ASUS Z170-A crashes upon PCIE-GPU load, integrated GPU just fine

[JerryBAndersen]

Hi there, first time poster here,
I have a very strange problem with my Asus Z170-A and I cannot find the cause of this whatsoever.
Maybe someone here can see a pattern or notices something I am missing.

So here's my machine:
Asus Z170-A BIOS 0901
Intel i5 6600K
16 GB (4*4GB) Mushkin Redline DDR4 3000
bequiet! Pure Power L8 630W
(also, Enermax Liberty 500W)
Asus NVIDIA 660Ti 2GB
(also, Saphire HD 6870)

This is the software setup:
Windows 8.1 64
(also Ubuntu Gnome 15.04)
NVIDIA driver 355.82
(also, AMD Catalyst 15.8)
GPU-Z, CPU-Z, Unigine Heaven, Furmark

The issue:
If there is a 660Ti in one of the PCIE slots, and once I start a game/benchmark, it will run for a certain amount of time, then fps drop rapidly
and one of three things happen:
# the driver crashes, Windows recovers from it, Windows is stuttering for the rest of the time in half the cases.
# the system crashes to a bluescreen with the message "driver irql not less or equal"
# the system crashes and powers off
If I stay in desktop and run some Prime95 or anything, it will run just fine. Only GPU-bound applications, even Unity-based games will cause crashing.


What I already tried:
# running on the integrated GPU. The integrated GPU runs fine and will benchmark/run games etc. for hours.
I installed the driver (for HD graphics 530) properly.
# different drivers. I tried a version 34x.xx, a version 353.xx and the most recent version 355.82. They only changed the behavior of
recovering from some of the crashes, none of them changed the slow-down and crash
# reinstalling Windows, duh. I did a clean Windows 8.1 64 install with just the NVIDIA driver and the diagnostic software
# using another OS. I have a Live-USB Linux ready with some 3D-games on it, it shows the same results, first slow-down then total crash
in-game. Desktop is fine as usual.
# update BIOS to most recent version 0901
# using another GPU. I got a Radeon HD 6870 from a friend of mine and had the same experience as with the 660ti, except I
couldn't even install the Catalyst driver, it will freeze to a bluescreen/black screen at about half the installation process. I tried it twice.
Normal desktop runs just fine as usual.
# changing the RAM setup. I have tried putting only a single RAM stick in different slots and had the same results. I only have these DIMMs,
so I can't say anything really except that I ran memtest86 successfully on all of them and that they are not on Asus' supported RAM list.
It seems to me the Z170 boards are picky with RAM so I ordered a single 4GB HyperX stick which explictly said "skylake compatible" and is
on Asus compatible list.
# trying a different PSU. I have an old Enermax PSU here which I tried hooking up in the first place, but because it is not compatible with
Intel's new C-states I bought a new one. Anyway, this one shows little difference to the other PSU, the display driver still crashes upon load.

I really hope someone can help out, this is my second Z170 board already
(had a completely dead MSI Pro Gaming before) and RMAing would take another week or so and costs money everytime I send it back.
Thanks in advance!

 

[hankkillinger]

An update on my experience: Xcom2 eventually started crashing and then crashing more frequently than all the other games I played prior. On some days I couldn't play for an hour without 4+ nvidia driver crashes. I created saves in spots where I was able to reliably reproduce a crash within about 10 minutes. I then borrowed a different GTX670 for testing. With about an hour of testing I wasn't able to reproduce a crash on the different GTX670. So this confirms my suspicion that after about 4 years, my old card has simply gone bad somehow. I'm sticking to other hobbies and tamer games (Tabletop Sim has never crashed) until the GTX1070 is released.

 

[Angurmiah]

I have the same problem. In my case the pc wont even turn on. The gpu lught stays on with a long berp on the board speaker... I tried turning the onboard gpu off but it reverts backbto the on board after switching off & switching back on.

My set up
Asus z170-a
2x8gig cursair vengance
i5 6600k cpu
Evga geforec gtx 970 sc

Cant get the onboard gpu off through the bios
Any help will be appreciated

 

[Gabriel_51]

okay guys heres my setup, im runing the asus z170-a, with the i56600k, gskill raw 16gig 8x2, i previously had the gtx980 and was working fab, now! i got the 1080 and nothing but issues! games after play about 15 min i go from avg frams to like 20fps. tired a whole bunch of things, im assuming at this point that its the mobo,i put in an old r9 280, and hving somewhat simillar issues. but not as bad, grashes in game, well stuttering black screen then after 10 seconds goes back to normal. sometimes the screen goes black and i get a bunch of weird colours aswell. at this point im stuck, i either get another motherboard. NOT asus piece of shit. or i sell all my skylake and go different. cpu

suggestions ?

 

[hankkillinger]

An update on my experience, I've had a GTX 1070 for a couple months now. No issues like I was having the the GTX670. There must have been a compat issue or more likely the card was on its way out.

 

[Ajaxxo]

I have the same problem with asus z170a. After I put my GPU to stress I get static and poping noises from my headset (this happens on both my external soundcard and on my motherboard audio) and the fps drops to unplayable. I have tried to change PSU, ram, remove my external sound card, nothing helps. It only happens when my gpu gets stressed, I can stresstest my cpu and ram without it happening. I have also tested my gpu on another motherboard and it works perfectly.

No one have a fix yet? I'm going to RMA my motherboard asap