1060 GPU undervolting and performance Helios 300

Wolver1ne

Hello everyone

So i've only recently joined the predator family and it's been great so far,

I bought the Acer Helios 300 (i7-8750H & GTX 1060) and right off the bat I've noticed that this thing runs hot so I downloaded ThrottleStop and got myself a stable CPU undervolt (-160mv)

However this brings me to my question, How can I undervolt the GPU safely without affecting the performance or crashing?  I've attempted this a few days ago and it lead me to an unexplainable reduction in performance that halved the frames of all my games and I tried helplessly to resolve to no avail until I performed a full factory reset.

Thankfully the 1060 is back to its original performance now ( and heat ) so I'm wondering if any members here have successfully performed this task.

I'm trying to be extra careful as to not go through that aforementioned experience again.

JackE

>>>this thing runs hot >>>

How hot? Jack E/NJ

Wolver1ne

Well for example now after a 1.5 hour gaming session CPU hit 76° and the GPU 73° as max temps.

I believe it would run hotter if not for the CPU undervolt

I know these temps are nothing too drastic but the fans are at a constant 4000~ish rpm during load and they're quite loud and distracting, so my aim is to reduce their noise significantly without risking overheating the components.

JackE

You're correct. Temps aren't too drastic. In fact. they're way below normal under load. You gotta stress it more. You think 4000+rpm is loud? Wait till they hit 5,000+. They're moving a lot of air. Have to in a congested laptop. Your's probably has metal impellers which tend to be louder but more robust than plastic. Don't undervolt. Set  your power plan to Balanced instead of Performance mod. See how it goes. Use ear plugs or buds.     Jack E/NJ

Wolver1ne

Thanks for your response.

I am well aware of the space limitations in the chassis of a laptop and frankly quite thankful mine is performing the way it is.

However I also recently became aware of MSI afterburner and the possibility of undervolting the GPU, as I’ve mentioned before I’ve attempted this cluelessly but it caused me some crashes and huge drop in performance, which I believe might be related to a driver error or software incompatibility.

I’m convinced that undervolting the GPU can only be beneficial ( whether by lower temps and or higher performance due to increased boost, not to mention lower noise from fans ) so I’d like assistance from fellow forum members if anyone has gone through this task successfully.

JackE

>>>I’m convinced that undervolting the GPU can only be beneficial>>>

I'm not. Simply because undervolting is operating outside its recommended operating potential. Many electronic devices & motors can be damaged or compromised just as much as by overvolting. These aren't ohmic devices that behave like a wire-wound resistor. However, the fan noise can probably be successfully addressed with quieter fans.  Good luck in your quest. Jack E/NJ

sri369

Wolver1ne said:

Hello everyone

So i've only recently joined the predator family and it's been great so far,

I bought the Acer Helios 300 (i7-8750H & GTX 1060) and right off the bat I've noticed that this thing runs hot so I downloaded ThrottleStop and got myself a stable CPU undervolt (-160mv)

However this brings me to my question, How can I undervolt the GPU safely without affecting the performance or crashing?  I've attempted this a few days ago and it lead me to an unexplainable reduction in performance that halved the frames of all my games and I tried helplessly to resolve to no avail until I performed a full factory reset.

Thankfully the 1060 is back to its original performance now ( and heat ) so I'm wondering if any members here have successfully performed this task.

I'm trying to be extra careful as to not go through that aforementioned experience again.

Follow the links in my signature for undervolting the GPU. Mine too is a 1060 on windows 10.

sri369

>>>I’m convinced that undervolting the GPU can only be beneficial>>>

@Wolver1ne
Undervolting helps, if you are careful and know when to stop. There is no point in squeezing that extra mV if it is only giving you an unstable system.

Wolver1ne

Thanks for your responses.

@sri369 how are your frames after performing the undervolt? is there any measurable increase or decrease?

also did using MSI afterburner cause any games to crash or malfunction ( ie: overwatch )? because some games detect MSI afteburner think you're performing and overclock and decide to crash the whole display adapter as what happened to me earlier.

sri369

Wolver1ne said:

Thanks for your responses.

@sri369 how are your frames after performing the undervolt? is there any measurable increase or decrease?

also did using MSI afterburner cause any games to crash or malfunction ( ie: overwatch )? because some games detect MSI afteburner think you're performing and overclock and decide to crash the whole display adapter as what happened to me earlier.

