# New Benchmarking Competition



## mllrkllr88

Thanks for stopping by!

One of my first objectives as a new benchmark editor is to collaborate on a new bench competition. There has bee some talk about the possibility of vendor supported prizes, which I think we can all agree would be incredible. Regardless of vendor sponsorship or prizes in general I want the next competition to be very successful and have a wide appeal to everyone.

I created this thread because if we choose the next competition guidelines as a group then I think we can achieve a higher level of success.
There has been some discussion lately about the direction we should take the next competition in. Everyone has a different opinion and I just want to make sure everyone interests are taken into consideration. I cannot confirm that the decision we make in this thread will be the final decision, mostly because I dont have that authority, but I think it will hold weight regardless.

Personally, I like the platform of previous competitions where there are 3 stages but only 2 scores count. Here are a few suggestions to narrow down the scope of the competition:

Legacy 2D
Legacy 3D
Modern 2D
Modern 3D
Cross generation memory only
Cross generation 3D
Cross generation 2D
Mix of everything above
Please let us know what type of competition you would to see next, be as detailed or brief as you want.


----------



## Noxinite

I don't mind as long as as many people as possible can compete, because that's the only way to promote benching.


----------



## CL3P20

always fun to enter comps with good performance brackets, that keep the scores and competition tight!

**Not so fun - HWBOT OC comps with rules like "compete with your best 4core". Its pretty moronic to think that people with 2500k's would ever be in the same bracket as a KBL and be able to "compete"...leave it up to HWBOT, to think that it 'encourages more people to enter'. LMAO.

OS comps are fun too ! ie - best Physics 3D11 score with locked CPU/RAM speed. *people learn a lot from comps that focus on efficiency..and scores are always tight.

Good luck, cant wait for some new ideas and comps!


----------



## Noxinite

Hmm, how about HD 3000 series destruction comp?

Single card and/or crossfire with 3DMark03/3DMark05/Heaven Basic.


----------



## DR4G00N

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Noxinite*
> 
> Hmm, how about HD 3000 series destruction comp?
> 
> Single card and/or crossfire with 3DMark03/3DMark05/Heaven Basic.


I was thinking along the same lines except with the HD 5000 series. That way we can use newer benches and take some importance off the cpu and onto the gpu.

If we do the HD 3000's it would probably be best to put a cap on the cpu freq to like 4.5 or 5GHz (possibly on just haswell and up and let Ivy and below run at any freq on ambient cooling) so we have to focus on the gpu more. Otherwise people with Haswell, Skylake or kaby cpu's will completely dominate it.


----------



## mllrkllr88

Personally, I love the sound of some legacy 3D







However, I want to make sure we set this up to have the widest audience possible. Between the two suggested I think HD5000 might be better because it is more prevalent.

If we did 3D what about having an ambient class limited to 5G CPU+ambient temps, then an all out class with no restrictions. Also, we could use benches that dont scale well with CPU (like 3D03, GPUPI)

Nobody has talked about a memory competition, or a straight up 2D war, both could be fun.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

As much fun as legacy 3D can be, I really like the idea of an efficiency oriented competition.... Or at least some sort of 2D legacy. Mmmmm, 2D legacy.

With legacy 3D, we could also focus more on the graphics score instead of the overall, which would at least somewhat limit the effects a newer processor can have compared to older ones. There still will be a difference, but instead of it being a huge one, it's a smaller one.

The biggest question that comes to mind with having memory as the main focus when benching is that at the moment, there sadly aren't too many benches that focus solely on such, so if memory were to be included I would argue that it would be nice to have a mixture of memory as well as say some 2D legacies. Or there's always the fruit salad approach of a gigantic mixture of all of the above, with say 2-3 different benches available in each category, and then have your best 2D, 3D, and memory scores determine overall standing. Seems somewhat crazy/nutty of an idea though.


----------



## MrBreeze

Totally with Wulfe and Clep here, I think an efficiency/tweaking comp, or at least one that weights it heavily, would be awesome.

