6800 Ultra Crash - Problem?

spiderlord · 05-18-2005, 02:08 AM

I have been getting a strange crash when playing several games with my new computer. At random times while playing Half Life 2 and Splinter Cell (the origional), the screen will suddenly become an array of horizontal, grey, black and purple rectangles, and the computer will stop responding. Sometimes sound continues, sometimes it starts to loops, most of the time it cuts off after a couple seconds. I've tried reinstalling and wiping my drivers, i've checked for IRQ conflicts, I disabled fast write (as I read that it can cause problems with Win2k Pro) in bios, and nothing has fixed the problem. Does anyone have any ideas?

System Specs:
AMD 64 4000+
eVGA 6800 Ultra
1024 DDR 400
MSI K8N Neo2 motherboard
480 Watt power supply with plenty of amps on the 12V

**Sarkast** · 05-18-2005, 09:26 AM

Did you check for the possibility that the video card is overheating ?

**MD_Willington** · 05-18-2005, 11:38 AM

Define plenty on the 12V line...if it ain't 20+ then it's not enough...

dai · 05-18-2005, 12:34 PM

in the device manager uninstall the card
reboot tapping f8 and choose vga mode
when windows finishes reinstalling the card
disable a/virus
reinstall the drivers
reboot the computer
if you still have a problem then it is as MD_Willington stated lack of power if the supply is any good you should have 22a on the 12v line

spiderlord · 05-18-2005, 12:58 PM

My power supply is a 500 watt X-Connect, with 34amps on the 12V (I couldn't find the box with the exact specs last night). As for overheating, i've tried to check using the nVidia device software, and as far as I can tell its not getting up above 70 C (this card idles at 60C, both in my computer and in a friend's). As well, it plays games like Dawn of War and Rome: Total War just fine, even when under such stress that frame rates drop very noticably (as in a battle in Rome that contained 10,000 individualy rendered troops). It also runs 3DMark2005 just fine.

I'll try your suggestion, dai. Hopefully it'll work, but in the meantime if this information gives anyone any other ideas, they would be much appreciated.

spiderlord · 05-18-2005, 01:52 PM

Nope, didn't work. Splinter Cell went down again. It doesn't seem to happen while playing the game as much as when i'm getting reports over the com, or when something with a lot of video processing happens, like falling into a fire. I've also noticed that with HL2... it only seems to happen when i'm looking at someone's face or when they are talking to me.

dai · 05-18-2005, 02:15 PM

check what actual voltages you are getting you can check with speedfan
http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start...37.html&e=7370

spiderlord · 05-18-2005, 02:49 PM

Speedfan says that i'm getting 12.71V, and Corecenter says i'm getting 12.08-12.17V. The speedfan seems somewhat high, is that outside normal bounds?

Speedfan:
12V: 12.71
3.3V: 3.2
5Vsb: 4.96-4.99

Corecenter:
12V: 12.2
5V: 5.05
3.3V: 3.36

dai · 05-18-2005, 04:38 PM

see what everest gives and also what the bios has
http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start...ys.com/&e=7370
they need to be within 5%+ or -

spiderlord · 05-18-2005, 06:14 PM

Ok, this is strange. Everest gives me the same results as SpeedFar, and BIOS gives me the same results as Corecenter. 12.71V and 12.2V, repectively. If it is 12.71V, would that be a possible cause of my video card problems?

As well, would it help if I sent/posted the summery of the everest report? Just glimpsing over it (and it's really, really long... it's the most comprehensive program i've ever used), I noticed that the IRQ for the video card is listed as "shared", despite the fact that no other device uses the same IRQ.

dai · 05-18-2005, 06:32 PM

even at 12.7 if correct i don't think it would cause the problem unless it spiked higher
the irq sharing is normal in xp

spiderlord · 05-19-2005, 04:10 AM

Well, i'm running 2000 Professional, not XP... I talked on the phone with an eVGA guy, and he thinks that some of the memory has probably gone bad. That possibility asside, how would I check to see if i'm getting a voltage spike?

dai · 05-19-2005, 05:18 AM

i think if it was spikeing you would be receiving bsod from the ram sticks i am not aware of a program that shows them in the tray,i would also suspect the card,it is usually the card or p/s which is within specs and of good quality,seeif you can get the card changed

ebackhus · 05-19-2005, 10:48 AM

eVGA has released a BIOS that ought to fix that and add general stability. Have you tried that?

