mobo and crossfire hell!

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hga77

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Joined
Apr 22, 2006
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This is UNBELIEVABLE! No one from ATI or anywhere for that matter wants to help me. Those cards are meant for 3d?

Well it doesnt seem like it. This is a new build. Everything you see on sig is brand new. Did 2 months worth of reading/researching so that I get the right parts, and install everything the correct way. And its not my first build. So it all worked fine for 2 days, but now, I cant use the damn cards for any 3d??? What is the point of me buying those crappy cards in the first place???

As soon as I open any 3d application (game, 3dMak, etc) the machine reboots, then stutters for like 10 seconds while all the lights on everything start to fligger, then its on again. Even the red light on each card starts fliggering. What is going on here?

If you have ANY idea or quess (even if you are not sure), then please contribute here. Thanks in advance.

PS. I havent touched the bios, i only flashed it to the current bios. Is it a must to manualy set the memory there?
 
hmm.. no BSOD or anything and an instant restart? If so, disable the auto restart on system failure setting. To get there, right click on my computer and go to properties. Click the Advanced tab and go to "Settings" in the Startup and Recovery section. Under the System Failure section, uncheck Automatically Restart.

If you aren't getting a BSOD, then get all the latest stable drivers, windows updates, etc.. Do a virus scan, spyware scan, defrag, etc, just to be sure your system is running ship shape. Check your temps to see if they are getting too hot. Then, if it still is restarting, it could be a hardware/power problem. Get the specific timings and voltages for your memory, and specify them correctly in the bios instead of setting it on Auto or Default. Disable any "spread spectrum" features as well. Check to make sure your processor is running at the correct speed/voltages. Restart with the new settings and try again. If it still keeps restarting, check to make sure you have everything hooked up to your power supply so it is evenly distributing the amount of power correctly. Beyond that, I really don't know a whole lot more of how to help. Possibly get one of those PSU testers, PCI slot diagnostic hardware utility things, and see if it pulls any fault codes.

Edit.. by the sound of the way your lights "flicker" or whatever and its instantly restarting when you try to do something power intensive, it sounds like a voltage/power problem. Download a voltage monitoring program like SensorsView to see how stable your mobo voltages are. Then I'd recommend getting a PSU tester, or make sure everything is hooked up distributing the power evenly in your computer. Still follow the courses of action I listed above though just to rule other things out.
 
thanks wiretap ;)

I'll disable auto restart. Its not virus/spyware or any other thing in the background that is causing this. Its a fresh build with fresh os, and havent connected it to the internet.

Power maybe, but I have checked all the connectors and seems fine. Also the strange thing is that it was working for 2 days perfect. I was able to start games and any 3d app. Now I cant open any 3d. So power was fine before. And the PSU im using is recommended by ati for this setup.

I did a torture test with prime95 and it rebooted and failed after 10 minutes.
And its not heat. cpu 27c idle 37c load. Chipset 42c.

I think this problem started after I did system restore about 3 times. Could this be the cause and maybe corrupted the graphics drivers?

Motherboard flashed to latest bios
 
If you aren't going to connect it to the internet yet, just burn all your newest core system drivers onto a CD and try them out from there. (mobo drivers, graphics, sound, etc..) I don't ever use the Windows System Restore thing, because its always messed my computers up in the past. Never had any luck with it.

If you still keep having problems and you said it was working fine before, I know it sounds like a pain, but re-install windows. I'm not sure if you have any service packs with your version of windows ur using, but those service packs really help fix some serious errors/flaws in windows. You can download SP2 (if ur using XP) from microsoft's website. 266MB http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en
 
Thats what I was doing. I have my laptop connected and I simply move drivers etc from the laptop to the pc machine.

looks like I have to reinstall windows. Yeah my copy has sp2.