If we were doing legacy 3D, HD 5000 would be cool because the Evergreen cards were awesome and Cypress/Juniper aren't too expensive right now, cards can be had for $50-ish. Plus mucho HW boints available.


----------



## Noxinite

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MrBreeze*
> 
> Totally with Wulfe and Clep here, I think an efficiency/tweaking comp, or at least one that weights it heavily, would be awesome.
> 
> If we were doing legacy 3D, HD 5000 would be cool because the Evergreen cards were awesome and Cypress/Juniper aren't too expensive right now, cards can be had for $50-ish. Plus mucho HW boints available.


3DMark01 with CPU frequency cap then? :O


----------



## MrBreeze

Hey nice sig Nox


----------



## mllrkllr88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MrBreeze*
> 
> Hey nice sig Nox


No kidding!! He only has one thing in his sig, but when its that good, you only need 1!!


----------



## Noxinite

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MrBreeze*
> 
> Hey nice sig Nox


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mllrkllr88*
> 
> No kidding!! He only has one thing in his sig, but when its that good, you only need 1!!


Thanks guys! It was Breeze's idea to put it there.

We could always do a Team Power Points competition, as we are reasonably close to the next team in the ranking.


----------



## CL3P20

Hwbot x256 render comp? Globals for all..?


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CL3P20*
> 
> Hwbot x256 render comp? Globals for all..?


Ooooh, and it would definitely help get OCN back onto the map with things. And depending on things, one could also have a few categories to compete in with it, so that those who are using older hardware can compete without being slaughtered by those with the newest stuff.


----------



## CL3P20

See how this hits you:

*Hwbot 265x render efficiency comp*

Jist: Submit both 1080 & 4k run for x265 bench, to compete for best efficiency in class. Your entered score/#cores = efficiency score, to determine ranking for the competition.

Rules:

1. Submit results for only one cooling bracket. AMD + Intel compete together.

2. Enter in as many core brackets as you like (physical # of cores, no disabling allowed).

3. Valid submissions requirements:

A. Use competition background.

B. Provide hwbot link, of validation.

4. To have a valid final score at competition close, you must; Have entered scores for both 1080 and 4k + made a single submission prior to final day of competition (no joining the comp on closing day)

*sample sub table for 1080*



Let me know what you think. Please take a moment to examine your own 1080/4k scores using the formula (score/#cores). Id like to hear ideas/opinions on the proposed scoring method. My thought was to provide incentive to tweak for better scores..not just OC. Either way this comp would rack up the globals for OCN in a huge way.

ie - 36.7 Global Points is great for 2 subs on AIO at low clocks..

45.4fps @ 1080p _ 5820k @ 4.4

10.7fps @ 4k _ 5820k @ 4.4


----------



## DR4G00N

X265 could be good, I've only ran it once briefly for last years country cup. A lot of global's to be had there.


----------



## Noxinite

That's a nicely though out idea! Some guys were talking about their efficiency being a bit low in x264, so it might be interesting to see if people can figure out what's holding them back.


----------



## mllrkllr88

Hwbot 265x would be AWESOME, I live this idea! This would be perfect since like you said it now carries global and its basically unknown to many people. So its the perfect bench for a competition like this to force everyone to learn the bench and optimize the score.

The only question I have is with scoring. I need to look more into the method you devised and also check out potential other scoring methods. Another popular scoring method used in the past is score divided by core count. I will do a bunch of calculations based on some sample submissions to see how your method works. We need to make sure there are no "holes" in the scoring method. Good work man, killer idea


----------



## CL3P20

I think youre right on the scoring.. it would need to be (score/#cores). I checked some of my own scores and the spread can be too far for different gen CPU. Also.. AMD is very efficient if you compare clock speed lolz. A bit too efficient. 

*i fixed the verbage above regarding scoring.

