Sorry But need a little help.. overclocking

[Journey2anywhere]

Hi,

Can I just say thank you in advance for anyone who has taken the time to read my post and reply especially beacuse im prob 1 of a million who has asked the same/similar ques..

Ok.

I have a pretty old machine... All the ( I hope relevant) info below

MOBO Asus a7n266
1gb Ram (PC2100)
500w Power supply (www.ebuyer.com) brand
Athlon xp 2400+
(And a new) connect3d radeon 9800 pro 128mb

I think at standard it is 380MHz Engine/340 MHz Memory

I want to know how much it is 'safe' to overclock my graphics card by without me purchasing any additional cooling then standard...I dont want to burn my new card that I have waited an eternity 4 :|

because my machine is relatively old I really want 2 make the most out of new Graphics card.... anything 2 get a little more. -even if its a few mhz... as long as its safe level. I read somewhere that the Connect3d's are ok for OClocking.



I hope this makes sense

I have searched the net lots but couldnt find a specific answer for my particular question.

Thanks again...






p.s killing 2 birds with 1 stone... does anyone recommend Omega or ATI drivers for my 9800 pro... considering its becoming a bit outdated. I read somewhere the new ATI drivers catered mainly for enhancements in the newer models of ati radeon cards (x800etc) only... is this true?
Thx

[Yawgm0th]

I havne't really found any improvement nor problems with the Omega drivers, so I'd suggest you just stick with the latest Catalysts.

Overclocking is easy and won't require aftermarket cooling. Simply Google and download ATITool. Install it (after the Catalyst drivers) and do one or both of two things:

Increase the speeds yourself until you get little yellow dots in the red cube that will pop up.
Click the "find max core" button, and leave it until it starts getting yellow dots. When it does, clock it down five or ten MHz and click "find max memory" and wait until yellow dots appear, then reduce the speed by five or ten MHz. Save it and you have your overclocked 9800 Pro.

[casecutter]

I also highly recommend the ATI Catalyst drivers. THe others are not worth the trouble they cause and ATI has been releasing monthly updates lately. Youmay want to consider an ATI SIlencer for cooling the core if you are looking for extreme clocks, but for some good ole fashionb OCing, the stock cooler will do a decent job. Just make sure you have good airflow in your case.

[Journey2anywhere]

Yawgm0th, and casecutter.....Thank you VERY much for this information.

This is exactly what I need I needed to know...

ATI tool for OC and Catalyst drivers it is then.

thanks guys...

:) :)

[Journey2anywhere]

Damn it... just wrote a longish post but it disappeared!!!! Adds to my frustrations!!!!

basically... got my new Graphics card from ebay... didnt get a chance to use Ati tool to OClock.... just had problems with it from the begining... it keeps crashing when I play any game...

done absolutely everything to try and fix..!! Bios update.. mobo chipset update... different drivers with Driver cleaner in between... reformatted (as last resort...)... still no joy...
Im so stressed.... never buying something like that from ebay again

:((

[SpaceCityAzn]

Damn that sucks. Is it possible to RMA it? Contact the seller on eBay? Was it as is?

If you had insurance through the shipper you can claim it as DOA and try to get you money back.