GeForce 6800 and random freezes

[Noxis]

Hi

Some questions for you ;)

-Cooling? Water or stock air cooling? Temps?
-450/1200 in 3D only or in 2D/3D?
-No Problems in any Bench, Game etc...
-Revision number bios?



Well, thanks in advance! :nanahump:


@ NOXIS:

Hey "Nox" ;)


Could you do me a favor?

Can you examine the "new" Gainward Bios they provided for the GW Users @ their forum some days ago?

Perhaps there is a different voltage setting in the bios, `cause it`s not a good overclocker. The XFX works good for a lot of People?!?

Hint: Perhaps the GW Bios is good to be tweaked, cause the Fan behaviour is little different from reference: It spins faster than reference when a 3D application is started. --> Louder but Cooler ;)

Perhaps you can check this out , too?

Thanks in advance Noxis :)


Bye

I would be surprised if the gainward has got a low voltage, the max you can give in the bios is 1.5v and the stock specified by nvidia is 1.4.

[Golden Sample]

Hi Noxis,

well, do you think 1,5V and a oc like 450/1200 for example would be dangerous for the 6800 Ultra`s? Perhaps not for the moment, but the "durability" ;)

Or perhaps NVidia kept the option to tweak the bios to 1,5V for some brands like BFG or Gainward to oc their "Extreme Versions"?!?

What temps do you guys get using 1,5 vs 1,4 before?

Thanks

Bye
Sven

[kenshabby]

Thanks Nox!

I haven't done any overnight stability testing yet, but things are running much better (no freezes) in painkiller and far cry. Hell, even if I cant run at 450, I can clock it down to 440 and still get a good overclock.

My Idle temps are around 59-61 (up about 2 points from before the flash)

I don't have load temps yet.

Either way, I'm very happy so far. Feel like I'm finally getting what I paid for.

I'll run some more serious stability tests tonight.

[Nutty]

I tried the auto overclock on my BFG GT OC, and I got a screen corruption and hardlock in 2nd gametest of 3dmark03. I think the ram was pushed too high.. Usually means that with screen corruption.

Tried a manual overclock of 400/1000, and it ran fine no problems.
The heat over here in UK is unbearable at the mo tho.. so I'm running stock for the time being.

[Noxis]

Hi Noxis,

well, do you think 1,5V and a oc like 450/1200 for example would be dangerous for the 6800 Ultra`s? Perhaps not for the moment, but the "durability" ;)

Or perhaps NVidia kept the option to tweak the bios to 1,5V for some brands like BFG or Gainward to oc their "Extreme Versions"?!?

What temps do you guys get using 1,5 vs 1,4 before?

Thanks

Bye
Sven

Actually I was thinking the same thing, the extra .1v in the bios is there for the nvidia partners to push out extra fast boards. I dont think a small increase like .1v will shorten the life the core unless you are planning on keeping it 5 years+ Keep it well cooled and no probs.

[detonator]

Cioa Im new from Italy, I just drop to say TNX to Nixis,I set your edited bios on my XFX 6800 ULTRA, work just fine it was like my old one(Version 5.40.02.10.04) but Twiked.
I got few question:
1)is possible to edit the bios to make the fan spins faster at the max all the time?
2) Culd you please make me a Bios 450/1250 ? I testted my ram and I can bench the 3dmark2003@ 450/1300 so I think 1250 is rocksolid .
tnx again.

[Nv40]

nice guide for Geforce 6800 troubleshooting..

http://www.evga.com/community/messageboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3976&FORUM_ID=23&CAT_ID=1&Topic_Title=Having+problems+with+your+card%3F++REA D+HERE+FIRST%21&Forum_Title=GeForce+6+Family+Forum

[kenshabby]

Quick update.

I've been running with the new BIOS for a few days now, and I have had NO significant problems. I have done a full stability test (3DMark03 looping 24 hrs) with no problems.

I backed down the memory to 1170 because I would get occasional slight artifacts at 1200.

Oddly enough, when I overclocked the core to even 455, I was right back to getting freezes in games.

Anyway, 450/1170 is a great overclock, and I'm happy!

[leatherface]

are there any BIOS updates for the BFG Geforce 6800 Ultras?

[dzuser]

are there any BIOS updates for the BFG Geforce 6800 Ultras?

leatherface does your BFG 6800 Ultra have Fast Writes enabled?

