Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti Overclocking Guide

There are quite a few really good overclocking applications out there, though none are easier to use than the Nvidia System Tools, which integrates with the Nvidia Control Panel when installed. The current 6.06 version was released back in April of 2010 and supports all Nvidia based graphics cards including the GeForce GTX 560 Ti.

The Nvidia System Tools provides plenty of headroom for overclockers as the option to increase the core frequency as high as 1900MHz exists, while the memory can be pushed as high as 2558MHz (5116MHz DDR). The GeForce GTX 560 Ti core operates at 822MHz and 2004MHz for the memory, so neither are going to be limited by the software when it comes time to overclock.

Using the overclocking feature in the Nvidia Control Panel is very easy. The first step is to navigate to the “Performance” menu and then enter the “Device Settings” sub-menu. Once in the device settings the user can switch from factory shipped frequencies to a custom setting, which allows for fine tuning of the GPU and memory clock speed.

There is also a manual fan speed option, though we did not find it necessary to adjust this. Under full load when overclocked, the fan speed never got much above 40% which was quite impressive, particularly given the operating temperature only maxed out at around 80 degrees.

When overclocking a graphics card for the first time it is often best to start with the core to find the sweet spot. Start by increasing the core in small intervals, at each interval use a 3D application, such as FurMark, to test for stability. Initially you can start with 20-30MHz steps and work down to finer 5-10MHz steps. Once you have reached the limit, back it off a few MHz to avoid any stability problems.

When you do go too far the graphics card will cause the system to crash/lock up or suffer from random errors. Do not panic, this is normal when overclocking, and will not have a long term effect on the system. Often when the entire system crashes or completely locks up, you will be forced to reboot and then re-enable the last successful settings.

Given that you will be overclocking both the graphics cards core and memory frequency, we feel it is best to start with the core. Push the core as far as you possibly can and then back it off 10MHz. This saw us reach a stable overclock of 1000MHz with our GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics card. Then the next step is to increase the memory frequency. Using the same method we eventually arrived at 2290MHz (4580MHz DDR).

However based on our experience with a number of GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics cards, not all will achieve these impressive frequencies. A more obtainable overclock for the majority of GTX 560 Ti cards would be a 950MHz core and 2149MHz (4298MHz DDR), and therefore we have tested the graphics card using both these overclocks.

The maximum overclock did prove to be completely stable after a 4 hour continuous loop in FurMark. That said, pushing the core or memory frequency any higher would cause FurMark to lock the system up, causing us to force a hard reset. Heat did not appear to be the problem here, and in order to stabilize these overclocks the graphics card would require physical modifications to increase voltage levels.

Graphical artifacts are glitches that can be seen when running the graphics card in a 3D environment. They can be small or large, but regardless, they are a sure sign that the overclock is too aggressive for the graphics card. Therefore, if you begin to see artifacts before the system crashes, back off the frequency by roughly 10MHz and continue to do so until they disappear.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Roundup: ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte & MSI

A few weeks ago, NVIDIA released the GTX 560 Ti; a graphics card that has proven to be just the right fit for a large cross-section of the current market. AMD did their best to rain on the parade with their own HD 6950 1GB and did succeed to a certain extent even though availability has been a bit spotty and selection is limited. Nonetheless, NVIDIA’s own board partners have forged ahead with a long line of GTX 560 derivatives. 

The GTX 560 Ti follows very much in the GTX 460’s overclocking footsteps since it has the ability to increase both core and memory clock speeds to some incredible levels. This has allowed several companies like EVGA, Gigabyte, ASUS and MSI to release some higher end products which feature increased clock speeds, custom cooling and some excellent software which can be used to push things even further. 

For this roundup, we have chosen four of the more popular GTX 560 Ti cards currently on the market: the ASUS DirectCu II TOP, MSI Twin Frozr II OC, Gigabyte Super Overclock and the EVGA Superclocked. Their clock speeds and feature lists run the gamut so by seeing what they offer, we should be able to get a good indication what the GTX 560 market will look like in the coming months. 

In previous generations, it wasn’t unusual to see $30 or more tacked onto a GPU’s price simply because it carried a minimal speed increase. Times have changed as the market has become more competitive and every one of the cards featured in this roundup carries no more than a $20 premium over reference-based products while clock speeds get significant bumps. Indeed, the MSI Twin Frozr II OC model features a $249 price; the same cost as a standard GTX 560. 

We have already see that the GTX 560 Ti has what it takes to compete with the previous generation’s flagship products and even gives current GPUs a run for their money. It should be interesting to see how this translates into a lineup of pre-overclocked and custom cooled AiB cards.