GPU overclocking question

martward · February 15, 2017

Hi all,

I posted this question a couple of days ago but didn't get an answer, so I figured I try it one more time.

I have a Gigabyte 1060 6GB G1 Gaming which currently runs on 2101MHz on the core and about 4600MHz on the memory. I could push it a little more, but for some reason that makes the game I am currently playing (The Witcher 3) crash sometimes without errors or anything. Temps are between 60 and 65.

The only "problem" that I have is that when I start up a game, MSI Afterburner immediately says I have hit the voltage limit. The temp limit is not reached, but the volt limit goes to 1 immediately.

Should I be concerned about this, and what can I do about it? I haven't touched the voltage at all, I haven't even unlocked voltage control in Afterburner.

Thanks

itrr14 · February 15, 2017

It means that the BIOS that came with the card cannot provide any more voltage and it will lower the clocks to operate within the voltage limit (as you have not touched voltage yet)

As for the crashes, it could mean that the overclock is too high. Some programs and games push different parts of the card and your CPU. For example, I could run Heaven benchmark and 3D mark for hours with no problem, but trying to play GTA5, I got a driver crash, and on second attempt, I got a BSOD with a driver error. Lowered my overclock to be less aggressive, no problems since.

Just remember, you don't have to push it to the limit, as GPU Boost 3.0 will do that on the core by itself. As for memory overclocks, those are some nice numbers. But if problems persist, you can try lowering, and it could help with stability.

martward · February 15, 2017

1 minute ago, itrr14 said:

It means that the BIOS that came with the card cannot provide any more voltage and it will lower the clocks to operate within the voltage limit (as you have not touched voltage yet)

As for the crashes, it could mean that the overclock is too high. Some programs and games push different parts of the card and your CPU. For example, I could run Heaven benchmark and 3D mark for hours with no problem, but trying to play GTA5, I got a driver crash, and on second attempt, I got a BSOD with a driver error. Lowered my overclock to be less aggressive, no problems since.

Just remember, you don't have to push it to the limit, as GPU Boost 3.0 will do that on the core by itself. As for memory overclocks, those are some nice numbers. But if problems persist, you can try lowering, and it could help with stability.

Yeah the weird thing is that in theory I could overclock it more, and I did when playing Rise of the Tomb Raider. I don't really need to since I can play Witcher 3 on very good settings at 55-60 fps. I guess I'll just not worry about it as long as it doesn't crash on me. Thanks

itrr14 · February 15, 2017

Yeah, no problem. My card can do more if I push the fans to 100% and that. But that's in theory. In practice, I get 4400MHz on the memory and Anywhere from 2020 to 2100MHz on the core as GPU boost takes over.

If you really want the most out of your card, you can try the Auto Overclocking with the Pascal cards. You can get the best performance at every voltage point, and then GPU Boost 3.0 will figure out how hard to push your card.