Well today I bring you a guide that I had been saving up for a good time, and this is as good a time as any, so here you go:

Q: What does it mean to overclock a video card?
A: When you overclock a video card, you are increasing the core and/or memory clock speed, in order to make the card faster. For example, a Voodoo2 runs at 90 MHz, but overclocking can safely boost the speed to 105 MHz, resulting in a rather significant performance increase.

Q: Why would it void the warranty of my video card to overclock?
A: Overclocking your video card will void the warranty because you are pushing the speed higher than the manufacturer intended. This is like driving 100 MPH on a 65 MPH highway. It’s considered “dangerous”.

Q: If it is “dangerous” to overclock a video card, why did my hardware manufacturer include an overclocking program? Have you ever seen a video card permanently fail due to increased clock speed?
A: Manufacturers often include these programs with a warning not to exceed a certain speed. This lets the manufacturer avoid liability while still satisfying the wants of some potential buyers. They might call overclocking very dangerous, but it really is not too serious. Although I have heard stories, I have never personally seen a video card fail permanently from overclocking. If you overclock with responsibility and with caution, your risk will be minimal.

Q: Can all video cards be overclocked?
A: No, not all video cards can be overclocked. Many new video cards that are designed for 3D games can be overclocked if you have the right program.

Q: Can my video card be overclocked?
A: I’m not sure. There are too many video cards to keep track of and too many issues to talk about. For information on this, either visit the web site of your video card manufacturer or try looking for programs to overclock the card.

Q: I tried to overclock my video card and my computer froze! Is this abnormal?
A: No, freezes are quite common when overclocking a video card. Try to reboot your computer. If your settings were saved, you may have to use Windows “Safe Mode” to lower the speed.

Q: Why did the PC freeze?
A: Usually if a PC freezes while you are overclocking a component, it is because you either set the speed too high or it lacks sufficient cooling. Try a lower speed.

Q: Wait a second here… you need to cool a video card?
A: You don’t need to, but if you are overclocking, you should definitely consider cooling. It is much more risky to overclock without cooling because by increasing the clock speed you are increasing the heat production of the card. Also, the card will most likely be unstable if you overclock without cooling. With cooling, you have a better chance of reaching higher speeds.

Q: My video card runs at xxx MHz, what speed should I run it at?
A: For every single MHz you increase the clock speed, you will increase performance and decrease stability. I recommend you try increasing the clock speed by a few MHz at a time. Test the card on various programs for long periods at each speed. This will give you an idea of how fast you can safely run the card.

Q: But I read on my favorite hardware site that my video card can run at xxx MHz. Shouldn’t I overclock to xxx MHz?
A: No. This is the only real dangerous way you can overclock a video card. Personally test your own video card using the method above! Do not rely solely on the opinions of others. There are many variations that could account for your success or failure when overclocking; including: memory speed, cooling installation, room temperature, case size, etc. etc. etc…

Q: My video card can only reach xxx MHz… do you have any tips to increase the clock speed even higher?
A: Yes, apply more cooling! It won’t hurt to add another fan, or two.. or twenty. The cooler your video card, the faster it should be able to run. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule of thumb…

Q: The other day I had my video card running at xxx MHz for 12 hours, then it crashed. What caused this? What can I do to prevent this in the future?
A: If your PC was running for 12 hours, the crash may have been unrelated. But if the crash was caused after (for example) 12 hours of playing one game, the cause was most likely heat related. To prevent this in the future, add even more fans or try a slightly lower speed.

Q: If I overclock my video card at all times for months and months and play games every day, will my card eventually fail permanently?
A: This question comes up often. If the card is cooled sufficiently, it should last for several years. If you’re worried, lower the clock speed unless you need it. For example, a certain game runs slowly so you overclock only for that game… set your clock speed back when you’re not playing that game.

Q: Honestly, what kind of performance increase can I expect from overclocking?
A: This will vary with every PC or video card. I have seen as high as a 50% increase in performance from overclocking and as low as 0%. These, however, were extreme cases. You’ll probably gain between 5% and 20% in your frame rates. Faster processors will generally gain a lot more from overclocking a video card because with low-end machines, the CPU is usually the limiting factor. Run benchmarks to compare differences.

Cooling Suggestions

You’ve read through the FAQ and now you want to overclock… right? Maybe you’re wondering if the heatsink and/or fan included with your video card is enough… well, test it out. If you’re not impressed, consider buying a product from one of the companies below. Here are my favorite items for cooling video cards.

TennMax

TennMax is a well known name in the hardware scene, because they specialize in cooling products for video cards and CPUs. Although the installation of such products may void your warranty and it is somewhat complicated, they are high quality fans and are worth the moderate price tag. All of TennMax’s products have a unique style and are very small. This allows you to easily place them on video cards. The main TennMax cooling item is the Lasagna cooler. The Lasagna’s design is very unique because it is quite powerful but only 10mm thick. It can be placed directly on a video card or even a CPU. I have had great success with TennMax products for overclocking, and this is why I recommend them to most users. Check out the site here for more of their cooling devices.

