GPU Voltage Mod - Resistor Method (Continued)

After obtaining your graphics card's GPU voltage, turn off your computer and remove your card. Place it in a clear and brightly-lit workspace and look for the are outlined in the picture below.

Identify the R1597 resistor near the FAN 5240 voltage regulator.

You will need to connect a 10,000 or 20,000 Ohm variable resistor across the R1597 resistor. Be careful when you solder the variable resistor to the tiny R1597 resistor, or you may disrupt the contact between the resistor and the PCB.

Don't forget to check the connections with a magnifying glass to make sure they are connected flawlessly and do not come into contact with nearby components.

Now, you may be wondering what's the difference between using the 10,000 and 20,000 Ohm variable resistor. Well, the choice of resistor determines the starting voltage (with the resistor set to the highest resistance). The 10,000 Ohm variable resistor will start with a slightly higher voltage of 1.83V while the 20,000 Ohm variable resistor will start with a slightly lower voltage of 1.80V. If you want to push the GPU voltage beyond 1.9V, you should use a 10,000 Ohm variable resistor.

Incidentally, using a 20,000 Ohm variable resistor offers a slightly reduced risk of burning your GPU should you accidentally reduce its resistance too much at one go.

After you have soldered the wires and double-checked them, remember to set the 10,000 or 20,000 Ohm variable resistor to the highest resistance! Forgetting this step may cost you your card!

Then turn on your computer and measure the GPU voltage again. The multimeter will record a higher GPU voltage, even with the variable resistor set to its highest resistance.

Now, turn off your computer and give the variable resistor a slight turn to reduce the resistance a little. Then, turn on your computer and measure the GPU voltage again. The multimeter will show an increase in the GPU voltage. Repeat these steps until you attain your desired GPU voltage. But remember, never attempt this with stock cooling! And please try to stay below 1.9V if you are aircooling your card.

Some of you may be wondering if it is possible to adjust the voltage "on-the-fly" - adjusting the variable resistor with the system turned on. Yes, that is possible. However, I strongly discourage you from doing that because an accidental twist of the variable resistor may inadvertently raise the voltage way too high and kill the GPU.