NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT & PCI-e 2.0 x8?

[Serotonin]

Hi,

First post to the forum and it's for help.

I've been working on a PC based on an EX-38-DS4 with the Gigabyte 8800 GT. Being recently retrenched from IT sales, I've deliberately taken a few months off work, as 'long service leave' after some 25 years. I thought I'd spend more time with the kids etc, but ....I've been running literaly hundreds of benchmarks on this mobo whilst tweaking every BIOS setting and soforth - just to see what could be done....sorry kids.

Great board for easy overclocking wether you just want to use automated settings or manual settings. I'll try to post up a summary of all the variations I've tried a bit later vs all the benchmarking suites.

Back to the point:
The one problem I can't solve is the fact that the Gigabyte 8800 GT seems to be only using 8 lanes of the PCI-e 2.0 port as per GPU-Z & CPU-Z pic.

I know that resolving this probably won't make any performance difference, and the 3DMARK scores are outstanding, and significantly overclocking the factory overclocked 8800 GT is rock stable with either the Gigabyte HUD or RivaTuner - but it's driving me crazy.

I'm hoping you can give me some tips.

Basic info:
- It's the 'B' version of the NX88T512HP with the gold coloured Zalman cooler.
- Currently using the NVIDIA Driver 175.16, The previous driver was a Gigabyte release from the install CD-ROM
- Problem exists on every BIOS setting from Failsafe Defaults through to 3.2GHz fully manual settings and everything in between.
- RGB can be auto to Turbo, PCI Express Frequency can be auto - 103MHz, Init Display can be PCI or PEG, PCI-E OverVoltage can be auto to normal to +.05v over, and so on.
- PCI drivers are all native MS Vista/Intel.
- 8800 GT is located in the 1st PCI-e 16 slot i.e. nearest the northbridge.
- Tried re-seating the 8800GT several times and sussing out the slot to ensure no lanes were simply disconnected taking me back to x8.

I can give you much more info, but I'm hoping you have a better path, so back to you.

The obvious step I've missed is trying the card in the 2nd PCI-e 16 slot, but the internal cabling setup is so careful that it's gonna take me more time trying that than looking for a quick fix - lol.

Cheers.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT & PCI-e 2.0 x8?

Looks like a bad card to me, I have seen this many time and especially with this model. Have you tested it on a different system to see if it does the same? If it does I would RMA or ebay the card and get a new one. But yes, again I have seen this many times, fixed by a RMA only.

I have also seen this caused by insufficient Power Supply on the 12v Rail to the cars, but mostly bad PSB that the cards are made on.

And of Course, Some of the times it is the Motherboard that is the faulty item, only way to know that is to test it in a different board, but use your PSU

But yes, I would test the other slot, and the card in a different system. I would also test some OLDER Nvidia drivers, newer isnt always the best, and often times worse. Get any version you want here, that will work with ANY unsupported card even (Yes it says laptop, they just specialize in redoing the installer .inf's so desktop drivers work in laptops) >>>
LapTopVideo2Go - nVision

Note, you MUST get their .inf and use it when installing, otherwise you will just be using the Nvidia ones. Which is also fine really since you have a newer card and a desktop. Just thought I would let ya know of the place because you can get any older version there

But as you said, 8x performs well, here is a thread about someone doing it on purpose, and there is a link to some bench's where it actually beat out x16 >>>
AnandTech - 8800GT @ PCIe x8

[Serotonin]

Re: NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT & PCI-e 2.0 x8?

Thanks mate, but I hate you

I had a bad feeling it may be hardware related. Thanks v.much for your experienced feedback, as it will save me much time trying to frig around with Vista drivers/registry setting, etc.

I will try the other PCI-e 16 slot first for (probably) definitive slection of faulty PCI-e 16 slot or faulty video card. I have the wiring SO out of the way that my quick release/open 'everything' case may be fine, but trying to move a power cable etc is a task - like they say "life is s**t and then you die" = ha! Really it's probably only 1 hour....

Re 'old' Gigabyte Driver vs. latest NVIDIA. I had BETTER O/C results on the old driver, and will be reverting in due course in any case.

1) e.g. on the 'old' driver:
using Gigabytes Gaming HUD ONLY I could acheive total stability at 15% overclock on all settings at 1.15v i.e. , in HUD terminology:
- GPU 805 MHz
- Shader 1972 MHz
- Memory 1058 MHz

- Could run endless (hours) of 3DMARK Vantage on Performance or High, same with Perfomance Test 6.1 various 3D benchmarks, and also stressing other components at the same time. It WAS 100% stable.

- Settings could be verified as CORRECT by GPU-Z, and all other GPU applets.

2) Using the 'new' NVIDIA driver, I can occasionaly get tests to run, but then temporarily crash the video driver (recovers) - not stable at the 15% O/C

IS 100% stable as per above testing routine at 12.5% [but at 1.2v] i.e.
- GPU 787 MHz
- Shader 1929 MHz
- Memory 1035 MHz

BTW, forgot:
CPU: Q6600
RAM: 3GB PC5300 rubbish, but O/C nicely at 833MHz 100% stable with Prime95 and all the rest, and good bandwith/latency comparable with 'good' DDR2.

