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[chespace]

Nuked my system earlier today and am in the process of doing the mobo updates, this time sans the 32-bit dual boot confusion.

Also, I definitely think I skipped some of this last time around so I am hoping BCD2 is right and it has something to do with my mobo.

This time, I'm taking it slow and vanilla so I can isolate the issue.

Just did the bios update and rebooted. Then Asus bios was telling me it can't find a HDD. :lol I played around and I guess it reset everything and I had to tell it to boot off my SM drive and not my PM drive (although I told Vista to install the OS on drive 0 and not 1).

Now it's crawling through the Intel Chipset Device Software setup.

Haven't even installed Catalyst yet so I'm staring at this huge ass 800x600 display, lol.

 

[johnsmith]

Ok, i'm gonna try building my own instead. Based on the suggestions of some people and trying to find good deals i came up with this.

Ok, here's what I came up with.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127361

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145214

OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148134

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106265

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116485

Total: $1,097.63

And $115.00 in mail in rebates.

And for a monitor:
SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 DC 8000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268

Total comes to 1222.62 if i actually get the mail-in rebates. $1,357.62 if i don't.

How does it look?

 

[Me_Marcadet]

Is a 500W PSU enough to handle a 4870 1Go c2d 8400 and 4go of Ram ?

I bought my pc one month ago with a 4850. I'm a little disapointed with the performance. I'm thinking about buying the 4870 1go but I fear that my PSU (the one who came with Sonata 3 case) can't handle it.

EDIT: johnsmith, about the P5q pro, I've got this one and I've read that she is not very good at overclocking (I've tried myself and even with my 8400 @ 3600mhz my system was not stable ). Maybe you should consider de P5q E.

 

[godhandiscen]

Ok, i'm gonna try building my own instead. Based on the suggestions of some people and trying to find good deals i came up with this.

Ok, here's what I came up with.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127361

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145214

OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148134

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106265

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116485

Total: $1,097.63

And $115.00 in mail in rebates.

And for a monitor:
SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 DC 8000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268

Total comes to 1222.62 if i actually get the mail-in rebates. $1,357.62 if i don't.

How does it look?

If you can buy at Costco I recommend this monitor.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001273
They have it at the same price of the monitor you are about to get. I got it there and I don't regret it. Also, that is a damn fine deal on the videocard there.

Is a 500W PSU enough to handle a 4870 1Go c2d 8400 and 4go of Ram ?

I bought my pc one month ago with a 4850. I'm a little disapointed with the performance. I'm thinking about buying the 4870 1go but I fear that my PSU (the one who came with Sonata 3 case) can't handle it.

EDIT: johnsmith, about the P5q pro, I've got this one and I've read that she is not very good at overclocking (I've tried myself and even with my 8400 @ 3600mhz my system was not stable ). Maybe you should consider de P5q E.

I think 550 is recommended, specially if it is a PSU that came with the case.

 

[Me_Marcadet]

the PSU who come with Sonata 3 is an EarthWatts 500.

I've read it's a good PSU, it's a shame I'm 50 watts short

 

[Esperado]

I just picked up a Samsung T260HD. Sweet mother of Jesus, this thing is almost too big. Stunning quality, too.

I've been using the T240HD and I love it. I would have gotten the T260HD, but I decided on just going in store to Costco to be able to use it that day. Having 1080P on a 24" TV is just awesome.

edit: Uh, are you guys crazy? A 500W Earthwatts PSU is more than enough to run a 4870. The Earthwatts PSU's have very good amperage on the 12v rails.

 

[Zzoram]

Is a 500W PSU enough to handle a 4870 1Go c2d 8400 and 4go of Ram ?

I bought my pc one month ago with a 4850. I'm a little disapointed with the performance. I'm thinking about buying the 4870 1go but I fear that my PSU (the one who came with Sonata 3 case) can't handle it.

EDIT: johnsmith, about the P5q pro, I've got this one and I've read that she is not very good at overclocking (I've tried myself and even with my 8400 @ 3600mhz my system was not stable ). Maybe you should consider de P5q E.

