10-28-2006, 04:37 PM
First:
Get a fan. Buy an aftermarket cooler (Zalman makes some great products), and stick it on there. Preferably something that comes with RAM heatsink chips, as well, especially if your card does not already have the RAM cooled seperately from the main heatsink. Or, if it doesn't come with the main cooler, buy some seperately. They're dirt cheap (~$10), and will help take some of the heat off. It won't be allow for a HUGE increase, but anything is better than nothing, and it could be the difference between overclocking a small bit, and not at all.
Second:
Check out Tom's Hardware Guide. Look for any reviews on the 7600GS. Also check AnandTech. They do many hardware reviews as well. This will give you a rough idea of just how far the limit is, so that you know a relative ceiling without having to find it out on your own.
Third:
Small increments. I cannot stress this enough: SMALL INCREMENTS! 1 MHz - 2 MHz are a good start, but NEVER go beyond 5 MHz at a single time. After each and every increase in clock speeds, check your temperatures at idle, and then play Oblivion. Push that card hard, and look for any tell-tale signs of distress, namely artifacting. You'll know it when you see it (remember pushing on the LCD screen of a calculator as a kid to make all the pretty colors show up? Imagine that, in bits and pieces, all over your screen at random intervals. That's artifacting). You'll probably be able to push the Core clock further than the Memory clock, so bear that in mind. They do not have to be raised equally. You could raise the Core clock by 50 MHz, and the Memory clock only 30 MHz. You can raise both at the same time, but just be aware that one will certainly go farther than the other. One other thing to note is that sometimes decreasing the Memory clock by a few MHz will allow you to safely increase the Core clock by a few more MHz, and gain you a bit more performance. This applies vice versa, as I recall from my own testing, but more often than not it's the former case.
So, to summarize:
1) Active VGA cooler. Trusted company.
2) Check reviews to find a relative safe overclocking ceiling.
3) Baby steps!
Good luck, and if you have any further questions or problems, feel free to ask.
Get a fan. Buy an aftermarket cooler (Zalman makes some great products), and stick it on there. Preferably something that comes with RAM heatsink chips, as well, especially if your card does not already have the RAM cooled seperately from the main heatsink. Or, if it doesn't come with the main cooler, buy some seperately. They're dirt cheap (~$10), and will help take some of the heat off. It won't be allow for a HUGE increase, but anything is better than nothing, and it could be the difference between overclocking a small bit, and not at all.
Second:
Check out Tom's Hardware Guide. Look for any reviews on the 7600GS. Also check AnandTech. They do many hardware reviews as well. This will give you a rough idea of just how far the limit is, so that you know a relative ceiling without having to find it out on your own.
Third:
Small increments. I cannot stress this enough: SMALL INCREMENTS! 1 MHz - 2 MHz are a good start, but NEVER go beyond 5 MHz at a single time. After each and every increase in clock speeds, check your temperatures at idle, and then play Oblivion. Push that card hard, and look for any tell-tale signs of distress, namely artifacting. You'll know it when you see it (remember pushing on the LCD screen of a calculator as a kid to make all the pretty colors show up? Imagine that, in bits and pieces, all over your screen at random intervals. That's artifacting). You'll probably be able to push the Core clock further than the Memory clock, so bear that in mind. They do not have to be raised equally. You could raise the Core clock by 50 MHz, and the Memory clock only 30 MHz. You can raise both at the same time, but just be aware that one will certainly go farther than the other. One other thing to note is that sometimes decreasing the Memory clock by a few MHz will allow you to safely increase the Core clock by a few more MHz, and gain you a bit more performance. This applies vice versa, as I recall from my own testing, but more often than not it's the former case.
So, to summarize:
1) Active VGA cooler. Trusted company.
2) Check reviews to find a relative safe overclocking ceiling.
3) Baby steps!
Good luck, and if you have any further questions or problems, feel free to ask.
Roland *The Gunslinger*