Jump to content

M17x R3 GPU upgrade to gtx 780m


veer

Recommended Posts

I installed the cpu but i haven't gotten around to doing the overclock as yet. I really want to ask you a few questions that I am really confused with. I would really appreciate your reply.

Firstly, I'm a noob at everything here, so please forgive me if my questions seem dumb. In your signature and a lot of other people's... you got "GTX 670MX 3GB (oc 1006Mhz Core, 1100Mhz Memory @ +50mv(0.975V)"

Would some other ppl would write this as 1006/1100?

I saw someone else had "DellnVidia GTX 780M 4GB with unlocked vbios @1006/3000Mhz" so they core runs at 1006MHz and they have 3000Mhz of memory? mine is 797Mhz for core and 1250Mhz for memory.... is 3000 really that safe?

I was playing up with NVIDIA Inspector and I noticed that I can overclock it by a limited amount, but i need to flash the bios on the gpu to unlock those right?

If i switch between stock clocks and oc clocks depending on what im doing on my laptop, will this damage my card or do i need to leave it at the overclocked clocks?

I read the thread for overclocking the 2920xm, and it looks pretty straight forward enough. I just haven't gotten the courage to mess with my gpu bios to unlock it.

Another question, I assume that an overclocked cpu wouldn't remain hot right? only when its under full load. So i assume that the gpu will be the same concept.

Also. for HWiNFO64... can you recommend some fan speeds i can set it at. thanks

I look forward to your reply... and sorry for all the questions

Hi, that's OK, I'll answer your questions as best I can! Yes, you're right, I could write my GPU overclock specs as @1006/1100. 1006 is the core, 1100 is the memory. Now, where you've seen that 780M quoted at 1006/3000, that's really 1006/1500! The reason being, there are different 'standards' for reporting the frequency of the memory. Taking the 780M as an example, then 1500Mhz would be the actual frequency of the memory chips, but because it's GDDR5 memory it's 'quad pumped' so the effective memory speed is reported as a factor of 2 or 4 times the actual memory frequency depending on what monitoring program you use to measure the memory frequency. So, there will be cases where some people would report a 1500Mhz memory frequency as 3000Mhz or even 6000Mhz! It's all a nonsense really, and I think it makes most sense to report the actual frequency that the memory chips run at: so 1500Mhz in the case of the 780M that you quoted. That also happens to be the frequency that is reported when using GPUz: my favourite GPU monitoring app. I don't fully understand all the 'quad-pumped' theory behind GDDR5, so take some of that with a grain of salt, but it's true what I said about the different ways of reporting the memory frequency.

Yes, if you want to overclock your core by more than +135Mhz, then you need to flash a modded vBIOS to it. That will free up the sliders so that the +135Mhz overclocking limit is no longer in place. Some of the vBIOS's will even allow you to overvolt, but I wouldn't recommend doing that until you learn a bit more about overclocking, as you can damage your GPU by overvolting if you're not careful & methodical about it.

If you overclock your GPU, then you'll only be overclocking the P0 power state of the card. The P0 power state is the highest power state that is used for 3D applications & games. Your GPU will automatically switch between the different power states in order to save power, depending on whether you're just browsing the web or playing a game. The different power states have different voltages & frequencies, with the higher power states having higher frequencies & higher voltages - makes sense right, because you want more performance for games. So, you'd just overclock the P0 state, which would only apply when you play games, so your overclock would have no effect when you're just browsing the web, because your card would be in one of the lower power states. So, overclocking won't damage your card, as long as you keep an eye on your temperatures, you want your GPU to be below 80 degC when you're gaming, but definitely below 90 degC (GPUz is good for monitoring this too).

For the overclocking of the 2920xm, you talk about having the courage to mess with your GPU BIOS; actually, your GPU BIOS is not involved in this, because that's the BIOS for you GPU - it's not related to the CPU. The BIOS that's talked about in that thread that I linked you, is the 'main' BIOS for the computer - it's the thing you can access when the computer has just been turned on, and you can press F2 (that's the key for mine anyway) while it's posting to access the BIOS. That is where you would make the changes talked about in that thread.