I'll try that mate thanks
 
Another thing too. Did you have the system working fine with the XP install, and then you used the BIOS flash utility and it started restarting? I have had that happen before with PC's. You'll have it running fine, then upgrade the BIOS and it totally doesn't like it. I don't know if it has to do with the Windows install not liking it, or simply the BIOS aren't being stable with your hardware. Either way, when I reverted back to the old BIOS, it was fine again. Try that if the computer still keeps restarting after the re-install job of windows. If all else fails, I'm sure you can RMA the mobo or graphics cards. Its most likely either one of those components causing the problem if it is indeed hardware. To find out, possibly use another graphics card in that system that you have laying around (or borrow a friends if they let you :p ). Test the graphics cards in another system too if you could. Thats how I eliminate my hardware problems; running diagnostics and testing components in different machines. The Ultimate Boot CD has tons of hardware testing tools if you can find it on TorrentSpy or something.
 
I flashed the mobo before windows install, through dos. I read in some other forum that ccc 6.6 drivers for graphics cards dont work with dell lcd screens. Some guy from ati I think, just replied and said this. He suggested I use ccc 6.5. But then again, how come it worked for 2 days ??

Im just goin to re-install windows and use 6.5. Fingures crossed.

I regret spending all that money on crossfire.
 
Try removing one of the videocards to lower the power requirements...then see if it boots.
 
It's a brand new install, not even connected to the internet, and you've used system restore 3 times already?

From your own post:
"I think this problem started after I did system restore about 3 times"

I think you're a little too quick to blame crossfire.

Fresh install should fix you right up.
 
Saabjock said:
Try removing one of the videocards to lower the power requirements...then see if it boots.
Click to expand...


He is on to something here..... My crossfire rig did very similar things with the first power supply. Even though this is a "700" watt power supply, it spreads the current over four rails which doesn't work very well on Crossfire rigs. I have seem much more sucess with power supplies that give at least 20 amps per rail and not 15 amps per rail.

Is there a switch on the powersupply that allows you to switch it to combine the rails?

LAST IDEA:

Do you have the cards in the right order? If I remember correctly the master goes closest to the CPU and the slave goes on the other PCI-e slot.
 
hga77 said:
thanks wiretap ;)
I'll disable auto restart. It’s not virus/spyware or any other thing in the background that is causing this. Its a fresh build with fresh os, and havent connected it to the internet.

Power maybe, but I have checked all the connectors and seems fine. Also the strange thing is that it was working for 2 days perfect. I was able to start games and any 3d app. Now I cant open any 3d. So power was fine before. And the PSU im using is recommended by ati for this setup.

I did a torture test with prime95 and it rebooted and failed after 10 minutes.
And its not heat. cpu 27c idle 37c load. Chipset 42c.

I think this problem started after I did system restore about 3 times. Could this be the cause and maybe corrupted the graphics drivers?

Motherboard flashed to latest bios
Click to expand...


I have a ton of experience with CF (and SLI for that matter.) The flickering and the red LEDs on the cards flickering more specifically leads me to believe there is a problem with the PSU. The red LEDs on the card only light up when the cards are not getting power from the AUX PCI-E connection. They are there to show people "hey connect the AUX power dummy" by lighting when no power is detected. As you have yours hooked up then the flicker means that the power coming from the PSU is cutting out. Add that the system fails Prime to me it seems the PSU has trouble when fully loaded. In checking into the PSU it should be more than enough so my guess is that you got a bad one. I would RMA it.

BTW we got a few Enermax 620 PSUs that had a similar trouble. There was no flickering but the systems would fail under load. We replaced the PSUs and the systems are fine now. The annoying part was that when we tested the PSUs with a tester they tested fine. But under load they just were not 100%.
 
hga77 said:
I flashed the mobo before windows install, through dos. I read in some other forum that ccc 6.6 drivers for graphics cards dont work with dell lcd screens. Some guy from ati I think, just replied and said this. He suggested I use ccc 6.5. But then again, how come it worked for 2 days ??

