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ATI X1900 Instability

yimpster

yimpster

yimpster

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Joined
9 Dec 2002
Posts
622
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in a hole in the ground
Morniing,

It's been a long while since i've had to troubleshoot a gfx card issue.

I've just built a new rig with an X1900 256Mb powercolour PCI-E card.

Firstly, i'm using Vista 32 bit and the latest Ati drivers. The original drivers were uninstalled first.

I loaded up Stalker and it crashed within minutes, there are also stretching elements and other corruptions.

I loaded up 3dMark06 and it crashes after 2-3 minutes.

I used SiSoft sandra in burn in mode and the rig stays stable for over an hour.

So i'm guessing it's something to do with the card. So I load up ATI tray tools and switch on monitoring. Here are the first and last results before the machine locks up during 3DMark06

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Memory Clocks (MHz) - 594.00
GPU Temperature - 58.00
Environment Temp. - 52.00
Fan Duty Cycle - 27.27
Main CPU Usage - 12.50
FAN Rpm - 1969.00
Temp 1 - 40.00
Temp 2 - 51.50
Temp 3 - 119.00
--------------------------------------
Memory Clocks (MHz) - 720.00
GPU Temperature - 89.25
Environment Temp. - 61.00
Fan Duty Cycle - 50.00
Main CPU Usage - 64.06
FAN Rpm - 3327.00
Temp 1 - 41.00
Temp 2 - 65.50
Temp 3 - 124.50
 
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720Mhz? Thats not stock clock right? Maybe thats why its proberbly overheating and those temperatures look abit too high.
 
everything is at stock - not doing any overclocking at all

Edit: i'm not sure what the temp1,2 & 3 are, but i figured the more info the better :)
 
Yeah, looks like a heat problem, is your cards fan going at 100% at those temps? use ATI tool to set the fan speed at 100% when the temps hit 60c, my 1800 and 1950xt cards sucked at stock fan speed and were the cause of many a VPU recover. :mad:

Edit. 720Mhz is the correct stock speed for the memory on his card
 
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i'll test putting the fan on 100% and then running 3d mark and see what happens.

is there anything i can do about?? the regular gfx fan is so loud i can hear it downstairs when it max's out.
 
yimpster said:
I used SiSoft sandra in burn in mode and the rig stays stable for over an hour.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying this is the problem - but 1 hr stable means very little. 12hrs minimum, 24hrs+ is usually considered 'stable'. On a related note its been known for some OEM PCs to fail before 12hrs, but enthusiast class hardware should manage 24hrs with ease.
 
Boogle said:
I'm not saying this is the problem - but 1 hr stable means very little. 12hrs minimum, 24hrs+ is usually considered 'stable'. On a related note its been known for some OEM PCs to fail before 12hrs, but enthusiast class hardware should manage 24hrs with ease.
Click to expand...

i realise what you are saying is totally correct. however i was basing it on the fact that whatever component that was being stressed would die in under 5 mins. if i could stress the system barring the gfx card I could rule out CPU, memory etc.

I have just set the fan to be fixed at 100% and then run 3dMark06.

It completed and i guess i got a naff score 4916. However my PC is hovering 3" above the desk due to the fan being so high. Here are the readings with fan on 100%

Memory Clocks (MHz) - 594.00
GPU Temperature - 55.38
Environment Temp. - 47.00
Fan Duty Cycle - 100.00
Main CPU Usage - 48.13
FAN Rpm - 5177.00
Temp 1 - 38.00
Temp 2 - 64.50
Temp 3 - 124.50

So i'm guessing i need a new fan for the card. Any other recommendations other than the Zalman??
 
If you replace the HSF yourself you'll void the warranty :( If its not running stable, may be worth considering an RMA. If it turns out not to be the fan, then it may be a voided warranty for nothing :(
 
i'm not too fussed to be honest as long as it's easy enough to add the new fan i'll give it a try.

i don't see how it can be anything else other than poor cooling as upping the fan speed allowed me to complete my 3dmark no problems.

it would be good if the new fan was quieter as my baby daughter has the room next door and quietness is key :)

Is it an easy process to fit?
 
the guys above said the temps seemed high

GPU Temperature - 89.25 - just before crashing, would that not be too high??
 
Thats alright. Ive seen some 1900xtx hit 100c before they start to artifact and go crazy. But if you keep the fan at 100% like youve done it should be ok as its at 55c.
 
i would definitely not want my fans at 100% to keep my system cool at the current noise levels.

i've ordered the zalman recommended above.

is it easy to fit??
 
yimpster said:
i would definitely not want my fans at 100% to keep my system cool at the current noise levels.

i've ordered the zalman recommended above.

is it easy to fit??
Click to expand...

With patience you'll be fine :) They're great coolers tbh.
 
that's great - thanks for all your help everyone. i'll let you know how i get on tomorrow.

any tips from anyone that has fitted themselves?

i'll search the forums now to check if anyone else has talked through fitting one and their experiences.
 
Both my X1900XT and X1900XTX crash at > 80C.

Thats probably your problem.

Get rid of CCC, install ATT, test at 2D clocks, then "overclock" back up to 3D stock with hopefully lower voltages than stock.
 
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