Which Is The Better Method?

Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut choice. Each of the methods I will be detailing in this guide has its advantages and disadvantages.

The resistor mod is enticing because you can adjust the voltage easily. However, it's not easy to perform since it requires soldering of components on the graphics card. There is a real risk of damaging the card, especially if you have very little experience at soldering surface-mounted components.

There is a risk that you may accidentally adjust the variable resistor, reducing its resistance; while installing new hardware or messing around in the computer case. This may result in a very high GPU voltage that can kill the card when you start up the computer.

How about the pencil trick? It is favoured by many because it is easy to do and relatively safer than the resistor mod.

However, it is a very tedious process when it comes to getting the desired voltage. You will need to spend a lot of time drawing lines and testing them to get to the voltage you desire. It may not sound like much now but it will involve a lot of plugging and unplugging of your graphics card.

It is entirely up to you to choose which is most suitable for you and your card. If you follow our instructions and attempt them with caution, volt modding your card should not be a problem.

Notes

However, there are a few things you need to take note before you even consider those mods.

Please note that some of these mods not only applies to the Radeon X800 Pro/XT, they also work on other X800 cards in the X800 series as long as the voltage regulators for the GPU and memory chips are identical.

In addition, you should never attempt this mod with stock cooling. Please upgrade your card's cooler and add ramsinks to the memory chips if you are modding the memory voltage as well.

If you are using a custom modded cooler, you must make sure that your cooler is making a very good contact with the GPU. If the contact is not good enough, the core would be running really hot and may possibly damage your card. Of course, some third-party coolers may also not making a very good contact with the GPU. You should consider removing the shim when this happens.

So, how can you tell if your card is too hot? Try touching the back of the card, just behind the core. If your finger hurts, then it is running way too hot to be overclocked! If you insist on overclocking it anyway, your card may not last long running under this condition. If you are unlucky, your card may only last a few days to a week if you run it 24/7 at such a high temperature. Remember, this only applies to overvolted cards!

For the cards that are not overvolted, running under this condition (as cards like the Radeon 9800 Pro and passively cooled cards do) will not help your overclocking efforts but you usually won't have to worry about burning the GPU out.

Lastly, take your time when you are modding. Do not rush if you couldn't complete it on the first day! Be patient and continue it on the next day. You must attempt this mod carefully or you may end up with a dead card!

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