3DMARK Vantage is not affected greatly by CPU speed. 2.40MHz to, say 3.2GHz does improve but by a small %. It's the O/C of the 8800 GT which is almost MARK = % video O/C 1:1.

Few Pics - remember, this is NOT like older 3DMARK versions! Results compared to similar configurations are very good, and I've done better on the more 'H' figure but only kept the data, not a screenshot.

Like I said - I'll eventually post up a spreadsheet of the hundreds of benchmarks I've done on many setups for the EX38-DS4 (and this 8800 GT NX88T512HP), might be of value to some.

Cheers,
Let you know how I go,
My youngest son's birthday today 4 July, which might be special if he was born in the USA! So have to run...

[Serotonin]

Re: NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT & PCI-e 2.0 x8?

Forgot - both tests at 3GHz Q6600, 15% Gigabyte 8800 GT o/c (as you can see in the 1st pic anyway) & 1.2v on the HUD setting.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT & PCI-e 2.0 x8?

Ya know, I did forget to mention a few other Fixes for you to try. I have seen them work, but only a few times.

First, be sure you have PCI express spread spectrum disabled. If you don't then do so now as that may fix it right there.

The other thing, is just to make sure of the above, then try 105-110 On your PCI-e Freq. When doing that, if it was me I would disabled in the BIOS or physically unplug your Hard drive/s just incase. The only way to do that and still check your PCI freq though would be if you have a ultimate boot disk/miniPE/Mini Windows of some type (I would suggest Digiwiz MiniPE, but cant link you to that in this forum) and put GPU-z on a USB disk, run the bootdisk get into the mini windows and run GPU-z. If you dont have one you will likely be fine to leave your disks on. I have ran my in RAID at 112 and it was ok, but I just wanted to let ya know that just incase, and if you did have the right stuff to do it that would be the better way to go about testing that.

Nice results you have there, I still have to get me a DX10 card! Im so lazy, I dont game often so I am not in a hurry to get a newer card. But I do plan to!!!

I am using a Sapphire X1950Pro 256MB, getting old isnt it!

Have you tried any of the 1.6X drivers? May want to try a few random ones in the 1.5-1.6 range and see if those are any better, but I see that didnt help the real issue So may just be a waste of time

And, you do have the latest Intel .Inf driver package installed right? Just thinking out loud at some other things I have seen people accidentally forget

[Serotonin]

Re: NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT & PCI-e 2.0 x8?

I did read your advice mate, so apologies 4 the slack - Thanks!

Your last post:
1. No, no spread spectrum option in GA-EX38-DS4.
2. I understand where you are coming from re PCI-e line voltage, and HDD....but no longer needed.
3. -I tried 2 of the old ones
-my current NVIDIA version again
-then went to the latest NVIDIA full release 175.16
-then installed 175.19.

I mention this as I am ASTOUNDED by the PERFORMANCE improvments the 175.16, gave over the older NVIDIA, and Gigabyte stuff still on their website, then BLOWN AWAY again with 175.19....3 dot points away, but wooooow!

I've been dissapointed that overclocking "The HUD" had been crashing the 8800 GT driver, and as I installed these new drivers I had to keep winding back my overclocks......BUT THE ACTUAL PERFORMANCE LEVELS ARE WHAT MATTER, AND, IF ONLY TALKING 3Dmark THEN THESE DRIVERS WILL UP YOUR 3DMARK VANTAGE SCORES BY 5%, FOR EACH DRIVER.

Results are so much better that using a 10% overclock of GPU/RAM/Shader, (rather than 15% used with older drivers) - I will still now pull out 10% extra 3DMARKs!

I took your advice and also tried the Gigabyte 8800 GT in the second PCI-eX slot and bingo! Instant PCI-e 2.0 @ 16 lanes.

I believe the problem is the Video PCB. If you look at the edge connector (see attched photo) you will see one track has been broken short. There is another on the other side. As delivered the one you see was there, the other must have been me. The GA-EX38-DS4 PCI-eX slots are zero insertion force to say the least! A great board, a great performer, but once those copper tracks are not protected by laquer on the edge they are worse than anything I've seen. Was reading another fellows story about Gigabyte 8800 GT and...you guessed it, same issue. In my case, I'll leave it in slot 2, or maybe buy some conductive varnish if I ever have to move it again.

The GREAT thing about being forced to move this card, has meant a fantastic Q6600 vCore drop (highest of any 4 cores) of about 5-7deg C at rest and at work. The case has good cooling and venting in ideal locations, it shouldn't make that much difference, but it did - so I'm a happy overclocker.


---> I hate not knowing: What is the 2 pin jumper J502 for? Also circled in my picture attached.

The only other connetors are SLI (not being used - and I gather there is a single cable for SLI, so that rules out J502 being related to SLI), and J6 is 2 pin for the Zalmann fan power.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT & PCI-e 2.0 x8?

It could be for a possible but not implemnted fan, that jumper I mean.

Damn, sorry to hear about that connector, but glad to see you got better cooling and PCI 2.0 by moving your card!