I have that setup with a 500W Antec Earthwatts, totally fine.

 

[Zzoram]

the PSU who come with Sonata 3 is an EarthWatts 500.

I've read it's a good PSU, it's a shame I'm 50 watts short

You are not 50W short, you've got plenty.

Most people don't know this, but recommended wattage is usually way more than you need. Our specs would use less than 400W at load.

 

[SapientWolf]

If you can buy at Costco I recommend this monitor.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001273
They have it at the same price of the monitor you are about to get. I got it there and I don't regret it. Also, that is a damn fine deal on the videocard there.


I think 550 is recommended, specially if it is a PSU that came with the case.

That's because it's a good idea to run around half the maximum wattage.

 

[lachesis]

as per wattage, i hear the quality of the wattage is more important than the maximum output - as no psu would last more than a few min pumping out the maximum power. 500w is plenty for 4870, I believe, unless you have 10 hdds or what not. To be honest, going anything above 600w in most cases are waste - especially if you are inclined to do single GPU solution. But who knows? Maybe in the future, GPUs would take up 600w single handedly... but I just don't think it's something to be worried about at the moment. I'd be worried if I had 300w PSU, though - but 500 is plenty enough.

 

[lachesis]

I need a new pc . But I don't feel like building one again. I just want to buy it in one easy step. Or is it still that much cheaper to build?

No. Actually, these days - getting pre-built ones are cheaper, it seems. Depending on which vendor you look at - but especially for lower end market, you really can't beat the pre-built one, if you consider the time you spend building it. (I do it, because I enjoy building a computer though.)

As I figured, if I bought a pre-built system of my likings from Dell, it would come about the same price (if not slightly less, considering they do come with OEM OS pre-installed).... but lower-end, older models (such as Inspiron 530 from Dell) - I really can't see myself beating the price with components I'm willing to install.

 

[SapientWolf]

No. Actually, these days - getting pre-built ones are cheaper, it seems. Depending on which vendor you look at - but especially for lower end market, you really can't beat the pre-built one, if you consider the time you spend building it. (I do it, because I enjoy building a computer though.)

As I figured, if I bought a pre-built system of my likings from Dell, it would come about the same price (if not slightly less, considering they do come with OEM OS pre-installed).... but lower-end, older models (such as Inspiron 530 from Dell) - I really can't see myself beating the price with components I'm willing to install.

Maybe Dell is better, but the last Compaq I bought had a 250w power supply and no overclocking options in the BIOS. Some of them use proprietary PSUs so upgrading isn't even an option. Another had a a cheap motherboard that was incompatible with my video card.

I've never had a single problem with my custom builds, on the other hand. The extra time and effort is well worth it if you want a high performance gaming rig.

 

[chespace]

Holy shit! I had no idea my Corsair TX750W had plugs that could act as both 6 pin or 8 pin!

WTF! :lol

 

[Chiggs]

Holy shit! I had no idea my Corsair TX750W had plugs that could act as both 6 pin or 8 pin!

WTF! :lol

Che, you still having that Crysis black screen problem? If so, try disabling Catalyst AI checking alternate DVI operational mode. I was getting the same screwy shit you were when I installed Catalyst 8.10, but that seemed to do the trick.

 

[chespace]

Che, you still having that Crysis black screen problem? If so, try disabling Catalyst AI checking alternate DVI operational mode. I was getting the same screwy shit you were when I installed Catalyst 8.10, but that seemed to do the trick.

I'm a few minutes away from trying Crysis again with a brand new OS install, brand new updated bios/mobo drivers install, brand new 8.10 install, and most importantly, a true 8 pin plug stuck into my 4870X2 instead of the 6-to-8 pin conversion plug I was using previously.

If that doesn't work with Cat. A.I. turned on, I will try what you mentioned above.

What is alternate DVI operational mode?

EDIT: Uh, I just checked and 8.10 CCC has alternate DVI op. mode enabled by default.

Guess we'll find out right now if this shit works.

 

[chespace]

Hey, what is the structure of the Steamapps subfolders?

