HIS Radeon 5870 performance problems

[Ryx]

I’m not sure if anyone can help – I’m having problems with my newly installed HIS Radeon 5870. It doesn’t seem to be running at full speed (Windows 7’s Experience Index test rates it at only 2.0) and video playback (in both Quicktime and Windows Media Player) suffers from judder and flicker. The system ran perfectly with the previous graphics card and since its install the sound, even on standard windows sounds, crackles (I’m running this through the motherboard’s onboard sound and not the HDMI cable, although the problem exists there too if I switch to that).

The GPU is 62 degrees at idle and the clocks are not dropping from 850/1200 at idle either. The card also appears to be continually under 25% load even when idle.

The Spec of the system is as follows:

Asus P6T7 WS Supercomputer
Intel i7 950 @ 3.07 ghz
6gb of RAM
350gb Raptor – boot drive
1.5tb Seagate- network drive
8 x Seagate 1.5tb drives in a RAID 5 array via a Highpoint RocketRAID 2320
Pioneer 5090 Plasma display @ 1920 x 1080
Corsair HX450W running RAID array and a 1000w supply feeding the rest

I’m running the Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit release candidate with all updates installed. I’ve tried each version of the 5870 drivers including those packaged with the card, ATI’s latest drivers and the beta RC7 driver. The problems persist with each. I’ve direct x 11 installed and I’ve tried running the signal through both DVI and HDMI. I’ve also tried the system on an old monitor instead of the Pioneer Plasma and the problems with display, though lesser due to the decreased resolution, persist. To my eye, there doesn’t appear to be any relevant settings in BIOS, with the vast majority of settings on auto. I've tried different PCI-E slots, powering the 5870 from the Corsair supply and a fresh Win 7 install.

If anyone could suggest where to begin trying to get the card working and eradicating the problems with video playback I’d be most grateful.

 

[Ryx]

I do but it's also my main media server, hence the huge storage, and I'm looking at a reinstall with Vista as a last resort - Vista doesn't like the RAID card and CPU usage sky rockets trying to manage it which was what made me switch to 7 in the first place.

 

[Ryx]

Both connectors are attached. I've a Corsair HX450W unit running the RAID array and a 1000w supply feeding everything else - I forget quite what it is and without removing the Corsair supply I can't see. I could try running the 5870 from the Corsair to see if the other one is overloaded?

 

[Ryx]

Weird. I'm using Windows 7 RC and I'm getting a 7.1 on the Windows Experience thing. You sure you've plugged your monitor's cable into the 5870 and not your motherboard?

lol, quite sure but with the perfomance I'm getting you'd think I'd plugged it into a toaster.

 

[Ryx]

Thanks for all the advice. GPU-Z results as follows:

Will now try running it in a different PCI-E slot and using the other power supply.

 

[Ryx]

I have tried the following with no improvement:

Powering the 5870 from the Crosair secondary power supply - there is no way this can be overloaded.

Changed PCI-E slot, this has strangely fixed the sound problems but the display issues remain.

Completely removing the drivers with driver sweeper and reinstalling.

I ran 3dmark 2006 and got a score of 11000. The strange thing was during the graphics tests it would peak with very high FPS but suddenly dip to stuttering speeds, this wasn't when you'd expect (during the more intesive portions) but seemingly random. For example the Return to Proxycon test got as high as 118 FPS and as low as 2 FPS, Canyon Flight as high as 176 FPS and as low as 10 and Deep Freeze as high as 106 but as low as 20. These were all run at 3dmark's defaul resolutions (1280 x 720 I think).

 

[Ryx]

All the figures from GPU-Z were at idle, even the 25% usage. The clocks never drop from 850/1200. The temperature seems on the high side but from reading around others are getting that sort of level, though those without problems, as you say, are in the region of 45.

In answer to what I was using previously: Immediately prior to install I was using a very old Radeon X800 after the unfortunate demise of my Nvidia card while building the new system. The X800 was working without any problems.

 

[Ryx]

Nothing is running that seems to be using it:

 

[Ryx]

I'm not, which is odd. I'm running Catalyst 9.8 with the latest drivers from HIS's website. Strange that CPU-Z is reporting it to be 9.0 but I completely removed it and reinstalled to be sure.

 

[Ryx]

I've tried all versions of the drivers from those on AMD's site through to beta drivers elsewhere and all to no avail.

I've also tried a fresh install on a spare hard drive and the performance issues with the 5870 persists. Perhaps the card is faulty or it may not like the Asus P6T7 - either way it is unusable.

 

[Ryx]

All the information is on the first page of the thread including GPU-Z results, details of the problems and power supplies (Corsair 450w feeding RAID array and a 1000w unit powering everything else - I've tried the Radeon on both with no improvement).

 

[Ryx]

I've done the drivers and codecs but I'll try disabling the 5870's onboard sound and see if that does the trick.

