8800GTX problems in FSX - software or hardware?

[sargeski 16]

>I'm running the Video Card Stability test (link above) and>it's reported a score of 453. That seems a bit low compared to>8800GTS's on the website.Hello Ray,Quit running 8xs for starters.....your problems will disappear. Your score is low because you have AA and AF turned up. The high scores are not using AA or AF (so DO NOT WORRY about your score! kinda worthless when you cannot compare apples to apples.)Get rid of 8xs and start flying!! ;)

[Ray Proudfoot 8,954]

Hi Sargeski,Thanks for the tip about the low score.I'm afraid the AA setting is probably not responsible for the random lockups. I've tried several drivers including Omega and none resolve the problem.I'm now running MemTest and it's reporting errors. Perhaps bad memory is responsible for the problem. I was 1.5hrs into a flight yesterday before the lockups started but then they would occur after just 10 minutes. There was no logic to the timing.I need to invesigate further and look at memory timings before returning the memory for a swap. It doesn't look like the 8800 is at fault. It's just suffering the consequences of a problem elsewhere.

[sargeski 16]

Hi Ray,Sorry to hear that. The good thing is your on track to rectify the situation.

[Guest JIMJAM]

The saga continues.After a while, I figured Nhancer was not my savior so I deleted it and tried Rivatuner.Again, no real difference and after a CTD, I got rid of it.Fooled with the Nvidia global setting as I have deleted the FSX profile.I actually saw a noticable improvement in the overall clariry and using my tv/monitors sharpness, got it looking good.So while I am basking in the good look, good fps and no stutters with my new addon, I dropped down the menu [full screen] and you guessed it. CTD!!!!!Thought I had fixed them....If I tried to start a flight with a addon, ctd and back to desktop.I had to choose a default in freeflight and once the sim started, switch to a addon.So now I got a better picture and performance with stock older 164s with NO Nhancer or other program but the CTDs are back.

[cshark172 20]

Hi Ray,Sorry to hear you may have memory issues. I had that around the first of the year. Random lockups, and CTDs. Ran memtest and found a bad stick. Replaced it and rock solid since.As a side note with my new 8800GTX card using WHQL 169 drivers and 8xS via nhancer, I have completed a 2.5 hr, 5.5 hr, and am currently 4 hrs into a KSFO to EGLL flight, and have not had any problem at all, so I don't think the Nvidia drivers are an issue. I am running Vista 64, though, and can report I haven't had a problem since dumping XP. I used to get constant OOM errors running under XP.Kylehttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpg

[Ray Proudfoot 8,954]

Hi Kyle,The graphics card cannot run a GPU stress test without artifacts and the system freezing. I suspect a faulty card as well as bad memory. Trouble is it's hard to say if the bad memory could be causing the graphics problem or whether it really is a bad card.I need to try it in another system but no friends live close who have a PCIE system. :-(Nice to know the drivers are okay. So far I've tried about 4 sets all with the same result. Vista? Don't want to go there... yet.Never had a OOM problem. Had just about everything else though. :-(

[Mace 1,926]

>But as soon as I move the hat button to look around, any>straight lines, runway,taxiway,tarmac lines ect, start to>wave.That sounds like Vsync to me.RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.16 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[Mace 1,926]

I am convinced that you have a hardware issue.One or more of your components is not doing its job.You should be able to have a reliable and stable FSX experience.RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.16 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[ARM505 0]

Are you running multiple monitors?

[Ray Proudfoot 8,954]

No. A single 24" display running at 1920*1200.Not only do I get screen freezes in FSX they also occur in FS9. Sometimes after a few minutes and other times well over an hour into a flight. The temperature of the GPU would stabilise very quickly in FS unlike a stress test. If it can run FS for over an hour it can't be related to heat.Three different graphics stress test programs also fail with the screen turning green or blue and other times, garbled purple with many artifacts.I turned up the GPU fan to 100% and it took 40 mins for a stress test to fail. When it runs at stock fan speed (60%) it takes less than 4 minutes. I also reduced the clock and memory speeds and it still failed.I cannot see anything other than a card with bad RAM. It's nothing to do with drivers or AA settings. That's a red herring I think.

