Thinkpads Forum

Hey guys,

I've been testing overclocking for sometime. And it is excellent. Here are the maximum speed I get without having 3D artefacts and without crashing.

QuadroFX 570M O/C
Core: 650 Mhz
Memory: 1000 Mhz

8700M GT
Core: 625 Mhz
Memory: 800 Mhz

QFX 570M / 8600M GT
Core: 475 Mhz
Memory: 700 Mhz

It's a very big boost! I was pretty much surprised of its overclocking capabilities. I tested it by playing Unreal Tournament 3 and Crysis for hours. It's stable and the temperature is a constant 91°C (85°C for normal spec).

interesting, I've wanted to try overclocking my Quadro FX / T61p but i don't want to risk any damage to my laptop. what drivers and what program did you use to overclock?

ATi Tool and Lenovo's drivers. I am going to try modded drivers to see how the temperatures goes.

I managed to get exactly 3999 on 3dmark06 using lenovo's 156.83 drivers and no overclocking, which is higher than what reviewers have scored with stock setups. i'll try again using modded drivers and overclocking later.

EDIT: i scored 5363 on 3dmark06!
drivers: 169.17 modded
core clock: 625MHz
memory clock: 950MHz

Are you using the drivers from laptopvideo2go with the modded inf? Also, ATI Tool works with nVidia cards? Would it be better to use something like RivaTuner?

I'm using 169.17 from laptopvideo2go.com with the modded inf. you can mix and match ATI Tool or RivaTuner for ATI and nVidia cards, but I used ATI Tool because it's easier to use in my opinion.

Hey is there any way to overclock the GPU with Vista 64 bit?

I have Vista Business 64 and I tried installing ATI Tool but it always says the kernel driver isn't loaded.

Even if I enable unsigned drivers it doesn't help.

I'm mostly just curious, I probably wouldn't want to overclock my GPU and risk damaging it.

Kel: do you have the 15" or the 14" Version of the t61p?

As far as I know overclocking is only possible with the stock drivers from lenovo!

Did anyone succeed in overclocking with new drivers ??

I have a 15" T61p.

Haven't tried modded drivers yet. I was seeking a way to keep the temperature down and I found it.

For people who overclock, don't forget to get the Thinkpad Fan Control utility (TPFC) and set to max speed when using overclock settings (setting 64). Controlled by the BIOS, the fan does not go higher than 3400 RPM (setting 7), but with the program, one can get the fan to work at 4500 RPM (64). Here are the settings I use (fancontrol.ini): Set Active to 2 to have TPFC start un smart mode, MaxReadErrors to 0 so TPFC does not close when having conflict reading temperatures with another program when they do it at the same time (with ATi Tool for exemple). And finally set "Level=70 64" instead of "Level=70 128". At high temperature, TPFC by default handles the control back to the BIOS (128), but, as I said, the fan never goes to the maximum speed when controlled by the BIOS.

In the past, a lot of people whined because their TP was doing too much noise. That's why TPFC has been created. Now, some of us will whine because it does not handle extreme temperature like it used to. But thanks to TP Fan Control! It really saves us!

I recommend using ATi Tool and TP Fan Control. Put them in your startup folder. Don't forget to have ATi Tool load your overcloking profile at startup.

Cool but still, if somebody finds a way to overclock the GPU with newer drivers please post! I don't know if the inf enhancer has something to do with it (since it is not working right now).

drivers: 169.17 modded
core clock: 625MHz
memory clock: 950MHz

I don't see why newer drivers wouldn't work with overclocking, it worked fine for me. ATI Tool and RivaTuner both work well.

So far my GPU temperature hasn't exceeded 60 C yet, but I'll try using the fan control utility anyways. Is it possible to control the fan using NHC also?

Do the utilities also automatically clock down and lower fan speed on battery power? Also, do they detect games and automatically clock up?

I can't believe your GPU has not exceeded 60°C. I am going to try modded drivers now.

No, it does not automatically clock down or lower fan speed when on battery power. It does however detect whether a 3d application is running and automatically overclock.

I used NHC to increase fan speed and lower cooling thresholds, so it should be running even cooler now. Now if I can find my Arctic Silver 5...

Edit: overclocking did increase my power consumption from 55W to 60W, a 5 watt increase. I noticed the increase in power consumption is similar to the relationship between the 8700M GT and 8600M GT since the 8700 is just an overclocked 8600. I set my clock speeds to stock 8700 speeds now which are 625/1250/800 (core/shader/memory).

Laptopvideo2go seems to be down. Is there anywhere else I can go?

I tried using Lenovo's drivers and for some reason I can't overclock with it. Only modded beta drivers seem to work with overclocking. Anyone else having the same problem?

Estrogen Kid: Where did you get the modded drivers?

Did you just use the modded inf from laptopvideo to go, or did you have to do something with the (not working) inf enhancer?

Could you send me those drivers??

I'm using the drivers from laptopvideo2go.com
Yes, I used the modded inf, works fine with the Quadro FX 570m.
here is the one I used:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/ind ... opic=16430

If you're concerned about power comsumption and heat, I'd suggest you download and configure RMClock for undervolting your CPU. The CPU power decrease far offsets the increased consumption of the GPU. I've run my Radeon 9600 at clock speed increased from 312 to 450 MHz, and nothing bad has happened. Assuming the cooling system on the T61p is similar to the one I have, CPU and GPU are on the same heatsink. If you increase heat from one, and decrease from the other, nothing will happen to your laptop.

