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[Guide] Overclocking Your Monitor

236K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  christianreyess 
#1 ·
WARNING: OVERCLOCK at your own risk

Compatibility:

Windows 8.1
32/64 bits

Windows 8
32/64 bits

Windows 7
32/64 bits

Hey, guys

Here is what I found after trying to overclock my 60hz with no luck for over a month.

As soon as I used an HDMI port instead , I was able to overclock my monitor to 78hz just fine using Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) (DVI port did not work for me)

SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD: http://www.monitortests.com/cru-1.1.2.zip

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.monitortests.com/

Interestingly enough I cannot overclock my HP 2511x monitor at 1920 x 1080, but I can do so 1440 x 900.

If you still have difficulty overclocking at 1920 x 1080 use a smaller screen resolution and use CRU to create a custom refresh rate.

Here is a good guide I have used myself: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/31526-overclocking-your-monitor-refresh-rate-amd-gpus/ that used as a base for my overclock.

Let's do it:

1. Run CRU

2. Select ADD


Cru1.jpg 96k .jpg file


3. Select screen resolution you are adding, then refresh rate that will be associated with it (this will be your custom setting).



Cru2.jpg 85k .jpg file


Hit OK

Add as many entries as you like, I have deleted unnecessary/redundant ones that I already had like 1920 x 1080 at 60hz from the box.
As there is a limit in CRU to how many entries w/custom refresh rates 8 entries MAX

My suggestion do small increments of 1-5 hz above 60 hz (or whatever is your standard refresh rate is: Ex: 144 hz, 120hz etc), so you can test them later.

It will look something like this (I did increments of 1 hz between to fine squeeze the max out of the screen)


TestValues.jpg 96k .jpg file


After adding test values, hit OK

RESTART COMPUTER

DO NOT forget to RESTART computer after adding a new refresh rate options in CUSTOM RESOLUTION UTILITY program, otherwise you will not be able to select them/see them

4. After you restart right click the desktop and select SCREEN RESOLUTION (change the size to what you need). SELECT APPLY and OK or you screen resolution will default to something else after restart/shutdown.

Then next go back to SCREEN RESOLUTION select ADVANCED OPTION, then MONITOR tab, you will see all the options you added for particular screen resolution here. *Note that the refresh options are screen resolution specific that you added yourself, so do not be surprised that you choose some other resolution but that extra refresh rate is NOT available. This is why.

Select refresh rate, and see if the screen goes OUT OF RANGE/or goes completely black with no image, if it does it will automatically reset back to the last working setting in 15 seconds. Or hit ESC on your keyboard to go back if your screen is completely black.



Selectingtheresolution.jpg 219k .jpg file



*Note that I was only able to go up to 78hz, you can always delete extra options through Custom Resolution Utility (don't forget to restart for the system to recognize the update)

I did small 1 hz increments till I found that I can go to 78 MAX.

5. I ran into the issue of having a screen having a black border of about 1 inch on each side (not a full screen), which I simply fixed in AMD catalyst.
(You may not have the same issue, so if you screen is completely filled on your monitor, skip this step)

Right click the desktop. Select AMD Catalyst Control Center

Go to MY DIGITAL FLAT PANELS tab on the left. Select SCALING OPTIONS

Move the OVERSCAN right until the screen is completely fixed/filled (this issue seems to show up on Win 8.1).



AMDCatalyst.png 113k .png file


Here is the equivalent on NVIDIA Control Panel


change_resolutions.gif 53k .gif file


What you choose to overclock to is up to you and you will see how your screen will respond.
If anything happens to your monitor keep in mind it is because you are overclocking it above its' standard capabilities.

I also noticed that selecting refresh rate in AMD Catalyst Control panel got rid of the OUT OF RANGE issue that happens sometimes in Windows Monitor Tab where you select the refresh rate.

Here is how you can select the refresh rate in Catalyst (if it did NOT work in Windows Monitor Tab)

Open AMD Catalyst Control Center again by right clicking the desktop and selecting it.

Go to DESKTOP MANAGEMENT Tab on the left. Select the resolution you have added in CRU software, and select the refresh rate. Hit APPLY.



AMDcatalyst2.jpg 259k .jpg file


*Please not that you should ALREADY have selected the proper resolution of the screen through Windows options and hit apply, since it has priority over what Catalyst dictates. Meaning if you have different resolution selected in Windows options, but you select the 1440 x 900 in Catalyst, it will change until you restart and it's back to the last selected Windows option which drove me crazy for 5 minutes till I figured it out

6. Select refresh rate, and see if the screen goes OUT OF RANGE/or completely black, if it does it will automatically reset back to the last setting in 15 seconds and it means the refresh rate is too high for the monitor to handle. Try a smaller value for an example you tried 80 hz, try 79 hz, 78hz, etc, until you can see your screen with no artifacts or visible errors.

