Just installed my XFX 6800

[Hyperlite]

i just installed my new XFX 6800, build date may...4th i believe. ran through 3dmark03 once to make sure everthing was kosher, than went for the pipes. Unlocked everything, 16vp, 6pp, no artifacts, but no 3dmark score gain...guess thats to be expected. anyway, got everything unlocked without a hitch, and now i'm going to start OCing. using coolbits, what is the difference between the standard(2d) and performance(3d) frequency catagories? I assume i should be tuning under the standard option, as it is the only one who's clock changes are reflected in rivatuner's hardware monitor.
thanks for your help everyone. i'll post benches in a bet.

 

[Mrvile]

No you aren't supposed to be OCing 2D mode. 2D mode means everything run on the desktop that may require the video card. You should OC 3D mode instead, this is where your card does the most work and you will see the biggest improvements here.

 

[Hyperlite]

alrighty thanks.

 

[Navid]

Use Everest and check the number of pipes to make sure that you have really unlocked them.

 

[Hyperlite]

thanks navid, i noticed rivatuner doesn't really give you any confirmation as to whether the pipes are really open or not, i'll give it a try and post back in a few.

 

[magnumty]

Hello, I was just wondering how you like the xfx 6800, I have one ordered from newegg..cant wait to get it, should have been here a few days ago, but fed ex hasent delivered in a few days because of snow.. :{. I have been reading about unlocking pipes on this card, and from what I have read, most xfx cards dont unlock.. seeing your post makes me happy because I see you have been successful! I would like to know what your overall impression of the card is and how does it perform? Any information would be great, I'm upgrading from a 9800 pro..

asus k8v
amd64 3200+ newcastle core
1gb pc 3200
ati saphire 9800 pro 128mb(soon to be xfx 6800 128mb)

 

[Hyperlite]

hey magnum...so far its awesome. i hate to burst your bubble, but i realized that the pipes arn't unlocked. i was using forceware 71.20's, which arn't supported by rivatuner15.2. therefore, rivatuner was showing the pipes as unlocked, but they actually weren't. i'll have to wait till the 29th when the new rivatuner comes out to try at the pipes again. as it stands, i'm rock solid @ 350/785, 3185 in 3dmark05, 8510 in 3dmark03. if you get it soon, i suggest the WHQL'd 66.93 drivers, they are working the best for me so far. good luck!

unfortunatly, i'm running the 6800 on the second rig in my sig, with the ram from the first ^.^
i'm pretty CPU limited right now, but next weekend i'll be back on my main.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: Hyperlite
hey magnum...so far its awesome. i hate to burst your bubble, but i realized that the pipes arn't unlocked. i was using forceware 71.20's, which arn't supported by rivatuner15.2. therefore, rivatuner was showing the pipes as unlocked, but they actually weren't. i'll have to wait till the 29th when the new rivatuner comes out to try at the pipes again. as it stands, i'm rock solid @ 350/785, 3185 in 3dmark05, 8510 in 3dmark03. if you get it soon, i suggest the WHQL'd 66.93 drivers, they are working the best for me so far. good luck!

unfortunatly, i'm running the 6800 on the second rig in my sig, with the ram from the first ^.^
i'm pretty CPU limited right now, but next weekend i'll be back on my main.

Why don't you you just use older, supported drivers?

Beyond that you'll get a huge increase unlocking the pipes, but a really tiny increase OCing. It's not even worth the OC, but the unlocking is very nice.

And yes, I own a 6800NU and have tested all of the above.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

anything nvidia (and ATi) speak to rollo, he is very knowledgable on these things

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: otispunkmeyer
anything nvidia (and ATi) speak to rollo, he is very knowledgable on these things

I don't know about that, but I have tested the gains in OCing vs unlocking and got very little from the OC. I haven't seen any worthwhile gains on websites for OCing either. Thanks for the compliment though.

I'm not a big fan of OCing and risking costly hardware unless you can really see the benefit. Things like going from an average of 58> 61 fps don't seem worth the risk as you'd never notice that while playing.

The Rivatuner is the real deal though, and gives performance you don't need the counter on to see. If I remember right, unlocking would always just about split the difference between my 6800 and my 6800GT, and OCing 350/800 would tack another 2fps on top of that.

 

[magnumty]

great information, thanks very much.. I mostly play unreal 2k4, and upgraded from a 9800 pro to a 6800 because I want to be able to play with all settings maxed out with no lag.. my current setup runs very good at mid range settings, but if i crank up the details the pro starts to bog down a little bit, anyway what kind fo difference do you think I will see between the two cards?? thnks very much and happy holidays.

 

[magnumty]

got the card today, it definately runs unreal 2k4 smoother at high res. and hi detail, I'm happy..