[NBF - Radeon HD 6950 @ 1050/1450MHz - 26431 marks 3DMark Vantage - Performance]

No problem mate

I used MSI Afterburner 2.1.0 Beta 6, you'll need to add a line "VDDC_VT1556_Defaults = 9A 5C 9B 80" to the config file to make it work.

[3Dmark 2008 'Vantage' Poll #2 - enable points]

I beg your pardon, but for a good SuperPi score you just need one 250$ E8600, one 100$ Commando/Biostar T45/etc and some 80$ Ballistix kit. A LN2 pot every bencher should have, and you can get one for ~150$. So ....no....You don't get the best score with the most expensive hardware.... And if you want a top 2001 score, where tweaking really matters, all you add to those from above is a good 9800GX2, which retails now for what money? 290$? So you can get top20 results with <1000& machines, in benchmarks where tweaks and experience really does count... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130338

 

Now....what does it take to have a Top20 Vantage result when people really start using it? Skulltrail/QX9650.....3 GTX280/2 4870 X2???.... I think the financial difference is obvious.... Please add to that the fact that the HWB rules as they are, allready favor the rich sponsored guys (if I would post a picture with 5 E8600 and 4 4870X2 my team can have lot's of different results with those tools, but if a small team made out of skilled people shares the same CPU or GFX you can only have one score in the category, and only one of those who really worked hard can enjoy the score under his name).... So I say...the balance is already in favor of rich benchers, why favor them more?

 

We allready have 2k6 and WPrime for those monster systems....Why add more benchmarks for those? For what it's worth...if in the future benchmarking will mean that you need a Skulltrail type platform or 3 GFX to be in the top .... I think many good old school Pi and 2k1 tweakers will stop benching....Remember.....it's all about your skills, not how much money you have....

 

I'm sorry to desagree, you're a well known bencher and your opinion is valuable.

 

You are saing that new multi-threaded benchmarks should stay off the ranking, but all new softwares and benchs are aimming for multi-thread, CPUs and GPUs as well are going this way.

 

I agree with the fact that those systems cost much more, but I think that keeping those benches out off score count will turn HWBot into a dinosaurs bench place in the near future.

[3Dmark 2008 'Vantage' Poll #2 - enable points]

Any benchmark is won by who has the newest, best, most expensive hardware and exotic cooling, the top sponsors, and so on. Would you shutdown all points because of this? It doesn't mean people can't bench what they have and still gain from it, just as it is with existing benches.

 

I agree 100%

 

About the licences, there's 30 day trial for Vista and the benchmark is not so expensive now that Advanced Licence gives the option to save and submit scores.