Sorry to beat the dead horse (I realize these threads are done almost every 2 mins) but my 3dmark06 score is lacking and was wondering if you guys could tell me what was holding it back.

Setup:
q6700 @ 2.66ghZ
xfx gtx 280
4gb of ddr3 (although i'm running Vista on 32, so really only about 2.8g. this will change soon, don't worry)
using zalman heatsink for cooling

result - about 15700 3dmarks

So after reading this result and being heartbroken, I cranked the 6700 to 3.4ghZ and my tests are now running about 17300, is there any way i could squeeze a bit more outta this? I don't think 3.4ghZ is terrible for air cooling, but i attempted to oc my gtx 280 and that didn't turn out so great (maybe b/c it's factory oc'd?)

but bottom line, can i do anything more other then invest in 64 bit Vista?

maybe because 1: the 280 is overheating or 2: they've maxed it as much as they could, lol. also could be a dud chip...just like cpu's.

i mean, i got my 7600GS agp to 50% faster clocks than stock! you can't tell me thats regular...

yea, maybe it's not bad and i've been reading too many 3dmark scores where people have sli going on. 17k+ isn't terrible, but i'd be sweet to hit 20k. the only way to do that at this point i think is to invest in another gtx 280, but i don't want the score that bad XD

LoL. Everyone that buys a 280 or 4870 or better thinks automatically 20k. You found out the hard way.

If you want max 3dmark you need a huge cpu overclock.

My buddy has a e8400 4.5 with a 3870x2 and he just breaks 20k.

Oh did i mention he spent way less then you. LoL.

Did i notice that you had to reference your buddies rig instead of your own? Why yes, yes i did. Have fun with your computer that clearly isn't worth listing.

In other news, it's fairly common knowledge that ATI cards are better at synthetic marks while nVidia kicks ass in actually gameplay situations. But don't worry, I'm sure your computer can handle Crysis at 1900x1250 no problem.

Oh did i mention i have a computer worth talking about? LoL.

LOL, someone just got slapped in the face. I'll list my system.

i know! how about i list my IMAGINARY SYSTEM!

Everybody knows that whoever buys the GTX280's and try to justify real world performance is chasing the Fu**ing dragon.

Nvidia performs better on anything that uses physx (UT3, Vantage, etc.), that will soon cease to be an issue.

For the REAL WORLD, 4870x2's can AA the pants off of the GTX's at high res.

Anti-aliasing even older games without native support.

waste as much of your money as you like and delude yourself that you are getting a better experience. Its your choice.

Everyone can see what high quality standards are used by NVidia by the way they are going to have to pay billions in chip replacements.

Don't get me wrong, I have only an 8800GT, but it was the best BFB at the time. I now am wishing I had an X-fire board. But still my monitor is only 22"@1680x1050 so SLI will kick it into touch still.

Jsut don't try and garbage up the board with your GTX yuppiness

3dmark scores are nice and everything, but if your system plays all the games you wanna play just fine, then who cares if your 3dmark score is a bit lower than expected?

That configuration seems fine to me. What software did you use to OC your 280?

i really don't care what my 3dmark score is, i just like to see how much of an increase in performance my overclocks are

Go ahead, list your imaginary system, maybe it has the GTX350X3.65e80, or maybe your friend has it.

lol ok its not really imaginary if i can coax dad into getting it in a few months

anyway its:
Q6600 OEM
xigmatek HDT-S1283
OCZ ReaperX or the cheaper "sli ready" stuff.... i just like the heatsinks on the ReaperX tho not really worth 40 bucks xtra tho
2x WD3200AAKS hard drives in RAID 0
EVGA 750i FTW motherboard
some random dvd burner lol
coolermaster RC-690 mid tower i luv it
xigmatek 650W ish power supply
2x XFX 8800GT alpha dawgs wanted the evga's purely for symmetry with the mobo, lol but they had green PCB's -_- and they were $40 each more expensive than the XFX's. XFX's are black PCB's with a little cooler and i wanted the EVGA dual slot one but no
err nothin else really is there... bunch of 120 mil led fans and thats pretty much it

wow that was a lot of 's and lol sry for hijacking thread too

Venom,

That is a quality BFB build.

Can't really get much more bangs for your bucks while mantaining a higher end performance envelope.