I just copied over 6 some gigs over of the entire Crysis folder from my thumbdrive to my new Steam install directory and the Steam client doesn't recognize the game under "my games" as having been installed.

Hope I don't have to reinstall it.

Is it in a subfolder called 'common' or something?

 

[Zzoram]

Hey, what is the structure of the Steamapps subfolders?

I just copied over 6 some gigs over of the entire Crysis folder from my thumbdrive to my new Steam install directory and the Steam client doesn't recognize the game under "my games" as having been installed.

Hope I don't have to reinstall it.

Is it in a subfolder called 'common' or something?

Steam > steamapps > common > crysis

Once you put the files in there, open Steam and choose to update Crysis in your Games tab, it'll check and find that you already have the files, and the install the game. Or at least that's what it should do.

 

[Schrade]

Hey, what is the structure of the Steamapps subfolders?

I just copied over 6 some gigs over of the entire Crysis folder from my thumbdrive to my new Steam install directory and the Steam client doesn't recognize the game under "my games" as having been installed.

Hope I don't have to reinstall it.

Is it in a subfolder called 'common' or something?

The data files for Steam programs are contained in the SteamApps folder. They are .gcf files and that's basically where each game's data is contained. For example - for Portal it uses "portal content.gcf" and "portal english.gcf". Then, for settings and save files those are stored in a folder under SteamApps that is your Steam Username. Inside that folder you'll have folders for each game you've played and in there you'll find settings for the games.

This is all for games downloaded from Steam so I dunno about games that you "activate" in Steam but installed separately though.

 

[Ravenn17]

I tried entering my product code for CoH on steam, and it told me it's invalid. Am I supposed to enter it on Steam before I install CoH on my computer?

 

[Zzoram]

I tried entering my product code for CoH on steam, and it told me it's invalid. Am I supposed to enter it on Steam before I install CoH on my computer?

The retail version can't redeem a Steam version. If you have the retail version, just install it. You can add a shortcut to it in Steam, but it won't be considered a native Steam game.

Only Valve games so far have come with codes that unlock the game in Steam for you.

 

[chespace]

Bah, it didn't work. My old Crysis install from a previous OS (I think it might have even been downloaded on a 32-bit Vista OS a couple days ago) didn't work.

I first had Steam download Crysis, then paused the download, put the crysis files into the folder it created (and merged/replaced the files it was already downloading), and then hit resume download and it said okay game installed.

Then I tried to run it and after installing all the Gamespy Comrade garbage (shit is there a way to NOT install punkbuster or Gamespy? fuck gamespy), Steam actually asked me for a registration key! WTF!

I actually had an email from Steam with a confirmation code but that didn't work.

So I'm just redownloading it now.

Fingers crossed that my problem all along was the PSU 6 pin plug issue.

 

[Zzoram]

Bah, it didn't work. My old Crysis install from a previous OS (I think it might have even been downloaded on a 32-bit Vista OS a couple days ago) didn't work.

I first had Steam download Crysis, then paused the download, put the crysis files into the folder it created (and merged/replaced the files it was already downloading), and then hit resume download and it said okay game installed.

Then I tried to run it and after installing all the Gamespy Comrade garbage (shit is there a way to NOT install punkbuster or Gamespy? fuck gamespy), Steam actually asked me for a registration key! WTF!

I actually had an email from Steam with a confirmation code but that didn't work.

So I'm just redownloading it now.

Fingers crossed that my problem all along was the PSU 6 pin plug issue.

You only need the registration key to play online. Just ignore it, I think.

 

[chespace]

You only need the registration key to play online. Just ignore it.

I tried (clicked on "don't continue" which was the only option) and it booted me back out.

Getting decent speed on wifi for Steam... already 10% done with the download.

I'm just going to try and run it totally vanilla. No custom fan speed, no GPU overclock, etc.

God I hope it works. Much happier with this new OS and driver install situation though. Took me all day of leaving it running in the background.

 

[MickeyKnox]

I tried (clicked on "don't continue" which was the only option) and it booted me back out.

