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ATI X1900 and X1800 Series Overclocking Guide

Howto by Ahmad @ 2006-05-05

You may think you are experienced, or have overclocked before and therefore may think this guide is of little use to you, but I would have to say that you are incorrect. This guide is for both the experienced and inexperienced overclockers. Some parts may be boring for those experienced in the art and they may skip to the highlights and key points of performing this task.

Introduction

Required:

Latest version of ATITool (v0.25 Beta 14 – the one used here) by W1zzard

ATI Radeon x1900 series video card (duh ;-) )

A qualifying power supply unit (PSU)

Other Useful Tools:

SysTool – Monitoring your x1900 GPU temperatures and voltages

ATI Overclocker – An alternative overclocking tool for the x1K series by ATI

Introduction

You may think you are experienced, or have overclocked before and therefore may think this guide is of little use to you, but I would have to say that you are incorrect. This guide is for both the experienced and inexperienced overclockers. Some parts may be boring for those experienced in the art and they may skip to the highlights and key points of performing this task.

You currently own an x1900 series video card but you are now itching to compete and get the maximum out of your card. Some would wonder at this fact simply because this is arguably the fastest GPU available (when this guide was written). But we all want the most out of our investments and this is one way of doing it. But it does come with a risk.

Throughout the guide, it’s assumed that you have a fully functional and fully stable system. If overclocking or running your video card stock is causing any problems, please test the stability of your computer and your CPU/Memory overclock (if any). Don’t blame the video card if a game is crashing (while it is possible that this is the case); always test at stock CPU/Memory speeds to ensure that your computer is fully stable.

Anything you follow here, whether done correctly or incorrectly, may result in damaging your card. No one really wants to hear that, but that’s the reality. I am not responsible for anything you do to your card, so please don’t come complaining if something does happen to your card. This has worked for me, and many others, so I can tell you this is not something I would consider high risk.

A qualifying PSU?

What do I mean by a qualifying PSU? The X1900 series cards draw a lot of power and you need a good PSU that will provide enough current to support your card and the rest of your system. If you have a single core CPU (if you are not sure, you probably have a single core) then a good brand 400W PSU should be enough. If you have a dual core (especially an Intel D processor), then I would recommend at least a 500W. The following is a list of PSUs that are solid, reliable, and provide enough juice for pretty much any setup:

Enermax 500W+ Series

Fortron 500W+ Bluestorm/Epsilon Series

Power PC & Cooling 510W+ Series

OCZ Powerstream/GameXStream 520W+ Series

There may be others of course, but this is what I have come across and what I have experience with. If do not have one of the suggested PSUs, please make sure the PSU you will be using provides at least 25A on the 12V for a single core CPU, and at least 30A for a dual core. Make sure you do your homework before buying a PSU.

If your PSU cannot handle the x1900, you may notice any of the following symptoms before overclocking:

Strange “artifacts” on the screen (checkerboard patterns, texture tearing) while gaming or running a 3D application

System lockups/reboots while running a game or a 3D application

(Please note: the PSU may be at fault if you see any of these symptoms, but it could also be something else. Make sure you fully investigate any problems you have before spending any money.)

Let’s get started ->

Comment from aqlumen @ 2006/05/10

After you overclock with with ATI Tool are you still able to play a video?

I've tried using the method (with different voltages and settings, of course) on my X1800XT but when I push the core above 640, video locks up--whether using WMP or MP Classic.

None of the reviews I've seen ever mention playing video after all the overclocking. There's an open debate on this over in the Rage3D forums.

Comment from jmke @ 2006/07/07

just a warning to always keep an eye on your GPU core temps while overclocking, if it gets too hot, you might cause permenant damage http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=14098