*GTX 260/280 Unofficial TPU! Thread*

[dadi_oh]

This inspired me to try to push my Q6600 a little harder just for a benchmark. I run my Q6600 at 440X8 = 3520 24/7 folding and it is Prime95 stable. However I can bench at higher clocks if I want. So I tried 3800MHz (475X8) but it made it all the way to Deep Freeze and reset the machine. So I backed down to 465X8 = 3720MHz. Attached is the screen shot of the 3DMark06 run. I finally broke 19K. I will see what sort of stability I have at this Q6600 clock but I suspect it will not be Prime95 stable.

So you can see that the increase of 200MHz on the Q6600 translates to big increases in both SM2 and SM3 scores as well as CPU score. I just need a better processor I guess. But I am cheap and I got this one for $150 shipped.

I tend to believe the EVGA Precision output on the graph at the left. So I think that you really are running at 810MHz even though you set it to 800MHz.

Just as a point of interest. The boost in my Q6600 clock is 5.7%. Overall score increased 4.2%, SM2 increased by 4.7%, SM3 by 3.2%, and CPU score by 4.9%.

See attached snapshot of my spreadsheet.

 

[Tatty_Two]

Just as a point of interest. The boost in my Q6600 clock is 5.7%. Overall score increased 4.2%, SM2 increased by 4.7%, SM3 by 3.2%, and CPU score by 4.9%.

See attached snapshot of my spreadsheet.

What I will do sometime is set my CPU speed to yours so we can compare scores.

 

[TonyStark]

A question for those who actually play games:


What value do you guys use for "maximum pre-rendered frames" in the nvidia control panel? I find that higher values increase smoothness but games CTD often.

 

[dadi_oh]

A question for those who actually play games:


What value do you guys use for "maximum pre-rendered frames" in the nvidia control panel? I find that higher values increase smoothness but games CTD often.

My global setting is 3 but I've never changed it. What is CTD?

 

[largon]

CTD = crash to desktop

 

[Kursah]

How come nobody has posted FurMark results for GTX 260 in the result compilation thread, there's only a few GTX 280s?

Good inquiry...I suppose I never use it for the bench, I'm not much of a bencher...I'll do some when I get a wild hair to do so, but aside from that gaming is priority.

Once I get my rig set up to how I'm content, I'll shoot that thread a bench...didn't realize there were still submissions and updates going on over that way, good stuff.

IMO, furmark is a better stability tool than benchmark, but then so is gaming I suppose lol! You'll see a score submission from me soon enough largon. Again good inquiry, hopefully more will follow suit for ya.

 

[Tatty_Two]

A question for those who actually play games:


What value do you guys use for "maximum pre-rendered frames" in the nvidia control panel? I find that higher values increase smoothness but games CTD often.

I just keep it at the default 3.....never tried anything else.

 

[johnspack]

Arrrg, despite the new case and all the fans, warhead is making my 280 overheat. Seems these darn cards start to artifact at 80c. I have to stay at stock clocks, then my max temp is 76c and no problem. I tried reducing my ocs ect, no help, every other game I have including original crysis doesn't heat my card up like that oced. Fps even at stock in warhead is really good, just would like better. What's with my heat issue, any ideas?

 

[johnspack]

Well, I narrowed it down to heat alright.. I replaced my side tricool with a panaflo, and opened my windows, got warhead running at full oc and not breaking 73c.. guess I'll have to get a dryer hose and feed cold air from a cutout in a window for this thing!!!

 

[johnspack]

Well, almost moved all settings from gamer to enthusiast... warhead on my 280@ 1920x1200...
and yes I hit 37ish at lows.... stupid athlon

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

Here is my GTX280 running on watercooling. Next step is to see if I can get more voltage and if that doesn't work Im going to try and remove the IHS.

http://www.1h1k.com/gtx280/3dmark06_gtx280.gif

Also will try skipping the next shader level

 

[Tatty_Two]

Here is my GTX280 running on watercooling. Next step is to see if I can get more voltage and if that doesn't work Im going to try and remove the IHS.

http://www.1h1k.com/gtx280/3dmark06_gtx280.gif

Also will try skipping the next shader level

Thats looking very good and as you said, may well be some more headroom in there, I get 22,040 with my 260 but I think a lot of that will be my extra CPU speed, I think I will drop mine down to your speed and see how the 2 cards compare with my overclocks, I think that at 3.9gig, even with my higher overclocks the 280 will still pip me.......nice work!

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

Thats looking very good and as you said, may well be some more headroom in there, I get 22,040 with my 260 but I think a lot of that will be my extra CPU speed, I think I will drop mine down to your speed and see how the 2 cards compare with my overclocks, I think that at 3.9gig, even with my higher overclocks the 280 will still pip me.......nice work!

