XPS 16 GPU overclocking

[gpig]

Some of these recent threads got me interested in how many people overclock their XPS 16's GPU. Any interesting overclocking stories?

[LegendOfDellda]

Well I kind of just started, but I have a feeling it's going to be frequently.

Went from 675/800 to 738/898

Saw someone who used like 775/950ish so I figured my numbers were a bit more conservative.

[seeker_moc]

Well here we go.

I wanted to see how high I could go, but still maintain good temps, no throttling, and stability.

Method:

I tested my overclock by running FurMark 1.8.2 on "Xtreme Burning Mode" at 1000x850 resolution windowed mode. To simulate a high-demand game, I also ran Prime95 concurrently with FurMark. I ran 3 instances of Prime95 on 'blend' mode on 2 different cores. So all together I had 4x 100% load threads (1x FurMark, and 3x Prime95) running on 3x cores. This should provide a greater load than any actual game out there.

I was able to clock to 725/925 (stock is 650/800) without any problems. GPU temps were around 78C max CPU temps were around 84C. This is a pretty mild overclock, but I ran it for over 30 min without any issues or throttling.

The GPU is capable of going much higher. I had it running 750/1000 without any GPU problems. However, the combined GPU/CPU heat was a bit too much for the cooling system, and it caused the CPU to throttle. If you were running a game or 3DMark06 or whatever, this wouldn't be a problem. I just wanted a overclock that would be 100% stable under all conditions.

I had all my regular programs running while developing the overclock w/ Prime95 and FurMark, but I closed all unnecessary programs (anti-virus, bluetooth monitor, smartcard reader processes, etc) when running the 3DMark06 benchmark.

I also tried dropping the voltage from 1.1V to 1.0V, but it did not make any difference at all (speed or temps), so I'm not sure if the voltmod option on the AMD GPU Clock Tool actually works on a mobile GPU.

Benchmarks before overclock:

3DMark06

Total: 8052
SM2: 2907
SM3: 3606
CPU: 3032

Max GPU temp running 3DMark06: 63C

FurMark 1.8 @ 1024x768: 2054 points

After 725/925 overclock:

3DMark06 total score: 8908
SM2: 3261
SM3: 4080
CPI: 3056

Max GPU temp: 66C

Furmark score: 2308

I'll have to try overclocking without Prime95 heating up the CPU and causing throttling, and see how high I can get the GPU to go, sacrificing my 100% stability and no throttling goals.

[seeker_moc]

The max I could get it to complete 3DMark06 at is 825/1100. Please keep in mind that this (like my previous overclock) was without any external cooling.

So 100% stable = 725/925
3DMark06 stable - 825/1100

Max 3DMark06 scores:

Total: 10014
SM2.0: 3770
HDR/SM3.0: 4728
CPU: 3024

[LegendOfDellda]

So 100% stable = 725/925
3DMark06 stable - 825/1100

Damn, nice.

[killaz05]

there is only frequently and no all the time to choose from. I leave my GPU overclocked in Rivatuner from start up... no troubles.

[seeker_moc]

In 3DMark Vantage my GPU score is around 4188. I don't get a total points score, it just says NA. I'm not sure if that's because I'm just using the trial version. Anyway, the 10014 Mark06 and 4188 GPU vantage puts me just below the GTX 260M / 5850 level, which isn't bad for a 5730 overclock.

Not like I'd run it at 825/1100 all the time though, but 725/925 should be pretty good for a constant overclock.

[killaz05]

The max I could get it to complete 3DMark06 at is 825/1100. Please keep in mind that this (like my previous overclock) was without any external cooling.

So 100% stable = 725/925
3DMark06 stable - 825/1100

Max 3DMark06 scores:

Total: 10014
SM2.0: 3770
HDR/SM3.0: 4728
CPU: 3024

Just out of curiosity what resolution was this test run at?

[seeker_moc]

Just out of curiosity what resolution was this test run at?

Whatever the default is... hold on... 1280x768

[killaz05]

hmm interesting... I didn't think the 5670 was that much more powerful. I can only muster a 7200 or so overclocked. Maybe the i7 is helping the score too