3DMark06 test results - discuss?
I was reviewing some graphics cards for a friend this morning, and that led to me running 3DMark 05 and 06 on my PC. The 05 results weren't great, but the 06 results were very poor. Perhaps it's time to upgrade my system?
Here's the computer I built just over 5 years ago. It's run great for me and plays World of Warcraft pretty good, but it IS 5 years old now. I was planning to just buy a new graphics card, like a 1950 XTX AGP, until I started testing things.
Abit NF7 Version 2.0 MB
AMD Athlon XP2500+ Barton core unlocked, running at 2.2 Ghz (11X200)
1.25 GB of RAM, split 512/512/256 in the memory slots
400 watt Antec power supply, just installed to upgrade from the 350 Antec I used for 4 years and which still works great.
Radeon X700 Pro video card 256 MB
Seagate Barracuda IDE hard drives, 80 and 250 GB, 7200 rpms each.
A 32X CD-RW / DVD drive. I rarely even use the thing.
My 3DMark05 score was 2901.
My 3DMark06 score was 850. Weak. The SM 2.0 score was 413, the SM 3.0 score was N/A, and the CPU score was 759.
The test results listed 11600 VirtualMarks as "common", and 32601 3DMarks as the fastest recorded test. The fastest test had scores of 12490, 16624, and 8199.
In the 2 CPU tests showing the brown landscape, a sunrise, and a building with a cloud of dust coming out of it, my frames per second never moved off of ZERO.
So assuming I do decide to upgrade, what's the most economical way to do it? I'd like to just swap out the motherboard / CPU / and RAM. Keep the case, keep the power supply, keep the IDE hard drives. I was thinking of buying a better graphics card anyhow, so I'd go to PCI Express for it.
I'd kind of like to stick with an AMD CPU, and it doesn't have to be the newest hottest thing out there. But if I'm going to do this, I need to see some good test results and a big upgrade in performance.
Here's the computer I built just over 5 years ago. It's run great for me and plays World of Warcraft pretty good, but it IS 5 years old now. I was planning to just buy a new graphics card, like a 1950 XTX AGP, until I started testing things.
Abit NF7 Version 2.0 MB
AMD Athlon XP2500+ Barton core unlocked, running at 2.2 Ghz (11X200)
1.25 GB of RAM, split 512/512/256 in the memory slots
400 watt Antec power supply, just installed to upgrade from the 350 Antec I used for 4 years and which still works great.
Radeon X700 Pro video card 256 MB
Seagate Barracuda IDE hard drives, 80 and 250 GB, 7200 rpms each.
A 32X CD-RW / DVD drive. I rarely even use the thing.
My 3DMark05 score was 2901.
My 3DMark06 score was 850. Weak. The SM 2.0 score was 413, the SM 3.0 score was N/A, and the CPU score was 759.
The test results listed 11600 VirtualMarks as "common", and 32601 3DMarks as the fastest recorded test. The fastest test had scores of 12490, 16624, and 8199.
In the 2 CPU tests showing the brown landscape, a sunrise, and a building with a cloud of dust coming out of it, my frames per second never moved off of ZERO.
So assuming I do decide to upgrade, what's the most economical way to do it? I'd like to just swap out the motherboard / CPU / and RAM. Keep the case, keep the power supply, keep the IDE hard drives. I was thinking of buying a better graphics card anyhow, so I'd go to PCI Express for it.
I'd kind of like to stick with an AMD CPU, and it doesn't have to be the newest hottest thing out there. But if I'm going to do this, I need to see some good test results and a big upgrade in performance.
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Comments
9600GT: < $150, PCIe, and about 356345634254x faster than your current card.
Get an Asus GA-P35-DS3L, a 9600 GT, an Intel E7200 and 4GB of PC800. The whole upgrade will cost you less than $500, and bring your PC out of the stone age.
I must also say, I've never really researched or gotten into the whole 64 bit and dual / quad core things. I've read about them some, but never REALLY paid attention. Looks like I better start reading!
I remember when I got my NF-7, it was the Version 2.0, and that gave it the ability to run a 400 FSB instead of 333. Seems like I'm a bit behind the times here!
I'd also kind of like to stick with AMD for a CPU, I don't really have a good reason except that I haven't liked Intel much since their hot (temperature) running P4 chips came out. I had an unlocked Barton core CPU that I could change the multiplier in, and that was great for me! But an Intel isn't totally out of the question, either.
You can buy some serial ATA adapters for your IDE drives, but if you want more than one IDE port, you can't find it any more.
With the cpu if you want to build a current system its the phenoms x4 with any 790FX chipset board. The x2 athlons are half the x4 price at worst. Generally I am seeing a lot of people buying 5600+ x2 cause of the price and keeping thing some what current.
I don't understand the need to keep your old socks. 400 watts today (even if it is an ANTEC * oooohhh *) is still 400 watts. I've got a quality 600 watts (an 80 plus, which actually does close to 90 ;0) and that is the low end of today!
Give yourself a budget, like 800 dollars, and then we can talk computer. Leave that old computer, sell it, or use it to do internet. Make a new computer yourself with quality parts! An ASUS 8800GTS 512mb graphics card is not even 250$ today. You can buy a 650 watts quality Antec for around 100 - 120$, and the motherboard + cpu, well, like others, buy an INTEL + ASUS (275 - 500$ depending on your budget), a DVD burner is 30$, buy aan 18X lightscribe from LG!!! Finally 2 GB of DDR2 can be had for little money...
Forget keeping parts of your dinosaurus.
With the new machine, you will get 12000 points on 3D Mark 2006, and 5+ on the Vista system benchmark.
Going with 4 gigs will do you no good unless you go to vista 64.
What is you budget?
A SATA burner only cost 25 to 30 bucks, don't kill yourself looking for a mobo that has two IDE channels.
I trust ya thrax, but when would it get utilize?
Is there not a performance hit.. slower timmings?
Any issues with 2x2GB vs 4x1GB sticks
Me hovers over the newegg button.....
Like these: http://www.mushkin.com/doc/products/memory_detail.asp?id=647
Maybe they will get it fixed someday, but I see no reason to change.
I'll go with 2 GB, maybe 4 GB. Even if it only uses 3.25 Gb or whatever it is.
Some very nicely clarified informational reading.
2Gb vs 4Gb
If I have the $$$ to build a new system, I'll definitely go with 4 GB instead of 2 GB.
PSU. Get a Corsair 550VX. Five year warranty, rock stable voltage rails, high quality, and will do anything you want short of two ultra fire-belching-destroy-utility-bill video cards in SLI. Well, actually, it would probably handle that, too! You can find them for around $80. Best value available for that level of quality. It's good enough that you will able to migrate it from build to build and have plenty of power.
RAM. It's so cheap right now it just makes perfect sense to get 4GB kits. I picked up a 4GB G.Skill DDR2 800 kit off Craigslist last week for $50. Great online deals, too. As Thrax wrote, 4GB is definitely better than 2GB. It's one of those easy, inexpensive 'fixes' that makes an immediate difference.
Shop our Deal Depot & Trading Post, '[H], and Anandtech. You can put together a very powerful socket 775/Core 2 Duo rig for much less than you think. There are a lot of high quality, high performance, slightly used puter parts going for excellent prices. I can go through extensive upgrade cycles on all my machines, purchase more than half of the parts lightly used, and then sell my old parts on forums and Craiglist. You can really knock down the expenses with good planning.