X7900 in 6860FX (Occasional BSOD)

Hello everyone,

First up, I really need to thank all you guys for all the wealth of knowledge on this forum. I have a 6860 fx and I replaced my cpu yesterday - I got a x7900 and thanks to all you guys the replacement was smooth !

But, I seem to have a problem. The laptop as such has no issues, however during games (Crysis in particular) it crashes and gives me a blue screen - Windows encountered a Hardware Error. Now I know it isnt overheating, since the crash happens as soon as I start a game and besides neither do I hear my fan and nor do I feel any hot air being circulated from the vents, further the laptop doesnt feel hot either.
Also, I tried Fallout 3 and Mass Effect, no issues on these as yet - I did monitor the temps on this one and these did gently heat the CPU (into the low 60s and I could hear the fan). As for the GPU temps they're the same as with the T5550.

I did clean the vents and the inside in general when I swapped the CPU, so Im not sure if I did something wrong.

The other thing that I find perplexing is that with my X7900, the idle temps are in the low 20's!! I ahve even seen it go as low as 17C and even with my
T5550 which has a lower TDP as compared to the X series my idle temp was in the low 40's. How normal is it to ahve these LOW temps with an X series processor? Do you think I applied too much of the thermal compound (Arctic Silver)? What is the next best plan of action?

I have the .dmp files from the crash, so I'm looking out to see if I could read it.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

I suspect it might be to do with the voltages. Try installing RMClock and see if your voltages are set quite low.

Voltage range for the T5550 is 1.075V-1.175V whereas for the X7900 it is 1.125V-1.325V (see sources T5550 and X7900)

 

Thanks Fragilexx! Ur help is greatly appreciated.

I've attached a screen with the voltages I see, there is some fluctuation, but most of the time the Current Voltage reads 1.1125V.

Would I need to make some changes here, I mean when moving to an X series processor from a T5550, is something like this expected?

Thanks again.

 

Hello,

I made a CPU upgrade to my 6860 fx yesterday, I moved to a X7900 and I ahve occassional blue screens now.

Someone on this forum pointed out that this could be due to the different voltage requirements on the processors, so can someone pelase confirm that they have had no issues with the X7900 on a 6860fx.

Thanks for all your help!

 

that actually is odd.

What temps do you keep your room at? I have a feeling that your temp sensors are screwy. I'm not saying the eXtreme chips "have" to run hot, as mine is nice and cool running. But if your getting 18-20 degrees (which is generally colder than the room) something is usually wrong with the temp sensors

 

It shouldnt be voltages. The 6860 handles the x7800 and the x9000 fine so i cant see the x7900 being a huge issue. I'm not saying it "cant" be the voltages, but it seems unlikely.

If you're worried about voltages just undervolt the CPU.

What are you running the CPU at? 2.8 or 3.0?

Also did you get an ES chip? If someone sold you one of an early enough batch there might be some kind of fault that only shows itself at an oddball time. This would be very rare as i've seen hundreds with ES chips over the years and never seen one be faulty yet

 

Thanks Kamin... tht same thing surprises me...my room is at 70 - 75 F.
If you see the screen shot my sensor for the other components is actually showing expected temps.
I fear there might be a Voltage issue..something in the lines of what FragileXX was suggesting..Im really stumped and feel rather crestfallen.

 

I know i asked in your other thread but i;ll ask here as well to be through.

Is your Chip an ES? You'll be the first one that i've ever seen with an x7900, but the 6860 should handle it easily. I think their is a temp sensor fault in your chip. Can you Download CPUZ and give us a screen shot of the first screen so we can see the chips make?

 

Thanks Kamin.

Im running it at 2.8, as for the Chip being ES, I suspect not since CPU-Z doesnt put the nasty (ES).
I ahve a screen attached, cld u pls take a look at let me know if anything is amiss.

Thanks!

 

Sorry i went ahead and merged the threads because its dealing with the same general problem for you. Hopefully we can centralize answers for you this way.


