RivaTuner, can testing damage the card?

I have RivaTuner set up to overclock my Radeon 8500LE (64MB) from 250/250MHZ
to the retail 8500 specs of 275/275. To prolong it's life I only overclock
it when I'm going to have a game session, and put it back to stock when
finished. Anyway, I let my room mate play on my PC and told him how to use
it, but he got mixed up between 275mhz and 375mhz (slider up all the way!),
he was honest enough to tell me what he had done and insisted it was only
like that for seconds in test mode before panicking and hitting the escape
button to return it to stock speed. Well I've since booted up Call Of Duty
and played at stock speed for a couple of hours with no problems, and
overclocked to my normal 275mhz/275mhz and played for another hour or so,
but I'm left wondering that even in RivaTuner 'test', and *only* for a few
seconds, if this mistake could have damaged my card? What d'ya think?

Yes. The lifetime has probably been reduced to less than ten X the number
of years before the card becomes completely obsolete.

--
Phil Weldon, pweldonatmindjumpdotcom
For communication,
replace "at" with the 'at sign'
replace "mindjump" with "mindspring."
replace "dot" with "."


"Chogaire" wrote in message
...
I have RivaTuner set up to overclock my Radeon 8500LE (64MB) from
250/250MHZ
to the retail 8500 specs of 275/275. To prolong it's life I only overclock
it when I'm going to have a game session, and put it back to stock when
finished. Anyway, I let my room mate play on my PC and told him how to use
it, but he got mixed up between 275mhz and 375mhz (slider up all the
way!),
he was honest enough to tell me what he had done and insisted it was only
like that for seconds in test mode before panicking and hitting the escape
button to return it to stock speed. Well I've since booted up Call Of Duty
and played at stock speed for a couple of hours with no problems, and
overclocked to my normal 275mhz/275mhz and played for another hour or so,
but I'm left wondering that even in RivaTuner 'test', and *only* for a few
seconds, if this mistake could have damaged my card? What d'ya think?

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
k.net...
Yes. The lifetime has probably been reduced to less than ten X the number
of years before the card becomes completely obsolete.

Really? Even if the test settings weren't applied and only in that state for
two to three seconds, as a test, before he hit the ESC key?

Anyway, he has agreed to contribute to my next card - and he will only ever
go on my PC with no admin rights! :-(

"Chogaire" wrote
"Phil Weldon" wrote
Yes. The lifetime has probably been reduced to less than ten X the
number
of years before the card becomes completely obsolete.

Really? Even if the test settings weren't applied and only in that state
for
two to three seconds, as a test, before he hit the ESC key?

Anyway, he has agreed to contribute to my next card - and he will only
ever
go on my PC with no admin rights! :-(

Hehe, Phil was kidding you & you didn't read it correctly ;-) by "ten times
the number of years before the card becomes completely obsolete" he means it
will still last ten times as long as it will have any value. If your card
still works after a short term overclocking mistake then it's unlikely to
have been damaged at all - overclocking MHz alone are unlikely to damage a
CPU or GPU within any reasonable timescale, it's increasing Voltages too
much that kills them off.

Ciao...

[UK]_Nick...
--
Nick M V Salmon Master Mariner MN(Retd.)
Email: My four initials at dsl dot pipex dot com
http://www.nmvs.dsl.pipex.com/index.htm

--
Phil Weldon, pweldonatmindjumpdotcom
For communication,
replace "at" with the 'at sign'
replace "mindjump" with "mindspring."
replace "dot" with "."

"Chogaire" wrote in message
...

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
k.net...
Yes. The lifetime has probably been reduced to less than ten X the
number
of years before the card becomes completely obsolete.

Really? Even if the test settings weren't applied and only in that state
for
two to three seconds, as a test, before he hit the ESC key?

Anyway, he has agreed to contribute to my next card - and he will only
ever
go on my PC with no admin rights! :-(

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
news


--
Phil Weldon, pweldonatmindjumpdotcom
For communication,
replace "at" with the 'at sign'
replace "mindjump" with "mindspring."
replace "dot" with "."

Do you say it best when you say nothing at all, per chance?

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
k.net...
Yes. The lifetime has probably been reduced to less than ten X the number
of years before the card becomes completely obsolete.


Well, I've since called up a friend who is an OC aficionado of sorts and he
reckons that it's impossible for the Radeon 8500LE to run at 375mhz /
375mhz, and that RivaTuner, in those *few* seconds, in *test* mode, would
have just pushed the card to it's literal physical limits, and that *if*
these settings were applied (which I don't believe my room mate would have
done...he's an honest guy) and run for a considerable time, perhaps even
minutes, the card would have fried. But as it was mere seconds (2 or 3), he
believes it will have no lasting damage, or rather if it did damage it, it
would be immediately apparent. He likened it to overclocking a cpu too high,
it just won't boot/operate your PC, and you immediately bring it back to a
stable OC or stock speed and no harm done. He said it is the ongoing
overclocking of graphics cards, CPU's and RAM, that we all do from time to
time, that would damage a chip to the extent you allude to.

Further playing of games this evening, with no ill effects whatsoever, would
add testimony to his assumption. So forgive me for saying so, I'll take that
advice over yours. No offence, and thanks for your input.

Regards.

Yes, your friend is correct, as was I. No meaningful damage could be
done... voltage, not speed kills.

--
Phil Weldon, pweldonatmindjumpdotcom
For communication,
replace "at" with the 'at sign'
replace "mindjump" with "mindspring."
replace "dot" with "."

"Chogaire" wrote in message
...

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
k.net...
Yes. The lifetime has probably been reduced to less than ten X the
number
of years before the card becomes completely obsolete.


Well, I've since called up a friend who is an OC aficionado of sorts and
he
reckons that it's impossible for the Radeon 8500LE to run at 375mhz /
375mhz, and that RivaTuner, in those *few* seconds, in *test* mode, would
have just pushed the card to it's literal physical limits, and that *if*
these settings were applied (which I don't believe my room mate would have
done...he's an honest guy) and run for a considerable time, perhaps even
minutes, the card would have fried. But as it was mere seconds (2 or 3),
he
believes it will have no lasting damage, or rather if it did damage it, it
would be immediately apparent. He likened it to overclocking a cpu too
high,
it just won't boot/operate your PC, and you immediately bring it back to a
stable OC or stock speed and no harm done. He said it is the ongoing
overclocking of graphics cards, CPU's and RAM, that we all do from time to
time, that would damage a chip to the extent you allude to.

Further playing of games this evening, with no ill effects whatsoever,
would
add testimony to his assumption. So forgive me for saying so, I'll take
that
advice over yours. No offence, and thanks for your input.

Regards.

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
k.net...
Yes, your friend is correct, as was I. No meaningful damage could be
done... voltage, not speed kills.


Oh I see. Crossed lines, eh? Ok, thanks again.

"Chogaire" wrote in message
...

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
k.net...
Yes. The lifetime has probably been reduced to less than ten X the
number
of years before the card becomes completely obsolete.

Really? Even if the test settings weren't applied and only in that state
for
two to three seconds, as a test, before he hit the ESC key?

That was sarcasm I think... You card will only last 20 years instead of 30.