Associate
As much as I want to see this problem fixed, any anti SLI lads wandering over here for a read will have a field day.
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Skyrim black screen in SLI
- Thread starter Durzel
- Start date
I can't see why, I don't understand how it is a SLI problem. In fact in this instance SLI is exposing a problem that would otherwise probably go unnoticed.
Aside from this strange (and admittedly very annoying) quirk I've got no complaints about the drivers or performance relative to my previous 6990+6970 setup.
Aside from this strange (and admittedly very annoying) quirk I've got no complaints about the drivers or performance relative to my previous 6990+6970 setup.
Associate
Yes mate, I know, I don't think it's related to SLI either, but some people don't need much ammo.
Will you be doing the fault finding tonight?
Will you be doing the fault finding tonight?
Soldato
Sorry I misread - GPU-Z can't load up your GPU's. For some reason I read it as a utility to measure GPU utilisation.
Sorry again for the confusion.
Sorry again for the confusion.
Associate
Good luck with tonights fault finding. Post back with your findings please. I'll be monitoring post from the pub, tonight is curry club and the match is on but I'll be back home 10PM ish. Theoretically, the lad above is right. You could use GPU-Z to record gpu voltage, and then when it crashes, reboot and look to see if there was some kind of change the moment it happens. I believe it can record results to a graph, or something similar. Never really used it, I use Afterburner.
Got to get it sorted ready for Dawnguard!
Got to get it sorted ready for Dawnguard!
Quick update:
Removed the bottom card from my PC, loaded Skyrim and just left it idle (after a short time the camera starts panning 360 degrees around the avatar, I assume this will be sufficient for testing purposes). Had to force a 30 FPS Frame Rate Target to try and approximate 50% load since one 690 can run run Skyrim at 60 FPS without issue.
Left this for about 4 hours and it hadn't crashed by the time I switched my PC off. Not sure how conclusive this is because I could play Skyrim for hours sometimes without a crash.
Now to do the same thing on the other card...
Should I switch out the cards completely or use the PCI-E slot disable feature of the motherboard?
Removed the bottom card from my PC, loaded Skyrim and just left it idle (after a short time the camera starts panning 360 degrees around the avatar, I assume this will be sufficient for testing purposes). Had to force a 30 FPS Frame Rate Target to try and approximate 50% load since one 690 can run run Skyrim at 60 FPS without issue.
Left this for about 4 hours and it hadn't crashed by the time I switched my PC off. Not sure how conclusive this is because I could play Skyrim for hours sometimes without a crash.
Now to do the same thing on the other card...
Should I switch out the cards completely or use the PCI-E slot disable feature of the motherboard?
Associate
I imagine you won't need to disable the slot if there is nothing in it. For testing purposes though, you need to do the other card, in the same slot, and then repeat the process for the other slot (like how you do it when your testing ram in memtest)
Will update thread later with developments.
Associate
While I was in the pub last night I had another idea btw. I know it's a long shot, but I read sometimes about SLI bridges being faulty. Might be worth trying a different one
Yeah EVGA suggested that when I filled in a ticket. The SLI bridge is brand new, came with the motherboard. Could conceivably be faulty I guess but seems unlikely. Will try a different one anyway.
Did I mention I hate removing stuff and readding stuff from my PC constantly?
Did I mention I hate removing stuff and readding stuff from my PC constantly?
Associate
Pain in the **** isn't it.
Update:
Well, think I'm reaching a conclusion...
Removed the top graphics card and replaced it with the bottom one which I had removed previously. Rest of system & configuration unchanged. I fired up Skyrim with the same setup as before (Frame Rate Target of 30 FPS), straight away noticed that this card needs 1.062v and 1.075v for the two cores, compared to 1.050v for both cores for the other card. Manufacturing difference there I guess.
More importantly I played about 20 minutes of Skyrim and in that time I got a CTD with "Nvidia driver has stopped responding and recovered" (or whatever the text says), the Skyrim process just disappeared completely.
So whilst I didn't get a BSOD I think I can say that this card isn't 100% stable, and when it's running in a SLI configuration having one card crash with the other still up probably would result in what I've been seeing - a black screen and unrecoverable graphics situation.
I've left it running again as I did the other night with Skyrim "idle" where it does a 360 degree pan-around, but I'm confident in thinking I need to send this card back.
Well, think I'm reaching a conclusion...
Removed the top graphics card and replaced it with the bottom one which I had removed previously. Rest of system & configuration unchanged. I fired up Skyrim with the same setup as before (Frame Rate Target of 30 FPS), straight away noticed that this card needs 1.062v and 1.075v for the two cores, compared to 1.050v for both cores for the other card. Manufacturing difference there I guess.
More importantly I played about 20 minutes of Skyrim and in that time I got a CTD with "Nvidia driver has stopped responding and recovered" (or whatever the text says), the Skyrim process just disappeared completely.
So whilst I didn't get a BSOD I think I can say that this card isn't 100% stable, and when it's running in a SLI configuration having one card crash with the other still up probably would result in what I've been seeing - a black screen and unrecoverable graphics situation.
I've left it running again as I did the other night with Skyrim "idle" where it does a 360 degree pan-around, but I'm confident in thinking I need to send this card back.
Associate
Sounds like you had a TDR due to faulty graphics card, which is definitely progress mate.
Associate
Glad you got to the bottom of this, especially considering the amount of money you paid.
Soldato
Excellent news (that you've located the fault). At least now you can get it sent back and replaced.
), I'm glad you managed to track the problem down.Yeah, sounds silly but a wave of tranquility washed over me when the 2nd card crashed lol
Was starting to think it would be such a narrow set of variables that would cause it that I'd have a nightmare trying to RMA it. The 2nd card would actually play Skyrim for a while, and would seem to run it fine during that time, until something would cause it to crash. I'm guessing that when it was in SLI with the other card having one card crash brought the whole system down.
edit: As a side note - EVGA are awesome. Not only have they not questioned me RMA'ing this card, but I noticed today that the 30 day extended warranty extension period had lapsed (I started doing it when I bought the cards, realised I could do it at any time during the 30 days, and then subsequently forgot - schoolboy error!) and they allowed me to extend it anyway.
Was starting to think it would be such a narrow set of variables that would cause it that I'd have a nightmare trying to RMA it. The 2nd card would actually play Skyrim for a while, and would seem to run it fine during that time, until something would cause it to crash. I'm guessing that when it was in SLI with the other card having one card crash brought the whole system down.
edit: As a side note - EVGA are awesome. Not only have they not questioned me RMA'ing this card, but I noticed today that the 30 day extended warranty extension period had lapsed (I started doing it when I bought the cards, realised I could do it at any time during the 30 days, and then subsequently forgot - schoolboy error!) and they allowed me to extend it anyway.
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