Undervolting a RTX 3080ti ... how?

[jollyjack]

Anyone knows how to do this, undervolt a Geoforce Aorus RTX 3080ti GPU.

It seems that it's not possible, only by reducing either frequency or clock speed via the Aorus Engine software..

Reason: reduce temperature and therefor fan speed ...

[No_85_Gramps]

Look into MSI Afterburner, it works with all NVIDIA cards. It takes some experimenting to get it set the way you want. I use it to undervolt a 3060ti and set fan settings.

https://www.msi.com/Landing/afterburner/graphics-cards

[Props]

I undervolted my EVGA 3080 and the results were awesome. The card was running at extremely high temps (90+ C!) in IL-2 even with fans blowing at 100% before and now I can hold temps in the mid 60's C range in IL-2 @ 144 FPS on a 32" inch monitor and low 70's C in MSFS 2020 @ 82 FPS, so it is definitely worth it. There is a period of trial and error while you find the sweet spot for your card, but once it's done it is set and you can pretty much forget about it.

 

There are a number of utilities and ways to accomplish undervolting, but I highly recommend MSI Afterburner - it works with everything (games that is and other software) is easy to use and it's free. Most of the other utilities are cumbersome and non-intuitive. ONLY download MSI Afterburner from the MSI website to be sure you don't get any unwanted hitchhiking malware.

 

I recommend you watch a few vids on Youtube about how to undervolt and take notes especially while setting up your cards sweet spot to track your changes. You will want to make changes, then run the game to see if it stable noting big stutters, freezes, and crashes then move on to the next setting changes. Be methodical and it shouldn't take to long. Here's a couple of vids that helped me figure it out::

 

 

 

Good luck with this. 

[dburne]

That is really odd for an EVGA card to run that high a temp. Mine runs around 65c-70c with my overclock however it is the FTW3 Ultra variant (3090).

[Dagwoodyt]

My experience with an EVGA 3080Ti XC3 is that the card ran hot and needed undervolting. Not all EVGA cards are FTW3 so maybe corners are cut. Added to that Afterburner quite frequently reverts to default mode without warning. Default seems to be 100% power and 83C with deference toward power. As such it is mandatory to check Afterburner settings at each reboot. Not a pleasant situation.

Edited August 25, 2022 by Dagwoodyt

[WallysWorld]

I undervolted my Gigabyte RTX 3080Ti Gaming OC using this video:  GPU Undervolting Guide | Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti | Step by Step How To Guide

 

Definitely more stable fps and lower temps. Without the undervolt, the clocks would fluctuate once the power limit was hit.

Edited August 25, 2022 by WallysWorld

[Dallas88B]

I undervolted my RTX 3070 for a saving of 90Watt and drop in GPU temp of 8-10 degrees C for loss of only 2 FPS. The performance difference to me is nothing but the power and heat saving is really excellent. (My room gets hot enough without my PC pounding out unnecessary heat ...and pumping up my power bill !)

 

13 hours ago, jollyjack said:

Anyone knows how to do this, undervolt a Geoforce Aorus RTX 3080ti GPU.

I followed a YT video (this Australian guy is pretty reliable in my experience) about undervolting the 3080 (it worked fine on my 3070)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqwKkGkILzs&t=138s

 

[Dagwoodyt]

This too is an excellent presentation.

[1Sascha]

Undervolted my Gigabyte RTX 3070 using a 3 minute long tutorial I found on YT. There are longer, more professionally produced tutorials out there but all the ones I found describe the exact same process as this guy does in his video.

It's pretty simple, really and all you need to do it is MSI Afterburner and a couple of free Benchmarks (guy in the tutorial used Heaven).

 

 

Should be the same procedure for any RTX card I reckon.

 

 

Going down to 0.9V gave me some pretty impressive power and heat savings without affecting performance in any meaningful way. Minus 6 to 8°C on GPU and hotspot temps and between 25 and 45W less power-draw depending on the application. Card also never runs into power-limit now, which it always did in benchmarks both with stock and Auto-OC settings.