Finding some efficiency on this bench isnt as hard as others. Between teammates .. you want to check that tiny 'overkill' box and make sure core voltages are spot on.. if a core is a bit out of sync the overkill mode doesnt provide that much boost in score. OS prep for the bench is pretty much key from my experience.


----------



## Willius

So I have been thinking a bit the last couple of days about the OCN comp we have been discussing.

Timeframe wise, January would be a good option.

Countrycup and Cheapazz should be finished.

Divisions shouldn't start for some time in 2018. Probably half January, or beginning of February.

As I think it is important to get the whole benching community/team involved I suggest 2 different brackets. To give the guys on ambient cooling a fair fight aswel.

2 stages of 2D, 2 stages of 3D.

For the "Extreme" bracket all cooling is allowed.

For the "Ambient" bracket only Air and/or Water. No chillers/peltier. So CLC's, custom loops, aircoolers.
We could also make RealTemp a mandatory program in the screenshots. To eliminate the "advantage" some of the northerners have. By enforcing a minimum of +20C idle temp.

For points, only your best 3 results count. To eliminate ties:

Points: 25-20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Furthermore; by only letting count 3/4 benches for points, one could gamble to completely forgo 1 of the stages, if one doesn't have the required hardware or is a completely new to a certain benchmark. But by doing so, you allow the other contenders a potential higher spot in one of the benchmarks, and could cost you the win. I think this could create an awesome dynamic into the mix.

Now to the juicy details; what benches!?

To keep things easier for the ones who will be moderating the thread/ both leagues will use the same benches.

For 2D:

As previously mentioned;

HWbot x265. New
Fairly "fresh" benchmark. So lots to learn for most people's. And globals to be caught!









3DMark 11 Physics. Old
A personal favorite for me. A bench seldom done, so also lots to learn in terms of efficiency. We could limit it to 6Ghz for extreme and 5Ghz for ambient for example. I know on hwbot freq lock benches are more likely to be cheated on. BUT I expect nothing but FairPlay from our own team/platform OCN as a whole.
If not, well one will probably face consequences.

As a substitute for 3DMark Physics,

SuperPi 32m. Best bench of all, no explanation needed







we could also frequency lock this to 6 and 5Ghz

3D:

Unigine Superposition. New
Solely because afaik it relies 100% on GPU. Don't matter if you rock a 18core or dual core.

3DMark Vantage.
Or this isn't old enough, I'm not sure. We could do 11 too, but I feel that's kinda meh if we go for Physics in the 2D part.

Now the other juicy part! Hardware!

I suggest atleast for the 3D "legacy" benchmark a "cheap as a burger and beer card, so you can brutalize the thing* -mllrkllr88 - 2017
Like cheapazz chips, incentivizes hard modding. But on a truelly cheapo GPU. Something like 8800 or 9800.
Not even sure if they run the bench I suggested. So we could change that up and pick a suitable 3DMark version according to the era the card was from.

For superposition, I'm up for suggestions.
We could do something like 10 series, or 9 series. Especially 9 series are very affordable nowadays.

For 2D, I'm not too sure. Maybe quad Processors For 265 atleast. skylake/Kabylake/Kabylake-X. This is a lot harder to tackle.

We could also devide the scores by cores. Not sure if that's fair. I know hwbot does it sometimes for XTU. But makes HT mandatory. And could possibly mean a dual core scores the absolute best. Like with decided XTU. So I'm not sure how to tackle this one.

Suggestions/additions etc are welcome.
Yours truly.

wiLLius

Ps: sorry for the lackluster formatting. I wrote this up on mobile! I apologize in advance


----------



## mllrkllr88

You have some nice Ideas, thank you for getting all that down on paper!

Here is a quick summary of your ideas and some of the ideas passed around in private chat:

Competition Timeline: Jan 15th to March 15th

*Ambient Class*
Basic Class Rules: CPU Limit of 5ghz, temp limit of +25c minimum (hwmonitor required to be open during bench), compete in all 4 stages if you want but only your best 3 count
GPU: GTX260 only, but we will allow both 192 and 216 versions
CPU: You can use ANY 4-core CPU. We need to examine using higher core CPU's and limiting cores in bios.