Getting decent speed on wifi for Steam... already 10% done with the download.

I'm just going to try and run it totally vanilla. No custom fan speed, no GPU overclock, etc.

God I hope it works. Much happier with this new OS and driver install situation though. Took me all day of leaving it running in the background.

Visit the official thread once you get it running, let us know how you're liking it.

 

[careful]

Next time, instead of re-downloading everytime, you can backup your game (through Steam - not manually copying the folder). Then copy the backup files to DVD/USB key and restore the backup in your new steam install.

 

[chespace]

Welp, I'm all outta ideas. :lol

Totally clean system install. Did all Windows Vista 64-bit updates and SP1. Did all mobo driver updates. Installed Catalyst 8.10 final. Did torture test of CPU/RAM - checked out okay. Used 2 other PCIE plugs from my PSU...

Still getting the BSoD (ATI driver is stuck in infinite loop it says) when I run Crysis with Cat AI enabled. Running HL2 with AI enabled I get flickery lines during the menu (with 3D background), and then crash to desktop. With 3DMark Vantage, I get a blackscreen and then reboot.

Is my 4870X2 fried or what? 2nd core dead? I can test it via Catalyst and it says 2nd core is acceptable.

Obviously I can play games with Cat AI disabled, but uh, yeah... sigh.

Any suggestions?

 

[Chiggs]

Any suggestions?

Send back the 4870X2 and get a GTX 280. You've been a trooper, and a good deal of your problems seem to be directly-related to ATI and their obnoxious drivers.

 

[chespace]

Right now, I suspect 2 things, but at the rate this is going, I will have to RMA this card. Don't know if I'm quite ready to give up on ATI yet.

1). Way back when I first assembled my system, I accidentally plugged the PSU's EATX12V 8-pin plug into the 8-pin plug of the 4870X2. The system powered on (fans spinning, etc) but nothing was on the monitor. On the 4870X2 I could see 4 flashing red lights behind the 8-pin plug. Could this have ruined the card? How come it works for everything except when I turn on 2nd core?

2). My Corsair TX750W doesn't have enough juice for the 4870X2.

So yeah, really 2 last things to try would be:

1). Get a replacement 4870X2.

2). Get a beefier PSU.

 

[kakashi08]

What do you recommend?
2- GeForce GTX 260 896MB in SLI
or
1- HD4870 1GB ?

But if i buy the GTX 260 i can only buy one right know then ill have to buy the second for SLI couple months later. I cant do crossfire because im buying a sli motherboard cause of intel. so what do you suggest? sli or one 4870. then year later ill get 2 new cards and put it in SLI. ??? and is the HD4870 1GB better then the GTX 260 896MB. one on one?

 

[Zzoram]

Right now, I suspect 2 things, but at the rate this is going, I will have to RMA this card. Don't know if I'm quite ready to give up on ATI yet.

1). Way back when I first assembled my system, I accidentally plugged the PSU's EATX12V 8-pin plug into the 8-pin plug of the 4870X2. The system powered on (fans spinning, etc) but nothing was on the monitor. On the 4870X2 I could see 4 flashing red lights behind the 8-pin plug. Could this have ruined the card? How come it works for everything except when I turn on 2nd core?

2). My Corsair TX750W doesn't have enough juice for the 4870X2.

So yeah, really 2 last things to try would be:

1). Get a replacement 4870X2.

2). Get a beefier PSU.

Don't mention that.

RMA the 4870x2.
Your PSU is fine.

 

[chespace]

Don't mention that.

RMA the 4870x2.
Your PSU is fine.

So you think that was what did it?

 

[mr stroke]

anyone here have any idea when ATI/NIVIDA will drop there next round of cards?(5870/380)

I heard sometime late this year, but considering its pretty close and nothing has been announced, I am now guessing spring of 09?

 

[madmook]

Refreshed geforce 270, 290 & gx2's are supposed to come out in Nov.

 

[prodystopian]

Refreshed geforce 270, 290 & gx2's are supposed to come out in Nov.

