Feel somewhat cheated...

hohum

I've had a Gainward 256mb fx5600 card for the past... oooh, 6 months or so now. However it's not until recently that I noticed the speed of the card is below specifications - if I remember correctly, 128mb version = 325/550, and 256mb version = 325/460. However mine runs by default at 300/400.... and after a bit of experimenting with overclocking, I can't get it higher than 310/440. Now I feel kinda cheated to be honest... i've got a fx5600 card that runs below spec, and even with overclocking I can't get it at what fx5600 speeds should be. Cooling isn't an issue, I have 5 case fans and my whole setup stays cool even when under load.

I appreciate there's not much I can do about it now... but has anyone else had a similar issue? I've found this whole situation disheartening, and I certainly didn't expect Gainward of all companies to supply cards that run below the specifications. Please post your thoughts on this, also if possible can someone confirm the fx5600 specifications? I could be completely wrong after all. Thanks

craig588

gainward has a 3 year warrenty on everything, return it.

hohum

Yeah but it's not faulty though is it... card runs fine, just they've underclocked it because (this is just my opinion) they've used parts that are slightly defective and can't reach standard clock speeds. The fact that the end customer is none the wiser (it is after all, still sold as a fx5600) makes me a tad annoyed however - doesn't seem quite right to me...

GerbilJammer

The should refund you. Just make sure to speak with someone of a higher position before you send it back for the refund. Explain to them that you feel cheated because the card you recieved wasn't of the minimum specifications. They may send you a nice 5900 ultra or so.

Optimummind

Which version of the 5600 do you have? I know nVIDIA made 2 different revisions--the second with improvements and higher clock speeds. Are you sure you are not mistaking your 5600 for the newer 5600 with higher clock settings??

hohum

I know the 5600 ultra was updated with a new 'flip chip' design, but i've heard nothing of a 5600 update. Not sure what version mine is, can only give you the specs AIDA tells me:

Graphics Processor Properties
Video Adapter nVIDIA GeForce FX 5600
GPU Code Name NV31
PCI Device 10DE / 0312
Transistors 75 million
Process Technology 0.13u
Bus Type AGP
Memory Size 256 MB
GPU Clock 270 MHz
RAMDAC Clock 400 MHz
Pixel Pipelines 4
TMU Per Pipeline 1
Vertex Shaders 4 (v2.0)
Pixel Shaders 1 (v2.0)
DirectX Hardware Support DirectX v9.0
Pixel Fillrate 1080 MPixel/s
Texel Fillrate 1080 MTexel/s

Memory Bus Properties
Bus Type DDR
Bus Width 128-bit
Real Clock 221 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 442 MHz
Bandwidth 7072 MB/s

Although I doubt that'll clear much up.

Markius

from what you described you have the exact card i have....im pretty sure that the original 5600 (as in first release) were at thoes speeds.......but i know what you mean...i hate my card myself......its a steaming pile of elephant dung....


i really hope the old dear coughs up the ca$h she said she would (bout christmas time) so i can buy a shiny new Raedon 9800 pro (or there abouts)

BWX

lol

GerbilJammer

Well, I am pissed at PNY because my verto fx 5200 was supposed to be of the 128 bit memory bus, but it isn't. The box says 128 bit. The sticker on the card says 64 bit.


Graphics Processor Properties
Video Adapter nVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
GPU Code Name NV34
PCI Device 10DE / 0322
Transistors 47 million
Process Technology 0.15u
Bus Type PCI
Memory Size 128 MB
GPU Clock 320 MHz
RAMDAC Clock 350 MHz
Pixel Pipelines 4
TMU Per Pipeline 1
Vertex Shaders 4 (v2.0)
Pixel Shaders 1 (v2.0)
DirectX Hardware Support DirectX v9.0
Pixel Fillrate 1280 MPixel/s
Texel Fillrate 1280 MTexel/s

Memory Bus Properties
Bus Type DDR
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 209 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 418 MHz
Bandwidth 3344

Yes, I did overclock

hohum

False advertising then. Similarly if I look up my card model on Gainward's site, it's claims it runs at 325/550... which is clearly wrong. It all adds up to confusion and disappointment for the end user.

XiNiX

I got the same thing with an Abit Siluro FX 5600.
Mine runs at 300/400 in 2D mode and 325/400 in 3D mode.

LioCraft

What program can I use to know the REAL specifications of mine?. And to overclock?

mothership

most of the time, I would rather listen to end user true experience of their hardware that interest me rather than plunging into getting one & be the scapegoat if the results is not desireable.