Stage 1: 3D Mark 03
Stage 2: Unigine Heaven (Basic) or GPUPI
Stage 3: HWbot x265
Stage 4: 3DMark 11 Physics

*Unlimited/Extreme Class*
Basic Class Rules: NO CPU limit, NO cooling or temperature limits, compete in all 4 stages if you want but only your best 3 count
GPU: GTX260 only, but we will allow both 192 and 216 versions
CPU: You can use ANY 4-core CPU. We need to examine using higher core CPU's and limiting cores in bios.

Stage 1: 3D Mark 03
Stage 2: Unigine Heaven (Basic) or GPUPI
Stage 3: HWbot x265
Stage 4: 3DMark 11 Physics

This is obcviously a very rough outline and will likely change. We need to look at GPUPI 32B (its the perfect bench for GPU since it does not scale with CPU at all) as a possible substation for stage 2. Firstly, I am not sure it works for this card and the second factor is that the run-time will be more than 1 hour.


----------



## Moparman

Add multi Gpu class.


----------



## sunset1

OR NOT .. but please is a start ;>


----------



## SavantStrike

How will the difference between 192 and 216 variants be counted?

Other than that question, maybe I should work on getting a spare 260 for heavy benches. These competitions are always fun.


----------



## mllrkllr88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SavantStrike*
> 
> How will the difference between 192 and 216 variants be counted?
> 
> Other than that question, maybe I should work on getting a spare 260 for heavy benches. These competitions are always fun.


I think at this point the idea is to allow both 192 and 216 versions and make no distinction between them. The performance difference is pretty small and allowing both versions opens up the competition to more people. Those who are going to go out and buy one for the competition will likely want to choose the 216 version.

Yea, I agree, this is going to be tons of fun!!


----------



## SavantStrike

I'm pretty sure mine is a 216/55nm version. I've never used it as it was from a friend lol. A 192/65nm that clocks well could easily smoke my setup unless I do something about the stock hsf.

The CPU is going to be the hardest part of this build. I've got some FX series gear lying around but ideally I should be targeting something like a 2500/2600k. Disabled cores would make my decision easier


----------



## bigblock990

ES cpu's allowed for unlimited class?


----------



## DR4G00N

I am for going with Heaven over gpupi just for the fact that even if it can run 32B, it will take around 2 hours. If it was 1B instead it wouldn't be quite as bad.


----------



## bigblock990

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DR4G00N*
> 
> I am for going with Heaven over gpupi just for the fact that even if it can run 32B, it will take around 2 hours. If it was 1B instead it wouldn't be quite as bad.


I am also downvoting gpupi 32B for that reason, good catch dr4goon!


----------



## mllrkllr88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigblock990*
> 
> ES cpu's allowed for unlimited class?


I think the best thing to do is follow the hwbot rules for each benchmark. So, in the case of ES, they would be legal since hwbot allows them.


----------



## Willius

Nice, can't wait to get this thing rolling!

GTX 260 is a perfect card for this comp for sure!

Good catch on the 32B though, we could go for 1B maybe? Thoughts?

Otherwise Heaven sounds good to me too.


----------



## mllrkllr88

I was unsure about run time but I figured it would be at least an hour+ for 32B. This is a huge drawback and I think we can all agree its out. I feel like 1B is not strong enough of a test, so I think maybe we should stick with heaven basic.

Other than that, what do you guys think of the structure? Its basically two separate competitions run simultaneously together. Does everyone like the general theme of 2x 2D and 2x 3D where the top 3 scores count?


----------



## SavantStrike

Backup 260 ordered in case I kill the primary, got a weird full cover wb on order too. I had forgotten what a mess the PCBs were on the 2xx series.

Anyone up for unofficial 260 SLI competition?