Im just goin to re-install windows and use 6.5. Fingures crossed.

I regret spending all that money on crossfire.
Click to expand...

This is true. I have heard that there is going to be a Hotfix until the next Cat drive is released.

Don't regret it. Once you get your bugs ironed out it will rock.
 
hga77 said:
I regret spending all that money on crossfire.
Click to expand...
If it's not too late, I would return everything as DOA and get a refund. Save the cash, and get a nice P965/E6600/7950GX2 setup in less than two weeks. Would get your comparable performance at a much lower cost and higher stability.

If it is too late, try a new PSU. Crossfire is the Prescot of video cards, you wouldn't believe how much juice it consumes. I've also never heard a good thing about "Epsilon."
 
ivzk said:
It's a brand new install, not even connected to the internet, and you've used system restore 3 times already?

From your own post:
"I think this problem started after I did system restore about 3 times"

I think you're a little too quick to blame crossfire.

Fresh install should fix you right up.
Click to expand...

Sorry mate but system restore is not just for internet issues like viruses troject spyware etc anything running in the background messing with ur os. Its for anything from that to any hardware corrupt driver issues. I had some problems with sound drivers and other minor things so I tried restoring instead of formatting and installing windows again.
 
Honestly it sounds like a Power problem to me. As posted above try with just one card before a windows install. I know that is a HUGE pain but it can save some time waiting for windows to prompt you for information. Best of luck.
 
hga77 said:
Sorry mate but system restore is not just for internet issues like viruses troject spyware etc anything running in the background messing with ur os.
Click to expand...
I'm gonna have to disagree here, System Restore is extremely helpful in cleaning out viruses. I always boot into safe mode, scan and clean to remove the actual files, and then restore to a previous known good point so as to clean out the registry. Always works great for me.
 
R1ckCa1n said:
He is on to something here..... My crossfire rig did very similar things with the first power supply. Even though this is a "700" watt power supply, it spreads the current over four rails which doesn't work very well on Crossfire rigs. I have seem much more sucess with power supplies that give at least 20 amps per rail and not 15 amps per rail.

Is there a switch on the powersupply that allows you to switch it to combine the rails?

LAST IDEA:



Do you have the cards in the right order? If I remember correctly the master goes closest to the CPU and the slave goes on the other PCI-e slot.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate but no switch on the psu. And yeah its in the right order. Looks like I need a fresh install and use ccc 6.5

Also do I need drivers for the cpu (fx60)? cant find any on amd site.

And about the hotfix, I didnt install that since I just installed the amd cpu optemizer. do i need this hotfix?
 
hga77 said:
Sorry mate but system restore is not just for internet issues like viruses troject spyware etc anything running in the background messing with ur os. Its for anything from that to any hardware corrupt driver issues. I had some problems with sound drivers and other minor things so I tried restoring instead of formatting and installing windows again.
Click to expand...


That is all true, however system restore was used here on a brand new install, and afterwards is when the problems started. I never said system restore is useless. Instead I was just wondering why one would use it on a brand new install of the OS.
 
hga77 said:
do i need this hotfix?
Click to expand...
Your computer always needs ALL hotfixes. I'm still of the opinion that anyone who doesn't keep Windows up-to-date should be banned from the internet as a safety precautiont to us all. RUN WINDOWS UPDATE!
 
AACDIRECT said:
I have a ton of experience with CF (and SLI for that matter.) The flickering and the red LEDs on the cards flickering more specifically leads me to believe there is a problem with the PSU. The red LEDs on the card only light up when the cards are not getting power from the AUX PCI-E connection. They are there to show people "hey connect the AUX power dummy" by lighting when no power is detected. As you have yours hooked up then the flicker means that the power coming from the PSU is cutting out. Add that the system fails Prime to me it seems the PSU has trouble when fully loaded. In checking into the PSU it should be more than enough so my guess is that you got a bad one. I would RMA it.

