Overclocking the 3D Blaster

Do not disregard this mention

Many times, you'll see references to how fast certain TNT2 boards can overclock, and even how likely it may be to reach certain speeds. While these are generally based on hands-on tests, I can safely say that TNT2s haven't yet reached the point of Celeron 366s or P3 450s, where generalities can be made based on tracking numbers and s-specs. The most important thing to remember is that your card will overclock to a certain amount, while somebody else's may not.

In fact, there are those who believe that manufacturers will pass off singular performers to review sites in hopes of rave overclocking reviews to boost sales. Whether this is true or not is less relevant than this simple statement, which long-time FiringSquad readers have banged into their heads: You're milage may vary. This isn't just an overused cliché, it literally means Don't take anyone's word for it unless you can do it in your own system.

It's ok for US to go overboard

For this particular review, we actually purchased three 3DBlaster TNT2 Ultras off store shelves in order to test their overclocking potential. While it's still not a valid sampling to make any kind of grand generalization, it can give you an idea of what range you can expect to find if you do purchase a 3D Blaster.

Testing, testing, 1-2-3

On our first card (we'll call them Card 1 through Card 3 from here on), our overclocking tests were the simplest we've ever run. Overclock, crash, reboot. Reduce, crash, reboot. We got it stable at 155MHz/185MHz, but no more. From the default 150/183 settings, this is not exactly what we'd consider a stellar performer. It's also an excellent example of something that buyers shouldn't fume about. If you get a card and you're not satisfied with its overclocking performance, it's not the fault of the manufacturer.

While Creative won't be warm to the idea, at most retailers you can exchange the card in hopes of getting a more overclockable one. The downside to this? A higher return rate pushes up costs for the manufacturer, who will in turn push up their prices to compensate for increased losses. It's a two way street, but it's doubtful anyone will take back a return if you claim it's because it doesn't overclock ;)

What about the other cards?

Of course, to show the flip side of the coin, the other two cards were more adept overclockers in our test system. Card 2 successfully reached 166/190MHz stably, while Card 3 was able to pull in a more than respectable 170/191MHz. In most cases, overclocking made more of a difference on the memory bus, and memory overclocking is more of a benefit for high resolution, high color depth (32-bit) tests, so if 1024x768 or 1280x1024 is your kinda bag, then overclocking will help you more than us 640x480-low-detail-uglified Quakers.

Unlike CPUs, overclocking your 3D Blaster will not void your warranty, so you can feel safe knowing that you're free to experiment as you wish.