Yes, your overclocked CPU will only be hotter under load, because again, like the GPU, it has different power states that it uses depending on the load being applied to it.

I don't think you need to use HWINFO to set fan speeds for your computer, because I think the automatic fan control should work fine - that is built into the standard fan control schema for your laptop. But check with other 780M owners first though, but I'm pretty sure about what I said there.

Hope that helps!

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, if you want to overclock your core by more than +135Mhz, then you need to flash a modded vBIOS to it. That will free up the sliders so that the +135Mhz overclocking limit is no longer in place. Some of the vBIOS's will even allow you to overvolt, but I wouldn't recommend doing that until you learn a bit more about overclocking, as you can damage your GPU by overvolting if you're not careful & methodical about it.

If you overclock your GPU, then you'll only be overclocking the P0 power state of the card. The P0 power state is the highest power state that is used for 3D applications & games. Your GPU will automatically switch between the different power states in order to save power, depending on whether you're just browsing the web or playing a game. The different power states have different voltages & frequencies, with the higher power states having higher frequencies & higher voltages - makes sense right, because you want more performance for games. So, you'd just overclock the P0 state, which would only apply when you play games, so your overclock would have no effect when you're just browsing the web, because your card would be in one of the lower power states. So, overclocking won't damage your card, as long as you keep an eye on your temperatures, you want your GPU to be below 80 degC when you're gaming, but definitely below 90 degC (GPUz is good for monitoring this too).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks a million for clarifying. I really appreciate your response:40_002:

Last thing i'm unclear about. the P0 power state that i can overclock by 135MHz, If i set this overclock to 135MHz when I'm playing games like bf4 beta, metro and crysis 3 for example and when i'm done, switch the overclock back to 0MHz (i.e. back to the stock/ default settings) will this constant overclocking/resetting damage the gpu? or is it advisable to leave the overclocks on all the time?

sorry for all the questions. It's just that I'm VERY paranoid when it comes to GPU's/CPU's and damaging them. I burnt out a gpu when mw3 just came out. I played it for 14 hours straight and my gpu died, lol.... my replacement was the entry level M17xR3, which over the course of time, i upgraded.... Ever since then, i've been paranoid about factors that could potentially damage a laptop, such as overheating. I look forward to your reply. :32_002:

You can change the overclocks around as much as you want, it won't damage the card. As long as it's not getting too hot, then you're good to go.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, I finally read through all the vbios flashing and cpu overclocking and collected all the files and programs necessary for both. I got the bios rom, the nvflash dos files, the bootable memory stick; the instructions, nvidia inspector. i think i can pull off the flashing successful.

I got the intel extreme tuning utility 2.1, the throttlestop, and the instructions with the bios modification. It seems straight forward. I just need to take the time to sit down and do it now.

One question tho. I saw in another thread that you see svl7's custom signature on boot if i use his mod? is that true? do you know? I have tons of respect to svl7 for making the mod, but if that's the case, I might will hold off on vbios flashing for a while.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, that's good, sounds like you're being methodical about it, and making sure you know all the steps before you start.

That's right, I have the 'svl7 custom signature' on boot, I don't know if it's the same for the 780M modded vBIOS, you might have to ask him or other users that have flashed it. It only flashes up for about a second, so I don't find it particularly intrusive. I'd prefer it if it wasn't there, but it doesn't bother me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for clarifying.:32_002:

I guess i will wait to mod the vbios then. I'm kind of particular about things like that. I will stick with the pre-set overclock for now till i decide that it isn't enough and flash for the 1000+MHz. I mean, I really want to do it, so I will wait till I cant wait any more, lol.

By chance, whenever you get a chance, can you link me with a link of how the custom signature looks? Whenever you get the chance, no rush.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, find attached the svl7 splash screen, flashes up for about a second, and is the first splash screen that displays (before BIOS post screen). As I said, doesn't bother me, but rather it wasn't there, but do understand why he has done it, so no biggie for me.

