This is so much goddamn ********. Why the **** does this card work one minute, then go to **** the next, also; why the **** does it hang windows startup so much? That doesn't even touch the GPU apart from driver initialization. But no. With no friggin cause; The entire ****ing machine has gone to **** again. TO make things better; I can't even get Windows Performance Analysis tools to install so I can see what the **** is going on at startup.
I'll keep toying. I should get back to you in an hour or so. I'm just trying to nail down the source of the problem. It's either windows or motherboard based. I'm more inclined to think windows now, simply because every time I tear the machine down; all my USB stuff gets plugged in in different locations, so it has to redetect all that, during which time SLI works. I reboot and it loads up all the drivers, SLI goes down the crapper. Followed by my patience and possibly the whole PC. I'll reinstall the 301 drivers (As they actually let me enable SLI), then intentionally reboot with the extra boot logging tools in the Windows Development Kit running, see if that churns out anything interesting, like why the balls the system hangs for so long on boot. If I can pull anything interesting from that; I can crucify the files at fault (Oooh~ I wish!) or remove the device responsible, then try again and see what happens. From then on; I should get lucky and get it working consistently again. I can hope, no?
If it's a windows error - then it may be being caused at install - memtest86 your ram, test your PSU, error check your HDD. Treat it as a new build, suspect eveything Failing that, I have some 1366 bits and bobs up for a reasonable price ...
Ram is running at above rated timings, (As in, I think it's made for 9-9-9-28, It's at 9-9-9-35 because I can't remember the exact specifications.), PSU is fine. Even at absolute max; this rig can't touch 800W, 1KW is overkiill, Plus if it was a PSU issue; It wouldn't occur every other bootup. It'd be more consistent.
Just pulled out the USB3 device too. no change. One of the 550's is sharing IRQs with the USB devices, but they're the 2.0 stuff that runs everything else on my system, so it's just not going to work if I disable those. THe other is sharing IRQ's with the sata controller, which really isn't going to fly if I have to disable that to get it to work.
Major sympathy for you dude. I guess you've tried both cards in PCI-E2. Can you get the machine to boot with both cards with no SLI enabled and check the output from the cards with your screen or better still a 2nd screen.
2nd card will display, but it stutters. Almost as if the PCI-E bus is holding it up. Weirdly, the times when I do get SLI working; its fine. I'm not sure sure if the stuttering is caused by windows or motherboard issues, though.
Already sorted. I had that issue with steam a while back, already updated the bios, one of the first things I tried when it all started to go to pot. Cheers for the idea, though.
Don't let that put you off - that stuff is not for beginners! Have you seen this? Also, tried ancient drivers, like 285.*? Apparently there has been a realtek driver conflict, and someone had a conflict with a Kningston usb 3 stick. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038469173
I realise it's a ballache but try re-seating the cpu/hsf again, i.e. take the cpu out, check to make sure there's no paste in the socket or on the cpu pins and give the socket a blast of air. Check the paste when you take the hsf off - has it spread ok? Seems to me it could be down to a faulty mobo :/
Not using Realtec sound. It's disabled in BIOS. Drivers were never installed because I had my Xonar DX before I installed windows, so that shiz got disabled the instant it appeared. I'm giving 290.something drivers a whirl at the moment, albeit only with a single card at the moment, because it was getting a pain in the ass just to get into windows to solve the issue. I've already reseated the CPU, no bent pins, no tim in the socket, good thermal paste spread. I'm not 100% sure it's the Mobo, though. I'd've thought the issues would be more consistent than they are if it were the mobo, it's only if I try and boot with SLI enabled that it fails. And sometimes it hates on me enabling SLI from within windows, but that seems far more random.
Tundra, the only thing other than to test with a different PSU I can think at the moment is to check in Bios if IOMMU is enabled. It should be disabled. It doesn't freekin' work! .. as in "ESXi won't even boot with it enabled !!!111 pffss.." @shirty I have an Asus GTX260 (216) TOP, factory overclocked to 650MHz. A very good card for it's generation. It runs very quiet and can run all the games I play at the 4:3 resolutions my Trinitron can display. My only concern with it is that once I go to a new 1080p monitor, it will struggle too much and force me to play everything with the lowest details.
Well if you have an SLI capable PSU and mobo you can pick up another 260 for peanuts, worth a punt before you upgrade properly...
Admittedly; IOMMU is enabled, but it was enabled before I had any of these issues, or does 295 and onwards start to fail because of it? As far as SLI performance goes; Most games I've tried work with it. Occasionally I have to run a game without Vsync because of microstutter (Dunno how that works, less load should = less stutter, no?), but otherwise; I've not had any issues. Save NFS:The Run being a little beech and hating SLI. But just adding most stuff to NVCP sets it up automatically to use SLI or not.
I am seriously starting to think you've got an unstable PSU, is the system rock solid with just one card in either of the PCI-E sockets? Half the time PSU's will boot the machine when cold but as they warm under the load can become unstable, same with all electronics.