The Card Cooler

The Card Cooler is a cheap and simple solution with plenty of power. It consists of two massive 80mm fans with a metal bracket that holds them together and fastens them to the space above your video card. The Card Cooler actually cools your whole computer. When I installed mine, the temperature across the motherboard dropped several degrees, the CPU’s temperature dropped, and my video card would reach higher speeds. And to top all that off, the two 80mm fans were very quiet! Really, I was quite surprised when I plugged this cooler in. I thought it wasn’t working because it literally made no noise. It wasn’t until I examined it and realized it was really working well. This cooler will work even better if you remove your case cover too.
Another big plus about The Card Cooler is that it will work in combination with your current video card cooler. You will not need to pry off any fan or heatsink. You simply must remove the screw that secures your video card and the slot next to it, place the metal brackets in place, and screw it in. And since you are not disassembling your card in any way, it will not void your warranty. Check out the site here for more info.

3DCOOL

3DCOOL sells two products specifically designed for cooling video cards. First, the Super Slot Fan, which is relatively inexpensive but quite powerful. Instead of simply blowing air on a card or across the surface of a video card, it actually sucks the air out of your case. The only bad thing about this cooler is that it’s rather wide and might take two PCI or ISA slots. The other product that 3DCOOL sells for cooling video cards is the Super Duper Slot Fan (what a great name, eh?). The Super Slot Fan lacked in some areas because it wasn’t as powerful as some other coolers and it was rather big. Well, the Super Duper Slot Fan is very thin, and has a very high output of 42 cubic feet of air per minute. 3DCOOL’s items won’t void your warranty and are very easy to install. Also, 3DCOOL is releasing new products all the time.

Computer Nerd

Computer Nerd, a store that specializes in CPU cooling equipment, also sells a few items to cool video cards. Three coolers, to be exact, that are designed for cooling video cards. I have never tested these coolers, but from the descriptions I have received from people, I understand they work much like TennMax’s Lasagna. They are very slim and compact, so they easily fit on a video card. Note that with these coolers, just like TennMax coolers, you will void your warranty if you attach these to a video card. Because I know TennMax coolers are very good, and I have not tested the Computer Nerd coolers, I still recommend TennMax for a direct cooling solution.Check out Computer Nerd’s video card coolers here.

Radio Shack

Radio Shack sells several cooling related items including fans, heatsinks (at some locations), and of course, the Gamma 28/30 blowers. When you head into the local Radio Shack, look around for small fans and blowers. You may find some very large (150mm) fans that would serve well if placed facing toward your computer. This is a fun place to look for cooling equipment because you can use your own imagination and creativity to make a powerful combination of cooling fans. For example, you can purchase a few 50mm fans and an 80mm fan, then a 150mm fan. Add a few amma blowers and you’re ready to truly push your card to the limit. You can learn about the mighty Gamma blowers in 3 Fingers’ Twin Turbo Voodoo2 Cooler article by clicking here. They’re very cheap and incredibly powerful.

Overclocking Programs

You should now know what overclocking is and hopefully you’ve found sufficient cooling. Now, to overclock your video card, you just need programs! These are some of the more popular programs for overclocking video cards. If you know of any important programs we missed, let us know!

PowerStrip

Entech Taiwan’s PowerStrip program is the big daddy of overclocking programs. It has a reputation as being the best because it supports nearly every video card that can be tweaked or overclocked. It supports video cards using chipsets from the following manufacturers: 3Dfx, 3Dlabs, ATI, Cirrus Logic, Intel, Matrox, NEC, NVIDIA, Rendition , S3, SiS, Trident, and Tseng Labs. Note that not all of these can be overclocked. You will need to download PowerStrip and try it out for yourself. To download PowerStrip, click here for the latest shareware version, or here for the latest beta version.
To overclock a video card using PowerStrip, first run the program. Right click the window that pops up, or the icon it creates in the system tray (bottom right corner of your screen). Choose Advanced Options near the top. Choose About the PowerStrip near the bottom of the sub-menu that pops up. Click the Performance tab. You can now adjust the clock speed. Take caution when overclocking… as I have told you before, make sure to only increase the clock speed by a few MHz at a time, and test it out after each increase. Note that an unregistered version of PowerStrip will not save changes. You will need to re-configure your clock speed each time you reboot your computer.

BGR Software

BGR Software makes a couple programs for overclocking video cards. Matrox Overclock is a program specifically designed to adjust the clock speed of several Matrox video cards, including the Matrox Millenium (I and II), Matrox Mystique (and Matrox Mystique 220), and of course, the G200 cards. Other supported cards are listed at the site. This program is freely distributed with the intention of overclocking Matrox video cards. BGR’s TweakIt program supports 3Dfx Voodoo, Voodoo2, Voodoo Rush, and Voodoo Banshee cards. Besides being just an overclocking program, it allows you to tweak various other settings to boost performance and compatibility. It even has an option to restore the card’s default clock speed when it is not in use. This program is also freely distributed.

S3Tweak

If you have an Savage3D or Savage4 card, you can overclock it with this program. This program also has a number of tweaks which can boost performance with your card. Grab it here.

V3 Overclocker

If you have a Voodoo3 card, you can overclock it as well using this independent program. V3 Overclocker will allow you to adjust the speed of any 3Dfx Voodoo3 card. This program will install a page into your Display Properties (accessible by right clicking the desktop and choosing properties). The page it inserts will let you choose between 140 MHz on the lowest setting and 220 MHz on the highest setting. It’s a very valuable program for Vodooo3 owners. Grab the program here.

Whew, I’m glad I got all that out of my system. Alright well as always you can email me or go post it in the forums, peace out-

-b