(Although, this picture is a better picture of myself than the screen, due to the reflections!!)

Thanks! Actually, I don't mind it. I thought it would be like a picture or something. It's neat and decent signature.

I think I'm gona load up that bios today :) Just a quick question tho, if i flash the new bios into the card, will i need to re-install the nvidia drivers? or do I have to uninstall the drivers before I flash the bios or it doesn't matter?

Note, I'm terrified of bricking my gpu. Took me MONTHS to save for that the gpu and cpu :sad:

The vbios i need is from this second post right?

http://forum.techinferno.com/general-notebook-discussions/1847-nvidia-kepler-vbios-mods-overclocking-editions-modified-clocks-voltage-tweaks.html

The one that says " Nvidia GTX 780m - 'OC edition' - rev02.zip (127.0 KB, 277 views)"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks! Actually, I don't mind it. I thought it would be like a picture or something. It's neat and decent signature.

I think I'm gona load up that bios today :) Just a quick question tho, if i flash the new bios into the card, will i need to re-install the nvidia drivers? or do I have to uninstall the drivers before I flash the bios or it doesn't matter?

Note, I'm terrified of bricking my gpu. Took me MONTHS to save for that the gpu and cpu :sad:

The vbios i need is from this second post right?

http://forum.techinferno.com/general-notebook-discussions/1847-nvidia-kepler-vbios-mods-overclocking-editions-modified-clocks-voltage-tweaks.html

The one that says "Nvidia GTX 780m - 'OC edition' - rev02.zip (127.0 KB, 277 views)"

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You should be fine with the drivers you already have installed. When I flashed mine I'm pretty sure I just left the drivers installed, and I don't think I reinstalled the drivers afterwards either. Haha, it's healthy to be terrified of flashing your vBIOS! I was nervous before I did mine, but it turned out to be a really simple procedure, I followed the flashing procedures that svl7 linked in that post. Good Luck! :-)

EDIT: make a backup of your original vBIOS so you can flash it back to original if you want or need to: like described in svl7's post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Open GPU-Z click left icon>Read ASIC quality... For gaming 985/1006(+157) / 6000(+500) try first with stock voltage, not stable add 12.5 mV and test again...right click "create clock shortcuts" create clock startup task. Nvidia drivers 331.40 1006/6000 12.5 mV 1.012v, with previous drivers stock voltage was stable.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Open GPU-Z click left icon>Read ASIC quality... For gaming 985/1006(+157) / 6000(+500) try first with stock voltage, not stable add 12.5 mV and test again...right click "create clock shortcuts" create clock startup task. Nvidia drivers 331.40 1006/6000 12.5 mV 1.012v, with previous drivers stock voltage was stable.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Open GPU-Z click left icon>Read ASIC quality... For gaming 985/1006(+157) / 6000(+500) try first with stock voltage, not stable add 12.5 mV and test again...right click "create clock shortcuts" create clock startup task. Nvidia drivers 331.40 1006/6000 12.5 mV 1.012v, with previous drivers stock voltage was stable.

post-17128-1449499622074_thumb.jpg

I have 327.23 driver and it crashes with stock voltage and the +157 MHz offset :67:

- - - Updated - - -

Test 985/6000(+500)stock voltage.

ok, 985(+135)/6000(+500)stock voltage is stable. 1006(+157)/6000(+500)stock voltage is unstable. 1006(+157)/6000(+500) +0.0125V is stable. is that safe? :ops:

the pic of the ASIC above is the +157/+500/+0.025v

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, I was successful in flashing the modded bios into the gpu. I swear I held my breath for that whole process, lol.

I noticed that the default clock changes from 771 MHz to 850 MHz without me doing anything with the nvidia inspector. Is that how it supposed to happen??? :06:

This was the stock clocks without me touching it: (771 Mhz)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9232[/ATTACH]

This is the pre-set overclock without the modded bios in the gpu: (still at 771 MHz)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9233[/ATTACH]

This is the clocks right after i loaded the bios and didn't play with nvidia inspector: (850 MHz)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9234[/ATTACH]

79 MHz higher... I think i did everything correctly. I looked at a pic that J95 uploaded to other threads and the clock was 850 MHz as well WITH the tweaks.

