Asus GTX680 DirectCU II overclocking

I have just brought a Asus GTX680 DirectCU II graphic card for my PC and I am planning to overclock it for much better performance. The problem is that I have never used a graphic card by Asus and this will be the first one that I will use. So I wanted some help with the overclocking of the graphic card so that I don’t mess up things. I know that the process for overclocking must be same as the other graphic cards that I have overclocked in past, but if someone can tell me about things that I should look out for while overclocking so that everything goes right, then it would be really helpful.

I don’t know which version of Asus GPU tweak software this graphic card comes with, but if the version is 2.0.9.0, then let me tell you that there are hell of a bugs in this software. If you have any other version of this software, then you are lucky as the next versions went on to become much usable and proper version needed for better settings of monitor, clock and voltage parameters. If you have used the MSI's ubiquitous Afterburner tool before, then you can again use this too as they both are somewhat similar in functioning. If proper PSU is provided in your computer, you can actually raise the power intake of Asus GTX680 DirectCU II by around 159%.

While overclocking Asus GTX680 DirectCU II using Asus GPU tweak you will find that it provides options for VGA BIOS and rivers. These options are Live update features and they can be used to increase the efficiency of the graphic card very well. Also it is recommended that you use the GPU boost option. If you have overclocked a graphic card made by Nvidia, then you will find this option similar to NVIDIA's adaptive throttling mechanism. This will help you to tweak with the benchmarks that you have set in the overclocking process of your Asus GTX680 DirectCU II. This also helps to avoid the interference of the clocks while overclocking. It will control the power to do so.

The temperature of the graphic card is the main issue when it comes to overclocking of graphic card. But let me tell you that Asus GTX680 DirectCU II is good for overclocking as it provides good cooling features like re-air cooling and facility to have direct connection with water cooling system. When I overclock a graphic card, I usually run the cooling system with cooling fans to its 100% without actually turning on the PC. Once the system is cooled and the temperature reaches 17 degree Celsius, I start overclocking the graphic card. I don’t know how much heat will Asus GTX680 DirectCU II generate, but from my assumptions, the temperature shouldn’t go more than 50 to 55 degree Celsius.

Te overclock a Asus GTX680 DirectCU II, it will be best done if you are using a motherboard similar to ASUS's ROG Rampage IV series as it provides good connection features for power supply and voltage control using the variable resistor and voltmeter. There are 6 slots on the motherboard which can be wired up to give best overclocking to the graphic card. On the side of the graphic card, you will find six points named as PLL, VMEM and VCORE with each having 2 points. These points have to be attached along with The slots on motherboard would also be marked with same notations, connect using wire of different colors to distinguish the slots.

The method suggested by "TBina" is good but it will just enhance the existing overclocking process. By enhance, I mean it will speed up the process and provide a better voltage control. This will save your graphic card from overheating and problems created by excessive voltage supply. But if you are a regular overclocker and know how to control the flow of voltage properly, then I would suggest you a method to let the graphic card consume more power to get better performance. On the side of the graphic card, you will find a resistor marked as PGR100, you have to remove it to allow the voltage flow limit of 1.175 V.

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Originally Posted by AnbuP

On the side of the graphic card, you will find a resistor marked as PGR100, you have to remove it to allow the voltage flow limit of 1.175 V.

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Actually you are removing the VCore overvoltage protection which can be dangerous in least cases. Tough nothing harmful will happen, but if the region in which you live have inconsistent power supply. It might cause problems. Also doing this will lead to cancellation of the warranty on your graphic card.

As your question suggests that you have recently purchased the graphic card, it is not recommended that you remove the resistor marked as PGR100. But if you are still persistent on increasing the voltage flow, then you can just short the connection between PGR 1000 and PGR 152, to create a voltage control via offset.

It is very much necessary to provide proper amount of power to the peripherals while overclocking. Any peripheral if deprived of proper power can lead to problems when overclocking the system. The peripheral can be damaged beyond repairs so be careful. Also overclocking process will generate lot of heat when performing and after overclocking is done. So it is recommended that you provide proper cooling by putting extra cooling fans and heat sinks. It is suggested that you keep the side panels of the CPU open when overclocking as it will provide best ventilation for the hot air to flow out of the CPU. Also if the ambient temperature is high, it would be good if you can provide water cooling to the graphic card.