The large overclocks are very impressive, both core and in particular memory. The extra speed should also be quite noticeable in games.

One thing you might want to consider, is whether the newer drivers support PowerMizer, which makes the GPU reduce speed when running on battery. Without this feature, battery comsumption is noticeably increased. On a Zepto laptop I tried the latest drivers (laptopvideo2go.com) for Vista x64 for a 8600M GT, and it seems it's always running full throttle. If anyone finds a way to overclock it under Vista x64, I'd love to hear how.

What do you guys use to monitor GPU temperature, nTune?

Driver: stock
Core: stock
Memory: stock
3DMark06: 3823

Driver: 169.21 modded
Core: stock
Memory: stock
3DMark06: 3902

Driver: 169.21 modded
Core: 600 MHz
Memory: 900 Mhz
3DMark06: 4776

Driver: 169.21 modded
Core: 625 MHz
Memory: 925 Mhz
3DMark06: 4932

Nice benchmarks Pocket Aces, but it doesn't beat my 5363 on 3dmark06

I use RivaTuner's built in hardware monitor to check clocks and GPU temperature. In my opinion, nTune is bloated and sometimes doesn't function correctly.

I'm not too particularly concerned about power consumption and heat, since I'm using my T61p on AC in a cool setting. I'd rather not underclock the CPU because it would be an unnecessary performance hit. The modded drivers seem to support laptops and PowerMizer, and all my Fn keys seem to work. I did however have to tweak PowerMizer's registry settings to overclock when on battery power.

I have never touched Windows Vista nor do I want to.

Estrogen Kid wrote:Nice benchmarks Pocket Aces, but it doesn't beat my 5363 on 3dmark06

I use RivaTuner's built in hardware monitor to check clocks and GPU temperature. In my opinion, nTune is bloated and sometimes doesn't function correctly.

I'm not too particularly concerned about power consumption and heat, since I'm using my T61p on AC in a cool setting. I'd rather not underclock the CPU because it would be an unnecessary performance hit. The modded drivers seem to support laptops and PowerMizer, and all my Fn keys seem to work. I did however have to tweak PowerMizer's registry settings to overclock when on battery power.

I have never touched Windows Vista nor do I want to.

I wussed out on the overclocking, and I decided to play it safe by clocking it a bit lower than you did. I think the lower clock + slower CPU + WinXP gave you the higher score.
And how do you monitor temperature with RivaTuner.

I get 5581 with 660/1000 and modded beta drivers (169.21). With fan set at max speed, I never reach 70°C (66-67°C usual temp) in Thinkpad Fan Control, but ATi Tool says 76°C.

Estrogen Kid wrote:I'd rather not underclock the CPU because it would be an unnecessary performance hit.

I wouldn't recommend underclocking your CPU, as that would decrease performance. But undervolting your CPU means that you reduce the operational voltage of it, which causes a significant reduction in power use. Check out the Wikipedia article about undervolting.
By undervolting my CPU, power consumption at max load is reduced 12W.

Estrogen Kid wrote:The modded drivers seem to support laptops and PowerMizer.

Good to hear PowerMizer is working properly under Windows XP with modded drivers.

I got closer, 5559 with 169.17 drivers, 650/1300/1000 clocks (core/shader/memory).

I think I'll keep my voltages at stock settings to stay on the safe side.

I got kept getting a BSOD in the middle of Call of Duty 4. Something about a hardware malfunction. I clocked the GPU down a bit, and the problem no longer shows up. I can't be sure if it really is the overclocking or if its the drivers.

Estrogen Kid wrote:I got closer, 5559 with 169.17 drivers, 650/1300/1000 clocks (core/shader/memory).

I think I'll keep my voltages at stock settings to stay on the safe side.

My record is 5603 at 660/1320/1000. And I think it's well enough. The GPU runs at decent temperature and I consider this safe OCing. The only better score I found are 8800s and 8700s & 8600s SLI.

Can anyone help me OC my card? I just got a Dell M1530 the other day and I was wondering if any of you guys could help me OC the vid card. I'm a girl so i don't know much about laptops but I heard from a friend at work about OCing and since I play WOW i was wondering if I could run it better. Thanks yal


Cat

For those of you reporting the temperature that TPFC gives for the GPU, add about 8C to that. I've tried using RivaTuner and PC Wizard 2008, and both verify that TPFC is underestimating the GPU temperature.

i just tryed the over clocking and with the ati tool and the tp fan control. i ran mine at

640
950

watched the little ati cube thing and went out for a smoke. when i came back my screen was all fuzzy and flickering. tp fan control showed it running at 86°C

did i do something wrong like not running the core at 650?

anyways thanks guys.


Edit: ok never mind. i ran it at 650/950 and it ram smoothly. i have been playing bioshock for the past 20 minutes or so. running at 1200X800 res with max settings and everything turning on and was getting a constant 40fps. also watching my temp. the ati tepm got to the highest of 79°C but was running at at 74- 77°C all the time. and tp never got over 73°C. i guess i was just running the wrong settings of 640/950

anyways once again thanks guys.