I have an 8600GTS; So, I'm overclocking it from the stock 675/1008 (Core/MEM) to 763/1121. Why? Because on a review, that's what they overclocked it to. (Off of the topic, but if anyone has theres overclocked higher, and it's stable, please tell me ). So, my problem is that when I restart my computer, the OC resorts back to default, and I have to re overclock it. Ideas? Thanks

1. What program are you using to overclock?

2. What exactly are you trying to achieve by overclocking?

Use a program like Rivatuner, and just have it run at startup with your settings.

And I used to run my 8600 at 765/1565/1155 (core/shaders/mem), not really that much of a boost, but a slight help none the less on a woefully underpowered card.

1. I'm using nTune or Foxware to overclock
2. I want higher FPS in games?

I never had any luck getting ntune to save my overclocks through profiles or anything

I can vouch for Rivatuner, yea higher fps in games is a good reason to overclock lol, I used to do it on XP but really for me I just didnt like to do it and stopped. I have a 6800GT and I can run pretty much any game I want on really good settings, im fine with Crysis on low it still looks like a freaking 360 game with those settings.

Alright; I'm using RivaTuner, and I overclocked it to 763/1639/1121 (Core/Shader/Memory). Should this be good? Cykosis, I noticed that your Shader is slower, but your memory is faster. What kind of difference would mine make compared to yours?

Different pieces of hardware overclock differently. There's no guarantee that every 8600GTS will overclock the same way.

In this case, your shader maybe overclocks better than his, and his memory overclocks a bit better than yours. It's just the way hardware works

Also, I'm getting a bit worried about the heat of the card itself. When I play a game (BF2 for example), my card is on average ~74-76 C. Is this normal? I have no extra fans other than the large one in the front of the case (E510)

That should be okay. Video cards can take a lot more heat than CPU's can. A 74-76C CPU you would be somewhat worried, but with a GPU some have reached upwards of 100C (8800GTS G80's and 8800GTX's ran very hot ie) 60-70 idle in some cases)

I've noticed that when I open my case, my GPU is alot cooler (~7C). Evidently this means that with the case closed, it's around 7C hotter. Should I get a fan?

Improve case airflow somehow. My current set up is intake fan at the front, exhaust fan at the back. Both 120mm.

Wow shift you reply fast! I'm looking into fans @ newegg now. I think I need a 80mm..I'm not sure.

your temps are fine.. you don't really need to revamp your airflow. I'm currently frying an egg on my 4850 without worrying about it.

idk. I can't stop worrying

lol my friends 8800GTS idles at like 65 and it's got a massive cooler plus a PCI slot cooler. And a 4870 idles at like 75 so that card will be fine. my 9600GT idles at 43 but it can hit the 70's gaming.

From the default 675/1450/2000 (Core/Shader/Memory) ----> 763/1639/2240, will this hurt the card in the long run? I'm reading mixed opinions from varies reviews on what the "highest" the card can be pushed to.

If you're getting artifacts in games that push your card to it's limits then it's time to reduce your overclock.

I'm guessing that artifacts means that textures are messed up, and if that is what it means, that's not what's happening to me. Everything is running smoothly, but the whole game crashes. All textures are fine.

If the game crashes then that's a stability problem, and you should probably lower your overclock to see whether there's a level at which you can play without errors or crashes.

But then shouldn't that be happening with every game that I play? I can play BattleField2 (Which requires more power than HL2 to play) on all high settings without a problem. When I load up HL2 however, it doesn't even load.

not necessarily... some are more sensitive to overclocks than others.

Alright; I'll downclock everything to default, and give it a try.

Alright, even with default clocks the problem still occurs.