MSI 6800 PCI-E crashing problems

[LeeASmith]

Hello all

I have been working on a problem with two identical systems I purchased back in January and was hopping some one could help me out here. Actually, I am fighting two problems, but I am assuming that they are both related.

The first problem;

While playing the game (any graphically intensive game) it will just “Hang-up”. The system is not locked up. I can still move the mouse, though I can click on nothing, and the keyboard still responds, though the keys pressed will produce no results until the computer has returned from la-la land. However for 10-60 seconds the game is just frozen. Most often, it will come back and continue playing and you will get a fast foreword effect where everything which has happened in the “Hang-time” is compressed into less than two seconds.

The second problem;

While playing the game it will lockup. When this happens there will be no response from the mouse or keyboard and it will not come back. Most times this is preceded by strange electrical clicking and beeping sound barely audible through the speakers. When this happens, I have to do a hard reboot. I have noticed that this problem inevitably follows two or three of the “Hang-ups” I detailed above.

After swapping parts out and trying different things I am now pretty sure this problem is coming from the MSI 6800 PCI-E card installed in the systems.

I have read the other posts about the 6800 cards locking up. The reason I started a new post is that the problem I am dealing with is not on an AGP card. I want to know if there are others out there with the PCI-E card experiencing this problem.

First the hardware list:
Intel D925XEC2LK MB
MSI NS6800 256MB DDR PCI-E (problem child)
2x Kingston 1GB DDR PC2-4200 533Mhz
Intel P4 3Ghz 1Mb 533Mhz FSB
2x Seagate 200GB SATA in RAID 0
Modstream 520W modular PS
SB Audigy 2 ZS
Thermal Take Liquid cooling system (CPU only)
XP Pro fully patched

Ok now things I have done…

I have reinstalled the OS several times.
I have downloaded the newest drivers I can find for all of my peripherals.
I have updated the bios on the MB.
I have taken the SATA down to non RAID configuration.
I pulled the SATA out and installed the OS on an IDE drive.
I have removed the SB and played game with no sound.
I have tried different versions of the NVIDIA drivers including the 71.20 off MSI’s web site.

Nothing has helped. Though it Hangs/locks in every game I have tried, including “World of Warcraft”, “Rome Total War”, “XIII” and “DAOC,” the game I use to test is “Prince of Persia Sands of Time” (also patched for the 6800). I am using “Prince of Persia” for two reasons. First, I can duplicate the problem every time (given enough time) and it happens to be one of the games which came pre packaged with the MSI 6800 card. The time to Hang-up/lockup varies, but after so long of playing POP it will stutter and eventually lock up. Once it locks up I can not get out of the game. I can not ALT TAB nor can I CTRL-ALT-DEL out. The only thing I can do is reboot the system. If I leave the system locked up after a period of time (few hours) the system will reboot itself. If this happens some times when it comes back, I will get an error reporting and after sending the report to MS it comes back and tells me to turn off hardware acceleration. I tried this also once but then the game would not even start, so that is clearly not an option.

At the suggestion of some of the other posts, I have downloaded and installed PowerStirp and RivaTuner. I looked in the BIOS to turn off fast writes but could not see that option in the MB BIOS. I was also unable to locate any thing like that while in RivaTuner or PowerStrip. I was able to find the sliders to change the clock and memory speed for the 3D side but when I switch to the 2D side it just says NA and I can not move the sliders.

So any way, that is what I have done and I’m still stuck with a card that seems to lockup during game play. I think I can go out and buy a different card but seeing this one ran me $325 and was a special order I can not return it. I am not ready to toss that investment aside and pay another $xyz to try a different card.

Any one have any thoughts as to what to try next?

Lee

[AllGamer]

What is the CPU temperature

and what is the Video card temperature when the problem occurs?

[fizur2002]

make sure that you havent accidentally knocked off a resistor or have a broken capacitor where it still touches but isnt fully connected.

[Midknyte]

It sounds like a heat issue. do you have enough space next to the video card? I usually leave the first pci slot unoccupied (or the second one for a 6800Ultra)

[LeeASmith]

I don’t think the card has been damaged or is missing any thing. I have two of these systems and they are both doing the same thing.

Now the other post/question was about heat. The only other card in the system is the SB and it is like 3 slots away. Plenty of air flow in the fan area.

Now far as what the temperature in when it does lockup I have no idea. When it locks there is no way to get back to the desktop. I have to reboot the system. Is there something that will monitor and keep a log?

