Overclocking GF3/4 and basic XP/2000 software tricks

[TeaLeaf]

This is another posting lifted from xlii.com and Hollywood.  Due credit etc to them.

Overclocking GF3/4 and basic XP/2000 software tricks:

Here is a tuning guide to boost your computers video/systemwide performance. It's written for GF3 Ti200/500, GF4 Ti4600/4400/4200 owners. You MUST have Detonator Drivers Version 2x.xx or higher.
If you don't go to : //www.nvidia.com

Overclock your nVIDIA GeForce3/4 graphics card

To enable nVIDIA overclocking utility:
1. goto RUN type REGEDIT.
2. click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE goto SOFTWARE goto NVIDIA_CORPORATION goto NVtweak.
3. Right-click and select NEW DWORD value
4. Name the DWORD value : coolbits
5. Right-click value and select MODIFY
6. Make it a HEXADECIMAL and a value# of 3
7. Exit and re-boot your system.

Now, you have just activated a hidden feature in the nVIDIA drivers. The next time you open your video-card's properties (RIGHTCLICK SCREEN, PROPERTIES, SETTINGS, ADVANCED, GeForce 3 Ti200/500, Additional Properties) you will notice a tab labled: Clock Frequencies
This allows you to overclock your card...BE WARNED...do not adjust more than 10 increments at a time. Follow this rule...bump up...test.....run 3DMARK2001.....re-boot....repeat. The best settings I've found is this...Do not stray too far:

GeForce 3 Ti200:(Default) Core 175Mhz Ram 400Mhz
GeForce 3 Ti200:(Overclocked Stable) Core 220Mhz Ram 455Mhz

GeForce 3 Ti500:(Default) Core 200Mhz Ram 500Mhz
GeForce 3 Ti500:(Overclocked Stable) Core 220Mhz Ram 540Mhz

GeForce 4 Ti4400:(Default) Core 275Mhz Ram 550Mhz
GeForce 4 Ti4400:(Overclocked Stable) Core 305Mhz Ram615Mhz

Yes, you can go higher...but these have proven to me to be safe numbers.

Other Tips: XP Home/Pro Windows 2000 Pro/Server

Turning off Sticky keys

Thanks Bamf:

By turning off sticky keys you free up about 5% of your CPU cycles, meaning higher framerates. You can access this feature by going to Control Panel-> Accessibility Options-> Sticky Keys Settings-> and uncheck use shortcut.

Free CPU cycles=More Frames

Turning off annoying background programs:

1. goto RUN
2. type MSCONFIG
3. goto STARTUP (In XP SYSTRAY and SCANREG are hidden, so you can turn all checked programs off. In Winindows 2000/98/Me leave SYSTRAY and SCANREG) and remove by unchecking all misc startup applications.

Your system will now boot faster. And have more memory free for games. If you combine all 3 of these tweaks, you WILL see SIGNIFICANT improvement in your systems performance. In Ghost Recon alone you stand to gain around 20-30 FPS depending on sys configuration.

[DeadMike]

Did that... made the fan go broke, now Mike is broke...

gnnnnnnn......

[TeaLeaf]

Sorry to hear that you fried and died.  I suppose that I should have added a caveat emptor at the start, but anyone overclocking knows the risk. However, it is difficult to see how the above article broke your fan  :?   If your fan went, then yeah your gfx card could fry, but upping the clock frequencies on your gfx card should not break your fan - AFAIAA they are not related in any way.  If your fan was due to go anyway though, then your loss wasn't due to the clock frequency changes.  Sorry.  

TL.  

[DeadMike]

heh i dont know excactly what made my computer overheat and practicly melt to the ground.

Everything was basicly a pile of melted goo when i found it, and the insurance company wont give me any money until they have found out what it was that broke. The first explanation i got was that it was my new soundcard, and now they say it was the fan of my gfx card that stopped working due to overclocking

[TeaLeaf]

I think they are scrabbling around to get out of paying!

Anyone know for sure that there is no link between overclocking and a fan stopping working?  For the life of me, unless the gfx card has a software controlled variable fan speed, I can't think of ANY way that the overclocking could be responsible for the melt down - unless of course you were running the gfx card sooooo hot that it melted the fan to the point of failure?

I would have thought that for a small claim like this it wouldn't be worth either (a) you claiming (unless it's for the whole system), or (B) your insurer arguing over it - they must have spent more on the argument than it would cost to settle!

GL......

TL.  

[Anonymous]

yes i know they are messing with me.  And i also know i wont see any money either. But i'm happy anyway. Next time i won't mess with stuff i don't know anything about.

[DeadMike]

gah why didn't i login automaticly? bah computers...