Ok... So it doesnt appear to be an ES chip.
Though i'm still really concerned about the temp sensors... there's just no way a laptop CPU can run cooler than the ambient temp.

If it is a simple voltage issue then you can undervolt the CPU and it will instantly solve the issue. But if the x7800 and x9000 can both run in a 6860 with no problems i dont see how it could be pulling too much voltage for the system to handle (it should pull equal to the x7800 and only 0.082 more than the x9000)

 

Also, the driver version I ahve is 8.15.11.8603 - this seems to be the latest for 8800MGTS, could it have something to do with my video driver..?

Thanks.

 

Run orthos for 30 mins and post a temp screenshot

 

Thanks Kamin...For now ur the sole lighthouse for my laptop in the rocking seas!! pardon my sense of melodrama..but as I told u Im really concerned.

As for undervolting..I thought my CPU was already getting "lower" voltages than what it requires..How do I know if its getting more than what it requires or less than it?
So wld u suggest undervolting it further..I'm fairly new to these things so incase u cld point me to some knowledgable article on this that wld b really great.

Also, I ahd a question on the Video Driver, cld tht b an issue? Further cld it b a faulty processor..? The BSOD happens only during games and not at any other point in time, I hav been running my laptop for about 4 hours now, no issues but Im certain it'll crash as soon as I run Crysis.

I know too many questions..ur patience and help is greatly valued!

 

My next thought exactly. Do this. its a great stress test for your CPU

No worreis mate. Thats why we're here. So only games crash your system? Then if you can run the orthos test and it doesnt crash then its your GPU thats causing all of the problems. It might be something as simple as a bad driver.

Also if you ever want to try it
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824
thats the article on undervolting. It will walk you through it perfectly

 

Someone else pointed out the the min recommended voltage for your CPU is 1.125 and your voltage is 1.11. So you are running at a lower than recommended voltage, and that my well be the reason that you blue screen while playing Crysis. As I understand it, Crysis is a multi-core optimized game and therefore will attempt to employ all cores on your CPU thus drawing the max power it can. Use RMClock to re-adjust your voltage ranges along the lines of what the undervolting guide tells you (using voltage ranges that test good with your CPU).

 

Yup, correct.

If you look at the image which shows your startup voltage, it is higher than the voltage you are currently running at even though you are using the same multiplier. It does look a little suspect.

Run the Orthos stress test. Bet your computer gives you a BSOD though.

 

Ran Orthos for 30 mins - "stress CPU and RAM" for 33 mins precisely.. no issues.

 

What was the max temps you got (just curious)

Well if the CPU is holding strong, then its probably not the problem.

What GPU Driver are you using?

EDIT:
Actually it was your X8 multiplier that was such an oddly low voltage. Can you use RMClock to disable all multipliers except for the X8 and the rerun orthros for like 5 minutes (i have a weird theory...)

 

Max Temp I got was like 80C.

I'll try to work out the other part that u asked.

As for the driver - 186.03 , driver version - 8.15.11.8603 ,date - 5/27/09

Thanks!

 

I somehow knew it was the 186.03 driver... it randomly crashes on alot of people it seems.

You might want to try some other drivers and see if that fixes your problem.

 

I still think that voltage looks odd, but completely agree with Kamin, that GPU driver has caused problems for many people.

 

Thanks Kamin and Fragilexx,

Right now Im trying to undervolt and run some more CPU stress tests, once done will download a different driver version and try.

Will keep u guys posted!

Thanks for all your help.

 

I'd suggest downloading the drivers first and trying Crysis again, just to rule them in or out. Then proceed with undervolting if you so wish.

 

Kamin, another question for you Im on the undervolting guide and there is a section where flipfire has a screen for setting up a "Performance on Demand" profile.
For the ACPower/Battery section , based on the multipliers the Voltages change on his screen, however on my screen they're stuck at 1.325V.

The attached screen should give you a better idea.