As a m8's BFG 6800 Ultra seems to have Fast Writes disabled in the BFG GFX cards Bios, which is apparently a sign of having an early Bios revision!!

[odin20]

just wanted to chime in and say if yer havin problems i agree with raptorman the 61.34 drivers are really stable and alll my games work when using them unlike all the other drivers, i hope we get another version based on these.

[Fynx-Gloire]

Hey guys,
I FINALLY got my pcpower ultra 510 deluxe and 6800ultra from PNY.
ANyways ALL DAY I have ben trying to fix these damn stalls in the games, and to get my card to work properly.
First things first, I turned off AGP FAST Write.
Then I clocked the sucker to 450 core and 1100 mem.
I still had large stalls in the games HALO and FARCRY but then I turned off DIGITAL Vibrance and BAM, smooth as butter and no problems whatsoever.
This is all stock cooling.
I love this card, but the power supply is what really did it.
I am running FarCry at 1920x1200 widescreen and HALO at 1600x1000,
damn gaming is FUN.

Sean

[kungfo0]

System:
MSI GeForce 6800 GT
AMD Athlon XP 2200
512MB ram
ASUS a7v8x-x mboard
420w Powersupply

Windows XP Pro

After installing my new geforce I get lockups whenever changing screen resolution (or even refresh frequencies) in any game (Quake 1/2/3, Doom 3, Unreal 2k4, Warcraft 3, _any_ hardware accelerated game). I can change resolution from my windows desktop just fine, and launching games is fine, but whenever changing resolution during a game, and also when quitting a game (which changes the resolution back to windows' setting) crashes that game. I can usually ctrl+alt+del and recover windows, but this consistant crash is really freaking annoying. It's reproducable 100% of the time. I've tried MSI's branded drivers, and the stock Nvidia drivers (61.77 and 61.24). I'm using the default MSI clock settings (325/325 core 700 mem) but have also tried higher settings and absolute minimum settings. I've tried disabling fast writes in my bios and with riva tuner. I upgraded from another nvidia card so I don't have any ATI drivers laying around, but I've also tried uninstalling/reinstalling Nvidia's drivers fresh. The core temp is usually 49 C idle and 53 C under load. I have also tried using different power cables to the card and even a different power supply (a 350w). MSI seems to have no newer bios available.

Please help :(
Thank you!

[jeffz]

System:
MSI GeForce 6800 GT
AMD Athlon XP 2200
512MB ram
ASUS a7v8x-x mboard
420w Powersupply

Windows XP Pro

After installing my new geforce I get lockups whenever changing screen resolution (or even refresh frequencies) in any game (Quake 1/2/3, Doom 3, Unreal 2k4, Warcraft 3, _any_ hardware accelerated game). I can change resolution from my windows desktop just fine, and launching games is fine, but whenever changing resolution during a game, and also when quitting a game (which changes the resolution back to windows' setting) crashes that game. I can usually ctrl+alt+del and recover windows, but this consistant crash is really freaking annoying. It's reproducable 100% of the time. I've tried MSI's branded drivers, and the stock Nvidia drivers (61.77 and 61.24). I'm using the default MSI clock settings (325/325 core 700 mem) but have also tried higher settings and absolute minimum settings. I've tried disabling fast writes in my bios and with riva tuner. I upgraded from another nvidia card so I don't have any ATI drivers laying around, but I've also tried uninstalling/reinstalling Nvidia's drivers fresh. The core temp is usually 49 C idle and 53 C under load. I have also tried using different power cables to the card and even a different power supply (a 350w). MSI seems to have no newer bios available.

Please help :(
Thank you!

You saying that your video card ( 6800 GT ) is clocked by default at 325 core and 700 memory???

you don't think this very strange for 6800 GT?

if i have't lost my mind the clock fro the GT is 350 core / 1000 mem.

[kungfo0]

You saying that your video card ( 6800 GT ) is clocked by default at 325 core and 700 memory???

you don't think this very strange for 6800 GT?

if i have't lost my mind the clock fro the GT is 350 core / 1000 mem.

Yes that's the default that the MSI drivers use. I'll experiment with OC'ing later but I'd like to fix my stability problems first!

[Lfctony]

325/700 are 6800 clocks. Not GT ones.

