Can someone tell me Why? (BFG GeForce 6200 OC)

Hey guys...

I posted in here before about a month ago about my GeForce FX5500 OC from BFG Tech. Well i got rid of that card because I didn't like it too much. So now I've picked up a GeForce 6200 OC 256MB from BFG Tech. I was able to overclock my FX5500 from 290MHZ core to 324MHZ core and 400MHZ memory to 437MHZ memory before I got rid of it.

So now I am trying to overclock my 6200, which comes stock:

Core: 375MHZ
Mem: 400MHZ

For some reason every time I try to overclock it even the slightest bit, like 2 MHZ, then click apply, it freezes my system. I have even tried detect optimal frequencies and it says the following:

Core: 405MHZ
Mem: 470MHZ

Thing is, I know this card is capable of better. But it just freezes every time I do anything to it. Can any of you tell me why?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I do test the settings before clicking apply, and they have always passed, so why does it lock up my system?

I use Coolbits 2.0 and Rivatuner, newest version.

Thanx for any help.

i am interested here too. in one of our other systems we have a 6200 agp version and only 64-bit memory too

now the memory can be raised fine, but the core, 1 mz, and thats it, just locks up. i Belive thier is something in the bios which is causinh this but i don't know. Try raising your ram only on your 6200. see what happens. i managed 700mhz, but still being 64-bit, maybe thats why it gt that high

does this occur when OCing with coolbits and rivatuner?

Like PunkRocKevin asked, have you used AtiTool at all?



Also do you recon the OC means it's already been overclocked to the stock coolings potential?

Or is it the name of the Gpu core?

BFG just changes the card's defaults in BIOS a bit so that the core and/or mem is 20 or 30 MHz above stock. and they call their cards "overclocked" as a marketing gimmick. my BFG 6800gt's core was stock 370 instead of spec, but i could still get to 415MHz before artifacting set in.

i was curious if both OCing utilities brought about the same result, because if they do, we may be able to rule out the utilities themselves. the latest rivatuner doesnt "officially" support nvidia's 77.77, and i had it do some crazy shit when i updated my BFG to said driver. the stock speeds weren't correct when i would fire riva up. i just eneded up using coolbits to OC from then on.

well first thing to remember, the FX5500 and 6200 are two completely different cards. The NV44 of the 6200 though based on the NV43 of the 6600 series, may be capable of 500mhz+ core speeds, but that is not a guarantee by any means. Your card may need better cooling, and it may need more voltage, you cant expect stellar performence from stock settings and cooling. The BGF cards are nothing special, hell more often than not are using the exact same reference cooling you see on other cards (such as EVGA), all that is done is a moddified bios setting the speeds for core and memory slightly higher than reference speeds. A properly cooled 6200 from any other manufacuter will be able to match or far out run the "factory overclocked" BFG cards.
Yes driver revisions and tool used can affect overclocking, I have had issues with both paired with my 6800GT. Some of the older drivers (77.72) would allow me to hit 430 core, while newer ones limit me to much lower 420. Cooling has not changed, if anything it has improved since driver revisions, but drivers are the factor for me, and sadly I cant use older drivers, because Battlefield 2 does not like the 77.72 or anything prior. I have had better luck using coolbits over rivatuner, but like kevin has said, rivatuner had issues with supporting latest drivers.

Your 6200 should be performing much better than your fx5500 did stock, and your overclocked 5500 shouldnt be any faster, and if so not by much. But the fact is, if it is cooling thats limiting you, because of the 6200 AGP using non standard layouts, your limited in choices for cooling upgrades. You would have to measure the distances between your mounting holes to see what will fit in terms of retail aftermarket parts, but I would dare say any heatpipe based cooler should fit, as they use a series of brackets for mounting, instead of 2x simple pushpins, which gives them almost universal compatability. 2 that comes to mind would be the zalman ZM80D-HP and the Thermaltake Schooner, just again, check the card for the 3mm mounting holes, and check the distance between them, then we can start looking for something that'll fit. Just be prepared to spend atleast $20-$40 if you want to get some real numbers pushed from your 6200.

But well modded 6200s are usually capable of hitting anywhere from 520-580mhz, which is quite a staggering jump from 300mhz to say the least Your memory will be your toss up, as various makers will use different memory modules, some more capable than others for reaching high levels, but with the 128bit interface your going to be pretty well off comparativly to other 6200s with only a 64bit. If your looking for some reference numbers and volt mod guides, id suggest you take a look around the web, VR-Zone for one has a pretty large selection, here is one you may want to take a look at.

Best of luck with the tweaking

Thanks for the help stang and other guys. I read all your post's.

Yes this happens when using Coolbits and Rivatuner.

I have managed to pump out some extra speed from my memory. i am nearing 500MHZ, I have gotten to 482MHZ, which to me is a very nice increase. I have noticed a difference in performance already. Secondly, I still can't increase the core the slightest bit, or it locks up my system completly.

Im not sure if i want to make any cooling upgrades, and thirdly is their anything i can do in the BIOS that would possibly help fix the problem with the core freezing my system every time I try to overclock it?

Thanx for your help guys. Besides, I can't really complain about my card too much I got it for $30 Canadian brand new from Futureshop, because i traded my old 5500 in. So for the price the performance is outstanding, It can handle Far Cry at 1024x768 with everything maxed out with no problem, and that was before overcloking that extra 100MHZ out of the memory.

i think i can verify that it isn't a cooling issue, as i put a 8m fa on the stock cooler, and give temps of 39c idle, 43c load

and for not a single mhz increase, thats not right. the version i have is the nv44a i belive, ago with only 4 pipes

Their is something stopping it, wether a setting or physically on the pcb if that possible

If you had a 6200 nv43a1 I think it is then you could unlcock the other 4 pipelines and have 8 pipelines like a 6600 standard /gt has.

The only way I could think that you could get to 500mhz on the core is problay by a volt mod if you know what your are doing.

what the issue is, is that we can't push 1mhz up or down using any program. it just lock's up the system. I know i can't get the other pipes as they are not their, but at the time, the agp version with the extra was about the same as a stanard 6600 anyway.

you may want to try going in the bios and jacking up the voltage about a tenth of a volt. that might get you a higher overclock. I can't make any promises, but it may help. if you increase the voltage too much though, you may fry your card, so be careful. i got an old Geforce4 Ti 4600 at 1.6v (1.5 default) and at clocks, 325mhz core and 725mhz memory with stock cooling stable. before at 1.5v, i couldnt break 320 on the core and 700 on the memory without it not allowing the clock setting. so it just may be an issue of voltage. good luck.

Sorry,this is kind of off topic,but how do you get in a video card's BIOS? What key? Or do you just change it in the main MB bios? Im lost.

i may not know what i am on about, but sure at stock voltage you should be able to underclock, but it won't even do that. i have checked the bios but nothing in their which may unlock it. i wish to overclock it, but how could uping the voltage unlock the core clock. you go from 350mhz to 349mhz, and it locks up. u go to 351mhz, locks up, any setting even 350 again in my case, it locks up

going into the bios on boot and changing the bus voltage isnt gunna do anything, other than risk frying the card. Sometimes changing that voltage can help stability, but its not gunna increase overclockability.
The only way to get voltage increases for the core and memory of the video card, is to do the card based mods. Either hard mod, or flash the card with a pre modded bios.

i am having the same problem with my asus geforce 6200 128mb card. it freees my system even if i overclock the core by 1 mghz.

why is this?