Also, later in the guide when he returns to the Proflies Tab, the VIDs displayed changed based on the multiplier, however for me there again its stuck at 1.325.

Any ideas wats wrong?

Also I tried Orthos again, "Small FFTs -Stress CPU" ran for about 38 mins and then I got a warning that the CPU core was too hot - RMClock gave me a temp of about 97C at that point (HWM said 83) and I stopped the stress test.
Right now HWM says 28 C and RMClock says 42.8C as the core temp.

Im not sure which to go by.

Thanks!

 

Good idea Fragliexx.. just wanted to be 100% sure that its not my CPU. IN case it is, I need to contact the seller which would be a long drawn process..so trying to rule out the most "nasty" scenario.

 

I tried all the 185 and 186 drivers nothing works.

THe only I see working is the one from the Gateway site, the driver dates back to Nov 2007!!

Any clues on which one I could try, in case someone is running 8800M with X7800/7900.

Would a clean install of Vista help?

Thanks.

 

What do you mean nothing works - they wont install?

 

They install but the same BSOD when I run Crysis.

 

Hmmm, ok let's skip that for the time being then. Disable all other multipliers temporarily via RM Clock except that 8x one, and increase the VID to 1.225 (or the closest setting it has).

Then let's give it another go at running Crysis.

 

To be honest, Im not sure I know how to do that, at least right now I dont quite know it.

In the meanwhile, I did a clean install of Vista, I had a feeling I wasnt able to quite remove the faulty drivers, but even after the fresh install the story is the same..a day spent and Im still where I was this morn - Im still not sure how to fix it, but I strongly feel its go to do with the display driver and not the CPU. Crysis runs fine if I use the driver from the Gateway site, the only issue is that this driver dates back to Nov 07 and the performance is pretty shabby.

Im really not sure what my next step needs to be.

 

If that's the case then its your Drivers. There are about 60 to choose from, you just need to find the best one that is stable for you then.

Its a lot of trial and error to get there though. I've used all of 3 drivers out of all that have been released due to i demand stability over most anything else. You might have to try 7-10 of them before you find one that give you the performance you want and the stability you need.

 

Just FYI, I had a 7811 and got the cooling fan bug after sleep mode where it stayed on medium. I routinely had temps of 16c during desktop use (you can find my post on it here). After fixing the bug, I had temps of 26c. Nothing at all changed in any way except rebooting to clear the sleep mode bug. Bear in mind that the air is being pulled through the metal heat sink, and that means a lower pressure, which means that the metal can be colder than ambient temperature at normal pressure.
Or the dumb BIOS bug affected the sensor as well lol. No way to tell, really.

 

Hit up this thread for all your Nvidia driver advice:

The Defininitive nVidia Driver Upgrade Guide

I have used the Xfastest ones and had less problems than with the stock Nvidia ones. Actually, true story, I was troubleshooting a different game problem with tech support and per their advice, installed the latest Nvidia driver. It blue-screened the game on me, after which Windows got wonky on me and I had to reinstall. Good job Nvidia lol.

 

Thanks Wootage, I was on that thread (Driver Upgrade) the whole of yesterday!!

IM running out of options...I tried all of the 184,185 and 186 drivers.

I even tried 4 from 179 and all of it bluescreens on me (I run Crysis to test, didnt try anythng else)..as I said, the only one that works for me is the one from the Gateway site and it is a prehistoric one dating back to Nov 2007.
With that driver the performance I get with the X7900 is way below what my T5550 could manage with the 186.03 driver version.

My last bet is to talk to Gateway and see if they have another driver for my card (of course I need to conceal the CPU replacement bit) and well if they cant help me either , I guess I need to return the processor..thats a shame its a working Processor though.

 

I tried at least 30 different drivers across 18X and the 17X series but other than the stock gateway driver from 2007, all give a BSOD on running Crysis, some even give one on a system reboot.

I changed back to my T5550 and everything works as before, I now have the 186.08 driver. Crysis runs fine, I mean with no issues.

