[Krytern]

I see. I'm a little paranoid with moving the voltage slider all the way to the right because I can't afford to rebuy this graphics card. Do you know where I can find information on it, if the BIOS has set the voltage?

[Drak3]

The vBIOS on the GTX 10 cards won't let you set a voltage that is unsafe for the card. Cranking it up may shorten the lifespan by a year or two, but it'll still last for quite a few GPU generations.

It seems to me that voltage is limiting your OC, based on your screen shot, and the temperatures you're seeing are just normal operation at stock voltages. You also may have to make small steps in increments of 13 (starting at 13, then 26, 39, 54, etc.), due to GPU Boost 3.0.