I've since upped voltage to 0.95V to be able to go a little higher on the clockspeeds and now the card performs better than stock in all the benchmarks I've tried - while still running cooler and with less power-draw. I also raised VRAM-speed by 800 MHz, so that too will probably help a little with those scores. With these settings my system was rated as "great" in Time Spy while before (even with a non undervolt, Afterburner Auto-OC) it was only ever rated as "good".

 

Only trouble I ran into was on my first attempt with 0.9V I didn't lower clock-speeds far enough and crashed both Heaven and Windows Explorer. With 0.95V and 1950 MHz, Benchmarks all ran fine, but Doom Eternal would occasionally crash/freeze up completely (which it hadn't done before). Went down by a notch to 1935 MHz and now all seems well again.

^ 1950 MHz/0.95V, 7800 MHz VRAM (+800) results. Not entirely stable I reckon, although so far it's only been Doom that seemed to have trouble and I can't be 100% sure it's the UV/OC that caused this.

 

 

0.9V, 1905 MHz, 7600 MHz VRAM (+600) results.

 

 

Non UV, Auto OC results. Temps and power-draw speak for themselves and in Passmark's performance test, difference in power consumption was even more pronounced.

 

 

Overall, I'd highly recommend undervolting - can't be bad to get the same sort of performance (or slightly better) with lower temps and lower power-consumption.

 

Especially if we're talking a 3080Ti which is way more power-hungry than my 3070 with its puny 220W TDP - although it did reach ~235W on occasion in my case with the Auto OC settings.

 

S.

Edited August 27, 2022 by 1Sascha

[[CPT]Crunch]

Great success here, it really stabilizes the frames, silky smooth even when they do drop a bit over congested areas, any drop isn't as drastic.  Now it's all on the CPU.

[No_85_Gramps]

I have a 3060ti and get 1905 mhz @ .925 mv, dropping to .9 causes crashing of Heaven BM. Haven't fiddled with the memory speed, but will probably try in a day or so. Not sure about reduced power but GPU temp is signifigantly lower.

[BOO]

Stupid question that I should know but dont

 

I have a 3080 which is massive overkill for GB in 1080P on a 60hz monitor (but not for DCS but then what is?)

 

I use vsync and lock it all down to 60 fps - without vsync the engine will produce anywhere between 100 and 350 fps so even in the most demanding scenes Im only asking about half of what it can produce on average. 

 

Do i still need to consider an undervolt? 

 

 

[jollyjack]

Check your GPU temp if it's needed. Free CinebenchR23.2 or 3DMark (large down load) can tell you more.

For now i reduced fps in IL2, and temps dropped some 25 celsius on my 3080ti and a 4k monitor.

Edited August 30, 2022 by jollyjack

[BOO]

22 minutes ago, jollyjack said:

Check your GPU temp if it's needed. Free CinebenchR23.2 or 3DMark (large down load) can tell you more.

For now i reduced fps in IL2, and temps dropped some 25 celsius on my 3080ti and a 4k monitor.

Not sure I know what a good temp is - I presume anything around 70-75?

 

EDIT -per HWinfo an evergae temp of 56 and a max of 66 over 15 minutes of low down flying probably isnt just cause to inflict afterburner on my system ?

Edited August 30, 2022 by BOO

[firdimigdi]

48 minutes ago, BOO said:

Do i still need to consider an undervolt? 

 

Apart from the already stated decrease in temperature and power usage, the main benefit of undervolting this series of cards is that you can set it to achieve and maintain a high boost speed without running in to power or thermal throttling. Left to their own devices they will continuously try to hit a high boost speed with added voltage. This can affect frame pacing when at max usage since the GPU keeps changing max boost speed to accommodate for increasing temperature and power usage. With undervolting you can avoid that and balance it on a realistic boost speed which it can maintain throughout the session.

 

Specifically for 60fps-capped 1080p IL-2 you likely won't see much difference as obviously it's coasting along, but if your GPU hits >90% usage often with anything else (DCS, MSFS, etc) then you might see a slight increase in smoothness when transitioning between scenarios that cause framerate drops and the subsequent recovery.

[BOO]

Just now, Firdimigdi said:

Specifically for 60fps-capped 1080p IL-2 you likely won't see much difference as obviously it's coasting along, but if your GPU hits >90% usage often with anything else (DCS, MSFS, etc) then you might see a slight increase in smoothness when transitioning between scenarios that cause framerate drops and the subsequent recovery.