BTW we got a few Enermax 620 PSUs that had a similar trouble. There was no flickering but the systems would fail under load. We replaced the PSUs and the systems are fine now. The annoying part was that when we tested the PSUs with a tester they tested fine. But under load they just were not 100%.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. I really didnt want to hear that about the psu. The red lights on the cards dont light up. The cards (and the whole system for that matter) seems to get enough power. The red lights on the cards only flicker (for like 5 seconds) once the system reboots ONLY AFTER a 3d failure reboot. But on normal reboot, its all fine. Fresh install on the way.

My point is how come it was working for 2 days fine with 3d etc...? No pwer problem then!
 
InorganicMatter said:
I'm gonna have to disagree here, System Restore is extremely helpful in cleaning out viruses. I always boot into safe mode, scan and clean to remove the actual files, and then restore to a previous known good point so as to clean out the registry. Always works great for me.
Click to expand...

I never said it wasnt good for virus cleaning :p
 
InorganicMatter said:
Your computer always needs ALL hotfixes. I'm still of the opinion that anyone who doesn't keep Windows up-to-date should be banned from the internet as a safety precautiont to us all. RUN WINDOWS UPDATE!
Click to expand...

easy tiger !

Again I never said I dont run windows update, I jusr asked if I need to install this particular hotfix instead of having just the amd hotfix :p
 
Also I have tried with a single card, same issue! So that more or less suggests that power is fine.
 
Trying a single card doesn't "more or less" suggest that the power supply is fine. There could still be something wrong with the power supply itself. I would suggest a reinstall as others have stated, check your voltages, and replace the power supply if needed. My money is on the power supply. Good luck.
 
Again I vote change the PSU and retest.

Just to give a little proof I have worked with CF and are not just guessing.

2nd company down is mine. ;)
http://www.ati.com/technology/crossfire/builttoorder.html

Ohh and don't return everything and rebuy.... but if a full refund on the CPU, MB and RAM is possible. Conroe will be pretty cool. Just be aware that the fastest one might not be common at launch. Neither will MBs to support it.

Right now I have almost the same setup in my personal system.

FX-60 @ 3GHz
CFX3200
Corsair 2GB
X1900 CF + XTX
Enermax Liberty 620

I have had it running for many months and it rocks. Oblivion with HDR + AA enabled totally makes it worth it.
 
AACDIRECT said:
Again I vote change the PSU and retest.

Just to give a little proof I have worked with CF and are not just guessing.

2nd company down is mine. ;)
http://www.ati.com/technology/crossfire/builttoorder.html

Ohh and don't return everything and rebuy.... but if a full refund on the CPU, MB and RAM is possible. Conroe will be pretty cool. Just be aware that the fastest one might not be common at launch. Neither will MBs to support it.

Right now I have almost the same setup in my personal system.

FX-60 @ 3GHz
CFX3200
Corsair 2GB
X1900 CF + XTX
Enermax Liberty 620

I have had it running for many months and it rocks. Oblivion with HDR + AA enabled totally makes it worth it.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate. Its good to know you have the same setup. You might be the answer to ALL my problems.The PSU is meant to be good for this setup. Its even certified by ati. I will do a fresh install.

What advice can you give me for setting up this board and memory? And what drivers for fx-60? I will be very happy if you can give me a hand with this. I'm a web developer with 10 years experiance and maybe I could do some work for your business website ;)

It might just be temps on the cpu, because:

1. 3d is heavy on cpu, cpu heats up then reboot.

2. prime95 crashed and reboot after only 10 mins. So again maybe heat on cpu.

3. I left the machine running on idle for 30 mins without the side panel fans, and quess what, same problem. It crashed, rebooted and I got the same thing as what I get on 3d. Stuttering startup then its on.

4. Its REALLY hot in uk at the moment.

5. I moved the heat sink/fan and applied thermal paste twice by moving the cpu from cfx3200 to dfi expert, then back again to cfx3200. Maybe I am not applying the thermal paste properly???

