First Sightings: Three Early Samples of the GeForce4 Ti4600

Overclocking

Overclocking tests with pre-production samples are always somewhat problematic, since very often in this early phase both the chips and the boards demonstrate a range from good to bad, even within the same batch. Nonetheless, the overclocking tests yielded some interesting results. The ASUS card could not be pushed further than 310 MHz core and 710 MHz memory speed. Creative's memory was able to reach an additional 10 MHz. Overclocking a GeForce4 Ti chip seems to be quite tricky. We weren't able to eke out much more than those extra 10 MHz on the cards, except on the Leadtek A250...

Benchmarks OC

The extravagantly cooled Leadtek card was able to run more or less stably at 320/750 MHz. After mounting an additional fan on the card's second heatsink, we even hit a very impressive 335/775 MHz! Using these settings, we achieved a 3DMark score of 12867 (and much more) on a Pentium 4 system - in the benchmark's default setting of 1024x768-32, of course. You'll find the proof in MadOnion's Fastest Webmasters list (Borsti - RIVA Station). Naturally, these settings were achieved only through extreme tweaking of the driver, and the testing system was constantly on the verge of crashing. Not exactly what you would call "recommended for everyday use."

Whether the A250 TD's excellent overclocking capabilities are due to the superb cooling or were simply a fluke owing to an especially potent sample chip remains to be seen. Only future tests can really answer that question.