ITS OFFICIAL: My Leadtek GF3 ti200 TDH has 3.8ns Ram!!

[mamisano]

Yeah, the new EVGA ti200 is supposed to have 3.3ns ram. But it is still built upon a 6 layer board (like all other ti200s) and has only seen 530mhz stable memory. Reportedly the best to get right now are the Gainward Golden Sample ti450. They are guaranteed to 450mhz, but some have seen 550mhz Memory speeds.

 

[Newbie77]

<< "So is it safe to say that all Ti 200 TDH has 3.8ns memory? "

NO! The 3.8 is rara avis: only a lock on true GF3 and Ti 500.
The Ti 200 is *supposed* to have at least 5 ns, according to nVidia specs, and LeadTek (as well as Hercules and a couple other OEMs) claim to exceed the specs of Ti200 by using 4 ns RAM.

My LeadTek Ti200 "T" does have 4 ns RAM chips, and the LeadTekTi200 TDH should too. However, these OEMs keep on changing their songs. The LeadTek Ti200 card that digit-life reviewed had 3.8 ns RAM, but that was
2 months ago. Mike here (on this thread) has 3.8 ns RAM on his TDH- but
he is just plain lucky, and you can see me taking him to task for that
(out of envy!) right through this thread.

No Ti200 I know of is now available with RAM faster than 4 ns. If I were you, I'd get the Hercules Ti200 if possible, & the LeadTek Ti200 T would be my next choice.:Q >>




Hmm.. okay.. Actually, I have already purchased my Leadtek GF3 Ti200 TDH. We still have plenty of these cards in stock here in Malaysia. Not sure whether it comes with 3.8ns or 4ns memory. Is it difficult to pry off the heatsink? Is the heatsink stuck on to the chip using some sort of thermal adhesive? Do let me know what is the proper way to remove the heatsink so that I can verify the memory.

 

[mamisano]

The HSF is pretty easy to take off. Just remove the plasitc pegs. The Theremal interface is grease so it just needs to wiped off.

 

[Newbie77]

Hmm.. so it's not stuck on? Okay then, I will try taking them off later today and see what ram it comes with. Will keep you guys updated.

 

[Newbie77]

Well.. looks like my card came with 4ns memory. Not really sure what brand it is. Think it's Etrontech. On a happier note, I seem to have gotten a good overclocker. I could run the card up to 260/560 before getting artifacts. Notch down the speed to 245/550 and it was still able to run 3DMark2001 for about 40 mins before my system mysteriously rebooting. I think I need better heat management. So far, I am still using the stock cooling (plus an 80mm case fan blowing on it).

Think it would help if I took off the heatsink and replace the thermal grease with Arctic Silver 2?

 

[Newbie77]

Okay!! Got the card to run 3DMark2001 for hours on end at 245/550. This card is one sweet overclocker. Funny thing is, I didn't change the stock cooling yet and it ran fine now. Maybe it got "burned-in" after running it for awhile. Hmm..

 

[mamisano]

Yeah, I need to cool mine a bit better to get speeds like that. Nice job!

 

[Newbie77]

Yup.. lucky to have gotten a good card. A bit disappointed that it ain't 3.8ns though. However, if it overclocks well.. I suppose it doesn't matter if it's 4ns or 3.8ns.

The card does run very hot when overclocked to 245/550. Don't think I will be running it overclocked when I am gaming unless I really need the extra speed. As it is, I am plenty satisfied with the default performance.

By the way, I am still using the 21.83 drivers. I have heard that the latest drivers, 23.11 are not very stable and hinders overclocking.. especially when running on Windows XP (which I am). How about the 22.80 drivers? Are they are any good for overclockers?

 

[Maggot]

Your OC success with your card is outstanding! BUT - despite your ability to hit these speeds with stock cooling, you are almost certainly inflicting subtle damage and shortening the life span of your card by doing so. You will not have evidence of this damage until the damage is irreversible and catastrophic. Don't burn this card- it is a gem!

And now, for all those who chance upon this thread and aspire to get the maximum from their GF3, *here* is the way to run up that ram:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/video/geforce3-overclocking/

I am good with a soldering iron, and I am very intrigued! I'll post here how it goes.
Maggot

 

[Newbie77]

Yup.. you are probably right about causing permanent damage to the card. I don't think I will be running it overclocked for extended periods of time. Just wanted to see how high it would go.