Maximum PC

Running an old P4 with a BFG GeForce 7800 GS OC 8x AGP 256MB GDDR3. Stock is 400MHz core and 1.25GHz memory.

I've just installed NVIDIA's 275.33-desktop-winxp-32bit-english-whql drivers. Poking around the NVIDIA control panel, I realize things have changed. A lot.

Once upon a time, I used RivaTuner to overclock the core to 470MHz. It controlled fan speeds. It overclocked only for 3D games. I could test clocks to be sure they would work.

I just tried installing RivaTuner version 224c, and it didn't work right. It never tested clocks. Settings didn't seem to stick. I think it was conflicting with the video drivers.

So, is there anything out there I can use to overclock this card safely? Or, at the very least, is there any way to find out what clock speed it's running 3D in right now (because I think it's core clock is stuck at 200MHz and never gets to 400MHz).

Everything I'm familiar with hasn't been updated in years (ATITool, CoolBits, RivaTuner).

Help!

If you download nvidia system tools with ESA support and install, you should be able to use nvidia control panel for overclocking. After install you would have to open the control panel and accept the licensing agreement. After that, you should have access to device settings.

Check your driver version for card support. You're talking about a five year old card....at least. RivaTuner should work with the correct drivers installed.

Now that I think about it, I don't believe I've ever gotten RivaTuner to work the way it should. I was never once able to overclock video memory without problems. But the NVIDIA System Tools addition was able to overclock memory by a couple hundred MHz. Not a big deal, but better than nothing.

The interface for NVIDIA System Tools is abysmal--Logitech abysmal. Documentation is nonexistent, as far as I can tell. You can't really tell if it's working or not. I let it test for an optimal overclock, which is probably very conservative, but it's something. Whether or not it is being applied per the profile settings, I can't really tell.

I just learned about MSI Afterburner, which is still actively developed. I may try it some day.

To download video drivers from NVIDIA, I had to select the specific card, so I would assume the drivers are right. I suppose I could track down old drivers some how, but would they be compatible with current versions of DirectX and Windows XP service packs?

You should be fine with the drivers you have then. Once nvidia system tools is installed you should be able to select the GPU in nvidia control panel under the hardware list. Available settings would allow you to OC the core, memory, and shader clocks. If you want to verify that the new clock settings are active, you can use a utility like GPUz, or simply benchmark it to see if there is a difference in performance.

The interface should be pretty straight forward, it's nothing more than a couple of sliding bars, or you can enter speeds manually also.