I did check the temperature when it was just at the desktop. It was 29C.

Lee

[Midknyte]

There is no way the video card temp is 29C. 6800s usually idle in the 50s.

use rivatuner to monitor your temps.
Best of Video Cards & Monitors (http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162277)

run the hardware monitor, play a game, then check the graph to see how high your temps get.

[fizur2002]

yep, sounds like heat to me as well, you might wanna try and get a different heat sink and cooler for your vid card, if your comfortable enough, check your bios and make sure the voltage levels on your card is right and make sure your bios knows that your vid card is at the right MB size and not smaller or larger.

[LeeASmith]

Ok checked it agian. The 29C was comming from the ambiant temp line. The GPU is running at 48C. When I am playing the game it ran at 63-64C the entire time including right up when it locks up.

[fishybawb]

That temp sounds OK... You mentioned swapping components out - did that include the RAM? Give it a couple of hours on Memtest and see if that turns anything up:

http://www.memtest.org/

[LeeASmith]

I did swap out ram but it was from the 2nd system so same type.

[Midknyte]

your temps are in normal range.

you said you already updated your chipset drivers. hmm.

so this problem happens on both computers?

[LeeASmith]

Yes. To begin with I was using 2nd system to swap out parts incase it was bad hardware. Then I installed on 2nd system and it locked up just like the 1st.

I also took system back to the wholesaler that sold me the equipment for them to try to resolve the problem. They informed me they tried a different memory and it still locked up. They also tried a different video card but it was only a 64mb PCI card and they could not play the game (aka invalid test).

I am now in process of trying to find a non 6800 PCI-E card to test with. I really think it is a problem with the 6800 Chipset. I have seen way too many posts about same/similar problems with the 6600 and the 6800 AGP cards.

[Midknyte]

it could just be an incompatibility issue. the only other thing I can think of is to flash the video bios, but that may void your warranty. not good.

You could look into getting an ATI X800XL/XT.

[LeeASmith]

Ok I have considered the BIOS option. However when I went to MSI's web site I was unable to locate any BIOS updates for video cards. Poked around NVIDIA's web site and that didn't turn up any options either.

[Midknyte]

you're not going to find bios updates for vid cards on the manufacturer's site. they don't really intend for you to do that, which is why it would void your warranty.

i reread your post about the special order thing.

Is that the correct model number? NS6800? The only PCIE 6800GT I see listed on MSI's site is the NX6800GT-T2D256E.

I know there was a problem with some of the MSI 6800GT PCIE cards:
http://www.techpowerup.com/?2051

[LeeASmith]

It is the NX6800-TD256E

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=NX6800-TD256E&class=vga

[cyber_gubat]

since you had two identical rigs with the same problem, i guess it's an incompatibility issue. Ive experienced incompatibities before with a gigabyte Mobo and a Malaysia made p4, and the results were the same. hangs during application and even in the desktop.

[LeeASmith]

Ok now im home and I ran RivaTuner and it seems my card is the 12x instead of 16x. This is my question where does it say the card should be 16x? I hit MSI's web site and of course I was unable to locate any place on their site any mention of the 16 vs 12 pipelines. I even downloaded the manual and same no info. Is that a NVIDA standard or just every other card standard?

[Midknyte]

A GT is supposed to have 16 pipes. That is the exact problem I described. You should contact your vendor or MSI about a replacement.

[LeeASmith]

I read the post you gave the link to. However my card is NOT a GT. It is just a 6800 or MSI's part number is NX6800-TD256E. To make matters even more fun the vendor that sold it to me has since gone out of bussiness.

[fizur2002]

wow, you got screwed.

[Midknyte]

oops. missed your other post. a 256mb 6800? Most 6800NUs are only 128MB. 6800NUs have 12 pipes, so you're ok on that point.

I looked around and there is only one bios revision for that card, so flashing it wouldn't help.

did you try disabling fastwrites? I'm a little tired and running out of ideas. sorry if i slurrrrrrrrrrrrr. )-|

[LeeASmith]

It is a PCI-E not AGP card. PCI-E cards do not have the fast write option.

[Midknyte]

duh. Like I said, I'm a little out of it today. Running on 2 hours sleep. :x

I think you covered just about everything. Updated video and chipset drivers, bioses, etc.

It's unlikely that you got two bad cards, so it could just come down to a mb/video incompatibility. hmmm. I'll have to think about it after I've had a RedBull. :r