Does overclocking graphic card & playing long hours damages it even if gpu temperature is under control?

Question

I have a 8400gs 512mb graphic card. When i overclock my card i get descent frame rates while playing mass effect etc with max. settings. Please tell me if i play long hours say 3-4 hours continiously will it damage my graphic card even if the gpu temperature is within safe limits.

Answer 1

Overclocking is never good for your machine.

It's time for you to upgrade.

^j^

Answer 2

Wow,I'm not sure if you could play at those settings with that card period.

I believe the minimum is 1024MBs for Mass Effect

But playing 4 hours is an even worse idea...If you do get it to work,play on med graphics for 30 minutes...

Overclocking is NOT good,and can kill some vital computer part...but if you have to,do not use highest settings.

Answer 3

No not at all, as long as the core and memory are cool you should have no problems.  

I recall my old reliable Radeon 9800 128/256 had a max 40% overclock with aftermarket core and ram heatsinks (it was a ZM80D with two old 80mm case fans affixed to the top and core-side in an "L" configuration, was *very* close to 6600gt benchmarks) and it is still running to this day in an A64 2800 based compaq desktop I have sold to one of my neighbors (who prefers the non-overclock GPU speed and fans set to the 5v for low noise cooling).

Currently my 8800gts I have clocked to 560/870, fan forced to 99% via rivatuner and it does not get past 72C.

And yes, both of them have seen 6+ hour gaming sessions.  Hope this helps.

cheers

Answer 4

No just make sure, it does not overheat that will damage the silicon.

Answer 5

The most important thing is to keep it cool and dust free.

If you can keep it on the lower end of the temp scale, keep the inside of your computer dust free, and make sure your fans are always working properly, your graphic card will last longer than technology of it!

Answer 6

As long as you keep the temperature to a low your graphics card will not be damaged. Lower temperatures = longer life.

Answer 7

After a while it will if you do this several days a week its like burning rubber when you take off in your car all the time the tires wear out so will the video card eventually.