Hopefully it helps some of you who struggled with it as me.
thumb.gif


I overclocked because of screen tearing in BF4/BF3 that I was able to decrease by doing so, and also utilize the extra frames that my GPU actually generated. I did some flying around in the attack heli in game, and I have to say screen tearing was MAJORLY reduced. I have my frames capped at 78 FPS now.


How To Validate / Check for proper OVERCLOCK ?


7. Great way to check the validity of the screen overclock can be validated here after you followed all the steps needed to step up the refresh rate.

http://www.testufo.com/#test=frameskipping

Compliments to Twerk for giving me a link. Just follow the directions on the page to validate the screen refresh rate to confirm you will need a camera as you follow the steps.

Frame Skipping Check: Test for dropped frames & missing display refreshes.

(1) Take photo of this screen with camera. Screenshots won't work. Use 1/5th second exposure or longer to capture multiple squares. If camera exposure can't be raised, decrease camera ISO and/or reduce monitor brightness, to make camera do longer exposures. If you see only 1 or 2 white squares in your photo, try again.

(2) Photo should not contain any popup messages. Take photo when you see "VALID" at bottom of page. The message "VALID" does not confirm frame skipping.

(3) Check photo for frame skipping. Compare to example good photo and example frameskipped photo. The photo should have a sequence of multiple solid squares, with no gaps in between. If there are gaps, then there is frame skipping. For testing refresh rate overclocking such as IPS 1440p 120Hz monitors or HDTV overclocking, close all other apps and browser tabs, run this test with nothing running, and check browser requirements. For an alternative, see Refresh Rate Multitool from shurcooL.

8.
Last but not least:
If you are using HDMI port and you want to use your SPEAKERS for sound. Otherwise HDMI cable will carry the sound through the cable to the monitor itself. Very few PC monitors have built in speakers/but TVs do. If you want sound coming from your monitor speakers, no need to change.

As most of us (NVIDIA and AMD)

Right click on Speaker icon on your taskbar of Windows 8.1

Also can be found by typing Manage Audio Devices in Windows 8.1 Start Menu to find it.

Select PLAYBACK DEVICES



screen12.jpg 41k .jpg file


Select what source you would like to use, select SET AS DEFAULT


Audioselection.jpg 115k .jpg file


APPLY,

OK.


DONE!
tongue.gif


Enjoy
thumb.gif


___________________________________

For gaming purposes:


Play around with settings in game. What I found for Battlefield 4 is that setting custom screen resolution and refresh at 78 hz, with frame cap of 77 FPS through console command yielded THE BEST look, with nearly no visible tearing.

On Battlefield 3 I noticed that if I have resolution at 78 hz, and FPS locked at 78 FPS I had the best visual response on the screen.

So certain things are game specific, so mess around with it till you find the sweet spot. Main thing being is that you will NOW be able to see the frames you video card is generating above your regular monitor settings.

smile.gif

____________________________________
 

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#2 ·
Great guide!

Why don't you add another section for detailed resolutions, too?
  1. "Detailed resolutions";
  2. " Add";
  3. "Manual>LCD reduced";
  4. " Set resolution width & height";
  5. "Set frequency";
  6. "Save & exit";
  7. "CCC> reduce DVI frequency for high resolution monitors";
  8. "Restart>change resolution".
I was not able to overclock my panel over 66Hz. I think the "reduce DVI frequency for high resolution monitors" setting which is never selected by default helped me to reach 72 Hz. The monitor can also work at 80Hz, but it displays an "unoptimal mode" warning and blacks out after a time, so I know I have reached the best display out of my monitor with this enhanced setting.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the write-up!

Regarding your overclocking working only with HDMI, I remember it being mentioned somewhere on Custom Resolution Utilty's site that the problem behind that is due to the DVI limit of 165Hz for a signal... something along those lines. The site provides patches for your graphics card drivers to ignore and bypass that limit, allowing you to overclock to your monitor's capability. I tried overclocking with and without those patches with my DVI monitor, and only managed a successful overclock with them. So if you're stuck, try out those patch files.
 
#4 ·
I've followed two different guides to the T and for some reason when I restart my computer the new refresh rates do not show up.