Given the curent state of DCS I suspect Ill be using a 9080 before I revisit that puppy!  Im really only concerned with GB and cliffs both of which cruise at the setting I have. The 5600X i use is undervolted also. 

 

If I was to ever go VR that would obvously change but currently there is little chance of that. 

[Youtch]

27 minutes ago, Firdimigdi said:

Apart from the already stated decrease in temperature and power usage, the main benefit of undervolting this series of cards is that you can set it to achieve and maintain a high boost speed without running in to power or thermal throttling. Left to their own devices they will continuously try to hit a high boost speed with added voltage. This can affect frame pacing when at max usage since the GPU keeps changing max boost speed to accommodate for increasing temperature and power usage. With undervolting you can avoid that and balance it on a realistic boost speed which it can maintain throughout the session.

How do you set the parameter "Power Management Mode" therefore? Any difference between undervolting or not undervolting for this parameter?

[firdimigdi]

10 minutes ago, Youtch said:

How do you set the parameter "Power Management Mode" therefore?

 

Default.

 

15 minutes ago, Youtch said:

Any difference between undervolting or not undervolting for this parameter?

 

None that I ever saw.

 

[Youtch]

Thanks. I have applied undervolting as well.

 

The only thing I haven t been able to figure out with msi afterbunner is how to make the undervolting profile be the profile by default and always active.

[jollyjack]

8 hours ago, BOO said:

Not sure I know what a good temp is - I presume anything around 70-75?

 

EDIT -per HWinfo an evergae temp of 56 and a max of 66 over 15 minutes of low down flying probably isnt just cause to inflict afterburner on my system ?

 

 around 70 to 75 seems OK, but my guess is around 60 celsius is better. i don't need the heat in this warm summer climate ...

[firdimigdi]

14 hours ago, Youtch said:

The only thing I haven t been able to figure out with msi afterbunner is how to make the undervolting profile be the profile by default and always active.

 

Depending on the theme you are running for afterburner it might not be obvious to see but the option is there - for example this is the option on the theme ("MSI Mystic Afterburner") I'm using:

Spoiler

 

However all it does is add a task in the task scheduler to start MSIAfterburner.exe with a /s parameter on user log on:

[1Sascha]

15 hours ago, Youtch said:

The only thing I haven t been able to figure out with msi afterbunner is how to make the undervolting profile be the profile by default and always active.

What Firdi said. It seems you need to have AB running and set it to "apply at Win-startup".

 

Most of the skins are borderline useless in the way they make you search for certain functions, but here's where you find it in the Win11-skin, which is a bit more dialed back in its design and layout:

 

 

 

 

S.

Edited August 31, 2022 by 1Sascha

[Youtch]

Many thanks for your answers.

 

So i understand that once I selected the window icon and verified it appears in the task scheduler, the profile will be running by default even if there is no sign of AB being running on my system.

 

Is this correct?

[BOO]

1 hour ago, Youtch said:

Many thanks for your answers.

 

So i understand that once I selected the window icon and verified it appears in the task scheduler, the profile will be running by default even if there is no sign of AB being running on my system.

 

Is this correct?

I think its icon would appear in your system tray (hidden icons). 

[firdimigdi]

1 hour ago, Youtch said:

Many thanks for your answers.

 

So i understand that once I selected the window icon and verified it appears in the task scheduler, the profile will be running by default even if there is no sign of AB being running on my system.

 

Is this correct?

 

Yes, you do not need afterburner to be resident. "/s" as far as I can tell makes it apply the last selected settings and close. I also seem to recall that the  /Profile<1-to-5> command line parameter allows you to use it to switch to specific profile; again the app will close and not remain resident.

[1Sascha]

1 hour ago, Youtch said:

the profile will be running by default even if there is no sign of AB being running on my system.

Not AFAIK. I think you need to set AB to "start with Windows" (it's in the AB settings on the "General"-tab). Then activate the "apply profile at start-up"-button.

 

I have AB running all the time basically, since I don't know if the AB profiles are still applied when you exit AB. You can minimize it to the taskbar/tray though.

