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What's a Golden Sample?

J

jrbryner

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Feb 6, 2001
Messages
1,530
I'm looking at Newegg's 5900 cards, and Gainward has 2 listed, a regular one and a "Golden Sample". The GS one is $10 more. I can't find any difference. Clock speeds are listed as the same, same software, same cables, same card.

From Gainward's website:
'Gainward's "Golden Sample(TM)" products guarantee outstanding stability and performance even at significantly enhanced clock settings by using a hand selected 3D graphics processor and carefully qualified memory chips. '

Still no help. Am I missing something?
 
Originally posted by jrbryner
I'm looking at Newegg's 5900 cards, and Gainward has 2 listed, .................
Click to expand...

Gainward's Golden Sample cards are gauranteed to be great OCers, and are. The non-GS are not gauranteed to OC, however, the few non-GS that I got to use/test easily OCed to above a 5950 (w/ Coolbits, each got to 540/1000 stable in gaming).

Overall though, for only $10 more, I'd suggest the GS card for the main reason mentioned above, and, down the road a few years if you sell the card, you'll get a higher resale value than a non-GS card.
 
Nothing is guaranteed to OC.

We've had GS Ti200s here on the forum that didn't overclock more than 20 mhz.
 
Basically Golden Sample cards are covered under warranty even when you overclock to a certain limit. Sometimes the install disk may even have a set of drivers that automatically boosts up the clock speeds for you. Also, the GS cards sometimes have faster RAM on them... so I'd pay the extra $10 but thats just me.
 
:D Well, a Golden Sample can also be a special Gainward card -- one blessed with the golden nectar of a Gainward line technician. :D

Or it could be a card onto which some disgruntled employee poured his/her failed drug test sample in protest.

IronChefMorimoto
 
Golden smaples really aren't that different, their name is just bigger, which in turn makes them magically faster.
 
golden samples are guarenteed to run at golden sample speeds, which are higher than stock clocks. for example, the 5950 golden sample is guaranteed under warranty to run at 500/1000 for its entire lifetime 100% stable and artifact free, if it does not, then it isn't a golden sample, it is that simple.
 
Originally posted by Badger_sly
^^Wrong.

Gainward's GS are.
Click to expand...

Right... which is why we had Gainward Golden Sample GF3 TI200's that couldn't overclock worth a damn.

Read the disclaimers, buddy, there is NO guarantee for performance. If you'd like to link to prove me wrong, be my guest. Otherwise, take a lesson from the past, NOTHING is guaranteed to overclock.

I quote:
Gainward's "Golden Sample(TM)" products guarantee outstanding stability and performance even at significantly enhanced clock settings by using a hand selected 3D graphics processor and carefully qualified memory chips.

All of Gainward's genuine and unique "Golden Sample(TM)" products guarantee outstanding stability and performance at significantly enhanced clock settings by using hand selected graphics processors, carefully qualified ultra fast memory chips, and advanced proprietary hardware tuning techniques to offer absolute leading-edge performance for the 3D enthusiast.
Click to expand...

They guarantee STABILITY. Not OCability. You try to return it because it doesn't overclock very high, and you'll be laughed at.

Try again. :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Merlin45
golden samples are guarenteed to run at golden sample speeds, which are higher than stock clocks. for example, the 5950 golden sample is guaranteed under warranty to run at 500/1000 for its entire lifetime 100% stable and artifact free, if it does not, then it isn't a golden sample, it is that simple.
Click to expand...

Which is what companies USED to do. It's not an overclock. It's a higher stock speed.
 
^hmm, last time i looked at it, i thought it was two bios values, which the exper tool detects and calls safe, and enhanced, safe is stock, and enhanced is gs speeds, and you pick one.
 
The GS arent even clocked higher in most cases. The only difference is the drivers and software that is included (sometimes dual monitors are only on GS). They do have a driver on their cd which will overclock the card...though it gives you a warning to use the other drivers if you have problems. They are "supposed" to overclock better. Im very happy with the three I've had (save for 2 of the failing for no reason).
 
Originally posted by lopoetve
Right... which is why we had Gainward Golden Sample GF3 TI200's that couldn't overclock worth a damn.
Click to expand...

But it did OC, which they guaranteed. As a note, I also had that same GS ti200 and it was a great OCer. With your little OC, you either had a bum card or a system problem.