**MD_Willington** · 05-19-2005, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebackhus

eVGA has released a BIOS that ought to fix that and add general stability. Have you tried that?

That is true...I usually suggest that as a last resort...The thought of a bad flash on a high end AGP card curls my toes...

MD

ebackhus · 05-19-2005, 01:48 PM

I found that through the eVGA support forums. I have an eVGA 6800NU and spend lotsa time there helping people and finding tips. Even the techs that work the boards suggest it.

spiderlord · 05-19-2005, 02:09 PM

Do you have a link for that BIOS update? I've looked on the support forum and I can't find anything about it.

ebackhus · 05-19-2005, 02:50 PM

I searched high and low and resorted to making a request for the link. I know they have it on the site but the design of it is not very customer friendly.

ebackhus · 05-19-2005, 02:55 PM

Yay double post!

This is what they replied with...

http://www.evga.com/Community/messag...?TOPIC_ID=6838

If you can get me that info we can get you a new BIOS.

Serial:
Current BIOS:

If you're worried about Security feel free to email me or PM me. And don't worry, I won't do anything mean with what you provide. :)

spiderlord · 05-19-2005, 03:38 PM

My bios version is 5.40.02.15.07

05-18-2005, 02:08 AM	#1 (permalink)
spiderlord Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 11 OS: Windows 2000 Professional	6800 Ultra Crash - Problem? I have been getting a strange crash when playing several games with my new computer. At random times while playing Half Life 2 and Splinter Cell (the origional), the screen will suddenly become an array of horizontal, grey, black and purple rectangles, and the computer will stop responding. Sometimes sound continues, sometimes it starts to loops, most of the time it cuts off after a couple seconds. I've tried reinstalling and wiping my drivers, i've checked for IRQ conflicts, I disabled fast write (as I read that it can cause problems with Win2k Pro) in bios, and nothing has fixed the problem. Does anyone have any ideas? System Specs: AMD 64 4000+ eVGA 6800 Ultra 1024 DDR 400 MSI K8N Neo2 motherboard 480 Watt power supply with plenty of amps on the 12V

05-18-2005, 09:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	Did you check for the possibility that the video card is overheating ? __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

05-18-2005, 11:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
MD_Willington Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: WA State & BC Posts: 587 OS: XP	Define plenty on the 12V line...if it ain't 20+ then it's not enough... __________________ Mainboard: PCC M848ALU / ECS L7S7A2 / ECS 748-A, HDD: Western Digital 40Gb, RAM: 2-256Mb DDR266 by Micron 4x AGP Card: 3DForce4-MX440, CDRW: Liteon 52x32x52, PSU: Antec True430, CPU: XP2200+ (AXDA2200DUV3C) *It's OK to be ignorant; it's not OK to play stupid.* *Never assume you are entitled to an answer. You are not.*

05-18-2005, 12:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,763 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	in the device manager uninstall the card reboot tapping f8 and choose vga mode when windows finishes reinstalling the card disable a/virus reinstall the drivers reboot the computer if you still have a problem then it is as MD_Willington stated lack of power if the supply is any good you should have 22a on the 12v line __________________

05-18-2005, 02:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,763 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	check what actual voltages you are getting you can check with speedfan http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start...37.html&e=7370 __________________

05-18-2005, 12:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
spiderlord Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 11 OS: Windows 2000 Professional	My power supply is a 500 watt X-Connect, with 34amps on the 12V (I couldn't find the box with the exact specs last night). As for overheating, i've tried to check using the nVidia device software, and as far as I can tell its not getting up above 70 C (this card idles at 60C, both in my computer and in a friend's). As well, it plays games like Dawn of War and Rome: Total War just fine, even when under such stress that frame rates drop very noticably (as in a battle in Rome that contained 10,000 individualy rendered troops). It also runs 3DMark2005 just fine. I'll try your suggestion, dai. Hopefully it'll work, but in the meantime if this information gives anyone any other ideas, they would be much appreciated.