I haven't heard anything, but keep in mind if this is the case, you will pay a premium if you are trying to get the card before Christmas. I did this last year with the 8800GTS 512 and WAY overpaid. It wasn't a big deal, but I'd do it differently if I knew better.

 

[Zzoram]

So you think that was what did it?

No but don't mention it anyways.

 

[kakashi08]

Recommend me the best lcd monitor for gaming right know, under $400. want 1920 x 1200 resolution.

 

[SapientWolf]

Recommend me the best lcd monitor for gaming right know, under $400. want 1920 x 1200 resolution.

The popular vote on Newegg says to get an Acer P243WAid. I wouldn't buy without seeing it in a store however.

Are the newer LCDs getting better at scaling? I don't foresee being able to play at 1920 x 1200 without upgrading every 6 months (or in the case of Crysis, waiting until the year 2010).

 

[mr stroke]

Refreshed geforce 270, 290 & gx2's are supposed to come out in Nov.

this is nothing more than a die shrink and tad bit faster clock speed right?
i heard Nvidia was going to bring out an all new 380 range of cards soon,but from what your saying it might look like-
280 refresh-this x-mas
380-spring/summer 09
5870???

??

 

[kakashi08]

Ok final decision. Im getting either of this. But which one should I?

1. Dell Refurbished E248WFP = $299
2. "NEW" Dell E248WFP = $399
3. Acer P243WAid = $329

Is the refurbished dell going to have dead pixels and that stuff? or its just a return? If its just a "return" then think thats good, right?
All three have same resolution 1920 x 1200 and 400cd3 brightness, and all that other stuff. just want something that is good and without dead pixels.

 

[_Angelus_]

Dunno if I should go for the Radeon 3870x2 or the more expensive 4870..is the jump huge? I just want a card to play games for the next few years without any problems is all. Something like a frame rate that would hold decently,30 frames is fine,don't have to have frame rates from hell or max settings with effects,just something nice is all I need.

Here are my pc specs

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / 2.2 GHz
Three PCI
PCI Expressx16
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
DDR SDRAM/Memory speed 400 MHz/Memory specification compliance PC3200
Already have 2 GB / 4 GB (max)

* Motherboard manufacturer's name: MSI MS-7184
* HP/Compaq name: AmethystM-GL6E

I've seen numerous videos on how to install the card,ram,and power supply,doesn't seem that hard so I plan to go ahead and purchase everything online and install it myself.

What do you guys think,am I gonna be ok with the 3870x2 or should I go with the more powerful 4870,does it really supply more bang for your bucks. Again I don't have to have a montster card but one that does hold its own for atleast a few years,that all I want really. I am looking for spend around $400.00 max here..card,ram,power supply. I really don't have to have the card new,Ebay is ok for used cards so I'll go that route. And more importantly,based on the specs I gave above,is my PC bottlenecked to where the more expensive card won't help me much?

 

[Zzoram]

Dunno if I should go for the Radeon 3870x2 or the more expensive 4870..is the jump huge? I just want a card to play games for the next few years without any problems is all. Something like a frame rate that would hold decently,30 frames is fine,don't have to have frame rates from hell or max settings with effects,just something nice is all I need.

Here are my pc specs

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / 2.2 GHz
Three PCI
PCI Expressx16
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
DDR SDRAM/Memory speed 400 MHz/Memory specification compliance PC3200
Already have 2 GB / 4 GB (max)

* Motherboard manufacturer's name: MSI MS-7184
* HP/Compaq name: AmethystM-GL6E

I've seen numerous videos on how to install the card,ram,and power supply,doesn't seem that hard so I plan to go ahead and purchase everything online and install it myself.

What do you guys think,am I gonna be ok with the 3870x2 or should I go with the more powerful 4870,does it really supply more bang for your bucks. Again I don't have to have a montster card but one that does hold its own for atleast a few years,that all I want really. I am looking for spend around $400.00 max here..card,ram,power supply. I really don't have to have the card new,Ebay is ok for used cards so I'll go that route. And more importantly,based on the specs I gave above,is my PC bottlenecked to where the more expensive card won't help me much?

