Overclocking TNT2s

How do you overclock?

Some vendors, such as Diamond, provide a number of "preset" clock/memory combinations that allow you to overclock in steps. Others, such as Aopen and Hercules, provide a slider which will allow you to individually set core/memory to any number within a given range. Needless to say, having finer over specific settings allows for more delicate tweaking.

Problems may arise

Of course, overclocking introduces a huge number of complications, the worst of which is system instability. If your overclocking attempt fails, the result will most likely be a system halt. What's more, this may happen at any point - from the second you try to increase your clock rate, to only during 3D operation, to months later as you try a new 3D game on a hot summer day. Attempting to troubleshoot random freezes and crashes later on down the road and tracking it back to the overclocked video card can become harder and harder.

Granted, most errors will become apparent within the first few hours, if not minutes, of testing. As you increase your clock rate, remember to run through a few hours of cyclic 3d applications (such as Expendable or Quake III Arena).

Making life easier

Some manufacturers are building complex tools into their TNT2 overclocking utilities to better test your system. Creative's utility will overclock your system temporarily for 5 minutes before saving the setting permanently. If you run a 3D test and it fails or the system hangs, the new overclocked setting will not be employed. Only after 5 minutes of stable use will the utility save the new core/memory speeds, and ask you if you wish to attempt a higher overclocking.

Just be prepared for a few extra headaches if you're seriously considering overclocking. This will be the first time a number of manufacturers will actively (but perhaps not officially) support overclocking on a specific chip, and especially with the TNT2, your mileage may vary.