05-18-2005, 01:52 PM	#6 (permalink)
spiderlord Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 11 OS: Windows 2000 Professional	Nope, didn't work. Splinter Cell went down again. It doesn't seem to happen while playing the game as much as when i'm getting reports over the com, or when something with a lot of video processing happens, like falling into a fire. I've also noticed that with HL2... it only seems to happen when i'm looking at someone's face or when they are talking to me.

05-18-2005, 02:49 PM	#8 (permalink)
spiderlord Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 11 OS: Windows 2000 Professional	Speedfan says that i'm getting 12.71V, and Corecenter says i'm getting 12.08-12.17V. The speedfan seems somewhat high, is that outside normal bounds? Speedfan: 12V: 12.71 3.3V: 3.2 5Vsb: 4.96-4.99 Corecenter: 12V: 12.2 5V: 5.05 3.3V: 3.36

05-18-2005, 04:38 PM	#9 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,763 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	see what everest gives and also what the bios has http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start...ys.com/&e=7370 they need to be within 5%+ or - __________________

05-18-2005, 06:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
spiderlord Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 11 OS: Windows 2000 Professional	Ok, this is strange. Everest gives me the same results as SpeedFar, and BIOS gives me the same results as Corecenter. 12.71V and 12.2V, repectively. If it is 12.71V, would that be a possible cause of my video card problems? As well, would it help if I sent/posted the summery of the everest report? Just glimpsing over it (and it's really, really long... it's the most comprehensive program i've ever used), I noticed that the IRQ for the video card is listed as "shared", despite the fact that no other device uses the same IRQ.

05-18-2005, 06:32 PM	#11 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,763 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	even at 12.7 if correct i don't think it would cause the problem unless it spiked higher the irq sharing is normal in xp __________________

05-19-2005, 04:10 AM	#12 (permalink)
spiderlord Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 11 OS: Windows 2000 Professional	Well, i'm running 2000 Professional, not XP... I talked on the phone with an eVGA guy, and he thinks that some of the memory has probably gone bad. That possibility asside, how would I check to see if i'm getting a voltage spike?

05-19-2005, 05:18 AM	#13 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,763 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	i think if it was spikeing you would be receiving bsod from the ram sticks i am not aware of a program that shows them in the tray,i would also suspect the card,it is usually the card or p/s which is within specs and of good quality,seeif you can get the card changed __________________

05-19-2005, 10:48 AM	#14 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,335 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	eVGA has released a BIOS that ought to fix that and add general stability. Have you tried that? __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

05-19-2005, 01:48 PM	#16 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,335 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	I found that through the eVGA support forums. I have an eVGA 6800NU and spend lotsa time there helping people and finding tips. Even the techs that work the boards suggest it. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

05-19-2005, 02:09 PM	#17 (permalink)
spiderlord Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 11 OS: Windows 2000 Professional	Do you have a link for that BIOS update? I've looked on the support forum and I can't find anything about it.

05-19-2005, 02:50 PM	#18 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,335 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	I searched high and low and resorted to making a request for the link. I know they have it on the site but the design of it is not very customer friendly. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

05-19-2005, 02:55 PM	#19 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,335 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Yay double post! This is what they replied with... http://www.evga.com/Community/messag...?TOPIC_ID=6838 If you can get me that info we can get you a new BIOS. Serial: Current BIOS: If you're worried about Security feel free to email me or PM me. And don't worry, I won't do anything mean with what you provide. :) __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

05-19-2005, 03:38 PM	#20 (permalink)
spiderlord Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 11 OS: Windows 2000 Professional	My bios version is 5.40.02.15.07 Last edited by spiderlord; 05-19-2005 at 03:41 PM.