He set his P0 to:

Base Clock Offset: +157 MHz

Memory Clock Offset: +500 MHz

And the Voltage Offset: +25.0 mV

(basically 22 MHz more and more voltage.... I don't understand... is this a significant increase over the pre-set overclock)

The reason I flashed my gpu bios with the mod is because I see everyone doing it, LOL. I assumed that it had some significant advantage over the pre-set overclock to which I have no idea. (I mean, why else would everyone do it?) Was it worth it?

I did that and I got: (basically same as in the picture he uploaded, with the clock also remaining at 850 MHz)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9235[/ATTACH]

I read through A LOT of threads and noted that people said that the 780m GTX has the same architecture as a 680 GTX, except that it's under-clocked. So from all this modded bios flashing/ overclocking/ over volting of the 780m GTX I assume that they trying to get it on the same level as the stock 680 GTX.

I also read that this system tweaking can potentially harm the computer. Is it that if the extra generated heat isn't controlled, THAT can damage the components (which seems logical) or is it also that this modded flashing inevitably damages the components over a period of time because it over-stresses the components beyond the factory intended use? I know it's a dumb question, but it's a lingering question I have in my mind before I did anything.

Another thing, do you know what effects the increase in voltage has on the gpu? well... besides heating up more, LOL!

My primary reason for overclocking is for gaming; I don't do benchmarking. I saw in some threads you said not to over-volt and game. I tried that for like 5 mins. temps hit the roof! I run it on the +135 MHz and +500 MHz and left the voltage the same and it was ok, but not as fast as the +25 mV setting, but the temps were WAY cooler.

Can i set the core clock to 1007 MHz and leave the voltage offset at o mV? Will this be the same as the 680 GTX or whatever? or do i neet the higher voltage? This is where my noobiness hits me hardest. Can you recommend a safe setting for gaming overclocked? I really appreciate your input.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just so unsure about these types of things and I'm happy that they are people with answers:) I look forward to your reply...:32_002: Many thanks:14_002:

Hi, it sounds to me you could do with learning about the theory of overclocking in general, as well as what is safe & what is more risky. I'll give you a quick overview and answer some of your questions.

The only main reason to flashing svl7's vBIOS is to allow you to overclock greater than +135Mhz on the core, because this is the limit with a stock vBIOS.

The reason you see 850Mhz in GPUZ as the default after flashing is that the svl7's modded vBIOS disables a feature called GPU Boost 2.0 and automatically applies this boost to the default clock. Previously your GPU would have used a feature called GPU Boost 2.0 to allow the GPU to 'overclock' up to 850Mhz if temperatures & power envelopes allowed. svl7 has allowed 850Mhz as a default, which should be perfectly stable & no problem, unless your temperatures are too high, you want under 90 degC.

You seem a bit confused about overvolting. You only need to add extra voltage if your desired overclock is not stable (e.g. crashing in games / freezes / visual artifacts). This is because added voltage increases stability & allows for greater overclocks, but at the same time overvolting increases heat massively, (current consumption increases with the square of voltage I believe, so it's exponential). Also, adding extra voltage could potentially shorten the useful life of your GPU, especially if your temperatures are high, I think you'd want to see less than 80 degC if you're going to be overvolting. This is because a combination of increased voltage & increased temperature results in accelerated silicon degradation. Overclocking without overvolting is perfectly safe I think, as long as you keep it below 90 degC.

An idea of overclocking procedure:

1) Check temperatures (I use GPUZ) while gaming or extended benchmarking while at stock votage & stock clocks. Temperatures less than 80 degC think about overclocking, temperatures over 85 degC then overclocking may not be wise.