Originally posted by lopoetve, Gainward quote:

"guarantee outstanding stability and performance even at significantly enhanced clock settings "
Click to expand...
Hey thanks man! You quoted them for me ;) Thanks for saving me the time and helping me show that you were mistaken.

You try to return it because it doesn't overclock very high, and you'll be laughed at.
Click to expand...
If it's a GS and doesn't OC at all, Gainward will send you a different card as a replacement. No laughing will take place during the exchange.
 
I had a Golden Sample gf4 Ti4200 which did 4600 speeds without any problems.
 
Originally posted by Badger_sly
But it did OC, which they guaranteed. As a note, I also had that same GS ti200 and it was a great OCer. With your little OC, you either had a bum card or a system problem.


Hey thanks man! You quoted them for me ;) Thanks for saving me the time and helping me show that you were mistaken.


If it's a GS and doesn't OC at all, Gainward will send you a different card as a replacement. No laughing will take place during the exchange.
Click to expand...


My quotes show that they guarantee them at the speed they ship them at, much like Hercules did with it's Riva TNT2 Ultra 5 years ago, and companies did before then. It's not a user overclock, it's a choice between running speeds.

You are guaranteed NO overclock beyond what they ship it at, which is what I said, and what my qoutes say, and show YOU as mistaken. And, as El Nacho pointed out, most of them (that Ti200 included) were NOT overclocked out of the door. In fact, most of us considered it a scam at the time, since their "hand-picked" cores didn't OC any better than the others, and often did worse. I was here during that era, I know what went on. I was one of the ones working on those. The system was great, the card just didn't OC well, so I sold it and used something different.

Oh, and they' won't take it back. Overclocking past their speeds still voids the warranty. You're in the same boat you were in the first place with any other card, unless you want to show me a warranty card that shows different.

Again, a Golden Sample is nothing more than hand picked ram and a core that they think ~might~ overclock more. There are no guarantees in life, just as there are no guarantees that theirs will OC more, or at all, than any other card/maker.
 
Originally posted by Ebenol
I had a Golden Sample gf4 Ti4200 which did 4600 speeds without any problems.
Click to expand...

I had one of those too, it OC'd really nicely. 4600 no problem.
 
Originally posted by lopoetve
Again, a Golden Sample is nothing more than hand picked ram and a core that they think ~might~ overclock more. There are no guarantees in life, just as there are no guarantees that theirs will OC more, or at all, than any other card/maker.
Click to expand...

I agree. When I had my GS Ti4200, the results of people who had them were widely varied across the board. Some people only got 25mhz, some got 100 or more.

Any chip will technically "overclock", its just whether it will run at that speed for very long, have heat/bus issues at that speed, or be healthy for that chip in the long run.

The GS is only hand-picked modules that are deemed to be 'higher quality' (golden sample) that the average chip.

Much like how people compared the codes on the Athlon 1700's to judge the overclockability of the chip, Gainward does practically the same when they judge a chip or yield to be higher quality than the average.
 
Remember, the Ti 4200 had a few bad batches. I had to RMA mine, b/c in cold weather the capacitors wouldnt function properly and the card would get choppy... I got it back a week later and it is overclocked and stable as a dream...
 
products guarantee outstanding stability and performance even at significantly enhanced clock settings by using a hand selected 3D graphics processor and carefully qualified memory chips.
Click to expand...

lol, way to quote yourself out. What else would 'significantly enhanced clock speeds' be? making the clock speed letters in bold? :rofl:

Heres a translation - 'guaranteed to be stable and perform at even significantly higher CLOCK SPEEDS'.
 
I agree 100% with Badger.... the GS cards aren't guarenteed to overclock to some astronomical amount, but they are guarenteed to overclock to a certain limit that Gainward has set. When I bought my Gainward TI4800SE, stock clocks were 275/550 and IIRC it was guarenteed to go to ~295/600 or something to the matter. They give you the option to install the normal drivers, or the ones that are O/C'd (*BOTH* drivers are supplied by Gainward). Didn't have any problems with it and it actually went up to 335/740 (which I might add I only remeber the Albatron 4800SE getting even close to that fast, hell most 4600's couldnt do that)

products guarantee outstanding stability and performance even at significantly enhanced clock settings by using a hand selected 3D graphics processor and carefully qualified memory chips.
Click to expand...


lol, way to quote yourself out. What else would 'significantly enhanced clock speeds' be? making the clock speed letters in bold? :rofl:

Heres a translation - 'guaranteed to be stable and perform at even significantly higher CLOCK SPEEDS'.
Click to expand...

lol ditto
 
Originally posted by Etacovda
lol, way to quote yourself out. What else would 'significantly enhanced clock speeds' be? making the clock speed letters in bold? :rofl:

Heres a translation - 'guaranteed to be stable and perform at even significantly higher CLOCK SPEEDS'.
Click to expand...