I've got a sandy bridge platform that can reliably do 4.2-4.3 lined up. I need to get that closer to the 5.0 ceiling and/or find something ivy bridge to compete, or someone with a 6700/7700k test bench can waste me.

Are we allowing hyper threading or requiring it be turned off? HT off would make an i5 an option.


----------



## Willius

Fair point@mllrkllr88 . Let's keep heaven. It's also a lot more fun to look at while benching, the sound isn't as much









I7 still stomps i5 at equal clocks and HT off due to L3.

The point is, we chose, atleast for 3D benchies that don't scale enourmusly with HCC.

Afaik we are doing single GPU only for now, it would take too much time to moderate, and keep up with the scores and rankings.
It's a big thing there's already split brackets for ambient ánd extreme. We feel everybody should have a chance at being competitive!








It does come at a cost, double the "maintenance" of scores. So if we would add SLI it might be too much.


----------



## SavantStrike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Willius*
> 
> Fair point@mllrkllr88 . Let's keep heaven. It's also a lot more fun to look at while benching, the sound isn't as much
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I7 still stomps i5 at equal clocks and HT off due to L3.
> 
> The point is, we chose, atleast for 3D benchies that don't scale enourmusly with HCC.
> 
> Afaik we are doing single GPU only for now, it would take too much time to moderate, and keep up with the scores and rankings.
> It's a big thing there's already split brackets for ambient ánd extreme. We feel everybody should have a chance at being competitive!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It does come at a cost, double the "maintenance" of scores. So if we would add SLI it might be too much.


That's why I said unofficial SLI. There are probably one or two of us crazy enough to do it just for fun outside of the officially sanctioned competition - just for the fun of it.


----------



## DR4G00N

I'm assuming we're allowing dual core chips as well? At least for the 3D stages anyway.


----------



## mllrkllr88

Yea for sure, I think its only logical to allow all cores up to 4 (and allow HT).

Its difficult to accommodate everyone. For the 2D stages, we could look at dividing the score by the core count to make it more fair for 2 core CPU's. Alternatively we could look into making everyone limit the core count in the bios, like 2/2 for all chips. However, I think that would complicated things too much.

Other suggestions?


----------



## SavantStrike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mllrkllr88*
> 
> Yea for sure, I think its only logical to allow all cores up to 4 (and allow HT).
> 
> Its difficult to accommodate everyone. For the 2D stages, we could look at dividing the score by the core count to make it more fair for 2 core CPU's. Alternatively we could look into making everyone limit the core count in the bios, like 2/2 for all chips. However, I think that would complicated things too much.
> 
> Other suggestions?


Score /2 results could be interesting - it would basically leave only raw IPC as the benchmark. It is also a slightly fairer metric as a 4 core chip turned into two cores will clock like a monster. There are motherboards out there that don't allow you to turn off cores too, so this gets around that.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Willius*
> 
> Fair point@mllrkllr88 . Let's keep heaven. It's also a lot more fun to look at while benching, the sound isn't as much


Congrats on the new position


----------



## xmanrigger

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Willius*
> 
> Nice, can't wait to get this thing rolling!
> 
> GTX 260 is a perfect card for this comp for sure!
> 
> Good catch on the 32B though, we could go for 1B maybe? Thoughts?
> 
> Otherwise Heaven sounds good to me too.


Just a question. If 3D benchmarks are part of the competition, why an old GTX260. What benchmarks will benefit from a 2XX series card?

If it is the GTX260 architecture that is desired, could I use a GTX295 instead? Or would that be considered SLI and not allowed?


----------



## Willius

The reason we go for old cards is that they cost little to nothing, so if you don't have one. You don't have to break the bank.
And as an incentive to hard mod. It's a lot less painful if you kill a 20 dollar card compared to a crisp 800 dollar 1080ti.

No, only 260 (216SP). This is to create an even playing field.


