Factory OC?

[superme1]

Hey Hardforum,

I'm going to be building my first computer ever in about 3 weeks (that's when I'll order the parts). Deciding on all the many video cards has been a hassle but I've learned a lot. But, when a video card is labeled as OC, that means the manufacturer has Overclocked it, right? Like this card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130433

Now would you suggest getting a factory OC card like this, or getting a core edition card and OC it yourself? I personally haven't Overclocked anything before but I am going to experiment with it when I get my new computer.

(PS, if anyone can suggest a good guide for Overclocking, that would be appreciated. OCing both CPU, RAM, and GPU)

 

[Phuey]

Yes, Factory Overclocked means that the company overclocked it.

Some people think it's better because you don't have to overclock it yourself and by doing that you're not voiding any warranty.

It's really up to you.

 

[criccio]

Software OCing voids your warranty? How does that work? The OC goes back to stock as soon as you shutdown...

 

[joecuddles]

Software OCing voids your warranty? How does that work? The OC goes back to stock as soon as you shutdown...

All OCing voids any warranty. Whether or not it can be/is enforced is another story.

 

[saedrin]

All OCing voids any warranty. Whether or not it can be/is enforced is another story.

What? Overclocking does not void your warranty on most reputable vendors. EVGA for one will accept any card for RMA provided you haven't smashed it to bits with a hammer.

EVGA's Forum how-to overclock your gpu

 

[superme1]

Thanks for giving me that forum on how to overclock =D

 

[Vinnard]

I'm pretty sure overclocking an XFX doesn't void the warranty either.

 

[Nenu]

Overclocking doesnt invalidate the warranty on at least BFG, XFX and EVGA.
Its not a question that they ask to invalidate an RMA.

For most pre overclocked cards, you can get the same clocks yourself with a vanilla card and much higher clocks too.
Some Overclocked cards come with better cooling, so thats a possible advantage.
EVGAs OC2 cards (as opposed to OC) run pretty high clocks, some of which are tough to achieve with a vanilla card, so they are not a bad deal.

However the cooling for many performance cards is not adequate due to very bad fan fan profiles that do not let the fan ramp up fast enough.
This is easily fixed by setting your own fan speeds while gaming or making your own fan profile using a tool like Rivatuner.
I use EVGA Precision to set my gaming clock and fan speeds.

 

[joecuddles]

The good thing about a factory OC is that you're guaranteed those clocks. You could end up with a total dud that won't even give 10 Mhz. In general they're probably all going to average the same overhead, a card is a card, the OC'd versions are just ones they OC'd and found stable up to X amount, doesn't mean they can't go higher.