Videocard Ram > GPU = Bad?

[n64man120]

I have a AIW 9700 card i'm trying to overclock. Bios flashes haves proved useless and I cant get much of an overclock at all without noticeable artifacts in CS:S and 3D05 demos. Stock speeds are 276/270 and I have managed to get the ram up to 335, which is decent i suppose. The core however wont go artifact free beyond 285mhz (I have best air cooling possible so thats not the issue).

My main question is, is there any point of having the ram run faster than the core? I know in Ram/CPU situations its pointless.

If theres any suggestions to increase my core they will be appreciated but I've tried it all.

Thanks

 

[Talonz]

Yes, it helps in fill rate intensive applications that don't stress the GPU as much or were limited by the memory.

 

[LoneWolf]

Define "best air cooling possible".

The standard ATI heatsink/fan for the GPU is pretty worthless, IMO. An Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer Rev. 3 will probably do a lot for you, and they're pretty cheap. Also has the added benefit of reducing your ambient case temperature. I'm running one and it's a good thing

http://www.crazypc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=51020

 

[n64man120]

Define "best air cooling possible".

The standard ATI heatsink/fan for the GPU is pretty worthless, IMO. An Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer Rev. 3 will probably do a lot for you, and they're pretty cheap. Also has the added benefit of reducing your ambient case temperature. I'm running one and it's a good thing

http://www.crazypc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=51020

I have Zalman HSF with AS5 cooling and optional fan overvolted to run faster. Its pretty much the best air setup you can get

Edit: So cooling is fine, but any suggestions how I can more out of the card? Seems common for me to see people hitting 380Mhz with this.