 

[Ryx]

I've disabled the 5870's sound and all the performance issue remain. I've been trying to fix it all weekend and nothing has worked, I think I'm going to return the card stating that it appears to be faulty and see if the replacement has exactly the same issues. If it does I'm a little stuck. Thanks for all the advice thus far.

 

[Ryx]

Hi Jakus, all the problems set out in the opening post to this thread:

I’m not sure if anyone can help – I’m having problems with my newly installed HIS Radeon 5870. It doesn’t seem to be running at full speed (Windows 7’s Experience Index test rates it at only 2.0) and video playback (in both Quicktime and Windows Media Player) suffers from judder and flicker. The system ran perfectly with the previous graphics card and since its install the sound, even on standard windows sounds, crackles (I’m running this through the motherboard’s onboard sound and not the HDMI cable, although the problem exists there too if I switch to that).

The GPU is 62 degrees at idle and the clocks are not dropping from 850/1200 at idle either. The card also appears to be continually under 25% load even when idle.

The Spec of the system is as follows:

Asus P6T7 WS Supercomputer
Intel i7 950 @ 3.07 ghz
6gb of RAM
350gb Raptor – boot drive
1.5tb Seagate- network drive
8 x Seagate 1.5tb drives in a RAID 5 array via a Highpoint RocketRAID 2320
Pioneer 5090 Plasma display @ 1920 x 1080
Corsair HX450W running RAID array and a 1000w supply feeding the rest

I’m running the Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit release candidate with all updates installed. I’ve tried each version of the 5870 drivers including those packaged with the card, ATI’s latest drivers and the beta RC7 driver. The problems persist with each. I’ve direct x 11 installed and I’ve tried running the signal through both DVI and HDMI. I’ve also tried the system on an old monitor instead of the Pioneer Plasma and the problems with display, though lesser due to the decreased resolution, persist. To my eye, there doesn’t appear to be any relevant settings in BIOS, with the vast majority of settings on auto. I've tried different PCI-E slots, powering the 5870 from the Corsair supply and a fresh Win 7 install.

If anyone could suggest where to begin trying to get the card working and eradicating the problems with video playback I’d be most grateful.

Screen shots from GPU-Z and details of what is running can also be found on the opening page. Thanks for your input.

 

[Ryx]

Very little works as it should - the display functions and at the correct resolution, catalyst works and recognises the card, 3dMark runs and attempts the tests that the card should be able to perform. The card is not overheating but it is running hot. The clock speeds are continually maxed and the card is under 25% load but nothing is running that should be putting load on it. I intially had audio problems too but moving to a differnt PCI-E slot fixed those.

Things that don't work - video playback will start but it quickly deteriorates into juddery images. In Media Player you get some screen flicker (a band across the middle of the screen) and continual judder. Quicktime slows down when there is fast movement on screen and quickly becomes juddery. Performance in 3dMark is exceptional one second and then awful the next (dropping from 170FPS + to 1 or 2 FPS) - this doesn't correspond to onscreen action and is seemingly random. Game performance is the same.

I've tried all of the driver versions, different PCI-E slots, different power supplies, a fresh install on a spare hard drive and all the other suggestions that have been posted. I'm really at a loss - as far as I can fathom it's either a conflict or a faulty card but I may be wrong.

 

[Ryx]

There is nothing running - I've gone through every process that's running and closed all applications with no improvement. My only fear is that it could be caused by the RAID card (although all logic suggests it can't be the cause) - the RAID set up has my CPU at a continual 17% usage which isn't really an issue but I've no idea how it could be impacting on the 5870 too.

 

[Ryx]

The RAID is hardware but it remains very processor intensive and it's a PCI-E card. The Mobo has 7 PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots - initially I had the 5870 in slot 1 and the RAId card in slot 4 but I have since changed that to slot 2 and slot 5. I think Slots 1,3 and 5 run at x16 while 2,4 and 6 are unoccupied - hence the change.

I will try a Vista install to see if that corrects the problem but unfortunately the RAID card doesn't like Vista.

 

[Ryx]

Gurusan - I've tried a complete reformat on a spare hard drive (XP and 7). I've not tried Vista simply because I had that before 7 and the RAID setup just didn't like it.

Jakus - I've just tried it without the RAID card even being plugged in a PCI-E slot (so no RAID at all) and all the problems are the same. Given that none of the other PCI-E slots were in use I can't imagine it's anything to do with shared resources. Yes - BIOS is set to non plug and play OS.

 

[Ryx]

I've a friend who would test it but it won't fit in his case. I could knock one up from the spare parts I've got lying around but I'm half tempted to just return the card and try another one just to eliminate the worry that it's faulty.

 

[Ryx]

The bios was the latest version a week or so ago but I'll check for revisions. Yes the issue was the same in XP and no RAID: 25% GPU usage on the desktop and clock speeds at max even when idle. I've disabled the ATI audio and the sound is fine now but the display and performance problems persist. I'll try the other way around and disable the onboard sound.