THis makes me wonder if it was a driver issue at all.

Did I need a BIOS update for my X7900..? Or anything else I missed out..?

 

What you can try is underclocking the cpu. Use RMClock or some other utility to do this. What could be happening is the CPU is demanding too much power and once the GPU kicks in the internal voltage rails become unstable.

If this works try battery only to eliminate the brick as the cause at standard clocks. The battery tends not to have the AMP limits of the brick.

 

Thanks TANWare, what Im trying to understand is that, if such a scenario is expected, i.e. upgrading to a X7900 wld require some measures of this sort, further all the issues I had with the X7900 was on running games, i.e. display related, other than this the processor just worked fine.

 

Yes but again when you have the CPU and GPU demanding power you may be taxing the power systems limits..........

 

Fragilexx,
I did swap back the X7900 and ran it with just the 8X multiplier set to 1.225.
NO luck what so ever, immediate BSOD on running Crysis.

FYI.with my fully functional T5550 , I mean no BSOD on Crysis or anything else for that matter, when I run RMClock there are times when the current Voltage displayed drops below 1V and this is below the min voltage required for the T5550, however I have NEVER had the BSOD with the T5550.

THanks!

 

Time to return the X7900, if you are BSOD'ng running less power than the original then it is the CPU. If running at stock power settings and it also crashes the CPU is most likely defective.............

 

^ yeah what he said.

Its really odd that it will run everything so well but then crashes when it comes to games... sad really.

I suppose the only thing left to consider is that CPU might just be crap. Maybe look into returning it to the seller with the note that its bad and see if you can get it swapped for another one (or at least your money back)

 

Thanks Kamin..its with a heavy heart that I do it, I have been considering it for a day now..really I still suspect my laptop but oddly the T5550 has NEVER given me any problems.

THe seller said hes fine with the return..let me get the details.

A heart felt THANK YOU to all you wonderful forum members..YOu guys have been a great help!

 

No worries mate, i just hate that you're going to have to send the CPU back. Maybe he has another one that will work. Or if not you might can look into an x7800/t9300 and will still geive you a great performance boost

 

FYI, I have a P6860-FX with a stock T5550 in it, and in XP I have RMClock set to run from .95v on the lowest multiplier scaling to .9875v at the high multiplier. I never BSOD in the games I play on it.

 

Yah Starcub..just my point too...there are times when the voltage drops below the min setting for the processor .. as I have seen on 2 cpus (t5550 and x7900) on my laptop and on a friend's laptop (t5750) and now starcub corroborates it too..so tht must be true atleast to a certain extent.

 

Kamin, the seller seems to want to do a repalcement.
Now going by all tht I told u wld u blv tht the issue was solely with the processor and not my laptop as such.
I want to be a 100% sure before I get the replacement, else I neeed to speak to the seller and see what best can be done.

Thanks!

 

If you still have your T5550 you could always swap it back in and check.

I think it's odd though that it only BSOD's in Crysis, but it works with the Gateway video driver. Have you tried modding a newer NVIDIA driver so that the nv_disp.inf is identical to the Gateway nv_disp.inf for your GPU? I know how to mod a 179.xx series driver inf to get Powermizer to run in very low performance mode while on AC (in case you think it might be a temperature issue). Maybe try disabling/reducing some graphic settings in game?

 

Thanks Starcub.

As i said, it all works with NO issues on the T5550.

THe same settings, i.e. if I were to just swap the processor to the X7900, wld cause random BSOD sometimes on just the boot and ALWAYS BSOD when running Crysis, I ddint try other games, since I was primarily using Crysis to do a benchmark on the new processor.

As for the drivers with the X7900, I hav tried ALL of the 18X series and the 179 and 177 series too. No LUCK immediate BSOD. And its not a heating/voltage issue for sure.

Thanks!

 

Out of curiousity, what BIOS version are you using?

 

Bios - 94.29.00