My new machine blows goats...

[Magnum1978]

I've just purchased a new machine but seem to be getting annoyingly low 3Dmark01 scores. My main specs are:

P4 2.4C
512 (2x256) PC3500 Corsair RAM
ASUS P4C800 Deluxe
Powercolor Radeon 9800SE
Stock Cooling

basically running stock with a fresh XP install I get around 13,500.
Even when I overclock both the machine and card pretty fiercely, I can barely manage 15,000. Sometimes the score is lower on a higher CPU Freqency. Surely a 3.16Ghz and an overclocked 400/370 R9800 can pull higher than 15K... changing my RAM ratio from 3:2 to 5:4 doesn't seem to make any difference at all..

If you guys have any ideas to help they would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

Mag

[Since87]

The 9800SE only uses 4 pipelines compared to the 8 used in the 9800Pro and 9800NP.

I think that may explain your 'low' scores.

[Magnum1978]

Wow, i didn't know that.... I thought it was a 9800NP. Time to get a refund or swap for a better card. Is there any way to softmod / bios flash it to a NP/PRO?

[stereo555]

I agree with Since87 ,

The low score is most likely due to the lack of the other 4 pipelines , which makes a large impact on on the Radeon series of v/cards .

If you can ... send the 9800SE back and buy a true 9800 Pro or NP . I too would suggest atleast a Sapphire card next time around and avoid the Powercolor brand . Many peeps have reported Powercolor cards are not quite up to snuff as other brands .

My .02

stereo555

[stereo555]

I agree with Since87 ,

The low score is most likely due to the lack of the other 4 pipelines , which makes a large impact on on the Radeon series of v/cards .

If you can ... send the 9800SE back and buy a true 9800 Pro or NP . I too would suggest atleast a Sapphire card next time around and avoid the Powercolor brand . Many peeps have reported Powercolor cards are not quite up to snuff as other brands .

My .02

stereo555

[El<(')>Maxi]

Originally posted by Magnum1978
Wow, i didn't know that.... I thought it was a 9800NP. Time to get a refund or swap for a better card. Is there any way to softmod / bios flash it to a NP/PRO?

Yes, the hack is out for that card.

http://www.ocfaq.com/softmod/

[Magnum1978]

Interesting... So using that mod, I could potentially unlock the 4 unused pipelines of the R350 chip? I dont want to balls the chip and then not be able to send it back to supplier...anyone know the success of doing this??? still i guess its worth a shot seeing the R9800Pro is $250AU more expensive...

[Emberghost]

How much did that vid card cost ya j/w?

[El<(')>Maxi]

Trying the softmod will not damage the card in any way. Give it a go, you might find yourself with an 8 Pipe 9800 on the cheap.

[dropadrop]

I think the success rate is about 50%, and if it fails you just uninstall the drivers. (you'll just get checkerboards when using 3d apps)

[juliendogg]

Let us know please, if that soft mod works out for you.


J.

[Magnum1978]

Fastastic!

Guys, the Powercolor 9800 SE softmod worked like a charm. The 4 unused pipelines are now operation and it makes a HUGE difference. For a $390 card AU this is a bargain. I'm not sure how it equates to 9800np or 9800Pro, but without overlclocking the card at all, when running my 2.4C at 3.0 I'm getting 16,000+ 3Dmarks in 2001se and 5,500 in 2003. I pushed up the core and mem speed a bit (400/360) on the card and I reached 18,000. With some better cooling, I'm going to see what I can get from this card. And to think I still have a bit of overhead left to play with... Maybe I should change the thread title now!

Cheers for all your help guys.

[stereo555]

WOWEE ... congrat's to ya !

and , WELCOME TO THE FORUMS !!!

[El<(')>Maxi]

Nice work Magnum. I think your the first guy reporting a sucessful softmod an that card here.

:p

[Mustanley]

With the extra 4 pipelines enabled, you basically have 9800 Pro since they have they same clock speeds. Your scores prove that.

[Magnum1978]

ha! I feel special :)

cool. I'll push it up and see what stable speeds I can get and post my results. With extra cooling I'm sure I can get it even faster....

[2XS]

Congrats! I too am waiting on ram sinks for my 9800NP