Problem? with new GTX 260

[SSWilson]

Hi all, I got one of those MSI GTX 260 with factory clocks at 655/2100. It showed up today and I installed it then used driver cleaner in safe mode and installed the 182.08 WHQL drivers. Everything thus far seems to be working well and temps seem to be good never going over 70C during 3DMark06.

The problem is that the Sapphire 4870 1GB it is replacing consistently scored around 16.3K 3DMark06 but the new card scores lower. I have run about 6 times on the GTX 260 and it has scored anywhere between 15K to 15.8K. Typically I boot run the test twice and reboot, rinse and repeat. So the 4870 is at stock clocks and the GTX 260 is factory OCed quite a bit so I thought that the Nvidia would be well ahead but is instead lagging, plus scoring over a broader range than I think it should.

Hardware wise, all setting are at factory stock and except for video drivers, the system is identical to when the 4870 was in there. The power supply is a Corsair HX620 so there should be no problem there. I have never tried changing GPU manufacturers without re-installing Windows but was trying to get away with using a good driver removal tool and would prefer to not have to reload.

So what do you guys think would be causing the card to not perform as it should? Thanks!

 

[Golgatha]

Your scores are in line with what I would expect. The 260 is about on par with the 4870 and in most cases the 4870 will beat it.

 

[MrK6]

The card itself is working fine. ATI are usually faster in 3DMark06, so if you bought a GTX 260 to play 3DMark, it wasn't a wise decision.

 

[error8]

Why did you replaced the 4870 with a gtx 260?

 

[SSWilson]

No, don't play benchmarks, lol. I use a few benchmarks to establish things are as they should be and then never use them again. It does score well enough but I thought the GTX 260, especially with higher clocks, would be on par or outperform the 4870 in 3DM06. One thing that bothers me is that I have never seen a card with an 800 point spread over several test runs when nothing is changed.

I replaced the 4870 because some things I do work better with Nvidia.

 

[taltamir]

on that specific artificial benchmark it simply doesn't.
In some games ATI fares better, in some games nVidia.
On average its about the same as a 4870

 

[TidusZ]

I'd rate the 4870 1gb above the 260, and I'd do so because the benchmarks show it to be that way. I really hope you weren't honestly expecting the 260 to be an upgrade.

 

[brencat]

Bought one of those MSI 260s too OP. Arrived yesterday, but got home too late to play with it. Use Rivatuner or EVGA precision and crank the core to 675-700 & mem to 2250 - 2300 and report back on the performance increase. Oh yeah, and crank the fan up too!

 

[OCGuy]

I wouldnt worry about the artificial benchmarks. Just look at actual reviews and game benchies.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: SSWilson


I replaced the 4870 because some things I do work better with Nvidia.

What's that? CUDA?

 

[HOOfan 1]

I remember when the 2900XT scored much higher than the 8800GTX in 3Dmark.....yet it couldn't even come close to touching it in games.

3Dmark is pretty much useless for trying to determine real world performance between an ATI card and an nVidia card of the same generation.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
I wouldnt worry about the artificial benchmarks. Just look at actual reviews and game benchies.

So true. I actually own Futuremark Vantage, but I use it pretty much strictly as a looping system stressing tool.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: SSWilson


I replaced the 4870 because some things I do work better with Nvidia.

What's that? CUDA?

Or F@H or a number of other DC projects.

And some games just run better on nVidia hardware.

 

[SSWilson]

And ATI still has a ways to go with Linux also.

My main concern was to make sure the card works as it should, no defects. I thought it was scoring low but it sounds like I was mistaken. I really don't care how it scores in this artificial test as long as it is in the right ballpark. Thanks for the input everyone, much appreciated.

 

[Pelu]

4870 > 260

4870 vs 280 ... now we are talking about....

By the way that can change with driver updates and so on... long ago the 8800gtx was better than a single 3870.. but with recent drivers the 3870 is better than the 8800gtx and their 9xxx counterpart...

 

[Pelu]

Originally posted by: HOOfan 1
I remember when the 2900XT scored much higher than the 8800GTX in 3Dmark.....yet it couldn't even come close to touching it in games.

3Dmark is pretty much useless for trying to determine real world performance between an ATI card and an nVidia card of the same generation.

So true...

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: Pelu
4870 > 260

4870 = 260

They're too evenly matched to say the 4870 is better outright. Some things as pointed out by others are better on the 260 and if they matter to you then the 260 is better.

 

[SlowSpyder]

The 4870 1GB and GTX260 216 are pretty close to equal in performance. Buying one when you already have the other seems silly to me. Don't put much stock into 3DMark. My guess is the GTX260 will do just fine in games, but in all honesty I doubt very much you'll see much improvement over your 4870, if any. In some games you'll be slightly faster, in some games you'll be a little slower. I don't mean to sound offensive when I say this, but replacing a 4870 1GB with a GTX260 (or vice versa) is pretty much one of the most pointless hardware swaps I can think of.

 

[SSWilson]

Its not pointless if you have a point.

I have given ATI a shot and have my reasons for moving to Nvidia. I shouldn't need anything more than the GTX 260 and the price was right plus it came with a game that I will never play. I thought, based on what I had read, that the GTX260 should score slightly higher, especially with the higher factory clocks. When it didn't and came in lower I became a little concerned that perhaps there was a problem and that is why I asked here.

This move may likely be pointless for many or even most but this move is right for me and what I am trying to accomplish. Money wise, it will wind up being net-net so that works out also.

Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: SSWilson

I have given ATI a shot and have my reasons for moving to Nvidia.

You aren't able to say what are those reasons. What is so secret about that?

 

[OCGuy]

Play games, not benchmarks.


Enjoy your card :thumbsup:

 

[OCGuy]

Originally posted by: Pelu
4870 > 260

4870 vs 280 ... now we are talking about....

By the way that can change with driver updates and so on... long ago the 8800gtx was better than a single 3870.. but with recent drivers the 3870 is better than the 8800gtx and their 9xxx counterpart...

Do you have links to back any of this up?

I think most sane people agree that it is a sideways step.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: Denithor

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: SSWilson


I replaced the 4870 because some things I do work better with Nvidia.

What's that? CUDA?

Or F@H or a number of other DC projects.

And some games just run better on nVidia hardware.

So it sounds normal for you to swap a 4870 with a gtx 260, just because the latter has a couple of fps in some games, but it also looses in others?
Both cards can do F@H, maybe Nvidia does it better, but still, that's no reason to swap them.
CUDA is the only reason to do this change, but OP has not mentioned anything about it. I have a feeling that he did a useless swap, maybe based on wrong reviews or advices, that pointed him to a "faster" gtx 260, which is not the case.

 

[thilanliyan]

Who cares...if the OP wanted to swap, he/she had their own reason to do so. Attacking him/her for doing it doesn't lead anywhere.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: thilan29
Who cares...if the OP wanted to swap, he/she had their own reason to do so. Attacking him/her for doing it doesn't lead anywhere.

Nobody is attacking OP, we're only trying to see his reasons for doing that and if those are wrong, to show him he did a mistake, if this is indeed the case. Because what he did here is like swapping an 8800 GT with a 9800 GT, for the most part.