Overclocking the GPU of the 15" Recoil II?

SemoB

Active member
Hi all,

Not sure if that's the correct forum. If it isn't, could a mod kindly move it to the correct one?

So, I've been looking at how well my Recoil II's chips work together using this website called Thebottlenecker.com. It showed me that my GPU was too weak for my CPU (8750H + GTX 1060), and that I should upgrade the GPU (which isn't possible, of course). Instead, I tried to set my 1060 as an overclocked one up to 130%, which returned a better result with no bottlenecking. Now, I've never overclocked anything in my life before, so I have no idea where to start or if this is even possible. Any guidance on this (and any comments on general bottlenecking) is much appreciated.

Thanks.
 

Stephen M

Author Level
Are you having any issues with your Recoil? as if it is working well I would not recommend. That CPU will not overclock and overclocking a GPU is not IMO a good idea, it will also void your warranty. I cannot vouch for the site you mentioned but there are some very dodgy benchmark sites about.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Ugh.

1) Websites that claim to automatically identify bottlenecks need to be shot

2) Overclocking graphics cards could void PCS's warranty

3) Overclocking graphics cards in laptops isn't always smart. Overclocking means more voltage, which means more heat. Heat kills components. Laptops aren't as good at desktops with elaborate cooling solutions at getting rid of heat

4) The graphics cards already boost themselves within their thermal/power guidelines, so they're already trying to push as much out of themselves as the manufacturer said was smart.

5) You're meant to be 'bottlenecked' by the graphics card.


Every game you play will have something limiting performance. This will almost always be the graphics card i.e. you will almost always be 'GPU bottlenecked' or 'GPU bound' or 'GPU limited'. That's normal and the way it's meant to be.

You're meant to play the games at the highest settings you can, while maintaining a level of performance acceptable to you (e.g. 60fps). The GPU is the component most responsible for that, so it's normal for it to be 100% used (often displaying as 99% used) while other components in the system are not 100% used. A GPU bottleneck is only a problem where a) you wasted money by buying a £1000 CPU for a £50 GPU or b) you're not getting enough performance/fidelity in games

A CPU's full performance isn't going to be used for most modern games, though some titles can still load it up pretty high (Assassin's Creed Origins / Odyssey, Fallout 4, Conan Exiles, others). Other titles might rely heavily on the performance of a single core/thread of the CPU. Games where this happens, and where it causes a GPU's full performance not to be used, are often seen as poorly optimised because you want the GPU to be able to do its thing and max out visuals/framerates rather than be held back by a CPU that can't feed it instructions fast enough.

And sometimes of course, the game engine itself is the limit to performance.

This also relates to my point about automatic performance comparison sites needing to be shot. Because sometimes you'll actually need a lot of that extra headroom provided by the CPU. It depends entirely on what game you're playing, or what other activity you're doing with the laptop.

Modern high end gaming laptops all have i7 CPUs as standard. They just do, even when most games don't require that much CPU horsepower. It could be a marketing thing (everyone knows "i7 is best" even if they don't know what i7 actually is) or it could be to cater for the odd Assassin's Creed type monster that is brutal on CPUs. Or it could be that the laptop is meant to cater not just to gamers, but to other users who do need a lot of CPU and GPU horsepower. Content creators, streamers, researchers, etc.

The i7 8750H could support more powerful cards for some games, but not necessarily for others. It's not a problem that your CPU isn't at 100% load all the time (which is what a CPU bottleneck can look like - discounting single-thread limited titles..). Likewise you don't need to use 100% of your RAM, 100% of your storage capacity or speed. These components are there to support the GPU and make the system run and aren't meant to be balanced in a way that sees everything at 100% load all the time.

You're still getting your money's worth. The GTX 1060 is a powerful graphics card. Don't fry your laptop or throw away the warranty by overclocking it.

Or if you're adamant you want/need more GPU horsepower, return the laptop for a refund and buy a model with a more powerful graphics card. A new gen of GPU is just coming out actually.
 
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SemoB

Active member
Thank you both for your input. Oussebon's response has actually pretty much closed the case for me. I'll keep my system as it is. :)

Thank you very much.
 
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