6. Smart Gaurdian and bios show 30c idle 37c load for cpu. But that means that temps on cpu are fine. Strange

So, I will clean cpu/sink paste, reapply thermal, install windows etc. Then we shall see.
 
hga77 said:
Thanks mate. Its good to know you have the same setup. You might be the answer to ALL my problems.The PSU is meant to be good for this setup. Its even certified by ati. I will do a fresh install.

What advice can you give me for setting up this board and memory? And what drivers for fx-60? I will be very happy if you can give me a hand with this. I'm a web developer with 10 years experiance and maybe I could do some work for your business website ;)

It might just be temps on the cpu, because:

1. 3d is heavy on cpu, cpu heats up then reboot.

2. prime95 crashed and reboot after only 10 mins. So again maybe heat on cpu.

3. I left the machine running on idle for 30 mins without the side panel fans, and quess what, same problem. It crashed, rebooted and I got the same thing as what I get on 3d. Stuttering startup then its on.

4. Its REALLY hot in uk at the moment.

5. I moved the heat sink/fan and applied thermal paste twice by moving the cpu from cfx3200 to dfi expert, then back again to cfx3200. Maybe I am not applying the thermal paste properly???

6. Smart Gaurdian and bios show 30c idle 37c load for cpu. But that means that temps on cpu are fine. Strange

So, I will clean cpu/sink paste, reapply thermal, install windows etc. Then we shall see.
Click to expand...


We are looking for a little help on our site so I will keep that in mind. I will help for nothing as I just want your system to run right. :)

On the systems I have built we have added no additonal drivers for the FX-60. (We are looking at the dual core optimizer.)

Your temps are real good for aircooling so my guess is that you are not having any issues with applying thermal paste. (It does not take much.)

Like I said I feel it really is a bad PSU. That would be my first thing I would do is replace it/ RMA. (I have never used that PSU but it should be powerful enough my guess is that the one you have is bad.)

As for drivers and setup:

Bios we use is the latest official release. (We have tested the latest bios and it seem to be fine too.)

For stock no special setting except to change the Default V-RAM. The bios sets it to 2.67 which IMOA is to high for stock. I set mine to 2.5- 2.6 depending on the ram. (BTW The board has memtest built into the bios which is really cool.)

From DFI CD

Southbridge/RAID drivers
Network cards

Sound - newest drivers from Creative for your Fatality.

Video - Cat 6.5 because of your Dell monitor. Once the hotfix is out then Cat 6.6 Hotfix.

Also motherboard monitor works with the CFX3200. It has data logging feature which might give some insight to your issues. I would post my MBM.ini file for the board but don't have an easy way to do it. (For voltages use Standard #2)
 
AACDIRECT said:
Also motherboard monitor works with the CFX3200. It has data logging feature which might give some insight to your issues. I would post my MBM.ini file for the board but don't have an easy way to do it. (For voltages use Standard #2)
Click to expand...

Oh please post the mbm.ini :D I have been too lazy to look around for a finished configuration. PLEASE
 
Well, I did a fresh windows install, installed ccc 6.5, followed tonies guide, followed what AACDIRECT said... Still same problem!

Now im starting to believe that it might be the PSU. But, My worry is, this:

How come it worked for 2 days??? Can it be that the PSU became faulty in those 2 days?!?! Man looks like I have to rma it...I just hope when I get the replacment that I dont have this issue, cos if I do, I wouldnt know what part is faulty, could be anything in there...and I will simply shoot myself :(
 
I am sure it is the 15amps per rail that is the problem. Take a look at THIS thread for more information.
 
Weird things happen with computer components that often can't be explained. It could be such a wide variety of factors, who knows. Anything from a tiny manufacturer defect, too much stress on the unit due to amperage, power fluctuation in the house you don't notice, etc.. Definetly get a PSU tester, or RMA the PSU to see if that solves the problem. (a different model might be recommended in your case, something with more amps on the rails)
 
Done more tests...