4870 1GB is better than the 3870x2 by enough to warrant the purchase. They are practically the same price, so why not?

 

[careful]

His CPU might bottleneck the 4870 though..

 

[Zzoram]

His CPU might bottleneck the 4870 though..

It would bottleneck the 3870x2 more, since Crossfire has more CPU overhead than single GPU solutions.

 

[godhandiscen]

Send back the 4870X2 and get a GTX 280. You've been a trooper, and a good deal of your problems seem to be directly-related to ATI and their obnoxious drivers.

Aww come on, it is too early for him to give up on the card. He should just ask for an RMA. However, I feel bad for Che, my 4870x2 is doing wonders now with Catalyst 8.10.

Also, I have the same setup as you, my ram is even OC'd, so it consumes more voltage. There is no way that your PSU isn't providing enough power.

One more thing, with the Cat 8.10 I have been able to OC the 4870x2 to 800/950 from the stock 750/900. This has allowed me to gain 3 fps on average on the Crysis GPU test. My average score is now 24.7fps on 1600x1050 V-sync AAx2 Very High.

 

[Zzoram]

Aww come on, it is too early for him to give up on the card. He should just ask for an RMA. However, I feel bad for Che, my 4870x2 is doing wonders now with Catalyst 8.10.


Also, I have the same setup as you, my ram is even OC'd, so it consumes more voltage. There is no way that your PSU isn't providing enough power.

Also, with the Cat 8.10 I have been able to OC the 4870x2 to 800/950 from the stock 750/900. This has allowed me to gain 3 fps on average on the Crysis GPU test. My average score is now 24.7fps on 1600x1050 V-sync AAx2 Very High.

Is your Catalyst AI on (to enable crossfire)?

 

[godhandiscen]

Is your Catalyst AI on (to enable crossfire)?

:lol yeah, as I explained before, I never turned it off, I just always had it on Standard, why? Are my scores too low? It must be due to my quad, it is only running at 2.6GHz now. Even if the GPU test only gives me 24.7 on average, I can deal with that, the framerate on Crysis jumps all over the place anyway.

 

[chespace]

Aww come on, it is too early for him to give up on the card. He should just ask for an RMA. However, I feel bad for Che, my 4870x2 is doing wonders now with Catalyst 8.10.

Also, I have the same setup as you, my ram is even OC'd, so it consumes more voltage. There is no way that your PSU isn't providing enough power.

One more thing, with the Cat 8.10 I have been able to OC the 4870x2 to 800/950 from the stock 750/900. This has allowed me to gain 3 fps on average on the Crysis GPU test. My average score is now 24.7fps on 1600x1050 V-sync AAx2 Very High.

Post your system specs.

It has to be either P45 chipset issue, PSU issue, or bad GPU.

 

[godhandiscen]

Vista 64
Phenom 9850BE 2.5 GHzx4 (I OC it on air from 2.6 to 2.8)
Cooler
ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi
2x CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB)
Asus Radeon 4870x2
2x Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb

BTW, what I mean't by same specs, I meant in computing power, but I went the AMD route.

 

[VictimOfGrief]

Right now, I suspect 2 things, but at the rate this is going, I will have to RMA this card. Don't know if I'm quite ready to give up on ATI yet.

1). Way back when I first assembled my system, I accidentally plugged the PSU's EATX12V 8-pin plug into the 8-pin plug of the 4870X2. The system powered on (fans spinning, etc) but nothing was on the monitor. On the 4870X2 I could see 4 flashing red lights behind the 8-pin plug. Could this have ruined the card? How come it works for everything except when I turn on 2nd core?

2). My Corsair TX750W doesn't have enough juice for the 4870X2.

So yeah, really 2 last things to try would be:

1). Get a replacement 4870X2.

2). Get a beefier PSU.

WAT!?

 

[godhandiscen]

WAT!?

I don't get it, what is wrong with that? His PSU is single rail so all outlets give the same power don't they? Maybe I am confused, I don't even understand what he is describing there.