3dmark score...

[michcarson]

Finished a new system and I'm getting a 3dmark score of 4300 which seems low for the config. On their chart comparing other systems I was near the low end. It's making me a bit upset. Does that score seem low for this system?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 2.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor
GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI
XFX PVT71GUQL3 GeForce 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Antec True Power Trio TP3-650 ATX12V 650W Power Supply
A-DATA 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
Windows XP 64-bit

It's not over-clocked or anything. I think there might be something wrong with the mobo but I wanted to check with you all first. Seeing myself on the low-end of the 3dmark chart pisses me off.

 

[michcarson]

Sorry - yes it is. Do you think that comparison chart could be skewed at all?
Also would XP 64-bit decrease gaming performance?

 

[Barritio]

Just because you are towards the bottom of the scale doesn't necessarily mean that your score is bad. Remember that others scores are pushed higher with overclocking.

I had the same issue, and as soon as I overclocked my card and CPU, my scores flew up the scale.

So if you want to see whether your pc is able to move up the scale, then try overclocking it. Though be careful if your graphics card comes pre-overclocked.

Hope this helps a bit,

 

[sirrobin4ever]

Yeah, thats about the right score- which means that you can easily run any game out right now.

Remember, just about the only people who run 3dmark 06 are gamers and overclockers. Both of these types (try to) have the best hardware, pushing up the scores. If you included all the PC's in the world, yours would definitely be in the top 5-10%.

If you feel bad about how you scored, try running 3dmark 05, you should place better. This is because 05 can be run by Pixel Shader 2.0 machines. Then you'll really look like your on top of the world! Cheers!

Best of Luck

 

[stan116]

you should throw in another gig of ram,You will be surprized the diff 2 Gbs will give you. I get 14,458 on 3DMark6 but i have a highend system.I'm looking to break 16,000 when i replace my 8800GTS's with two 8800GTX's next week. You should be able to ovcerclock your X2 3800 at least 10% with no problems. You can you PowerStrip to overclock your cards.Its very easy to use,and you can find the download at www.majorgeeks.com

 

[michcarson]

You guys have been very helpful! I appreciate your help. I have another gig on the way as we speak
As for overclocking... I only have a stock heatsink so I'm a bit scared to do anything much but I might try a little. Thank you!

 

[michcarson]

Does a 7878 in '05 seem correct as well?
The thing that makes me mad is how can I there be like a 6,000 point difference in their comparison scale? How similar are these systems compared to mine? For some reason I think my mobo is hold back my machine? Is this sound possible at all?

 

[sirrobin4ever]

Really, these scores seem about right. The 6000 point difference in scores comes from people overclocking their gfx cards. If you were to overclock your machine, you could easily get 9500 to 10000 (my guess) with no problems.
It could be the mobo, but I kind of doubt it. It's of a reputable make and model. Mobos do make a difference, but the difference in real world applications is negligible in most cases.

 

[michcarson]

Ahh I see. Are there any safe overclocking guides to the 7900GT that don't physically messing with the card?

 

[SPARTAN-117]

You can use Nvidia's nTune utility to OC your VGA. Catch is that the OC lasts only till you restart so you'll have to re OC the VGA each time you turn your PC on. Get the latest version of nTune from Nvidia's website, the GUI patches into the Nvidia Control Panel and makes for a slick GUI.

I've got a 7900 GTX in my PC and I've been able to push that puppy from BFG's stock OC to a 5% OC of 700mhz core and 840mhz (1680mhz for DDR) on the memory. But at a 5% OC the temps begin to get high and the card starts to lock up after a few hours of use. The difference in 3DMark scores was impressive though, I went from a 9300 to 10500 in 3DMark05 after OC'ing my CPU 10% and my 7900 GTX 5%.

A good rule of thumb when OC'ing a VGA, increase the core and memory speeds at equal percentage increases (i.e. if you OC the core 3% OC the memory 3%).

Keep patient and have nerves of steel when OC'ing your hardware and always air on the side of caution and you'll do fine.

 

[sirrobin4ever]

You can use the coolbits hack to enable Nvidia's built-in overclocking utility. All that it involves to enable it is an easy registry hack. Its easy. Really.

1. Go to start>run and type in regedit
2. On the left side, go to local machine> software> NVIDIA Corporation> NVTweak
3. Right click on the right panel. Create new dword. Name the dword "coolbits" Then, change the value to 6.
4 Exit regedit.
5. Startup the Nvidia Control Panel. You should now have tab Overclocking options under 3d settings.
6. Overclock at will. This will also allow you to watch the temp of your GFX card.

Good Luck!

 

[michcarson]

Thanks all! Well it seems the default clock of my card is 450/660
the highest I can go with it is 530/750...
my 3dmark06 score went from 4350 to 4950.

I put it down to 500/700 because it was at like 80C.
Kind of scared me.
It runs idle at about 52C which seems kind of hot anyways.

 

[celewign]

8O
-cm

 

[BoomBatz]

Why are you so worried about the stupid 3d mark score? You must be into nude gaming. That is the only scenario where a 3dmark score counts. Just enjoy that pretty pink computer case you bought.

 

[celewign]

8O
-cm

 

[michcarson]

Why are you so worried about the stupid 3d mark score? You must be into nude gaming. That is the only scenario where a 3dmark score counts. Just enjoy that pretty pink computer case you bought.

No need to get snappy. I'm newer into benchmarking and when I saw that huge difference it was kind of annoying because I had just build a decent machine. But the kind people here did a great job of explaining why this is and I'm thankful.

 

[sirrobin4ever]

Why are you so worried about the stupid 3d mark score? You must be into nude gaming. That is the only scenario where a 3dmark score counts. Just enjoy that pretty pink computer case you bought.

Why not? 3dmark is a way to compare the gaming performance of different systems. These scores can also give you a good idea whether you can run a game you want to buy. If nothing else, at least you can get bragging rights!

I put it down to 500/700 because it was at like 80C.
Kind of scared me.

That does seem *kind of* warm. Really, this card should be able to run at that temperature, but it is better to be safe.

Best of Luck

 

[waylander]

There is nothing wrong with your score. Don't get into a stupid benchmark race. If you don't have deep pockets then don't overclock. It puts wear on your components and will shorten their life.

If you can play the games you want to play at the resolutions and fps you want then it should be good enough.

And NO, you will never, ever reach 10,000 on 3DMark06 with your machine.

 

[HA_ZEE]

Score seems about right for 2006. My system has a AMD 4000 @ 2.7 GHZ, ATI X1900XT w 512 ram and scores just over 5000.

 

[sirrobin4ever]

And NO, you will never, ever reach 10,000 on 3DMark06 with your machine.

I meant 3dmark 05!
(For 10000 on 06, you'd be running what, like 2 8800s?)

 

[celewign]

I think someone with 2 8800's got 14,000 or something absurd.
-cm