Problems OC eVGA 6800GT

[Teecee]

I cannot get my GPU to OC over 380 without artifacing. Idle temps it is around 60C with load it hits 80C. This is a brand new card and am wondering if I should just exchange it for a ultra or maybe I am just missing something when trying to OC this? I am using the Xtreme G 77.62 HD drivers. My CPU temp at idle is 32C and my ambient temp is 45C.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

[neddamttocs]

is it stock cooling on the card ... if so you may want to buy some better cooling for it like an Arctic Silencer and some AS5 and get that core cooler for a better OC and better stability

^ my $0.02

[Teecee]

Yes, there is stock cooling on the card. The temps is what I was thinking also although after reading on this forum 60C idle and 80-85C full load did not seem above normal for this card.

[Jamo]

those temps seem fine for stock cooler, i'd get an nv5 or similar, brought my temps down to mid 50's under load, maybe you just got a poor clocking sample, you might want to try using a modded 1.4v bios or similar when you upgrade the cooling, i wouldnt recommend it on stock cooling at those temps, have you tryed WHQL nvidia drivers? maybe theres a little bug in the xtreme G drivers :s

[Teecee]

I tried the ForceWare 77.50 Win2000/XP last night with the exact same results. Tonight I will try the ForceWare 72.13 WHQL and see what I get. If I cant get atleast 400 I am going to return it and get a 6800Ultra.

[Teecee]

older drivers did not fix it. Guess I will send the card back. Should I get another eVGA or maybe another brand?

[Kanavit]

hmm, did you try laxing your system ram memory CAS timings a bit? my stock PNY geforce 6800 gt cooler gave me about 57c - 75c temps. maybe try adding more case fans or larger 120mm fans.

[Teecee]

I didnt try that. I will give it a shot tonight Maybe slow it down to 2-2-8 2T. I am also going to order a Zalman 700-CU or a NV5 to help out matters. I have a 120mm thermaltake fan in the front and a 120mm tt fan in the rear plus one more 120mm tt fan on my XP-120. The antec p160 does not have a side fan.

[Kanavit]

also, i heard with nForce3/4 ultra chipsets have issues with overclocking geforce 6800 series video cards. try downloading the latest nforce platform drivers from nvidia, and also set 2d speed the same with 3d speed when overclocking the geforce 6800 gfx card.

[SPQQKY]

First off, those temps are way out of control. My 6800GT never went over 60c full load when OCed to 450 and that was stock cooler, I just removed that crappy tim and put some paste under there.
Second, please do not return your card because it doesn't OC very well. That is why we are paying so much for new hardware, everyone RMAs perfectly good hardware because they are unhappy with their benchmarks.
Sell it on e-bay or the forums and shell out some more dough if you want a good OCer. A fast car keeps taking up money for a new cam or dual exhaust.....and unfortunately, so does fast computers. If you want the fastest (or at least faster), put some more money into it.