video bottleneck according to Vista

[volsfan0911]

Just built a new rig - Gigabyte P35 mobo, E8400, 4 GB of RAM and an Asus 8500GT 256MB DDR3 video card. No, not a gamer and it was so dirt cheap ($45 after MIR) that I got it unless I want to upgrade down the line to a 8800GT or something like that. I ordered a ViewSonic VG series monitor from Newegg - Viewsonic ended up sending me a N2200 widescreen LCD instead. Looks like the same specs but for now, I'm running it via a VGA cable I thankfully hung onto for some reason and the best resolution available via the D-Sub input is 1360 X 768. I've ordered a DVI-HDMI cable from Monoprice and that'll hopefully allow me to run it at 1680X1050 which is the "preferred resolution". At this point, Vista is giving me a "1" on the experience index and the graphics are the issue. CPU, RAM, HDD all peg out at 5.9 which is where I hope the vid goes once I get it hooked up via a better connection. I also downloaded the Nvidia driver directly from their site and device manager tells me that is the latest greatest update. Will the DVI output from the vid card solve the bottleneck or am I missing something via BIOS or in Vista? x64 flavor BTW. I thought I'd hate it, but actually it has been a snap so far. I was happy - haven't built a PC in 10 years but it's a heck of a lot easier now, SATA cables make life beautiful and it POST'ed on the first try (I was happy). Greatly appreciate any information or response!

[The Wise Monkey]

Have you run the "update my score" option after installing the latest drivers?

[volsfan0911]

Have you run the "update my score" option after installing the latest drivers?

Yep - and it still didn't change. Should I blow away the vid card and reload or something else? I'm thinking it might be the VGA so when my DVI cable gets in, I'll reinstall the card, use the latest Nvidia driver again and then see what happens. Appreciate the feedback - will post results on here again when I get back from vacation 9/10. Thanks!

[volsfan0911]

OK - this is really weird. Nah - this is really Microsoft! :p Just went to system properties, refreshed the "new hardware installed" link and now I'm up to a 5.6?!?!?! Whatever. Anyway - that apparently solves my question from above. WiseMonkey - thanks for the suggestion. Overall, I'm REALLY happy with this setup. $1,100 for everything and it just screams. Easy, easy build - booted on the first shot, used a Seasonic power supply and only have two of the fans running on low with the Antec. 32C at idle, the CPU is stock speed (and staying that way with the el crappo stock cooler), my little pissant OC'ed 8500 GT card. Pretty quiet, very cool - downloaded the demo for Sins of a solar system (DX9) and I tell you what - it looked pretty good with a small system and the zoom in fleet detail is killer. Stable so far - I have to say I love it. If I decide to become a FSX junkie again down the road, I may have to OC the E8400 but it looks like an awesome chip so far - the mobo/CPU combo deal from Newegg was very good and it was a no-brainer to build. :cool:

[Damlite]

The windows experience index for vista is quite strange, when vista originally came out I wondered why they created a weird benchmarking tool when clearly there are far more detailed and indepth versions for enthusiasts.

I say, if it says your computer is gay, but know for a fact that it's not gay, screw the index.

[volsfan0911]

The windows experience index for vista is quite strange, when vista originally came out I wondered why they created a weird benchmarking tool when clearly there are far more detailed and indepth versions for enthusiasts.

I say, if it says your computer is gay, but know for a fact that it's not gay, screw the index.

Hey - it's got Jessica Simpson boobies for a wallpaper! :p You're right - it's a very stange indexing system although it can be useful for a quick ID of a bottleneck or when something isn't quite kosher (as my initial post). All's well that ends well and doing some light gaming already shows me the sytem is solid and the video is doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing. CPU-Z and GPU-Z validate my observations. Appreciate the help. Other than this, I haven't seen any hiccups out of Vista. Yet.....................

[volsfan0911]

OK - have another problem. Ordered a DVI-HDMI cable to run a digital out. Currently using VGA at 1360 X 780 on a Viewsonic N2201W no issues. Switched to the DVI cable and it looked horrible at any resolution. Set the video card to HDTV out per monitor instructions. Any suggestions on why the DVI output would be so crappy? Appreciate any assistance.