Frustrated with 6800GT and Aquamark

CypHill

Gawd
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
553
Hey guys - I need some help here. First I'll list my system and give a brief description of my problem.

AMD64 3200+ @ 2.4Ghz (10x240)
HTT: 4x240
1GB DDR: 240Hz @ 3-4-4-11 1T
eVGA 6800 GT @ 400/1070
Chaintech VNF3-250 9/21 bios
71.25 Forceware
6.37 nForce drivers
DirectX 9.0c
WinXP
600watt Power supply (really cheapo)

Ever since I got this system up, I've been having problems getting the right scores in Aquamark. I constantly get
GFX: 5k+
CPU: 10k+
Aquamark Score: 45k+

This is terrible! I should be in the 60k's right? The GFX score should be in the 9k atleast?

I have AGP 8x enabled in bios - It's enabled in nVidia's drivers. I have vSync -off. High performance settings - AA/AF - off.. Aperture at 256mb.. I just don't understand why the scores are so low?

I've tried a fresh install of WinXP with fresh install of nVidia drivers but all that work was for nothing... I'm getting the same exact scores.

Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong? Could my power supply be the culprit? Can a weak PS diminish the performance of a 6800 GT?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :confused: :(
 
CypHill said:
Hey guys - I need some help here. First I'll list my system and give a brief description of my problem.

AMD64 3200+ @ 2.4Ghz (10x240)
HTT: 4x240
1GB DDR: 240Hz @ 3-4-4-11 1T
eVGA 6800 GT @ 400/1070
Chaintech VNF3-250 9/21 bios
71.25 Forceware
6.37 nForce drivers
DirectX 9.0c
WinXP
600watt Power supply (really cheapo)

Ever since I got this system up, I've been having problems getting the right scores in Aquamark. I constantly get
GFX: 5k+
CPU: 10k+
Aquamark Score: 45k+

This is terrible! I should be in the 60k's right? The GFX score should be in the 9k atleast?

I have AGP 8x enabled in bios - It's enabled in nVidia's drivers. I have vSync -off. High performance settings - AA/AF - off.. Aperture at 256mb.. I just don't understand why the scores are so low?

I've tried a fresh install of WinXP with fresh install of nVidia drivers but all that work was for nothing... I'm getting the same exact scores.

Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong? Could my power supply be the culprit? Can a weak PS diminish the performance of a 6800 GT?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :confused: :(

rofl, i get 58,500 with my 6800. it proboly is ur psu. do you have lastest drivers?
 
I have tried many drivers - from 61.7x to 71.25 and none of them have helped.

I really don't think it's a driver issue - I've done clean installs to no avail. :(
 
Yeah that's way too low. I'm thinking you haven't installed chipset drivers and don't have AGP accelleration on...

Try this to find out:
Start>Run> "dxdiag".

Once that opens click the display tab and under directx features there should be, directdraw accel, direct3d accel, and agp texture accel.... those all enabled?
 
All are enabled - one of the first things I checked.

This is a killer problem.. I could answer my own question only if I had a really good PS to test with.

I've heard a rumor that my 600watt PS is really two 300watt units put together -

My rails seem fine though - however I cannot watch them as I'm running any hard 3D apps..
 
hmmm well, if you have access to a multimeter you could check it from a molex while it's running right?
 
Yeah I guess it's about time to get one-- a useful tool any one should have anyways.

I'll stop by the Radio Slack by my work tomorrow.
 
It is highly unlikely that a poor PSU would cause any great swings in performance. You'd either make it through the benchmark, or wouldn't.
I'd look somewhere else.
 
Quit being twats and showing off your scores, and start trying to help solve the problem.

My bet is motherboard chipset drivers. That is usually the source of really radically under-performing hardware. Install all the latest drivers for your motherboard from the manufacturer's web site.
 
Yeah without chipset drivers installed at all it takes quite a big performance hit.

Tryed overclocking the card? also most of the high scores achieved in Aquamark 3 are using a positive LOD Bias.
 
CastleBravo said:
Quit being twats and showing off your scores, and start trying to help solve the problem.

My bet is motherboard chipset drivers. That is usually the source of really radically under-performing hardware. Install all the latest drivers for your motherboard from the manufacturer's web site.

CaslteBravo - I've tried all drivers - both chipset and video card. All give me same scores.
 
TheTrebleKing said:
Yeah without chipset drivers installed at all it takes quite a big performance hit.

Tryed overclocking the card? also most of the high scores achieved in Aquamark 3 are using a positive LOD Bias.

"Tryed" reading my original post?
 
64bit_is_here said:
whats the score at stock?

With the card at stock - I get around 43k-44k

I'm not sure with the CPU at stock - but I know it's not a CPU issue - it's rock-solid stable.. Prime95 for days - also used SuperPi - also loop memtest.
 
That does seem pretty low.....i get 62.5k with my current setup. You should be getting this stock at least.

CPU - 10.3k
GFX - 8.8k

Im using 5.10 forceware drivers and 75.90 Video drivers. My overclock is listed in my sig.

