Puzzled by my new 3870X2

[DanishDevil]

Yes, I know my computer isn't a powerhouse, but I just nabbed a 3870X2 for just under $400, and I can barely break 10k on 3DMark06. In-game, I barely get any more frames than with my old 3870. I'm playing F.E.A.R., Call of Duty 4, Crysis, and Bioshock. Any ideas?

I'm on CAT 8.2 as well. Considering returning this and going with a 3850 or 3870.

[hat]

This kind of thing usually happens with ATi. At first thier drivers will be something just to get the card to work... but with every release the drivers get better and better.

...or it could be your processor holding you back. Don't worry the 5000+ BE's can hit 3.6GHz with pretty good cooling (probably water or one beastly air cooler)

hmm... 1.5v is pretty much safe 24/7 to put through a modern Athlon x2, but that cooler is kind of a wacky design... and Cali isn't the best place for overclocking.

I say just wait for new driver releases and watch the performance climb. If not... get clocking. I would say up to 65c (load) is safe when using Coretemp.

[DanishDevil]

This kind of thing usually happens with ATi. At first thier drivers will be something just to get the card to work... but with every release the drivers get better and better.

...or it could be your processor holding you back. Don't worry the 5000+ BE's can hit 3.6GHz with pretty good cooling (probably water or one beastly air cooler)

hmm... 1.5v is pretty much safe 24/7 to put through a modern Athlon x2, but that cooler is kind of a wacky design... and Cali isn't the best place for overclocking.

I say just wait for new driver releases and watch the performance climb. If not... get clocking. I would say up to 65c (load) is safe when using Coretemp.

I've tried to mess with the proc. a bit, but it doesn't seem to like anything above 3.2 whether I stuff voltage into it or not. I'm probably done with MSI motherboards for a while. I do plan to water cool it once I get a hold of my new case. My L2 cache blows (512k) and that's probably a good part of it too.

Still not sure if I want a $400 card. I'd probably be happier with a 3870 and then add another later. Oh well. 30-day lenient return policy means I can hold onto this for another few weeks :toast:

Here's hope to CAT 8.3 with significantly improved performance on the 3870X2s!

[acperience7]

Personally I would keep it, especially if it's an ASUS (I love the heatsink art on that card). However since you bought it for under $400 you could put it up for sale on eBay with a reserve. I would say to reserve it at $410-420. See if you get any bites on a 10 day slot. If someone wants to pay you get a great return on your investment. On the other hand: It's a good card with lost potential for a future build.

[Scrizz]

is crossfire enabled?

[hat]

I've tried to mess with the proc. a bit, but it doesn't seem to like anything above 3.2 whether I stuff voltage into it or not. I'm probably done with MSI motherboards for a while. I do plan to water cool it once I get a hold of my new case. My L2 cache blows (512k) and that's probably a good part of it too.

Still not sure if I want a $400 card. I'd probably be happier with a 3870 and then add another later. Oh well. 30-day lenient return policy means I can hold onto this for another few weeks :toast:

Here's hope to CAT 8.3 with significantly improved performance on the 3870X2s!

no no no the 512k cache is just fine on AMD. You will see Intel boasting (OH LOOK OUR PROCESSOR HAS 16GB OF CACHE HUR-HUR-HUR) but they jam as much cache into it as they can because of the Front Slow(Side) Bus, which is much slower than AMD's HTT link, which is much faster than the front slow bus, which is why you will not see an AMD processor today with more than 2x1mb cache (4x512kb for phenom).

The only reason Intel pwnz AMD right now is because the Core arcitecture is so good. If Intel had rights to use HTT link technology, you would probably see them boasting no more than 2MB shared (this would mean 2MB on an E6600, and 4MB on a Q6600... 2MB per die)

I'd trade my 5200+ Windsor 2x1MB cache for a 5000+ BE with 2x512KB cache any day. :toast:

[zOaib]

Yes, I know my computer isn't a powerhouse, but I just nabbed a 3870X2 for just under $400, and I can barely break 10k on 3DMark06. In-game, I barely get any more frames than with my old 3870. I'm playing F.E.A.R., Call of Duty 4, Crysis, and Bioshock. Any ideas?

