7950GX2 Compatibility Concerns.

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Silverturtle

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
OP: Why would you buy a GX2 for a motherboard that was not on this list?

Because when I purchased the mobo I thought I would be getting the X1900XT, which I ended up returning. And, when I changed a few settings, downloaded some different drivers, I can happily say that it is now performing how it should be.

My 3D Mark 06 score is now around 8,000 at all stock speeds.

Awesome! Good to hear. You did take a chance with that GX2, but I'm glad it works for ya now. :thumbsup: Maybe Nvidia should add the P5B to that list now.

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

Thanks guys. I have one more question though.

I'm not sure how to enable SLI AA modes. How do you do that?

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: Silverturtle
Thanks guys. I have one more question though.

I'm not sure how to enable SLI AA modes. How do you do that?

The SLI AA modes on the GX2 are 8x and 16xS in the new control panel. NV does specifically state that those are SLI AA modes, but you should get a pop-up indicating that they are should you select one of these modes.

Please post the BIOS and driver versions that you used get the card working.

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

When I enable 16X AA, my performance is really poor in all my games. I only get 20fps in Counter Strike Source, and like 10-15 in the Lost Coast. Is this normal?

 

[videopho]

Nope. Mine, a 7900gtx has way many more fps than that. There is something unknown that seems to cripple your 7950 to perform like it should have.

 

[redbox]

Originally posted by: videopho
Nope. Mine, a 7900gtx has way many more fps than that. There is something unknown that seems to cripple your 7950 to perform like it should have.

He is using 16x SLI AA are you running that on your one 7900gtx?

From what I hear 16x SLI AA is pretty but not a real possiblity because of the low frame rates in some games. I would drop back to 8x SLI AA and see if the games aren't more playable.

EDIT: I don't know what settings you have on but here is a bench of lost coast from xbit with the higher AA it does look like you are missing about 10 frames do you have the card in HQ mode vs. the stock Quality? Here is the Link

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

I have been having a few issues that I would like solutions for or possibly an explanation. They are as follows:

- When I booted up my computer today, it began the startup, but stopped midstream. The monitor was saying it wasn't receiving a signal from the computer, and the mouse and keyboard weren't getting power. After rebooting four times, it finally brought up a message that Windows did not boot successfully. It promptly left this page without me hitting anything, and went to Windows. All seems fine now, just kinda weird.

- Boot up seems very slow, even before that error this morning. My old computer seemed to boot up in half the time.

- Peformance in games doesn't seem very good, even though the 3D Mark score is normal. At 4X AA and 16X AF in Counter Strike Source I am getting about 100fps second max, 70 average, and 30 minimum. That's right, every 5 minutes or so in CS the framerate will be cut in half, the FRAPS numbers turn red, and it stays in the 25-30 fps range for like 20 seconds, where it then goes to 1fps back up to like 70.

- All applications, including internet, word, and games, freeze up every once in a while and makes me shut them.

- The actual system performance of browsing the internet, opening word, clicking the start button, etc., doesn't seem hardly any faster than my P4 2.0Ghz.

- Whenever I start the computer a message saying that I need to register or install new hardware pops up. When I click continue it wants me to enter a bunch of codes I have no idea are.

- There is this odd articfact on the display that is difficult to explain. It is like this line blurring effect that is like three inches tall and two wide. It is apparantly not the monitor, as it only happens when I'm on the internet or when I open the start menu.

That's about all I can remember for now. So what do you think? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[videopho]

Your rig is evidently unstable. Where did you purchase or who built your system? Has the following process ever been done before? If not then I'd suggest download Prime95, Memtest86 and Super-Pi. Then run the sequences as follows

1) Memtest86 (12hrs minimum)
2) Super-Pi (32M)
3) Prime95 torture test for 12-24hrs (min 24hrs is recommended for new system)

The above burn-in process is almost a minimum mandate for any new build system. You should ask people who built this rig of yours whether the burn-in process (whatever they used) had been run. This process once done without any error or conflicts which tells you your rig (minus the 7950) is stable then you may have to deal with the 7950 afterwards.

EDITED: What brand is your 7950gx2, btw? Is it possible you can swap out to another video card just to rule out the possibilty of a bad 7950 you might have had on hands?

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

Originally posted by: videopho
Your rig is evidently unstable. Where did you purchase or who built your system? Has the following process ever been done before? If not then I'd suggest download Prime95, Memtest86 and Super-Pi. Then run the sequences as follows

1) Memtest86 (12hrs minimum)
2) Super-Pi (32M)
3) Prime95 torture test for 12-24hrs (min 24hrs is recommended for new system)

The above burn-in process is almost a minimum mandate for any new build system. You should ask people who built this rig of yours whether the burn-in process (whatever they used) had been run. This process once done without any error or conflicts which tells you your rig (minus the 7950) is stable then you may have to deal with the 7950 afterwards.

EDITED: What brand is your 7950gx2, btw? Is it possible you can swap out to another video card just to rule out the possibilty of a bad 7950 you might have had on hands?