[Mace 1,926]

You are having bad luck, aren't you?All I can say is, my BFG 8800GTX is performing wonderfully so far. I do not know about the availability of the BFG brand in the UK.Have you plugged in BOTH of the 6-pin power connectors on your 8800GTX?Do you still have the 3870x2 card? Can you plug it in and does it exhibit the same lockup issue? Do you have any other vid card capable of running FSX laying around that you can put in the box?In another note, Ray did you notice this news on the next nVidia cards? They are going to have 400+ and 500+ bit memory bandwidth. That should give you some consolation about getting the 384-bit 8800GTX over the 256-bit 9-series that are out right now.RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.16 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[Ray Proudfoot 8,954]

Hi Rhett,Yes, I must have been bad in a former life. I've just spoken to the retailer I bought the card from and they agree it sounds like it could be faulty. I'll take it in tomorrow lunchtime and they'll check it out.<Yes, both connected.I don't have the 3870X2 (now sold) but when I did it exhibited none of these problems so I'm as sure as I can be it's the card and not drivers or anything else.<>This was going to be my next question. The store doesn't have any more 8800GTXs in stock so I have to make a decision pretty quickly about a replacement should my card prove to be faulty. Looking at Toms Hardware review of the 9800GTX it outperforms the 8800GTX at 1920*1200 so looks to be a good bet. BUT, it only has 512Mb of memory and also the memory bus is 256-bit not the 384-bit of the 8800GTX. But this doesn't seem to have affected its performance in FSX acording to TH and it outperforms the 8800GTX. So I'm thinking of getting a 9800GTX. Does anyone have one and could they comment please?Those 400-bit cards will be great but they'll come too late for me and the price might be horrendous. For now it'll have to be a 9800GTX I think.Thanks,

[Mace 1,926]

>>This was going to be my next question. The store doesn't have>any more 8800GTXs in stock so I have to make a decision pretty>quickly about a replacement should my card prove to be faulty.>>>Looking at Toms Hardware review of the 9800GTX it outperforms>the 8800GTX at 1920*1200 so looks to be a good bet. BUT, it>only has 512Mb of memory and also the memory bus is 256-bit>not the 384-bit of the 8800GTX. But this doesn't seem to have>affected its performance in FSX acording to TH and it>outperforms the 8800GTX. So I'm thinking of getting a 9800GTX.>Does anyone have one and could they comment please?>Well of course I don't have a 9800GTX, but I can say, that I always take Tom's with a grain of salt on reviews like that. I am sure they were not doing the kind of scientific, FS enthusiast style testing that people like Gary Dunne (RESET_MCP) and Nick Needham, yourself, and I do. I can just almost bet money they were not.That means, if we load down dense autogen, etc., is the 256-bit mem bandwidth going to come into play? And how will that affect the BufferPools setting?Those are the types of things only us FS'ers could answer and test for with any degree of accuracy.>Those 400-bit cards will be great but they'll come too late>for me and the price might be horrendous. For now it'll have>to be a 9800GTX I think.>I'd get the 9800GTX, if there were no 8800GTX's available. The driver set for the 9800GTX can only get better as I have said before.RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.16 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[Ray Proudfoot 8,954]

Hi Rhett,<<...I always take Tom's with a grain of salt on reviews like that>>Yes, that has been said before but comparisons between nVidia cards should not be questionable, hopefully.I've just returned from the retailer. They tested the card and were able to reproduce the problem. That was a big relief I can tell you. Although I was pretty sure there was a problem with the card there's so much going on with modern PCs you can never be certain.So the next decision was do I stay with 8800GTX? I mulled things over this morning and I couldn't convince myself that reverting to a 256-bit memory bus was the right way to go. I wasn't confident of XFX so I chose the Asus Extreme 8800GTX. Its clock speed is 575MHz compared to 600 for the XFX but I doubt that is going to make any appreciable difference as far as FSX is concerned.I'm glad I wasn't going mad and that there really was a fault with the card. Hopefully I can have many years service out of this one.Thanks for all your help and support. :-beerchug