I used to have my monitors overclocked to 70 hz and I clean installed Windows 8.1 last night and am trying to do it again and it's not cooperating.

Any help? I've tried multiple times.
 
#5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by deeselcyde View Post

I've followed two different guides to the T and for some reason when I restart my computer the new refresh rates do not show up.

I used to have my monitors overclocked to 70 hz and I clean installed Windows 8.1 last night and am trying to do it again and it's not cooperating.

Any help? I've tried multiple times.
To get custom refresh rates to show up, I didn't use CRU. Just ran the ToastyX Pixel Clock Patcher and then went into the nvidia control panel, went to "Change Resolution" and then clickedthe "Customize..." button for a custom resolution and set it up there.

Few questions for you guys though:

I have an Asus VH236H monitor with my pc connected via single-link dvi and a ps3 connected via hdmi, I downloaded the ToastyX Pixel Clock Patcher and ran it, then used the nvidia control panel to setup a custom resolution of 1080p @ 68 hz (highest my old monitor could do with no issues).

1. I tried first overclocking it with my graphics card connected via hdmi and then with it connected via a single-link dvi cable but got the same result both times. For such a low overclock it's not worth investing in a dual-link dvi cable and trying for higher right?

2. Is there any drawback to running at 68hz or should I just leave it at 60hz? For example, watching 24 fps/30 fps / 60 fps youtube videos?

3. I ran the frame skipper blurbusters test, took pictures of the screen, and didn't notice any frame skipping. I also ran the ufo test fine. Am I stable or is it like overclocking a processor where I need to let it run overnight?

4. Since the monitor is overclocked using software and not hardware, that means when I use my ps3 connected via hdmi that it's not overclocked at that time correct?
 
#6 ·
Super job. +rep

VERY USEFUL for those us new to the whole monitor gig.

SS
 
#7 ·
I had somebody tell me about overclocking my monitor and went "whaaa?!" Never occurred to me to do such a thing, but It made sense. Having overclocked CPUs, GPUs, and RAM for years, I saw the opportunity to try something new. In my situation, however, I run a headless gaming computer and use Steam in-home Streaming using a little Ubuntu box. It took me a little while, but I figured out how to up the frequency of your monitor in Ubuntu 14.04.

This will take a little explaining. I'm not super Linux-savvy, so feel free to correct me or give better information than myself.

First, you need to open a terminal. To see what you have for display options currently, type

Code:

Code:
xrandr
With my Asus VS228H-P on my little Gigabyte Brix, I get the following output...
Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 32767 x 32767
VGA1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 476mm x 268mm
1920x1080 60.0*+ 50.0 59.9
1920x1080i 60.1 50.0 60.0
1680x1050 59.9
1280x1024 75.0 60.0
1440x900 59.9
1280x960 60.0
1280x800 59.9
1152x864 75.0
1280x720 60.0 50.0 59.9
1440x576 50.0
1024x768 75.1 70.1 60.0
1440x480 60.0 59.9
832x624 74.6
800x600 72.2 75.0 60.3 56.2
720x576 50.0
720x480 60.0 59.9
640x480 75.0 66.7 60.0 59.9
720x400 70.1

At the top, it will show you all your current video outputs. Below shows Resolution, followed by Frequency options. The * (Astrix) indicates the current settings. In my case, it's 1920x1080 @ 60hz. The + (Plus Sign) indicates the recommended setting.

Say I wanted to change to 50Hz instead. Let's type

Code:

Code:
xrandr -r 50
to say refresh at 50. The screen goes blank for a sec, then another xrandr view shows...
Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 32767 x 32767
VGA1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 476mm x 268mm
1920x1080 60.0 + 50.0* 59.9
1920x1080i 60.1 50.0 60.0
1680x1050 59.9
1280x1024 75.0 60.0
1440x900 59.9
1280x960 60.0
1280x800 59.9
1152x864 75.0
1280x720 60.0 50.0 59.9
1440x576 50.0
1024x768 75.1 70.1 60.0
1440x480 60.0 59.9
832x624 74.6
800x600 72.2 75.0 60.3 56.2
720x576 50.0
720x480 60.0 59.9
640x480 75.0 66.7 60.0 59.9
720x400 70.1
1920x1080_73.00 72.9
DP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
VIRTUAL1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

As you can see, the * (Astrix) has gone to 50hz. A quick look in my monitors OSD Information screen verifies the change.

So how do you get a custom entry into this list, you ask? There's a few steps, so pay close attention.

