My system's been plagued by an inexplicable problem for more than a month now, and I still can't find out what I am doing wrong. After trying virtually every possible fix I found on the net (well, almost every, only thing left is trying Windows XP which solved the problem for many users, but I'm on Vista Ultimate x64 atm and I started to like it, so it will be kinda hard to switch back; unfortunately, I can't try the card on another system either since I've got none avaliable, but I would take my whole system to my video card vendor for them to test it as a last resort), I've started to suspect a possible incompatibility between my mobo/graphic card, or perhaps some incorrect BIOS settings.
So... here are my specs:
Gigabyte EP35-DS3R F4a BIOS (had the same with F3);
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400@3GHz;
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB DDR5 (had NO problems whatsoever with my old card, GeForce 6600GT, on the same system, also, the card isn't defective because the one I'm using right now is a replaced one, returned the first);
Transcend JetRam 2x2GB DDR2 800Mhz @5-5-5-18;
CoolerMaster RealPower M700 52A@12v;
As mentioned, running Vista x64 fully updated (both OS and drivers), and everything is at stock (no overclocking).
The problem: randomly getting TDR messages when running intensive 3D applications (mainly games and 3dMark) - a baloon message in the taskbar saying: "Display driver atikmdag stopped responding and has successfully recovered." It always recovers by the way, never got a BSOD or anything, the screen goes blank for a few seconds and then I regain control, everything working normally.
I've stumbled accross many posts that state that it MIGHT be a RAM/mobo compatibility issue, but I just can't understand how come I don't get any errors when running memtest/Orthos and only get such errors in games. So my question for you is, is memtest a reliable indicator that there's nothing wrong with mobo/RAM (since I get no errors after hours of testing, with every setting in BIOS on auto)? If not, could you perhaps suggest some BIOS settings modifications I could try before I blame it all to Vista/drivers/card?
I would be EXTREMELY grateful for any suggestion since I've really ran out of ideas what to do next.
P.S. Here's a list of the things I've tried so far (I'm sure I'll miss some, tried TOO many things to be honest):
- OS reinstall (still need to try XP);
- Removing 1 stick of RAM;
- Swapping around the sticks of RAM in different slots;
- Installing all hotfixes;
- Disabling UAC;
- Updating chipset drivers;
- Disabling settings in BIOS (the ones that are usually disabled during overclocking), modifying memory timings (last try: 5-5-5-18, ACT to ACT Delay 5, Rank Write to READ Delay 12, Write to Precharge Delay 10, Refresh to ACT Delay 68, Read to Precharge Delay 6, Static tRead Value 10) and upping voltages (highest settings: MCH +0.1, RAM +0.3, PCIE +0.1, FSB +0.1);
- Using msconfig to force "number of processors" and "maximum memory" (worked for some people);
- Tried all ATi drivers 8.6-8.9, including DNA drivers (with a sweep before every reinstall);
- Updating video BIOS (had a separate issue that was fixed with the new BIOS, but the TDR problem persisted);
- Upping video fan speed and adding a side case fan to help remove excess heat if present;
- Testing the same applications with my old card, no problems;
- Disabling TDR through registry, no luck, the screen froze, but I tried to shut the system down with the power button and I noticed that my cursor appeared on the screen and I could move it around, the system didn't respond though and I had to reboot manually;
- Bought a new PSU (jump from 520W - 700W), no changes.
- As I mentioned, memtest/Orthos show no errors, left memtest overnight yesterday for 10 hours, 0 errors;
One last note: I've noticed that my SB heatsink gets rather hot on touch, I guess it's because the card being dual-slot and blocking air circulation, but I wonder if that could be the culprit?
So... here are my specs:
Gigabyte EP35-DS3R F4a BIOS (had the same with F3);
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400@3GHz;
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB DDR5 (had NO problems whatsoever with my old card, GeForce 6600GT, on the same system, also, the card isn't defective because the one I'm using right now is a replaced one, returned the first);
Transcend JetRam 2x2GB DDR2 800Mhz @5-5-5-18;
CoolerMaster RealPower M700 52A@12v;
As mentioned, running Vista x64 fully updated (both OS and drivers), and everything is at stock (no overclocking).
The problem: randomly getting TDR messages when running intensive 3D applications (mainly games and 3dMark) - a baloon message in the taskbar saying: "Display driver atikmdag stopped responding and has successfully recovered." It always recovers by the way, never got a BSOD or anything, the screen goes blank for a few seconds and then I regain control, everything working normally.
I've stumbled accross many posts that state that it MIGHT be a RAM/mobo compatibility issue, but I just can't understand how come I don't get any errors when running memtest/Orthos and only get such errors in games. So my question for you is, is memtest a reliable indicator that there's nothing wrong with mobo/RAM (since I get no errors after hours of testing, with every setting in BIOS on auto)? If not, could you perhaps suggest some BIOS settings modifications I could try before I blame it all to Vista/drivers/card?
I would be EXTREMELY grateful for any suggestion since I've really ran out of ideas what to do next.
P.S. Here's a list of the things I've tried so far (I'm sure I'll miss some, tried TOO many things to be honest):
- OS reinstall (still need to try XP);
- Removing 1 stick of RAM;
- Swapping around the sticks of RAM in different slots;
- Installing all hotfixes;
- Disabling UAC;
- Updating chipset drivers;
- Disabling settings in BIOS (the ones that are usually disabled during overclocking), modifying memory timings (last try: 5-5-5-18, ACT to ACT Delay 5, Rank Write to READ Delay 12, Write to Precharge Delay 10, Refresh to ACT Delay 68, Read to Precharge Delay 6, Static tRead Value 10) and upping voltages (highest settings: MCH +0.1, RAM +0.3, PCIE +0.1, FSB +0.1);
- Using msconfig to force "number of processors" and "maximum memory" (worked for some people);
- Tried all ATi drivers 8.6-8.9, including DNA drivers (with a sweep before every reinstall);
- Updating video BIOS (had a separate issue that was fixed with the new BIOS, but the TDR problem persisted);
- Upping video fan speed and adding a side case fan to help remove excess heat if present;
- Testing the same applications with my old card, no problems;
- Disabling TDR through registry, no luck, the screen froze, but I tried to shut the system down with the power button and I noticed that my cursor appeared on the screen and I could move it around, the system didn't respond though and I had to reboot manually;
- Bought a new PSU (jump from 520W - 700W), no changes.
- As I mentioned, memtest/Orthos show no errors, left memtest overnight yesterday for 10 hours, 0 errors;
One last note: I've noticed that my SB heatsink gets rather hot on touch, I guess it's because the card being dual-slot and blocking air circulation, but I wonder if that could be the culprit?
Comment