 

3 minutes ago, Firdimigdi said:

Yes, you do not need afterburner to be resident. "/s" as far as I can tell makes it apply the last selected settings and close. I also seem to recall that the  /Profile<1-to-5> command line parameter allows you to use it to switch to specific profile; again the app will close and not remain resident.

 

Interesting ... I'm going to have to try that. Should be easy enough... just exit AB, run a benchmark and use HWMonitor to check if my card runs at my custom settings or with stock speeds.

 

 

S.

Edited August 31, 2022 by 1Sascha

[firdimigdi]

The clock settings/curves are done at the driver-level, the afterburner app only sets them; it's not the one enforcing them - the rest comes from the driver. This is how it's been since RivaTuner (in fact, if you dig around you'll see that afterburner uses a version of RivaTuner's stats collecting server). It used to be that you could not have a custom fan profile made in afterburner apply without it being active, but that has since been changed as well since it's applied at the firmware level.

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Firdimigdi

[Youtch]

Does it mean it requires any special care when upgrading GPU Nvidia driver?

[No_85_Gramps]

No, new drivers don't have any affect on Afterburner itself. Any settings in Afterburner would still be applied. Of course there is always a chance a new driver might impact the GPU performance. Once I install a new driver I just check my Afterburner settings to see if there is any impact. But so far, over the last year or so I have not had any problems.

[jollyjack]

On 8/25/2022 at 11:48 PM, WallysWorld said:

I undervolted my Gigabyte RTX 3080Ti Gaming OC using this video:  GPU Undervolting Guide | Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti | Step by Step How To Guide

Definitely more stable fps and lower temps. Without the undervolt, the clocks would fluctuate once the power limit was hit.

 

As i got the same card, can you give me a hint what settings you use; those videos are so overwhelming with bla bla that it's hard to get to the point really LoL.

 

PS just found this: https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/koub76/3_ways_to_undervolt_in_msi_afterburner_for_3080/

Edited September 4, 2022 by jollyjack

[1Sascha]

2 hours ago, jollyjack said:

As i got the same card, can you give me a hint what settings you use; those videos are so overwhelming with bla bla that it's hard to get to the point really LoL.

That 3 min video I posted is hardly overwhelming, IMO.

 

Here's another one from PC World, with more in-depth info on what you're actually doing while undervolting. Found this the best how-to with just the right amount of (useful) "blah-blah".

 

 

 

S.

Edited September 4, 2022 by 1Sascha

[WallysWorld]

On 9/4/2022 at 1:52 AM, jollyjack said:

 

As i got the same card, can you give me a hint what settings you use; those videos are so overwhelming with bla bla that it's hard to get to the point really LoL.

 

Here are my Afterburner settings with the Gigabyte RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC. I set it to 1830 MHz with 0.875 volts. I could have played more with it, but I settled on this and have no issues.

 

[jollyjack]

Thanks, just set it according your image ...

[firdimigdi]

@jollyjack didn't realize you had the same card as me, so here's mine - difference to Wally's is that it starts at the same point as the default curve but flattens out at 800mV 1815Mhz, however in practice it maintains boost at 1830Mhz. This is stable on my end with a +1000Mhz memory OC but as always YMMV.

[jollyjack]

I have set it up like that. Seems GPU temps stay a little above 50 celcius, and not near 77 as before.

[WallysWorld]

Okay, my turn to try out Firdimigdi's settings. I tried lower voltages, but would get a driver crash. But I'll try out these settings. Thanks, Firdimigdi.

[jollyjack]

Q: my system seems stable sofar, but what's the thin line as seen in the graphs above?

[WallysWorld]

My card is not stable using Firdimigdi's settings so I returned to my old settings of 1830 MHz at 0.875 volts. I did increase my Memory Clock setting by 1000 MHz and everything seems stable.

Edited September 9, 2022 by WallysWorld

[anewlife2812]

My Rtx 3080ti Aorus Xtreme   : 0.875v  1875mHz  111%PL.. play all game RDR2, A plague Requiem , Gow, Uncharted 4, spiderman.... no crash.

Edited October 27, 2022 by anewlife2812