5870 idle clocks too low

is it just me, or does it seem like the 5870's idle clocks (100/150 core and memory) are so low that basic windows animations (like resizing a window or moving it around rapidly) are a bit sluggish?

I noticed this when just messing around, moving a firefox window around while an video was playing in it. I popped open an HD movie in VLC player and minimized it, forcing the clocks of the 5870 to 700mhz and 1000mhz respectively. Sure enough, moving the firefox window around became much more responsive and fluid.

If everyone else can confirm this... can we petition dell to make the idle clocks of the 5870 a bit higher? I'd rather get less battery life but have an entirely fluid computing experience. I don't even run this computer on battery much anyways.

That is all.

 

Really? no one?

 

AFAIK, 5870 idles@ 100/150 and that should be normal. Sluggish performance is probably the indication of immature drivers.

 

I agree.

if my GMA500 on the mini10V can run windows 7 just fine, I'm sure a 800 shader GPU with only 50mhz less on the core can do it just as well.

 

Mine idles at low clocks also but when I start a game it kicks in. No complaints here

 

And what about when you drag around an internet browser window that's playing video? Move it around rapidly. Is it snappy and fluid in motion, or does it somewhat lag behind where you know the window should be in time on the screen?

I'm criticizing the graphics ability precisely WHEN insufficient graphic requirements have been demanded of the GPU. The basic animations (like resizing an Aero window rapidly), that are still driven by a GPU and still require some decent juice.

 

perhaps you're not comparing apples and oranges? perhaps your much less powerful GMA500 has been optimized to used 200mhz more, "wisely" than a card of much more power, for example, dell's 5870.

 

No, because
1) the GMA has 4 unified shaders, the 5870 has 800
2) the GMA isn't even Intel's work, it's a PowerVR SGX core, which suffice to say, is utter turd.
3) from a pure texture fill rate perspective, @ 100mhz, the 5870 is still 200 times more powerfull.
There is absolutely *no* situation where a 100mhz 5870 will not completely annihilate a GMA500. We're talking about a IGP that can't even break 1000 3dmark 2001 points on a good day.

 

I like your logic, it is sound.

Dell's drivers suck pretty hard, then.

Do you have any news on 10.6 drivers and whether they will support dell's 5870's?