overclocking questions

[Nakamori]

Hey guys, i have a Sapphire 9600np with stock 325/200 OC'ed to 350/220.

How much am I shortening the lifespan of my GPU by doing this?

Should I leave this OC on as default or only turn it on during gaming? I want my vid card to last as long as possible.

 

[jebo_4jc]

Leave it. A 9% overclock isn't likely to do much damage, unless a fan fails or something.
Why are you so concerned about this card? In 6 months you will (regularly) be able to buy cards for $50 that will double this cards performance. You probably can already, if you watch the sales.

 

[LunchboX3904]

Should I leave this OC on as default or only turn it on during gaming? I want my vid card to last as long as possible.

heh, that's the only time an overclock could be harmful that's such a minor overclock though.....you'll be fine. Just leave it at that. I would suggest go until you see artifacting (little white dots, flashing textures, etc...), then bring it down about 5mhz on the core and mem.

 

[jebo_4jc]

heh, that's the only time an overclock could be harmful that's such a minor overclock though.....you'll be fine. Just leave it at that. I would suggest go until you see artifacting (little white dots, flashing textures, etc...), then bring it down about 5mhz on the core and mem.

ATiTool is a great auto-overclocking program. Highly recommended. It will give you an idea of how high you can oc your card without artifacts.