First, know your resolution. Don't try to change this and double check what you type here. For my monitor, I wanted to go from 60hz to 65hz and see if it holds. To start, I type

Code:

Code:
cvt 1920 1080 65
This is cvt, then the pixel width, pixel height, and refresh rate. This will give an output of information you'll need in the next step, like so...
# 1920x1080 64.93 Hz (CVT) hsync: 72.98 kHz; pclk: 188.00 MHz
Modeline "1920x1080_65.00" 188.00 1920 2048 2248 2576 1080 1083 1088 1124 -hsync +vsync

Next, you'll use xrandr --newmode and the copied output of cvt after the Modeline . For my example, I'd enter

Code:

Code:
xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_65.00"  188.00  1920 2048 2248 2576  1080 1083 1088 1124 -hsync +vsync
Next, we need to assign our new mode into a specific video output device. We know I'm on HDMI1 and we know the new mode is called 1920x1080_65.00, so we enter

Code:

Code:
xrandr --addmode HDMI1 1920x1080_65.00
After typing this, your screen may go blank for a second.

So now that's entered in. Lets see what xrandr pulls up for us now!
Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 32767 x 32767
VGA1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 476mm x 268mm
1920x1080 60.0*+ 50.0 59.9
1920x1080i 60.1 50.0 60.0
1680x1050 59.9
1280x1024 75.0 60.0
1440x900 59.9
1280x960 60.0
1280x800 59.9
1152x864 75.0
1280x720 60.0 50.0 59.9
1440x576 50.0
1024x768 75.1 70.1 60.0
1440x480 60.0 59.9
832x624 74.6
800x600 72.2 75.0 60.3 56.2
720x576 50.0
720x480 60.0 59.9
640x480 75.0 66.7 60.0 59.9
720x400 70.1
1920x1080_65.00 64.9
DP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
VIRTUAL1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

At the bottom, you can see our new display setting. So now, we just need to switch over to it! Simply, type

Code:

Code:
xrandr -r 65
Screen will go black, then change to the new refresh rate. If your monitor gives you any errors or anything, press the up arrow (puts xrandr -r 65 back up), backspace once, press 0 (making it xrandr -r 60), and hit enter. Should come right back. Worst case scenario, type init 6 and you'll get a full restart, but everything done so far will be scrubbed.

I did this in increments until I found 74Hz was my maximum, but for a bit of safety and headroom, I stuck with 73Hz. To make this much more simple in the future, I wrote a little script I keep on my desktop that will allow me to instantly get to my newly minted 73hz settings. Once you have your monitor all figured out and have all those commands ready to copy and paste, simply open up your terminal and get into your Desktop directory. Once in there, type

Code:

Code:
sudo gedit ChangeRefresh.sh
Here, you'll put in all your commands. Here's mine...

Code:

Code:
#!/bin/bash
cvt 1920 1080 73
xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_73.00"  213.25  1920 2056 2256 2592  1080 1083 1088 1129 -hsync +vsync
xrandr --addmode HDMI1 1920x1080_73.00
sleep 1
xrandr -r 73
The #!/bin/bash is just a requirement for the script. The sleep 1 was a 1 second delay that seemed necessary for this to work, as without it, the xrandr -r 73 seemed to come before the additional mode was completed. Once you get all your commands in there, save and close out. Next, you'll need to make this executable. Type

Code:

Code:
sudo chmod +x ChangeRefresh.sh
. Finally, you have to tell your OS that it knows to run this thing when you double-click it. On your toolbar is Files. Looks like a filing cabinet. Right click it and go to Files Preferences. Go to the Behavior tab. Under Executable Text Files, I recommend the Ask Each Time option. Once that is done, give your computer a restart to clear all of what you did, minus this newly minted script. Once you get to the desktop, double-click the script on the desktop. Run in Terminal if prompted and see if it works. Check with xrandr to verify you are on the intended resolution and refresh.

From there, you can do some research if you feel confident in making this run on its own at startup. My only issue is that I didn't want to hook up a different monitor down the line and have issues, so double clicking my script on startup isn't an issue.
 
#8 ·
Went to overclock my monitor to 145Hz. Well, It didn't turn out well.

The program is limited to 123Hz.

 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by HITTI View Post

Went to overclock my monitor to 145Hz. Well, It didn't turn out well.

The program is limited to 123Hz.

I got my monitor to overclock to the highest of 145Hz. 146Hz worked but on reboot, signal is lost. I used evga pixel clock OC program.

