Low score for my hardware - plz help

[scottj7]

I didn't even realize that computer may be having issues until I ran 3dmark06 the other day. In fact, I was playing around with slight overclocking to see if I could get a bit better performance in Bad Company 2, so I got 3dmark to see if the tweaks I was making were helping. Turns out that un-overclocked, I'm getting results that are HALF of what's expected for the hardware. Some slight overclocking helps a little.. but I'm still so far off. My computer has always ran very stable, but look at these results:

http://3dmark.com/3dm06/15936412

I even tried other cpu/gpu benchmarking software and got similarly low-for-my-hardware scores. I've spent the last couple days scouring forums and checking various settings to no avail. Here's what I can tell you:

my gpu and other drivers are up to date
bios is flashed with the newest version and no bios settings look amiss
gpu-z looks right (clock speeds and pci 16x)
power settings are all max-performance (in windows and nvidia control panel)
temperatures are fine (55C or so under full load)
i don't have any other programs running and i've whittled my start-up programs to the bare minimum

Seriously, none of the basic "fixes" have helped, and I'm getting tired of seeing things like: buy better hardware, try a 64-bit OS, etc. Does anybody have other ideas? Is there a way to check to see if my PSU is under-powering my hardware?

[Pickster]

I am having a similar issue.

I had GPU-Z open when loading into the first test and quiting out 1/4 of the way through showed the GPU us only being loaded about 40%

Furmark has the FPS right around where I would expect it (although I havn't varified this via a google search) and Folding @ Home has the expected PPD. Both of which are loading the GPU to 100%

I would expect my CPU to 'bottleneck' the GPU a bit but the expected score for a 460 is +/- 20k and I'm only getting 10k. I compaired my system to a Q6600 which was listed as running at stock and the score for that was 20k so I don't see why I should be at only 50% of the score.

More benchmarks will be performed today.

System specs

2x Xeon 5130 (2x Dualcore @ 2ghz)
GTX 460 768mb
4gb ECC Ram DDR2 PC-5300

Windows Vista Business 64bit
Latest nVidia Drivers

http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16402648

[Jarnis]

3DMark06 is heavily CPU limited on any modern computer. We do not recommend using it for benchmarking modern DX10/DX11 cards. Any card faster than (roughly) GeForce 8800GT is CPU limited on 3DMark06 unless you resort to exotic CPU cooling (and even then you just push the wall up a bit)

Try with 3DMark Vantage.

[Pickster]

I was going to get Vantage on the D/L today. I just happened to have 06 on a disc already.

I have previously benched a 8800GT with a Q6600. I guess it was at 3.2ghz but the CPU speed wasn't read at the time and that scored 14k.

Like I said, I didn't expect the best score out of the Dual 5130s, but 10k seems horribly low compaired to the 14k from a 8800GT. And its not just the CPU score holding it back, all the FPS were lower on the 460 than the 8800GT bar one test where it was only 1 or 2 FPS higher.

If I get the time I will put the 460 into the Q600 system while I still have access to it and try verious CPU speeds to have a comparible result.

[Jarnis]

I was going to get Vantage on the D/L today. I just happened to have 06 on a disc already.

I have previously benched a 8800GT with a Q6600. I guess it was at 3.2ghz but the CPU speed wasn't read at the time and that scored 14k.

Like I said, I didn't expect the best score out of the Dual 5130s, but 10k seems horribly low compaired to the 14k from a 8800GT. And its not just the CPU score holding it back, all the FPS were lower on the 460 than the 8800GT bar one test where it was only 1 or 2 FPS higher.

If I get the time I will put the 460 into the Q600 system while I still have access to it and try verious CPU speeds to have a comparible result.

I do agree that the score is unusually low. I guess it could be something related to the dual socket system; I don't have much experience with them.

[Pickster]

I do agree that the score is unusually low. I guess it could be something related to the dual socket system; I don't have much experience with them.

I have done a bunch of Windows updates and a Direct X update. The score stays the same.

As you say, it could be related to the dual socket system, as I have suspected. Obviously it's not tuned to maximum performance and the ECC Ram is going to slow things down a touch too.

I have ran 3DMark Vantage and I'm getting just over 9,500 on the standard profile. I'm told that the system is slow but its hard to check due to the GPU physics being enabled and disabled results being all mixed together.... and ofcourse the fact I'm runnung Dual Xeons so knowing what CPU to compair it to isn't directly obvious.

Link to Vantage forum post