I'm on CAT 8.2 as well. Considering returning this and going with a 3850 or 3870.

use 8.1 , i had some bad experience with 8.2's

[DanishDevil]

is crossfire enabled?

Crossfire is enabled by default and you actually can't change it. That's the first thing I looked for when I installed the card, but under CCC in CAT 8.2, there's no Crossfire tab whatsoever. Let me know if you want some screens.


Personally I would keep it, especially if it's an ASUS (I love the heatsink art on that card). However since you bought it for under $400 you could put it up for sale on eBay with a reserve. I would say to reserve it at $410-420. See if you get any bites on a 10 day slot. If someone wants to pay you get a great return on your investment. On the other hand: It's a good card with lost potential for a future build.

Not an ASUS (heatsink art is awesome). It was under $400 before tax, so unless I could sell it for like $450, I'd rather just return it. I will keep an eye on Ebay though thanks for the suggestion.


no no no the 512k cache is just fine on AMD. You will see Intel boasting (OH LOOK OUR PROCESSOR HAS 16GB OF CACHE HUR-HUR-HUR) but they jam as much cache into it as they can because of the Front Slow(Side) Bus, which is much slower than AMD's HTT link, which is much faster than the front slow bus, which is why you will not see an AMD processor today with more than 2x1mb cache (4x512kb for phenom).

The only reason Intel pwnz AMD right now is because the Core arcitecture is so good. If Intel had rights to use HTT link technology, you would probably see them boasting no more than 2MB shared (this would mean 2MB on an E6600, and 4MB on a Q6600... 2MB per die)

I'd trade my 5200+ Windsor 2x1MB cache for a 5000+ BE with 2x512KB cache any day. :toast:

I'm gonna try messing with my 5000+BE a little more. I had it at 250*11, but anything higher multi-wise barely made it to windows logon. So I'm sitting at 211*15 (3150ish) @ 1.392-1.424V right now. I love how much my voltage fluctuates :) It's 1.35 +6.6%. You think my Enermax Liberty 620W is sufficient for my system? I almost grabbed a Corsair 620 @ my local store. My system pulls about 350+W while playing games.

I've got a thread in the OC forum about my OCing, but I haven't posted anything in a bit.


use 8.1 , i had some bad experience with 8.2's

ARGH! Why can't they release drivers with BETTER performance every time!?!? K thanks for the suggestion. I'll try it out later. I'm probably gonna reformat soon anyway. Filled up my damn 74G Raptor with games and all these installs/cleans/uninstalls with having multiple video cards and an ATi TV Tuner are messing with my system.

[ShadowFold]

I get 11k with a 3.2ghz E2200 and a single HD 3850 so im guessing the drivers arent utalizing the second gpu. I'd try different drivers and see if that helps.

[DanishDevil]

I get 11k with a 3.2ghz E2200 and a single HD 3850 so im guessing the drivers arent utalizing the second gpu. I'd try different drivers and see if that helps.

Gonna try 8.1's then maybe some DNA or Omega drivers too. Any other suggestions? Haven't used modded Catalyst drivers in a while. GPU-Z and other programs give me wierd default clocks for each GPU. It almost seems like they're reading 1 GPU as the 3D and the other as the 2D for default clocks. I just ignored it because people are having trouble adjusting to all these new cards.

[ShadowFold]

Dont use omegas they suck lol

[fitseries3]

damn, i can say... i am getting about 9k points higher than you. there has to be something wrong. even with your BE 5000+ x2 you should be seeing 13k easy with the 3870x2.

try using driver cleaner to remove all the old drivers and CCC. reboot and install the 8.2 drivers again. only use the driver installer.... not the driver/CCC installer. you can use a different program to OC your card.

crossfire is enabled by default and cannot be turned off on the 3870x2.