[Jon]

Just thought I'd share some of my experiences.
I have a BFG 6800 GT which out of the box is clocked at 370/1000.
When I installed it, my gpu temp was around 58 degrees. I used Coolbits 2 to overclock my 3D speeds to 425/1100 and to underclock my 2D speeds to 300/1100 to save me some heat.
For some reason, as soon as I applied this my temps jumped to 74 degrees just surfing the net. When I changed my 3D settings back to 370/1000, the temperature dropped to normal again.
I set my clock speed with rivatuner to the same (2D 300/1100, 3D 425/1100) and everything is fine now (59 in windows, 86 in games)!!!

I have had the freeze only twice in games, both times my GPU temp was over 100 degrees (possibly the hottest day here, room temp was 34!!!).

I had the freeze once in windows!!! where according to rivatuner my gpu clock went from the windows 2D 300 up to the 3D mode 425 just for a few seconds. No idea why, I was just surfing... but I wonder if there is a delay as it changes clock speeds... which would also occur if it starts to throttle maybe.

Also, maybe that is why some people are having better luck setting 2D and 3D speeds the same cause they are avoiding this change over in clock speed.

[Lord Thyrax]

Hello Noxis,

This solution seems to work with me also, :clap: but when i have rebooted my system a few times, the driver automatic enables fast writes again, so i always have to switch it off manually :drooling:

any ideas ?

Greetz
LT

I did have a problem with random freezing mainly noticed in FarCry (very card stressful) and when attempting to bench in '03

Yes I know there have been several threads but no one has posted a concrete solution. This worked for me and ALOT of other people in the OCUK forum.

First of all I thought heat, then I thought power related. However after lots of testing and forum posts it turns out it was Fast Writes being enabled causing it. I cant take credit but it definitly fixed the problem.

Interestingly disabling it in bios did not disable it in windows and I had to disable it using RivaTuner.

Also instersetingly for people not experiancing this, disabling Fast Writes appears to allow higher overclocks for people using all types of 6800s.

This appears to be a problem specifically on the nforce3 150/250/Pro/non-pro chipset ironically (as far as we know).

The problem has been posted by people in various places but its never been categorically fixed to my knowledge anyway (I did lots of googling believe me!). So I felt it best to post as a FYI for people.

[Jon]

I noticed last night that while running at 425/1100 on my GT that every time my gpu temp hit 88 degrees it froze for a few seconds... I lowered my clock speed to 400/1100 and at times my gpu temp hit 90/91 degrees but everything was still fine. I guess that means that the card just can't handle those temps when overclocked.

[Arjan20]

My stuttering issues where solved with the new 65.62 beta drivers! Maybe you guys should give it try?

[revenant]

I was having the same problems with my video freezing in Doom3, pauses ever few minutes etc. I fixed the problem by setting my clocks the same (I have a Gainward 6800 Ultra). Fast-Writes do not need to be disabled, but you may want to stop using any onboard sound... I installed an SBLive Card (temp until I get my audigy, I was using the onboard NForce2 sound.) and that helped a lot too. Doom 3 would freeze or completely reboot the system after about 1/2 hour until I did those two things, now I can play for hours, not hitching, no lockups.

[AgentHeX_0007]

My stuttering issues where solved with the new 65.62 beta drivers! Maybe you guys should give it try?

Just tried these and im still getting random freezes/slowdown :(

[Gorion]

I haven't tried farcry yet and I have zero issues with Doom 3 but after 5-10 mins of painkiller it will pause for 30secs to 1 min and when it starts again I get artifacts all over the screen so I quit and they are all over the desktop as well. I shut down and restart and all is well again. I have tried all the suggestions fw, same 2d and 3d settings etc. I'm thinking this is either a bios issue or heat on the ram. The fan on the cards never increases in speed so either the thermal sensor doesn't track the temp of the mem or the bios isn't speeding up the fan. But then I wonder why this doesn't do it in Doom?

[Gorion]

Well I tested farcry and I get some pixel popping on grey walls but besides that it runs great. So really I'm only having trouble with Painkiller. I really want to take the thermal pads off the memory and as5 them but I don't have the guts to void my warranty this soon.

[Raptorman]

I fixed my "pause" problem by setting the low-power 3d and performance 3d clocks the same. Seems my card would run the performance 3d clocks for about 30 seconds and then go into low-power 3d mode. Setting the clocks the same for both completely eliminated the pause.

Perhaps this would work for some other peoples issues as well?