What are the best overclock settings for an RTX 3070 on HiveOS?

Core Clock and Memory Tuning Parameters

1. A stable core clock offset for the RTX 3070 on HiveOS typically ranges between -100 MHz and +50 MHz. Most miners achieve optimal hash rate stability by applying a -50 MHz core offset to reduce thermal throttling.

2. Memory clock offsets are more impactful than core adjustments. Commonly deployed values fall between +800 MHz and +1200 MHz, with +950 MHz delivering consistent performance across ETH and ETC mining workloads.

3. The memory controller on GA104-based GPUs responds well to voltage scaling. Setting GDDR6X memory voltage to 850 mV or 875 mV enables higher memory clocks without instability during extended runtime.

4. Undervolting the GPU core improves power efficiency significantly. A voltage-frequency curve shift to 750 mV at 1500 MHz is widely adopted, maintaining ~58 MH/s on Ethereum while lowering power draw to 165–170 W per card.

Thermal Management and Fan Curve Configuration

1. HiveOS allows precise fan control via the “fan mode” setting. Using “auto” mode often results in insufficient cooling under sustained load; manual fan curves are strongly preferred.

2. A recommended fan curve starts at 45% speed at 45°C, ramps to 75% at 65°C, and reaches 100% at 78°C. This prevents thermal throttling while avoiding excessive acoustic output.

3. Ambient temperature heavily influences thermal headroom. In environments above 28°C, increasing minimum fan speed to 50% at 40°C helps maintain die temperatures below 72°C during multi-day operations.

4. GPU hotspot temperature must remain below 92°C. Exceeding this threshold triggers automatic downclocking in NVIDIA drivers, directly reducing hashrate without warning.

Power Limit and Efficiency Optimization

1. The default 220W TDP limit on most RTX 3070 models can be safely reduced to 170–185W using the power limit slider in HiveOS miner configuration.

2. Lowering power limit while preserving memory overclock yields better MH/W ratios. Values between 1.65–1.75 MH/W are routinely observed when pairing +950 MHz memory with -50 MHz core and 175W power cap.

3. HiveOS supports per-GPU power limit assignment. When running mixed-rig configurations, isolating RTX 3070s with dedicated profiles prevents unintended interference from other GPU models.

4. Power smoothing settings should remain enabled to prevent transient spikes that trigger PSU OCP shutdowns, especially on older 80+ Bronze units.

Stability Testing and Validation Protocol

1. After applying new settings, initiate a 4-hour continuous mining session using Ethminer or T-Rex with --watchdog-disable disabled to allow real-time crash detection.

2. Monitor logs for “GPU timeout”, “CUDA error 700”, or “out of memory” messages—these indicate insufficient memory voltage or excessive clock offsets.

3. Use hiveos-cli get_temp to poll GPU temps every 30 seconds during stress validation. Sustained fluctuations over ±3°C suggest inadequate VRM cooling or airflow obstruction.

4. Reboot the rig after each major tuning iteration to clear stale driver states and ensure fresh initialization of all OC parameters on next boot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does increasing memory clock beyond +1200 MHz provide measurable gains on RTX 3070?Increasing memory clock past +1200 MHz rarely improves hashrate and often introduces silent errors that degrade share acceptance rates without visible crashes.

Q: Can I use the same OC profile across different RTX 3070 models (e.g., ASUS vs EVGA)?No. PCB layout, VRM quality, and memory IC batches vary significantly. Each physical card requires individual validation—even units from the same batch may diverge in stable overclock ceilings.

Q: Is it safe to disable GPU temperature monitoring in HiveOS?Disabling temperature monitoring removes critical safeguards. HiveOS relies on thermal telemetry to enforce dynamic throttling. Disabling it risks permanent silicon degradation due to unchecked overheating.

Q: Why does my RTX 3070 show lower hashrate after updating HiveOS to version 0.6-225?Newer HiveOS versions include updated NVIDIA drivers with stricter memory timing enforcement. Reapplying memory voltage and clock offsets after update resolves the regression in most cases.