This was just trying out and learning. I reverted back to default of 144Hz. uhwell.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by HITTI View Post

Went to overclock my monitor to 145Hz. Well, It didn't turn out well.

The program is limited to 123Hz.

These bumps....wow.
The "Standard" refresh rate is limited by industry standards to 123 hz, so that's the maximum selectable in the "standard" setting.
If you want to go higher, you need to use "DETAILED RESOLUTIONS" then you can go as high as you want.

I already created a 1920x1080 @ 125hz detailed resolution so I can be in perfect polling sync with 1000hz gaming mice (note 1000 / 8 =125, perfect sync by divisor). My XL2720Z will go up to 129hz at normal manual timings, before having to use "LCD Reduced" for 130-145hz (145hz is limit by firmware).
 
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Reactions: HITTI
#11 ·
Edit: I found a way, I am using nvidia customize button.
Edit2:I'm not gonna bother overclocking this monitor, same as the last program, 146 on reboot lost signal, only highest I can go is 145Hz but then I lose Aero desktop. And with 145Hz, my games none of them pick up the customized refresh rates.

Original:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Falkentyne View Post

These bumps....wow.
The "Standard" refresh rate is limited by industry standards to 123 hz, so that's the maximum selectable in the "standard" setting.
If you want to go higher, you need to use "DETAILED RESOLUTIONS" then you can go as high as you want.

I already created a 1920x1080 @ 125hz detailed resolution so I can be in perfect polling sync with 1000hz gaming mice (note 1000 / 8 =125, perfect sync by divisor). My XL2720Z will go up to 129hz at normal manual timings, before having to use "LCD Reduced" for 130-145hz (145hz is limit by firmware).
Oh wow am I blind.

I am having a problem. check it out, no more edits are being registered at all. I am stuck with 145Hz and below on nvidia control panel and advanced monitor settings.

Take a peek. I did a restart few times too, no luck.

 
#14 ·
That's for analog connections only. It was a holdover from the CRT days.
 
#15 ·
I just freaked out after reading it changes crystal behaviour. Samsung manual has direct reference to how it should be calculated but I cannot make sense of it whether I should divide by 8 Hz, or 8 KHz, or some other value(i just recall some unit multiple of 8 being mentioned).
 
#16 ·
What ever i noticed, it was not a stable OC. I did the frame skipping test which confirmed it. I had 1 skipping frame every 6-8 frames.

Update. I noticed that the simplest test for frame skipping is - just move your File Explorer windows around and see if your OC freq. produces uneven, jerky motions.

If i move from 60 to 65, i instantly detect uneven motion on my screen.
 
#17 ·
welp. i tried the guide and it works like a charm
biggrin.gif


unfortunately i was unable to raise my refresh rate to 75hz
frown.gif
(according to CCC's display properties, the LG E2341v can reach said refresh rate, but i keep getting the infamous "out of range" thing... i remember that i was able to reach this refresh rate a while back.. but i can't remember how ...)

hahaha

thanks for the guide+source for the software m8
highly appreciated
thumb.gif


pd: i was able to reach 70hz at least (close-enough.jpg)

hahaha
 
#19 ·
Use detailed resolutions to add higher refresh rates at the native resolution, and pay attention to pixel clock limits (single-link DVI is limited to 165 MHz and dual-link DVI is limited to 330 MHz without patching the driver).

Do not add the native resolution as a standard resolution. It's not likely to work unless you have a lower resolution monitor like 1440x900. Standard resolutions are meant to be compatible with CRT monitors. They do not support the reduced blanking required for higher resolutions, so it's only useful for adding lower resolutions with LCD monitors.
 
#20 ·
Trying this right now, was able to get my main Iiyama monitor to 71Hz at 1920x1080 which is cool and all. What's even cooler is my TV, going up by 1 now but currently at 120Hz
drool.gif
Only 1360x768 but 120Hz!! Will update with final refresh rate I manage to get I get no signal at 121Hz so 120 is the highest I can get which is crazy
 
#23 ·
Got my Acer XB240H from 144 to 149Hz.
 
#24 ·
So I overclocked my LG 34UC80-B 34-Inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD IPS Monitor with USB Quick Charge. and in the middle it displays in a black box "out of range" but behind the box everything is nice and smooth. I just want to remove the box...

does anyone have any ideas?

I have both that LG and the Viotek GN34CW 34-Inch 21:9 Ultrawide Curved QHD Gaming and Professional Computer Monitor, 100Hz 1440p,

The picture quality is obviously better on the LG IPS. But if i could over clock it to match the smoothness of the VA panel id be golden!
 
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