My games are FPS limited to 60. And I customize settings based on my needs (not always ultra). And I am pretty fine with the changes I have - some minor compromises on visual details and my temps pretty much stay under 80.

Some heavy games I play are listed below - my FPS and temps above are based on these games.
Ghost Recon Wildlands
Witcher 3
FarCry 5, New Dawn
RUST

Wolver1ne

So after following your settings @sri369 for MSI afterburner and recreating your graph, I've noticed barely any change to performance or temperature and the only thing that i was able to notice was the BSOD after a 1.5 hour gaming session.

I don't quite understand the curve editor and it seems that any change I make results in either a BSOD or a decrease in performance.

I wish it was as simple as undervolting the CPU as that was very simple with a clean and understandable GUI, MSI afterburner on the other hand has this graph curve editor thing where it has to link each frequency to a voltage -.-

Why can't i just add a -mv offset value to the main core and memory and be done with it.

Please help if you know how

sri369

Wolver1ne said:

So after following your settings @sri369 for MSI afterburner and recreating your graph, I've noticed barely any change to performance or temperature and the only thing that i was able to notice was the BSOD after a 1.5 hour gaming session.

I don't quite understand the curve editor and it seems that any change I make results in either a BSOD or a decrease in performance.

I wish it was as simple as undervolting the CPU as that was very simple with a clean and understandable GUI, MSI afterburner on the other hand has this graph curve editor thing where it has to link each frequency to a voltage -.-

Why can't i just add a -mv offset value to the main core and memory and be done with it.

Please help if you know how

Curve editor... make sure you do not go over 1911 speeds for 1060 cards or under 975 for voltage. I have been using this without any issues for over an year now.
And yes, it does decrease performance a little, though that's not noticeable.
Unfortunately MSI does not offer global -mV for non MSI branded cards.

xapim

Wolver1ne you already stated in the other thread that Hotel Hero (@Red-Sand) settings are old (https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/573512/acer-predator-helios-300-heat-problems#latest) so ill say it again in here the same i said in the other thread those are the settings to be used and your gpu its also old if you think u can get better settings tweak them yourself the way you want but dont come here slagging what others did for the community and everyone else basically saying its old and useless i wont be able to help you on your issue because theres no issue in my view and if you cant get the temps down with those settings i suggest you to repaste it with kryonaut or similar and clean your fan/airflow exit

JackE

xapim >>>i suggest you to repaste it with kryonaut or similar and clean your fan/airflow exit >>>

Ditto. Wholeheartedly agree with xapim  And keep it high above a hard flat surface to promote better airflow. Bridge it between thick phonebooks or bricks. You're gaming with a congested laptop here, not a wide-open desktop. There are compromises to be made in doing so. Jack E/NJ

Wolver1ne

Thanks for all your help guys, @xapim I wasn't slandering Red-sand's work I was just pointing out that he's using an old version of afterburner and that can be confusing for inexperienced users.

However I copied his undervolt settings to the exact digit and the temps did improve yesterday when i gamed for about 2 hours, however today i launched Fallout 4 to try it out and the PC BSOD'ed in the first 10 minutes

So I'm assuming the settings still need some tweaking? I've yet to understand how to tone down the undervolt or do any alteration as anytime i touch the curve editor and change even one value it results in a very quick BSOD..

I think I'm very close now to my laptop's perfect settings I just need that slight alteration to his settings 

xapim

Wolver1ne said:

Thanks for all your help guys, @xapim I wasn't slandering Red-sand's work I was just pointing out that he's using an old version of afterburner and that can be confusing for inexperienced users.

However I copied his undervolt settings to the exact digit and the temps did improve yesterday when i gamed for about 2 hours, however today i launched Fallout 4 to try it out and the PC BSOD'ed in the first 10 minutes

So I'm assuming the settings still need some tweaking? I've yet to understand how to tone down the undervolt or do any alteration as anytime i touch the curve editor and change even one value it results in a very quick BSOD..

I think I'm very close now to my laptop's perfect settings I just need that slight alteration to his settings 

yes u might need some tweaking personally i dont undervolt the gpu only overclock because my temps are fine since undervolted with TS and repasted and im affrais that tweaking u need no one would be able to help you its a hit and miss you have to keep trying yourself to find out the best settings because even same models with the same hardware do not behave the same way when it becomes to tweaking them