Try the 25 or so mhz higher than stock they ship them at.

:rolleyes:

Way to read the thread, dude. Try again.
 
Originally posted by sKiDmArK
I agree 100% with Badger.... the GS cards aren't guarenteed to overclock to some astronomical amount, but they are guarenteed to overclock to a certain limit that Gainward has set. When I bought my Gainward TI4800SE, stock clocks were 275/550 and IIRC it was guarenteed to go to ~295/600 or something to the matter. They give you the option to install the normal drivers, or the ones that are O/C'd (*BOTH* drivers are supplied by Gainward). Didn't have any problems with it and it actually went up to 335/740 (which I might add I only remeber the Albatron 4800SE getting even close to that fast, hell most 4600's couldnt do that)




lol, way to quote yourself out. What else would 'significantly enhanced clock speeds' be? making the clock speed letters in bold? :rofl:

Heres a translation - 'guaranteed to be stable and perform at even significantly higher CLOCK SPEEDS'.
Click to expand...


lol ditto [/QUOTE]

Wow. You all have trouble with really simple things.

Gainward guarantees them to run at what they ship them at. In this case, it's a small (25mhz or so) increase over stock. How about READING the thread, OR the website? Or are you both incapable of reading for yourselves? :rolleyes:

Gainward guarantees the speeds they ship at, NOTHING more. If it doesn't overclock any more than that, you're SOL. They guarantee nothing more; they won't take it back.

Try researching for yourselves, rather than blindly accepting what someone says. Hell, ask around. There are PLENTY of people on here who had GS cards that didn't oc well, if even at all. And plenty that did.

Again, there are no guarantees in life on extras. Neither are there guarantees on overclocking.
 
Originally posted by lopoetve

Gainward guarantees them to run at what they ship them at. In this case, it's a small (25mhz or so) increase over stock. How about READING the thread, OR the website? Or are you both incapable of reading for yourselves? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Go for it man, turn it personal. In my experience, the "shipped" speed as you put it, is the normal clock frequencies for that model (ie: ti4800SE 275/550). There is nothing built into that card's bios that will automatically change the frequency using WHQL Nvidia drivers from their website.

Gainward guarantees the speeds they ship at, NOTHING more.
Click to expand...

ONCE AGAIN, they have seperate O/C'd drivers you can use. THIS IS NOT "the speed they ship at", that would be the normal speed set to Nvidia spec depending on what chipset it is. A Gainward GS card DOES NOT come overclocked out of the box... you decide when you install the drivers whether you want to or not.
 
1032894087wyOOyTbFFa_1_1_l.jpg


:D
 
Originally posted by sKiDmArK
Go for it man, turn it personal. In my experience, the "shipped" speed as you put it, is the normal clock frequencies for that model (ie: ti4800SE 275/550). There is nothing built into that card's bios that will automatically change the frequency using WHQL Nvidia drivers from their website.



ONCE AGAIN, they have seperate O/C'd drivers you can use. THIS IS NOT "the speed they ship at", that would be the normal speed set to Nvidia spec depending on what chipset it is. A Gainward GS card DOES NOT come overclocked out of the box... you decide when you install the drivers whether you want to or not.
Click to expand...

1. Then you obviously didn't read the thread, as I asserted (since the thread showed that the FX shipps at a slightly higher clock speed, unlike the original cards that they sold as a Golden Sample, either through Gainwards' drivers, or through the BIOS).

2. They include the drivers. Therefore either:
a. They intend for it to be run out of the box at that speed.
OR
b. They don't, in which case it is nothing more than any other FX card, but with a hand picked core, WHICH GUARANTEES NOTHING. Hand picked cores don't mean it will OC any better, which has been proven by experience time and time again.