My 7950GX2 is an MSI card. I wanted the eVGA version but they were sold out at the time. I got it from Newegg.

I'm pretty certain they didn't do any of those things. They built the computer and handed it over to me in one day. It was a local computer store. Are those sequences to test the hardware or break it in?

 

[videopho]

That process is what I've used but different people employ slightly different kind of tools or processes.
Can you ask whether it actually has been done? Otherwise you need to bring it back and ask them to do that for you (free of charge of course) and provide you with some proof that everything was fine and dandy.
Once the burn-in process has been settled then you need to go back and run gaming in your rig as much as you can get your time in to see the same issue will pop up. Then repost here. It doesn't hurt to try a lesser video card just to rule out certain things such as cpu/memory/mobo etc.

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

The articfacts on the screen are becoming increasely apparant. Is it dangerous to have the computer on? Almost the entire screen is covered in banding lines.

 

[videopho]

STOP using it immediately and bring it back to where it was built or purchased or whatever because your rig is DYING at this point who knows what might have caused all this.
Have them thoroughly check and verify the rig inside and out and do whatever neccessary to make sure the system is 100% STABLE prior to taking it back home.
WOW...Sorry to hear you've had to go through with all of this crap. I bet you've paid top $$$$ for the rig and only to be screwed up like this.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Silverturtle
The articfacts on the screen are becoming increasely apparant. Is it dangerous to have the computer on? Almost the entire screen is covered in banding lines.

Bring it back to the store and have them remove the GX2, and install any old PCI-e card. See what happens. At this point, I would say either you have a bad video card, or PSU. Wild guess.

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: Silverturtle
The articfacts on the screen are becoming increasely apparant. Is it dangerous to have the computer on? Almost the entire screen is covered in banding lines.

Bring it back to the store and have them remove the GX2, and install any old PCI-e card. See what happens. At this point, I would say either you have a bad video card, or PSU. Wild guess.

What are the chances I RMA'd a defective card for another defective card lol?

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

OK, now I'm very confused. I just hooked up my old computer to my new monitor and it is doing the same screen fuzzy banding effect that it did on the old computer. I assumed that it wasn't the monitor because it is obviously affected by what I press. For example, when I close a window, the effect goes away. And when I click start it starts up again. How could the monitor react to this.

And if it was the monitor the whole time, why was the game performance so bad, and why wouldn't the computer boot up. Is everything thing I bought defective? I bought a new pair of headphones, and the right channel wouldn't work. The original keyboard I bought was defective. The mobo I bought wouldn't work for the longest time. My X1900XT easily jumped 100 degrees C after 60 seconds of usage, and was defective, complete with extreme artifacting. My monitor might be defective. And so could my video card if it is not working right. And my sound card has a crackling effect, and the sound is no better than my old on-board sound. The CPU seems really slow. AHHH. Too many problems!

Well, at least my cheapo 8 dollar speakers work!

 

[nitromullet]

whoa... Can you take this thing back where you got it, or did you purchase the parts and pay someone else to build it? Do you have any sort of warrantee?

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

Another issue I have been having is that my mouse (the G5) seems VERY unresponsive and slow on my new computer. In CS I have to set the sensitivity to 14.0, and before I only had to set it to 2.9. They are both set at 2000dpi.

And I purchased some from the computer store and some from Newegg.

 

[Keysplayr]

Send it all to me. I'll get it working if it's able. (No bad hardware)

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

Guys, what is a normal score on the CS:S stress test on my 20 inch wide monitor iwth 4XAA and 16XAF?

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

Bump.

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

OK, the computer store checked out the computer and they said it was fine. However, I am still having a few performance issues.

On the CS Source stress test I am getting about 100fps average at 1680*1020 4XAA 16AF. I saw reports of people with a lesser processor and two 7800GTX's getting over 140fps at these settings, and I thought a 7950GX2 was supposed to be better than two 7900GT's or 7800GTX's.

And also, while playing the game, my framerate on Dust is usually around 50-60, but dipps into the 20's every few minutes or so and stays there until in goes back up to about 50. Remember this is with HDR though.

When I play with the bots, the whole game is very, very jittery. The fps reader (FRAPS) says it is like 60, but it feels like 15 at best.

Overall, the GPU performance is a fair bit lower than my X1900XT, which is not normal. But, the thing that confuses me the most it that the 3D Mark 06 score is normal.

Some of the same issues I reported earlier are still present. The CPU performance seems pretty slow. It gets noticably sluggish when multiple windows are open, and I was expecting butter smooth. Games also freeze up fairly often.

I am almost certain the issues on the display are the monitor's doing, but why does it only show up when I click certain things, and goes away when and click the mouse only to come back again? How does the monitor know what I am doing. It does not seem related to colors either.

So, guys will you please help me? The new system isn't the leap I was expecting from my old rig. Thanks in advance.

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

Anyone?

 

[Nightmare225]

Looking like a faulty card... I have liquid-smooth framerates in all my games.

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

So I replaced a faulty card with another faulty one basically?

 

[imported_Silverturtle]

And, why would my monitor be doing that?