Thanks, Would be cool to see. You have 600Mhz over me, DDR3, and I believe your CPU has x2 the cache...so even if you drop down to 3.9Ghz, you still have a small advantage, should be close.

I am still trying for 4Ghz on the Q6600, so far been able to get 3.95Ghz, but haven't benched at that level. It is amazing how much of a impact the CPU has on 3dmark. I went from 3.8ghz to 3.9ghz and gained almost 1000 points. So hopefully getting to 4ghz and upping my GPU a little more will put me right around your score.

 

[shawnizzzle]

I got my q6600 to 4.02 ghz and got a 20,000+ on 3d mark06 but thats all the overclock was good for bsoded right after lol

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

I used to run @ 4.0Ghz 24/7 with my 8800GTS. But since adding the GTX 280 to my waterloop I havent been able to launch 3dmark06 at 4Ghz.

 

[shawnizzzle]

Yeah my darn 9800gtx's started having artifacts at stock specs today so now i got to rma them.

 

[johnspack]

Man, Warhead is a weird running game. I was still having heat issues and lockups, so I tried my 2nd install of xp64 which has the 178.15 drivers, and now I can use full oc, card will hit 78c max (ug) but no more artifacts or crashing. Running on full enthusiast mode now and staying in the 30s.... Still wish I knew why out of 40 games I have installed, warhead heats my 280gtx up like no ones business!

 

[chickenworm]

Yeah, Warhead is strange - when I run it on my 260 OCed, for some reason I stayed at the 'base level': i.e. I can't walk up the hill, I walk straight underneath it! (trees and everythng else above my head) And can't 'swim' instead walking underwater. Wtf? Puzzling isn't it? Anyway, I drop my card to stock and run at gamer mode and it runs okay for some reason.

Btw, still envious of everyone else 260, can't take my leadtek above 729, sigh...

 

[johnspack]

Have you tried the 178.15 betas yet? I couldn't run warhead properly until I tried it. The 177.92 is faster, and I use it for all my other games, but with warhead I have to reboot to my 2nd install and use the 178 driver. No way around it, how annoying!

 

[chickenworm]

hmm, thanks for the suggestion, I am currently on 178.13 (XP/SP2) - could this be the problem? Will try to download 178.15 later today and try it, but I heard complains about this driver, any pitfalls I should be watching out?

 

[johnspack]

Actually I had big problems with the 178.13, the 178.15 seems to be fixed. For instance I and many others out there can't get digital vibrance to work, multi card support is broken ect in the 13s, but the 15s work perfect. Only thing I notice with the .15s is a few marks less in vantage ect, but I can play warhead now!!!
There is a thread here with links, but I'll repeat a source here: http://www.guru3d.com/news/download-geforce-forceware-17815-xp-3264bit/
You really should upgrade to sp3, and make sure you have the august 08 release of dx9: http://download.microsoft.com/downl...-8aa5-9dfef9cdb3df/directx_aug2008_redist.exe
important......

 

[Kursah]

I'm waiting for the 180's at this point...I think these final 178's are more of a test for tweaks than anything...I'm probably wrong tho lol. I'm STILL on 178.83's, perform great, stable, solid, can't complain. I've got my GTX260 Core216 at GTX260FTW speeds with 57c load @ 75% fan speed (it's cooler out now than 2-3 months ago tho..by about 40-50+ degrees F lol).

I agree with john about getting on SP3, no sense in running SP2 really...but I haven't ran vista on any of my rigs for months now...Vista x64 FTW!

Though I did like SP3 on Xp when I was still running it...seemed to make the OS snappier...dunno if it actually improved any performance...but hey might as well keep current imo, unless you have issues with it of course.

 

[waxking1]

Well, I got my 280 gtx today. The first one I got I sent back becasue it overheated and then I stepped up my 260 to a 260-216. I wasn't totally happy with the 216 even though it had better 3dmark scores my original 260 overclocked better.

My new 280 runs cooler than the first one which would get into the 90s. This one hits the low 70s under load which is still a little warm but I'll probably do something to make this one run cooler after I've had it a while. Seems to be pretty stable at 756/1512/1332. It will run at 756/1566/1332 but has some very slight artifacting when it heats up. It won't do the next step up to 783 without some significant artifacting and BSOD after a bit. I think with a little better cooling it would run at 783 ok. Makes me want to try water. Here's my 3dM06 at 756/1566/1332.

http://www.techpowerup.org/uploaded.php?file=081015/280 3dm06.jpg

 

[shawnizzzle]

Nice try running it on xp sp3 if your dual booted i know that xp gave me about 2,000 more points on the exact same system than my vista I dont know why and if any of you do id really like to know. But with my Q6600 at 4.02ghz with sli 9800tgx's i broke the 20,000 mark.

 

[shawnizzzle]

Correct me if im wrong but isnt the 180's supposed to support dual monitors with sli just like ati does?