2) Raise core clock in stages of say 50Mhz. Game & benchmark to check stability (no crashing, no artifacts) & temperatures. Temperature & stability OK, then raise another 50 Mhz & repeat. Eventually it will crash or artifact, at which point your previous stable overclock is your maximum overclock on stock voltage. (At this point you can use smaller increments of GPU core increase to get closer to the stable limit, 13-26Mhz increments). (Each increment is 13Mhz). Do this same overclocking procedure with your memory on your GPU once you have the core overclock determined. While determining your memory overclock keep your GPU core at it's maximum core overclock. (Overclocking the core will give you more performance than the memory in most cases).

2) If at stock voltage, while at your previous overclocks, you are happy with the temperatures and you want more performance you can consider overvolting. Overvolting will apply extra voltage to the core only (so memory overclocks will not be affected). This will allow you to hit higher core overclocks. Raise the core voltage 25 - 50mv depending on your temperatures, and then start adding extra 26-52Mhz increments. Redo the stability testing to determine the new overclock while monitoring temperatures. Increase voltage & Mhz at will as long as temperatures are good. I'd want temperatures less than 90 degC for sure, and really less than 80degC if I was going to be overvolting by a significant amount - the dangers of increased voltage combined with high temperatures on silicon degradation.

Hope this helps

EDIT: I use 3DMark11 in particular (seems to expose instability more than other GPU benchmarks) to expose unstable overclocks quickly. Then I'll check that highest overclock with some demanding games that tax the GPU to 100% consistent usage (Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider) (measured with GPUz), for extended periods of time, over 1 hour. Long term stability for me seems to be 1 notch 13Mhz below my maximum stable 3DMark11 overclock.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, it sounds to me you could do with learning about the theory of overclocking in general, as well as what is safe & what is more risky. I'll give you a quick overview and answer some of your questions.

The only main reason to flashing svl7's vBIOS is to allow you to overclock greater than +135Mhz on the core, because this is the limit with a stock vBIOS.

The reason you see 850Mhz in GPUZ as the default after flashing is that the svl7's modded vBIOS disables a feature called GPU Boost 2.0 and automatically applies this boost to the default clock. Previously your GPU would have used a feature called GPU Boost 2.0 to allow the GPU to 'overclock' up to 850Mhz if temperatures & power envelopes allowed. svl7 has allowed 850Mhz as a default, which should be perfectly stable & no problem, unless your temperatures are too high, you want under 90 degC.

You seem a bit confused about overvolting. You only need to add extra voltage if your desired overclock is not stable (e.g. crashing in games / freezes / visual artifacts). This is because added voltage increases stability & allows for greater overclocks, but at the same time overvolting increases heat massively, (current consumption increases with the square of voltage I believe, so it's exponential). Also, adding extra voltage could potentially shorten the useful life of your GPU, especially if your temperatures are high, I think you'd want to see less than 80 degC if you're going to be overvolting. This is because a combination of increased voltage & increased temperature results in accelerated silicon degradation. Overclocking without overvolting is perfectly safe I think, as long as you keep it below 90 degC.

An idea of overclocking procedure:

1) Check temperatures (I use GPUZ) while gaming or extended benchmarking while at stock votage & stock clocks. Temperatures less than 80 degC think about overclocking, temperatures over 85 degC then overclocking may not be wise.

2) Raise core clock in stages of say 50Mhz. Game & benchmark to check stability (no crashing, no artifacts) & temperatures. Temperature & stability OK, then raise another 50 Mhz & repeat. Eventually it will crash or artifact, at which point your previous stable overclock is your maximum overclock on stock voltage. (At this point you can use smaller increments of GPU core increase to get closer to the stable limit, 13-26Mhz increments). (Each increment is 13Mhz). Do this same overclocking procedure with your memory on your GPU once you have the core overclock determined. While determining your memory overclock keep your GPU core at it's maximum core overclock. (Overclocking the core will give you more performance than the memory in most cases).

