A Guide to Coolbits

Posted Feb 15, 2006 | by Ryan Passey  

Overheating Notification
Another special feature which Coolbits and “Coolbits 2.0″ unlocks is an option to receive notifications when the GPU Core Temperature exceeds the threshold.  To enable this trusty little feature, your Video Card(s) must be equipped with a thermal sensor, otherwise there is no way for the software to know the current temperatures of the GPU Core.  Simply open up the ‘Temperature Settings’ menu to see the option for enabling the notification.  The user may also adjust the threshold max temperature to his or her liking or leave it at the default temperature, which, in my case, is 145 Degrees Celsius.  Remember, as always, to click Apply after making any changes or else they will be automatically reverted to the previous settings.




Enabling SLI Antialiasing Rendering

Personally, I don’t recommend rendering with SLI AA, as I find it does not improve graphical appearances and kills Frames Per Second (Read article on Optimizing SLI).  However, if your cards are powerful enough, and you desire to switch over to SLI Antialiasing, follow these steps:


1.)  Open the ‘Performance And Quality Settings’ menu.


2.)  Change the ‘View’ Combo Box to Advanced Settings. (See image below)


3.)  Scroll down in the Settings box and locate the SLI Rendering Mode options. Right-click on this option and a Combo Box will appear with different rendering modes. (See image below)




4.)  Select SLI Antialiasing and then opt to apply these new settings.  Reboot for the changes to take effect.


Additional Features / Functions
As far as I know, the Coolbits Tweaks for SLI are limited to SLI AA, Custom Profiles, Overheating Notifications, and Manual Overclocking.  But, for single GPU systems using “Coolbits 2.0″, there a few additional unlocked features.  Such features / functions include :



  • Greater OpenGL and Direct3D control to further modify the quality of certain applications and games

  • A section which provides additional information about your system

  • Advanced AGP settings in case your Video Card sits in an AGP slot and isn’t PCI-Express

  • A ‘Fan Always On’ function under Manual Overclocking to ensure that your GPU Fan is always running when your PC is turned on

  • And finally, there is a tool for overriding refresh rates, but I wouldn’t recommend tweaking this settings unless you are using a CRT monitor and it flickers

Tweak Care!
Bringing this guide to an end, I hope I was able to introduce readers to the basics of Coolbits and successfully walk them through a few step-by-step guides to get them well on their way to being expert Tweakers.  I would like to ask that if you are experiencing difficulties with Coolbits, “Coolbits 2.0″, or any of the explanations I have given, please leave a comment / post in the forums / email me at rsp124712(at)Gmail.com.  Additionally, I would like you to know that Coolbits isn’t the only way to Overclock and Tweak your nVidia Video Card(s), so in case you find that Coolbits doesn’t quite cut it or suit your needs, you can look else where for third-party tweaking software.  All in all, I hope you tweak with care, and if the vicious world of Overclocking lures you in, remember to take it slow.


Enjoy!

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