Have you done a nice fresh install of drivers and use Driver Cleaner to remove old? AA AF disabled? Set to high performance in video card setting?
 
Yes to all of the above.

I have tried just about everything. I'm gonna try out another PSU soon hopefully.
 
Well, the core of any good system is a strong motherboard and power supply.....the two things most people skimp out on, then wonder why they get instability... :rolleyes: Either way, if you're unsure about your PSU, change it anyhow, I say. If it doesn't fix the problem, it's one less angle and one less thing to worry about blowing up your system. Motherboard's AGP drivers are installed I hope (chipset as you said are installed) as well as hopefully no extra drivers from nvidia. If you've upgraded your drivers and NOT used driver clear, go do so now. Also, if fast-write is turned on in the BIOS, disable that as well. Oh, and if you're running AquaMark, you should set AA/AF to be set by the program, otherwise the 4x AF in the test is overridden and gives a higher score than you should have.

Just a few ideas.
 
Well it can be this or that. Drivers or Windows it self.
Those problems You can solve with reinstallation of XP and reinstallation of drivers. Be shure You have deinstalled Nvidia driver before You install tweaked driver.

There is a one other thing many people forget about or doo not realize.
Just doo a benchmark with stock speed for Your grafic card.
Point that card doesn't crash or doesn't make artifacts when OC-ed doesn't mean it's stable in all aplication and it doesn't man it is faster then on stock settings.
I have had it many times like realy high OC's of GPU and much lower results in Aquamark. Even reseting driver doesn't help. Only restart with stock settings helps.

I've seen 6800GT's that will not make 10 MHz more and stable. Like it will OC extremly high and some thigns work with those settings but some benchmark programs (3Dmark2005 mostly) crash mashine and Aquamark goes thru and shows slower results. Sometimes it's just bad PSU that an't maintain enough power. Sometimes it's mainboard that can't give it's part thru a AGP. But sometimes it's just grafic card that doesn't OC good.

So to be shure bench Your mashine with everything (CPU , memory, and Grafic card) on stock settings. Then You should make 55000~58000 points in Aquamark.
If it does it then OC bit grafic card and bench, if it's more then on stock it's good. Soon as it gives no extra points restart and go to last know setings with extra points in Aqua mark. Then go with OC-ing Your memory and CPU and if You can gett somethign out of it then You profit if it becomes unstable be happy with what You have. Anyways stock speed GT will give You with all stock speeds enough muscle to play any game wit hall eye candy on. OC-ing will add just few FPS anyways. Even in best results when OC-ing make it work even 30 % faster in rela life it's allready so fast that You hardly can see is it 70 or 90 FPS.

If on other hand if it doesn't mostprobobly Yo uahve software problem.



MD
 
CypHill said:
With the card at stock - I get around 43k-44k

I'm not sure with the CPU at stock - but I know it's not a CPU issue - it's rock-solid stable.. Prime95 for days - also used SuperPi - also loop memtest.

He's already checked stock settings....and his CPU primes fine, so that isn't the source of the problems.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys - I really do appreciate the effort.

But please do read fully all my posts - I have answered and re-answered a lot of things.

Yes - I did try a fresh install of drivers - when I formatted my whole HD and did a fresh install of Windows XP, I did a fresh install of nVidia drivers (both chipset and videocard).

Yes - I did try setting everything at stock to see what the bench was - it was piss poor - around 43k-44k. I should be in high 50's I believe.

Yes - I do have AF/AA on application controlled - I've also tried it with it off..

Yes - vSync is OFF

No - I didn't skimp on processor or CPU - Many people have success with Chaintech's VNF3-250. It's a very popular board and an excellent OC'er.

Any other suggestions would be great.
 
RMA the motherboard or buy a new one completely, its very rare that a problem like this would be down to PSU power, if an Nvidia card is underpowered it will display a message on windows startup saying your card is running in low power 3d mode.
 
I would try your videocard in someone elses machine to see if that's the source of the issue.
 
TheTrebleKing said:
RMA the motherboard or buy a new one completely, its very rare that a problem like this would be down to PSU power, if an Nvidia card is underpowered it will display a message on windows startup saying your card is running in low power 3d mode.

Believe it or not - but I've tried that already.

This is the 2nd VNF3-250 and I got the same results - however on a good note I am able to OC my CPU a little higher with this one. ;)
 
tsuehpsyde said:
I would try your videocard in someone elses machine to see if that's the source of the issue.

Yes I should try that too - however I don't know anyone with a similar setup..

My friend with the 939 has PCI-e slots
 
That seems very low. My dual 6600 GT's get 83899 and our systems are not that far off otherwise.

EDIT: I just saw that you fixed it. My bad :)
 
Hey Thomas - which drivers do you use?

Well one big difference is you have a 939 and I'm on 754 - and you have about another 160Mhz on me :)

What is your memory score in SiSoft? I just helped build a buddy's 939 and we got 7100 @ 270FSB.
 
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