ALSO.... DL and run CCleaner AND Registry Mechanic and it should help clean up any problems that may occur when installing the 8.2 drivers

[Nitro-Max]

Dont panic yet when i first ran my new 3870x2 in 3dmark 06 i got just over 12k and i thought wtf!!!!??? on a quad core!! but it was just a bug for some reason the 3d speeds didnt run. i still dont know if it was a driver bug or 3dmark bug but i think at some point i put in a 3dmark 06 patch and that seemed to cure it because 2nd run i got 16k+ im now getting 18k+ with just a cpu oc.

It does the same in counterstrike source if u have everything set to low it only uses around 40 to 60% of the 2d clock but its still fast 299fps which is the limit in css.i found this out by running dual monitors maybe you could do the same and see if 3d clocks are been used when you run 3dmark.

[DanishDevil]

damn, i can say... i am getting about 9k points higher than you. there has to be something wrong. even with your BE 5000+ x2 you should be seeing 13k easy with the 3870x2.

try using driver cleaner to remove all the old drivers and CCC. reboot and install the 8.2 drivers again. only use the driver installer.... not the driver/CCC installer. you can use a different program to OC your card.

crossfire is enabled by default and cannot be turned off on the 3870x2.

ALSO.... DL and run CCleaner AND Registry Mechanic and it should help clean up any problems that may occur when installing the 8.2 drivers

I've been using DriverCleanerPRO between the uninstall and new installs in conjuction with a registry cleaner. I'll try these specifically once I start messing with Catalyst.


Dont panic yet when i first ran my new 3870x2 in 3dmark 06 i got just over 12k and i thought wtf!!!!??? on a quad core!! but it was just a bug for some reason the 3d speeds didnt run. i still dont know if it was a driver bug or 3dmark bug but i think at some point i put in a 3dmark 06 patch and that seemed to cure it because 2nd run i got 16k+ im now getting 18k+ with just a cpu oc.

It does the same in counterstrike source if u have everything set to low it only uses around 40 to 60% of the 2d clock but its still fast 299fps which is the limit in css.i found this out by running dual monitors maybe you could do the same and see if 3d clocks are been used when you run 3dmark.

http://www.futuremark.com/download/hotfix_oct07/

The October 07 hotfix? I think I've got that installed. I'll double check...

And if you know of a program for the Logitech G15 Keyboard LCD that shows current GPU clocks (or one that displays temps :)) then I can keep tabs on it, but I don't have an extra monitor lying around here at school.


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OK not sure if I had the patch installed or not. I know for a fact that I had applied the patch at some point, but I might have gotten rid of it when I reinstalled a few programs.

Running it now. I'm @ 2.8 instead of 3.2 though, but at 280*10. I'll see what it gives me.


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Doesn't look like the patch made a difference. I probably already had it applied. Got just under 9000 @ 2.8

[trog100]

2006 scores dont relate to games.. its very very cpu limitted.. games aint..

i tried two 3870 cards with a 790x board.. i sold the second card and went back to one.. i would advise u to do the same.. but thats just me..

i play all my games at 1680 x 1050.. its the max my monitor will do.. having two 3870 cards was a waste.. except for playing the 2006 benchmark game with a massively overclocked intel quad cpu..

for the record.. one amd dual core 6000+ at 3.4 gig and two 3870 cards will score 13000 2006 points.. one card will score 11000.. least mine did..