-no sound card, just two graphics card - same issue
-no sound card, just one graphics card - same issue
-no sound card, just one graphics card (switched the cards)- same issue

looks like it might be the psu. Will rma it. If they let me.

What should I say about the psu to the company I purchased from? I dont want them to tell me -> "Sorry, we can do that..."

Being in this position after paying LOADS of money is making me feel sick and ****ty.
 
About what to tell them.. Say your purchase day, whatever that may be, and have your receipt handy. First before consulting the manufacturer, see if the place you bought it from has a return/rma policy and if you qualify for it within the certain time period from purchase. If the store/e-tailer will not do anything, then use the manufacturers return/rma policy. Sometimes they require you to "register" your product with that packet of information they include in the box. If the company is nice, they'll just do it for your without having to register within 30 days of purchase or whatever.

But when you get on the phone with whoever, tell them your situation that the PSU is not powering your components correctly, and you have tested and tested and tested all sorts of differenent configurations to rule out all possibilities of it being something else. Even BS some if you have to convince them. Say you tested it in other systems as well. ;) But, say you are really disappointed in their product after spending all that money on it. Ask them if there is anything they can do to keep you a happy returning customer for the future. Don't threaten them that you won't be a customer in the future though.. lol. Then just won't help you. To get the best rma "luck" if you are in a situation where you think you aren't going to get it, just be really really nice and cater to them so they will cater to you. If the first person you talk to won't help you or is being a snot, then ask to talk to their supervisor. If that supervisor is being a dick, ask to talk to the person above them. In this whole process, just remain calm and nice. Almost act euphoric.. lol. Just keep climbing the ladder until someone will solve your dilemma. One time with a HP computer and a few Cingular cell phones, I actually spoke with the PRESIDENT of the company. (yes, CEO through a written letter) Both wrote personally signed letters in ink solving my problems. From HP I got a brand new computer with their guarantee it would work, and from Cingular I've gotten various replacement phones.
 
Thank you somuch for your advice. I will follow it and hopufully it will work. I will let you know how it goes.

Again thanks ;)
 
hga77 said:
How come it worked for 2 days??? Can it be that the PSU became faulty in those 2 days?!?! Man looks like I have to rma it...I just hope when I get the replacment that I dont have this issue, cos if I do, I wouldnt know what part is faulty, could be anything in there...and I will simply shoot myself :(
Click to expand...

Sometimes failures can take time to occur. I had a customer’s system with a pair of 7800 GTs in it. We had tested the hardware for 24 hrs...no problems. We watercooled the cards and built the system. It ran fine for a week while we installed the OS, Updated, OC'd and burned the system in. We had just finished QCing the system and had it running a last 3dmark pass. The system started distorting graphics and suddenly locked. Upon reboot.... no video. Turned out that one of the 7800s had a failed... after almost two weeks of burn in. We replaced the card and the system was fine but it is just one example that failures can sometimes take time.

BTW He is right about how to handle the RMA. Calm and nice will get you far..... but this should be a cut and dry easy RMA. It should be no major deal. I would even ask about an advanced RMA. You might have to hold the PSU with a credit card but it will be tons faster.
 
Did some memtest86 runs. It fails after 30 minutes with same problem. Reboot then stuttering start up. I have tried the test with stock bios ram settings, and tony's bios setting...Doesnt make a difference...problem with both settings...

Now this is strange.... :confused: I mean does the system need loads of power for the memory test? Does this suggest that my ram is the faulty part?
 
I read this article before I got my memory but completly forgot about it. Read it today and it might just be the reason why I get the crashes.

link

I dont know anything about tweaking memory but it looks like I need to set them up somehow to make them stable. But I dont have any idea how to do that!!!

Would someone be willing to give me a hand. Pl :p eassseee
 
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