----------



## sunset1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Congrats on the new position


wow that was super nice ;> we :thumb:miss your daily comments ;>


----------



## GtiJason

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xmanrigger*
> 
> Just a question. If 3D benchmarks are part of the competition, why an old GTX260. What benchmarks will benefit from a 2XX series card?
> 
> If it is the GTX260 architecture that is desired, could I use a GTX295 instead? Or would that be considered SLI and not allowed?


Another reason Will forgot to mention but obviously knows is that older cards usually have their HWBot hardware points maxed out. A big plus for many of us to get involved in this competition. In fact the GTX 260 was the most used gpu on hwbot from the 200 series cards. There are just so many reasons to choose a card like this


----------



## Willius

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GtiJason*
> 
> Another reason Will forgot to mention but obviously knows is that older cards usually have their HWBot hardware points maxed out. A big plus for many of us to get involved in this competition. In fact the GTX 260 was the most used gpu on hwbot from the 200 series cards. There are just so many reasons to choose a card like this


Also a big +. Most regular benchers will probably squeeze in more benchmarks in during their session with the GTX 260. Solely because of the max 50 HWpoints to be taken.


----------



## mllrkllr88

@GtiJason, @Willius Excellent answers, couldn't have said it better!

This week I will be testing some benches for Stage 2 so we can finalize things a bit. Currently, I think I will urge us to use GPUPI 1B. I am putting together a pro/con list between GPUPI 1B and Heaven Basic. Once I finish testing I will post my results.

Edit: There is a new GPUPI version, I will be testing this one along with the older one: http://forum.hwbot.org/showpost.php?p=501970&postcount=480


----------



## Gunslinger.

For the GPUPI/Heaven conversation:

The Heaven top score is going to be very hard to achieve due to the fact that there are little to no 260 Lightnings out there in the wild.

The GPUPI 1B top score is worth almost the same amount of hwboints as Heaven, but is 100% attainable at this time.


----------



## mllrkllr88

I spent some solid time testing GTX260 216. I came to the realization, after some long hours, that GTX200 series will not work with GPUPU. Indeed if you look on Hobot, you will see there are no GPUPI submissions for GTX260, 275, 280, 285. The bench does start, but it fails at loop 4 every single time, regardless of clocks or settings.

There are a few other options, but I tested Heaven Basic and I think its a good option. The CPU scaling is pretty weak, which is a good thing since it makes things more even. The world record for heaven was done with 4c CPU and no hyper threading.

Things are looking pretty well figured out to me, if there are any objections now is the time









Here is a summary:

*Ambient Class*
Basic Class Rules: CPU Limit of 5ghz, temp limit of +20c minimum (hwmonitor required to be open during bench), compete in all 4 stages if you want but only your best 3 count
GPU: GTX260 only, but we will allow both 192 and 216 versions
CPU: ES CPU allowed. You can use ANY 4-core CPU.

Stage 1: 3D Mark 03
Stage 2: Unigine Heaven (Basic)
Stage 3: HWbot x265
Stage 4: 3DMark 11 Physics

*Unlimited/Extreme Class*
Basic Class Rules: NO CPU limit, NO cooling or temperature limits, compete in all 4 stages if you want but only your best 3 count
GPU: GTX260 only, but we will allow both 192 and 216 versions
CPU: ES CPU allowed. You can use ANY 4-core CPU.

Stage 1: 3D Mark 03
Stage 2: Unigine Heaven (Basic)
Stage 3: HWbot x265
Stage 4: 3DMark 11 Physics


----------



## bigblock990

For hwbot x265 you need to specify which test 1080p or 4k?


----------



## Willius

1080p is the best option, no science behind this. Just a gut feeling.









Well done @mllrkllr88!


----------



## kimandsally

Thank you for this great competition, looks like some fun to be had here:thumb:


----------



## Noxinite

Hopefully I can compete in this.


----------



## GeorgeStorm

Might try to see if I can bring my 260 back to life for this


----------



## bigblock990

Just snagged a 260 off ebay. Guess I'm in for sure now


----------



## DR4G00N

I'm ready for this!


