nextbillgates
07-10-2003, 08:35 PM
Here is a HOWTO on overclocking your Nvidia graphics card under Linux.
Quick disclaimer: Overclocking will void your warranty and could potentially damage hardware if you take it too far. I am not responsible for any damage done to you hardware by an incorrect overclock.
In writing this guide, I assume you have a Geforce card (I've never successfully overclocked a TNT in Linux) and it's set up correctly.
Step 1: Installation
Overclocking your Nvidia card under Linux is done using a utility called nvclock. Here's how to install it.
Gentoo users
Nvclock is in the portage tree
emerge sync
emerge nvclock
Users of RPM-based distros
Download the RPM from the nvclock website (http://www.evil3d.net/products/nvclock/).
As root:
rpm -ivh nvclock-0.5-1.i386.rpm
If you get an error about dependancies:
rpm --nodeps -ivh nvclock-0.5-1.i386.rpm
Everone else
Download the source code from the nvclock website (http://www.evil3d.net/products/nvclock/)
Untar it and go into the directory:
tar zxvf nvclock0.5.tar.gz
cd nvclock0.5
Nvclock can be compiled with support for gtk and qt. I prefer the command line, so we won't compile in support for either toolkit.
Let's install it:
./configure
make
As root:
make install
Step 2: Usage
Nvclock is well documented and fairly straightforward.
To show the current core and memory speed:
nvclock -s
To get information about your card:
nvclock -i
To change the core speed:
nvclock -n xxx
To change the memory speed:
nvclock -m xxx
Anyone can view card speed and info, but only root can make clock speed changes.
Step 3: Overclocking
Overclocking is relatively safe if done correctly. The proper overclocking technique is to kick the clock speed up in small increments (about 5MHz) and then run it through grueling tests to see if it's stable. If you have Quake 3, you can use that to test it. If not, Tribes 2 will work. Also, it's a good idea to test core and memory speeds seperately, so it's easier to pinpoint problems.
Things to look for while testing core speed:
Polygon deformation, texture corruption, lockups
Things to look for while testing memory speed:
Texture discoloration, "snow", lockups
If you experience any of the above, you've gone beyond the safe clock speeds and you need to kick it down a notch.
Step 4: Automation
After finding a stable speed for your nvidia card (AND NOT BEFORE), you probably want to put it into a startup script so you don't have to type it in manually over and over.
Normally, you would automate a command by putting it into whatever you distro's equivalent of rc.local is. However, nvclock completely kills the frame buffer and may corrupt a standard vga console by doing so. You can get around this by placing it in your X startup scripts. This would be the WM's Session file if you're using a DM, and .xinitrc if you're not.
My Geforce 2 MX's max stable speed is 220 core, 200 mem. Here is how I set that in nvclock.
nvclock -n 220 -m 200
I use Gnome with GDM, so I would put this right after the #!/bin/sh in my Gnome Session file. If you're not using Gnome, use your WM's respective Session file.
vi /etc/X11/Sessions/Gnome
Once you've done that, confirm that it works by opening up an xterm or whatever you use and type:
nvclock -s
If the speeds you set show up, congratulations. If not, go back to where you X startup file and check for mistakes. Note that nvclock must be executed BEFORE your WM loads.
That's it. If you have any questions/complaints/suggestions/flames/etc, feel free to post them :)
< searching keywords >
overclock nvidia
Quick disclaimer: Overclocking will void your warranty and could potentially damage hardware if you take it too far. I am not responsible for any damage done to you hardware by an incorrect overclock.
In writing this guide, I assume you have a Geforce card (I've never successfully overclocked a TNT in Linux) and it's set up correctly.
Step 1: Installation
Overclocking your Nvidia card under Linux is done using a utility called nvclock. Here's how to install it.
Gentoo users
Nvclock is in the portage tree
emerge sync
emerge nvclock
Users of RPM-based distros
Download the RPM from the nvclock website (http://www.evil3d.net/products/nvclock/).
As root:
rpm -ivh nvclock-0.5-1.i386.rpm
If you get an error about dependancies:
rpm --nodeps -ivh nvclock-0.5-1.i386.rpm
Everone else
Download the source code from the nvclock website (http://www.evil3d.net/products/nvclock/)
Untar it and go into the directory:
tar zxvf nvclock0.5.tar.gz
cd nvclock0.5
Nvclock can be compiled with support for gtk and qt. I prefer the command line, so we won't compile in support for either toolkit.
Let's install it:
./configure
make
As root:
make install
Step 2: Usage
Nvclock is well documented and fairly straightforward.
To show the current core and memory speed:
nvclock -s
To get information about your card:
nvclock -i
To change the core speed:
nvclock -n xxx
To change the memory speed:
nvclock -m xxx
Anyone can view card speed and info, but only root can make clock speed changes.
Step 3: Overclocking
Overclocking is relatively safe if done correctly. The proper overclocking technique is to kick the clock speed up in small increments (about 5MHz) and then run it through grueling tests to see if it's stable. If you have Quake 3, you can use that to test it. If not, Tribes 2 will work. Also, it's a good idea to test core and memory speeds seperately, so it's easier to pinpoint problems.
Things to look for while testing core speed:
Polygon deformation, texture corruption, lockups
Things to look for while testing memory speed:
Texture discoloration, "snow", lockups
If you experience any of the above, you've gone beyond the safe clock speeds and you need to kick it down a notch.
Step 4: Automation
After finding a stable speed for your nvidia card (AND NOT BEFORE), you probably want to put it into a startup script so you don't have to type it in manually over and over.
Normally, you would automate a command by putting it into whatever you distro's equivalent of rc.local is. However, nvclock completely kills the frame buffer and may corrupt a standard vga console by doing so. You can get around this by placing it in your X startup scripts. This would be the WM's Session file if you're using a DM, and .xinitrc if you're not.
My Geforce 2 MX's max stable speed is 220 core, 200 mem. Here is how I set that in nvclock.
nvclock -n 220 -m 200
I use Gnome with GDM, so I would put this right after the #!/bin/sh in my Gnome Session file. If you're not using Gnome, use your WM's respective Session file.
vi /etc/X11/Sessions/Gnome
Once you've done that, confirm that it works by opening up an xterm or whatever you use and type:
nvclock -s
If the speeds you set show up, congratulations. If not, go back to where you X startup file and check for mistakes. Note that nvclock must be executed BEFORE your WM loads.
That's it. If you have any questions/complaints/suggestions/flames/etc, feel free to post them :)
< searching keywords >
overclock nvidia