Thus, it has NO guarantee for overclocking, beyond what their drivers or bios changes would give you. It it doesn't work with their drivers, then you can send it back. If it does, but doesn't OC any more, then you are SOL.

So, again, my point stands, and you even help prove it. They offer NO guarantee for overclocking, at all, beyond their drivers, and there will be a disclaimer on them as well. It's always been that way. The often OC fine, but sometimes they don't. Either way, it is NOT a guarantee.

So, are you going to find a legal document on their site that says differently (other than marketing mumbo-jumbo, which won't hold water for a warranty or in court), or are you all going or are you going to realize that there is NO guarantee for any overclock, ever, anywhere? Even ATi has a disclaimer on their Overdrive...
 
LOL this is amuzing. I never stated they guarenteed they over clocked beyond what the golden sample limit is... if I did please find it, seriously do. The spec speed for a 5950 is 475/950, the Golden sample is GUARENTEED to clock at 500/1000 through Gainwards drivers, or hell through anything... it doesn't matter. If you get a GS card that doesn't do that, you get a new one. This IS an overclock, whether Gainward makes it easy for you or not. A 5950 was made to run at 475/950 therefore 500/1000 would be an overclock no matter how you came about it.

Taken from a review at Neoseeker

"Assuming you did plug in the molex connector, and that the card is running at full speed, the card will run at 500 mhz for the core, and 1000 mhz for the (256 megs worth of) memory. This is default only when you install Gainward's drivers. Otherwise, it will be detected at the default GeForce FX 5950 Ultra specifications of 475/950. The card also has the now-standard VGA/DVI-I/VIVO connectors. "

2. They include the drivers. Therefore either:
a. They intend for it to be run out of the box at that speed.
Click to expand...

What happens when new drivers are released or they want to install the first drivers with ones that aren't supplied by Gainward? They go to nvidia.com and suddenly the clock speed is back to 475/950. Does that mean since they're using newer drivers that they can't go back to 500/1000.... lol you take a guess.

edit: I also realized I said I agree with badger 100%... which well isn't true because he said all GS are guarenteed to O/C well. I guess thats all a matter of opinion... but the GS are guarenteed to overclock over the normal speed which no other company I know of offers.
 
Originally posted by sKiDmArK
LOL this is amuzing. I never stated they guarenteed they over clocked beyond what the golden sample limit is... if I did please find it, seriously do. The spec speed for a 5950 is 475/950, the Golden sample is GUARENTEED to clock at 500/1000 through Gainwards drivers, or hell through anything... it doesn't matter. If you get a GS card that doesn't do that, you get a new one. This IS an overclock, whether Gainward makes it easy for you or not. A 5950 was made to run at 475/950 therefore 500/1000 would be an overclock no matter how you came about it.

Taken from a review at Neoseeker

"Assuming you did plug in the molex connector, and that the card is running at full speed, the card will run at 500 mhz for the core, and 1000 mhz for the (256 megs worth of) memory. This is default only when you install Gainward's drivers. Otherwise, it will be detected at the default GeForce FX 5950 Ultra specifications of 475/950. The card also has the now-standard VGA/DVI-I/VIVO connectors. "



What happens when new drivers are released or they want to install the first drivers with ones that aren't supplied by Gainward? They go to nvidia.com and suddenly the clock speed is back to 475/950. Does that mean since they're using newer drivers that they can't go back to 500/1000.... lol you take a guess.

edit: I also realized I said I agree with badger 100%... which well isn't true because he said all GS are guarenteed to O/C well. I guess thats all a matter of opinion... but the GS are guarenteed to overclock over the normal speed which no other company I know of offers.
Click to expand...

Then you are arguing my point, patially, and we had a misunderstanding. :) I'm just saying it's part marketing hype, and we've encountered it here enough times. The GS cards DO sometimes OC great, even astoundingly great. There are also times where they don't, at all. THAT was my point. No hard feelings? :) And yes, it's an overclock, but it's a company done guarantee (just like Herc, creative, etc USED to do :(), and that is the only guarantee. You get no assurances for anything over that, and most everyone here would call 25mhz on the core a minor, at best, overclock.

It's all a matter of perspective, but you get no "Oh, it didn't make it to 550" warranty :)
 
Yea hehe I realized in the last post that we were kinda on the same stance... just from a little different point of view. No hard feelings... I just felt frusterated somewhat and I think I misunderstood some of the things you were saying. :)
 
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