----------



## Gunslinger.

Mine are off to the mod master.


----------



## DR4G00N

BTW if anyone's interested here's the vmods for the Nvidia ref PCB model: P897. These are the ones for my cards.

VGPU: ADP4100, 50K Ohm VR from Pin 18 (Feedback) to GND.

VMEM: uP6161, 20K Ohm VR from Pin 4 (Feedback) to GND. Edit: maybe shouldn't try this one. Theoretically it should work, and it does for about a minute then the mems give up and it turns into a brick.


----------



## mllrkllr88

I think we should stop using this thread and save it all for the main competition thread...just need to get around to making it haha


----------



## Gunslinger.

bump for creation of the main competition thread


----------



## mllrkllr88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gunslinger.*
> 
> bump for creation of the main competition thread


Its coming! We are working on artwork and I am working on the thread currently


----------



## Willius

Figuring out the spreadsheet, Soon guys!


----------



## kimandsally

Getting excited I have a card and some time to test it, really looking forward to this competition.


----------



## kimandsally

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mllrkllr88*
> 
> Personally, I love the sound of some legacy 3D
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> However, I want to make sure we set this up to have the widest audience possible. Between the two suggested I think HD5000 might be better because it is more prevalent.
> 
> If we did 3D what about having an ambient class limited to 5G CPU+ambient temps, then an all out class with no restrictions. Also, we could use benches that dont scale well with CPU (like 3D03, GPUPI)
> 
> Nobody has talked about a memory competition, or a straight up 2D war, both could be fun.


Only problem with memory is how difficult it is to find a decent set I don't think it would be as wide as this 260 competition which anyone can buy a card and have a go where as the best memory kits never get sold and it can be very expensive to bin memory.


----------



## Jpmboy

Sounds like fun! Question.. limited to a 4-core cpu? Or will subs be accepted with only 4-cores active on any CPU?


----------



## SavantStrike

Jpmboy said:


> Sounds like fun! Question.. limited to a 4-core cpu? Or will subs be accepted with only 4-cores active on any CPU?


Limited to CPUs that are physically 4 cores, unfortunately no disabled cores allowed. Hyperthreading is okay though.


----------



## Jpmboy

double post


----------



## Jpmboy

SavantStrike said:


> Limited to CPUs that are physically 4 cores, unfortunately no disabled cores allowed. Hyperthreading is okay though.


I meant to the thread starter. 
But either way is fine. Gonna have to break out my golden 7740X ES sample. 
Just easier to switch off 2 cores on a 8700K


----------



## mllrkllr88

Jpmboy said:


> Sounds like fun! Question.. limited to a 4-core cpu? Or will subs be accepted with only 4-cores active on any CPU?



I want to make this competition as accommodating as humanly possible to allow the most people to compete. I have been thinking about this and talking it over with several people. 

At the end of the day its "our" decision, not just mine. However, I think I would vote not to allow any other CPU's except 4 core ones. There is the issue of IPC performance gains and larger cache size, not to mention just simply adding more complexity to an already complex competition.


----------



## Jpmboy

Got it. :thumb:


----------



## SavantStrike

Is there an official thread for this yet? I'm still getting my bench platform together but hope I didn't miss it.


----------



## mllrkllr88

SavantStrike said:


> Is there an official thread for this yet? I'm still getting my bench platform together but hope I didn't miss it.


There is no thread yet. 

Unfortunately, with the recent OCN front page change this competition has been postponed. I am as bummed as you are...but the OCN officials tell me they are working on a solution. I will start the competition as soon as possible, but I cannot give any projections of when it will start.


----------



## Mr.Scott

Keep us in the loop.
There are a half a dozen guys at W9 chomping at the bit.


----------



## mllrkllr88

Mr.Scott said:


> There are a half a dozen guys at W9 chomping at the bit.


