MSI GTX 970 Core/Memory Clock Question

[LMKellow]

Hi everyone,

 

I have recently built a new gaming PC and as normal proceed to overclock the components for the increased performance to a level where I know my cooling can accommodate for the increased temperatures.

 

I have bought an MSI 'Gaming Edition' GTX 970 and have a hefty overclock of +200 on the core and +300 on the memory with a power limit setting of 110%. Everything seems to be running completely fine with Furmark, Heaven and Valley showing no crashes or visual artifacts. The temperature stays within an acceptable range, often sitting around 57c when at full load. As with most 970's I do have some coil whine when producing a lot of frames, and it is slightly annoying although I will live with it. My problem is that I've noticed on MSI afterburner readings that sometimes, despite my card sitting at a relatively low temperature under load and with an aggressive fan profile that I've seen slight dips in core and memory clock speeds. For example, the core clock would drop from 1520(ish) almost down to stock levels for a brief moment. Is this something to worry about? The power percentage on the card hit 105% as a maximum, it's not reached higher than that.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Could I also ask if 59fps average in Heaven at 1920x1080, maxed with 8xAA etc is a good value? I scored slightly over 1500 if I recall.

 

I'll list the build in case it helps identify an issue:

 

CPU: Intel i7 4790k @ 4.8GHz

Cooler: Corsair H80i

Motherboard: Asus Maximus VII Ranger

RAM: 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance (2133MHz)

GPU: MSI 'Gaming Edition' GTX 970 4GB

PSU: Corsair AX860

[-ism]

I have the same card and I've noticed mine will randomly dip, along with the voltage as well. It doesn't really affect much as its just for a second, but you're not alone. Also, my card doesn't seem yo have any coil whine so if it really starts to annoy you go ahead and return it if you can

[dadasmithywinkle]

They'll generally go into a lower clock to conserve power. They normally only go into the higher clocks when you are seriously working the GPU. 

 

Anywho, the lower clock thing is normal and only a power conservation method when you are not needing as much horsepower.