2005 is 17000 with one card 19000 with two..

now 2005 fully maxed out with all the AA and stuff at a higher resolution still scored 17000 with two cards but only 11000 with one.. crossfire with an amd system aint about faster frame rates at lower resolutions.. its about being able to use higher resolutions without the drop off.. so unless u have a large monitor and want to play higher resolutions C/F wont do u much good..

the super high 2006 score with a fast intel quad system is fake.. it will not relate to games in the slightest..

trog

[DanishDevil]

I've got a Samsung 216BW (almost 22" @ 1680 x 1050 for less than $200 a months ago :)) so I'm playing everything at that too. I'll bite and mess with different drivers and cruise with this for a month, but the second my local store gets its 3870s back in stock I'm buying one. Maybe hybrid crossfire x will be out so I can use the 3870 as a ppu lol

[trog100]

I've got a Samsung 216BW (almost 22" @ 1680 x 1050 for less than $200 a months ago :)) so I'm playing everything at that too. I'll bite and mess with different drivers and cruise with this for a month, but the second my local store gets its 3870s back in stock I'm buying one. Maybe hybrid crossfire x will be out so I can use the 3870 as a ppu lol

the other snag i found was it worked better with all the older games exactly where i didnt need it.. and just for the amd record.. my amd system played crysis just as well as my current intel one does..

ignore all silly benchmarks and reviews that run very low resolutions.. intel will always win those hands down.. it wont make much different in real games thow.. neither will C/F or C/F X for u.. not unless u go out and buy a huge monitor or swop to intel so as u can play the low resolution benchmark game..

trog

[vivanco]

just to make sure, you are running 3dmark06 at default settings right ( 1280x1024 )?

[DanishDevil]

Yep. I haven't bought it or anything. Using default settings in CCC too.

[Nitro-Max]

Only thing i can think if it aint what i mentioned before is either your memory isnt running in dual or its your cpu holding your card back.

[CY:G]

And if you know of a program for the Logitech G15 Keyboard LCD that shows current GPU clocks (or one that displays temps :)) then I can keep tabs on it, but I don't have an extra monitor lying around here at school.



Yeah there is, you need to be running Speedfan in the background and then run this plugin for the G15:

http://forum.teamspeak.com/showthread.php?t=32017

[DanishDevil]

Thanks CY:G. I've been looking for something like this for quite some time. Haven't looked super-hard though. Now if I could configure Speedfan to recognize my 3870X2 and its clock speeds...

Only thing i can think if it aint what i mentioned before is either your memory isnt running in dual or its your cpu holding your card back.

CPU-Z reports memory running in dual-channel. Maybe I got a bad card?


I'm gonna be testing with CAT 8.1 and CAT 8.2 non-CCC.

[DanishDevil]

Drivers tested will be:


8.2: Display Driver + CCC + WDM
8.2: Display Driver + WDM
8.1: Display Driver + CCC + WDM
8.1: Display Driver + WDM


All settings will be set to default in the drivers.

Benchmarks used will be:


Lightsmark 1.3
Run @ Default Settings
3DMark 06
Run @ Default Settings
Fur Benchmark
Run @ Default Settings
Crysis Benchmarking Tool
First run on all medium settings @ 1680*1050 with no AA
Second run on all custom DX10 Cvars (I replaced the "High" settings with the "Very High" DX10 Cvars) @ 1680*1050 with no AA


Catalyst 8.2 with Catalyst Control Center:


Lightsmark: 59.1
3DMark06: 12357
Fur Benchmark: 2504
Crysis Medium:52.825
Crysis Custom: 18.995


Catalyst 8.1 withOUT Catalyst Control Center:


Lightsmark: 131.5
3DMark06: 12429
Fur Benchmark: 3083
Crysis Medium: 53.14
Crysis Custom: 18.99


As you can see, going from Catalyst 8.2 CCC to Catalyst 8.1 without CCC had a dramatic effect on both Lightsmark and the Fur Benchmark. With a 122% increase of framerate on Lightsmark and a 23% increase in the Fur Benchmark score, I think I'm going to stick to Catalyst 8.1 with my 3870X2. Additionally, playing Call of Duty 4 maxed out without AA or AF plays at 90FPS constantly, with only slight drops to 80 during explosions. I'm MUCH happier with this card now. A BIG thank you to zOaib for the tip!

If you've got a 3870X2, I suggest you do the same. Unfortunately, I still think I should be getting better scores for my system. Maybe things will be different after a reformat.