That is awesome to hear, its the same for us! I think most of the OCN bench community have at least purchased a card (some modded too) and are ready to bench!! Everything is done and ready, sponsors are on board so at this point we are waiting on :heyyou: OCN


----------



## AlphaC

Mr.Scott said:


> Keep us in the loop.
> There are a half a dozen guys at W9 chomping at the bit.


I added a benchmark to keep people busy ...
http://hwbot.org/benchmark/specviewperf_12_catia/


----------



## Mikecdm

I'll just sit this one out too. No cpu, no motherboard, no motivation.


----------



## Jpmboy

mllrkllr88 said:


> That is awesome to hear, its the same for us! I think most of the OCN bench community have at least purchased a card (some modded too) and are ready to bench!! Everything is done and ready, sponsors are on board so at this point we are waiting on :heyyou: OCN


Hey bud, is the idea to wait for a break between the eSport division comps, or just stack 'em up?


----------



## mllrkllr88

Mikecdm said:


> I'll just sit this one out too. No cpu, no motherboard, no motivation.


 Time for the big comeback!! It looks like you have the holy grail card all ready to go, I bet you can find a 6700K+MB cheap and compete in the ambient section. :cheers:



Jpmboy said:


> Hey bud, is the idea to wait for a break between the eSport division comps, or just stack 'em up?


Originally yes, we planned to end near the start of the DIV comps. However, as many things in life, plans got pushed back. At this point, I think most people just want this to start regardless of other events. The duration will be 2 months, so I think most people can find the time with their busy bench schedule.


----------



## Mikecdm

mllrkllr88 said:


> Time for the big comeback!! It looks like you have the holy grail card all ready to go, I bet you can find a 6700K+MB cheap and compete in the ambient section. :cheers:


It's covered in vaseline and apparently I did an ocp mod and vmem, but don't remember ever getting any scores with it. I think I may have used software for vgpu. I don't have any b-die, but i do have a Z170 ocf thats garbage. It's pretty much what made me quit. Was looking in my closet today and thinking, why do I still have all these cards and boards. Don't even have a cpu for these things.


----------



## GeorgeStorm

Mikecdm said:


> I'll just sit this one out too. No cpu, no motherboard, no motivation.


Sorry to hear that, my 260 is seemingly a bit borked (works without drivers but dies when installed), thinking of trying to grab another so I can take part


----------



## PROBN4LYFE

Cant submit any scores because I'm on windows 8.1 w MC on both my Z77 builds, need another Z77 board for my golden 2550k and win 7 install. Anybody got one for sale?


----------



## PROBN4LYFE

PM me I'm thinking of coming back from time to time.


----------



## GeorgeStorm

Don't have a spare hdd/ssd that you can install onto? 

(probably cheaper/easier than getting a whole board etc)


----------



## mllrkllr88

GeorgeStorm said:


> thinking of trying to grab another so I can take part


Awesome man, I hope you can join us once we start this thing. :thumb: While you are at it, grab 2x 260 216's they are still super inexpensive.


----------



## strong island 1

man I really want to grab a card and get motivated again. Just very hard. I could at least help with modding and adding to spreadsheet if it's needed. All I have left is a venom and 2 dewars. Feel so sad after going thru this thread for the first time. I really do miss it.


----------



## GeorgeStorm

mllrkllr88 said:


> Awesome man, I hope you can join us once we start this thing. :thumb: While you are at it, grab 2x 260 216's they are still super inexpensive.


Yeah I'm going to try and keep an eye out.



strong island 1 said:


> man I really want to grab a card and get motivated again. Just very hard. I could at least help with modding and adding to spreadsheet if it's needed. All I have left is a venom and 2 dewars. Feel so sad after going thru this thread for the first time. I really do miss it.


No reason you can't get back into it, you don't need to commit your whole life to it, just enjoy


----------



## Mr.Scott

GeorgeStorm said:


> No reason you can't get back into it, you don't need to commit your whole life to it, just enjoy


Exactly. :thumb:


----------



## bigblock990

Official THREAD is up now!


----------

