Hey guys, got a how to here about how I managed to overvolt my GPU without CCC or VBIOS mods.
Tested and works with my M18x R2 with a 7970m, may also work with other GPU's but not sure.
Pretty much there seems to be some confusion with some 7970m's being 1.05v and some being 1.00v, it seems as though the 1.05v cards are the better overclockers and the 1.00v seems to struggle. My card was one of the 1.00v cards and I couldn't get my Core MHz over 900 no matter what I did, nor my Memory MHz over 1450. I assumed it must have had something to do with the lesser voltage, so this is the way I overvolted mine. I dont have any pictures or anything but its pretty straight forward, if you need any help feel free to PM me or anyone else thats an expert on the subject.
1. First thing you need to do is get all the new AMD drivers, I used Catalyst 13.5
2. Download MSI Afterburner, I had trouble with different copies of it causing my screen to flicker and shake due to 2D clocking speeds, the version I use is 3.0.0 Beta 9
3. Download Sapphire Trixx, I use V 4.6.0 . You will notice at this time Trixx only lets you change the Core and Memory clocks, not voltage. You can also use it to play around with your fans and stuff if you so desire.
4. Next step is to find your MSI Afterburner shortcut on your desktop, right click it and go to properties. After the target address you want to add a space, then -xcl. So it will look like this:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\MSI Afterburner\MSIAfterburner.exe" -xcl
5. Click apply, then OK. A pop-up will warn you that you have increased the limits and you must restart. So restart.
6. After a restart, a overvolting option will now be open in Trixx so you can overvolt until your hearts content. I can run at 950/1500 stable now with the overvolting no worries.
This is the way I did it, not sure if this is mentioned on here or somewhere, I think I got it from a different website. Mods feel free to move this somewhere if its in the wrong spot or add your own bits and pieces.
I will also add if like me, your CCC didnt have a "Performance" Tab beforehand to allow official overclocking through CCC, then it should be there now after doing this process. Even though its pretty useless now.
Moderator Edit - moved to main Alienware forum, as it seems to work best for single-GPU systems.
Third party modifications and other system level tweaks can potentially cause damage to your system. Be aware of this before blindly flashing/installing or tweaking your machine to improve performance.
If your actions result in damage, chances are very high that your warranty will be useless. Know what you are doing, as you are responsible for your actions, not Alienware.
Tested and works with my M18x R2 with a 7970m, may also work with other GPU's but not sure.
Pretty much there seems to be some confusion with some 7970m's being 1.05v and some being 1.00v, it seems as though the 1.05v cards are the better overclockers and the 1.00v seems to struggle. My card was one of the 1.00v cards and I couldn't get my Core MHz over 900 no matter what I did, nor my Memory MHz over 1450. I assumed it must have had something to do with the lesser voltage, so this is the way I overvolted mine. I dont have any pictures or anything but its pretty straight forward, if you need any help feel free to PM me or anyone else thats an expert on the subject.
1. First thing you need to do is get all the new AMD drivers, I used Catalyst 13.5
2. Download MSI Afterburner, I had trouble with different copies of it causing my screen to flicker and shake due to 2D clocking speeds, the version I use is 3.0.0 Beta 9
3. Download Sapphire Trixx, I use V 4.6.0 . You will notice at this time Trixx only lets you change the Core and Memory clocks, not voltage. You can also use it to play around with your fans and stuff if you so desire.
4. Next step is to find your MSI Afterburner shortcut on your desktop, right click it and go to properties. After the target address you want to add a space, then -xcl. So it will look like this:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\MSI Afterburner\MSIAfterburner.exe" -xcl
5. Click apply, then OK. A pop-up will warn you that you have increased the limits and you must restart. So restart.
6. After a restart, a overvolting option will now be open in Trixx so you can overvolt until your hearts content. I can run at 950/1500 stable now with the overvolting no worries.
This is the way I did it, not sure if this is mentioned on here or somewhere, I think I got it from a different website. Mods feel free to move this somewhere if its in the wrong spot or add your own bits and pieces.
I will also add if like me, your CCC didnt have a "Performance" Tab beforehand to allow official overclocking through CCC, then it should be there now after doing this process. Even though its pretty useless now.
Moderator Edit - moved to main Alienware forum, as it seems to work best for single-GPU systems.
| STANDARD WARNING |
If your actions result in damage, chances are very high that your warranty will be useless. Know what you are doing, as you are responsible for your actions, not Alienware.