It won't void your warranty if you don't melt your GPU - if you do then the manufacturer can pretty easily check if you altered the voltage (the only way to really fry your GPU since simple overclocking without altering the voltages will most likely only make your card unstable, not fail permanently) etc. so yes, extreme overclocking can void your warranty.
RivaTuner is the safest but also the most "noobish" way of overclocking your card - if you find the safe frequencies I'd simply flash it with a modified BIOS, especially since you can then set all the failsafe temperatures manually and also alter the fan behavior (which typically runs at 60%).
For that you use NiBiTor but be aware that this is an advanced utility and requires BIOS flashing which is again bit more complicated so I'm not sure if it's for you:
On the other hand I ran my old GF 6800 GT with an Ultra BIOS all the time and it didn't cause any problems (the difference between those two cards was exactly ONE resistor).
Ah - things you should look out for after overclocking the card:
Check if you are really getting more FPS since sometimes different cards react differently to overclocking attempts - some slow down or show an increase only in extreme conditions (like high resolutions with many options turned on).
If you get artifacts during gameplay (weird colors, strange shapes etc.) you should turn down the OC a bit.
If your computer crashes - don't panic - it will most likely be your GPU's fault. :-D
One last important point: don't expect too much of an increase in performance. MHz are not everything in GPUs and modern games are also very processor dependent. IF you get an increase, you might only see it in high resolutions. Overclocking is usually only good for showing off your e-peen in benchmarks (which indicate nothing since they're not programs you use for anything but testing) OR making an unplayable game (FPS 20-30) playable. In other instances I wouldn't risk it since excessive heat will greatly reduce the lifetime of your GPU and might also make the computer unstable. On the other hand an OC of about 10% on both GPU and RAM hasn't hut anybody since the cards are manufactured with some safety margins. =)
NabNab - if you meant overclocking your CPU - it's so easy, you don't even need a tutorial for that. Fire up your BIOS Setup and alter your FSB frequency - that's all. No soldering, no voltage changing (other than for extreme overclocks) etc. There are some additional settings that might make your computer more or less stable but you should be fine with just altering the FSB. It's very, very safe. (My CPU has been running overclocked for over 1.5 years now).
Ah, to check CPU stability and the temperatures get SpeedFan, CPU-Z and run CPU Burn-in for like an hour or use the awesome OCCT application (I love the communistic design :-D):
Don't forget that CPU overclocking is indirectly linked to your RAM's overclocking or underclocking flexibility since with an altered FSB you will end up with a different RAM speed as well (which you control by adjusting the FSB to RAM ratio).
That's as much info as I am willing to give since there is A SHITLOAD of stuff about overclocking on the internet so use Google for anything not covered here.
_________________ War does not determine who is right - only who is left. - Bertrand Russell
Ok, uninstalled RivaTuner on safe mode and it is working again.
Dunno what went wrong, but I won't do it again lol
(note: It may be the latest Nvidia BETA drivers optimized for FarCry 2 that made this crap, it said that I shouldn't do on a unsoported driver version)
Overclocking is not something you can do in a flash.
It is something you have to read up on and be busy with for quite some time, stress test the machine while monitoring the temperatures. Knowing what voltages are maximum for your cpu/mem/etc. Knowing which voltages are usually causing instability problems, etc.
If you're serious in OC'ing your CPU. Go check your bios settings, try to learn more about them, try to learn on which voltages your board is set to, for your CPU PLL, DIMM VT, etc. try to learn about the multipliers and your core speed, the cooling of your case, etc.
When you have done all this, you can post it here and I'll give you a hand in OC'ing. Beware, you can destroy your stuff quite easily. OC'ing needs stress testing with hours of monitoring temps, voltage instabilities, etc.
_________________ M.A.S.K. , is the mighty power that can save the day
Yeah, I just realized that Bucky speaks words of wisdom. :-D
Overclocking became much easier these days BUT if you expect a single overclocking program to miraculously increase your performance by like 30% without any downsides and ask others to guide you through the process from the beginning instead of going out on the internet and finding some information yourself you are basically already making your first mistake.
It's a long-winded path paved with many failures (I once fried an Athlon Thunderbird 1 GHz but back then overclocking required some soldering to unlock the multiplier because you mainly OCed with multipliers and not with the FSB speed) but once you get the hang of it you'll be able to enjoy a slight benefit over what you typically get for your money. =)
When I think about it I became an OC freak in the past few years although I was very reluctant initially - and it took time, let me tell you. Not only is my PC overclocked (and sporting a TITANIC radiator ;-) but also things like my router (LOL!) or my tiny fileserver (overclocked 100% - although only because it was underclocked initially ^^). :-D
I'm also modifying the firmware on everything I can find (my router, my DVD-R drive, my floppy drive and even my MP3 player :-D) which is a bit of a risky business as well. ^^
Geez - I remember how my heart was racing when I did my first BIOS flash on a GeForce 2 or the first panic attack when I messed up my graphic card and had to re-flash the BIOS blindly (in another case I had to use my old PCI card from the '90s for video output - I still keep it around for diagnostic purposes :-D). Nowadays not a single week goes by in which I'm not flashing something with a modified firmware/BIOS. ^^
_________________ War does not determine who is right - only who is left. - Bertrand Russell
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