2) If at stock voltage, while at your previous overclocks, you are happy with the temperatures and you want more performance you can consider overvolting. Overvolting will apply extra voltage to the core only (so memory overclocks will not be affected). This will allow you to hit higher core overclocks. Raise the core voltage 25 - 50mv depending on your temperatures, and then start adding extra 26-52Mhz increments. Redo the stability testing to determine the new overclock while monitoring temperatures. Increase voltage & Mhz at will as long as temperatures are good. I'd want temperatures less than 90 degC for sure, and really less than 80degC if I was going to be overvolting by a significant amount - the dangers of increased voltage combined with high temperatures on silicon degradation.

Hope this helps

EDIT: I use 3DMark11 in particular (seems to expose instability more than other GPU benchmarks) to expose unstable overclocks quickly. Then I'll check that highest overclock with some demanding games that tax the GPU to 100% consistent usage (Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider) (measured with GPUz), for extended periods of time, over 1 hour. Long term stability for me seems to be 1 notch 13Mhz below my maximum stable 3DMark11 overclock.

WOAH!!!! HELPS A LOT! Thank you, thank you, thank you!:14_002: I didn't really know much about this overclocking limitations. That really explained a lot :)

"...adding extra voltage could potentially shorten the useful life of your GPU..." I did not know that....*sighhhhhhhhhhh*

I'm using 0.0125V extra...

I'm also testing with tomb raider. I have the hair setting on the higher state. That shoots up the gpu temps instantly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

985/6000 the higher memory bandwidth is useful for higher AA settings (anti-aliasing), stock voltages will improve temps.

I decided that I will leave it on 985/6000 @ stock voltage for now... The extra 22 MHz along with the +0.0125V will come into the picture with more demanding games maybe. I'm the most paranoid person on the planet when it comes to these things :/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOAH!!!! HELPS A LOT! Thank you, thank you, thank you!:14_002: I didn't really know much about this overclocking limitations. That really explained a lot :)

"...adding extra voltage could potentially shorten the useful life of your GPU..." I did not know that....*sighhhhhhhhhhh*

I'm using 0.0125V extra...

I'm also testing with tomb raider. I have the hair setting on the higher state. That shoots up the gpu temps instantly.

Haha, no problem, you're welcome!

0.0125V (12.5mv) is not much of an overvolt, so should be safe! What are your temperatures that you saw at this setting?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha, no problem, you're welcome!

0.0125V (12.5mv) is not much of an overvolt, so should be safe! What are your temperatures that you saw at this setting?

It was like 70C-mid 70's (I didn't play for that long... maybe 15 mins but that hair setting made a big deal tho), and depending on what was going on in the game, it was more... On stock overclock with no overvolt, its in the high 60's - low 70's with the hair setting on ultimate. If i angle the camera so that the hair is exactly in front the screen. WOAH!

The temps go up crazy. I have the fans controller on, so its keeping the temps down. But on the auto fan, I've seen 78C with the stock overclock when I leave the hair in the screen up close........ that was before i flashed the gpu... That's in Tomb Raider btw, lol

At stock overclock with no overvolt, if i have ultra setting (normal hair setting) and tessellation off, i see like 62C. Tesselation on bumped it up to like 65C

EDIT: This is a screen shot I took when I noticed that the temps were 76C+ @stock overclock and auto fan. I left it there for like 10 mins. This is on ultimate settings.

post-17128-14494996223611_thumb.jpg

I also rotated the camera so the hair took up >50% of the screen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was like 70C-mid 70's (I didn't play for that long... maybe 15 mins but that hair setting made a big deal tho), and depending on what was going on in the game, it was more... On stock, its in the high 60's - low 70's with the hair setting on ultimate. If i angle the camera so that the hair is exactly in front the screen. WOAH!

The temps go up crazy. I have the fans controller on, so its keeping the temps down. But on the auto fan, I've seen 78C with the stock overclock when I leave the hair in the screen up close........ that was before i flashed the gpu... That's in Tomb Raider btw, lol

Well, those temperatures seem OK. 78 degC being your highest temperature you say at stock voltage but with overclock. If you're overvolting I think you'd want it under 80 degC as a maximum temperature, so as long as your fans aren't on 100% when you saw the 78 degC, then you should be good to add a bit of voltage if you wanted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.