Computer freezes with PCI graphics cards as primary card

[RS82]

Hi everybody,

I am stuck on the following issue:
My system (intel SR1560SF, 8 cpu, 16GB RAM) has an integrated graphics card on the mainboard
with the standard integrated graphics card all works fine and very stable, just its an old video card, and i can not use some programs.

When i plug in a NVIDIA Quadro 1700 FX, or an Quadro 580 FX or an ATI fire gl 3600, i can run the programs, but the system randomly freezes after a couple of hours. (also when its just on idle) (when i check the temperature history of the gpu or cpu, there is not really any thing special before the crash)

It only happens if i set the pci graphics card in the bios as the only graphics card,
if i run it in dual grahics mode, then the integrated graphics card must be the primary, then it runs stable, but i can not use the programs that i need. I
have the feeling that in this case the pci video card is not really doing any thing. I see it in the hardware monitor, but i cant see the gpu temp. unfortionaly i only have 1 monitor, and if i connect that one to the pci video card it remains black.

based on a lot of googling i still think it is probably a videocard related issue because it only happens when any of the cards is set as the primary card.
My guess is that maybe all of the cards are drawing more energy then the board can supply some times.
How could i test this?
I tried to find some information how much power the main board can supply, but i am not able to find this. are there any rules for mainboards and power consumption of graphic cards?

Does any one have an idea of what it could be, or idea of what to do in order to find the exact cause of the problem?

Thanks in advance

 

[johanpeeters83]

do you have `gpuz` installed
you can download the progam at `techpowerup` after launch gpuz hit the sensor tab
you can also try `everest`
but i`m a little confused about first you mention this:
(when i check the temperature history of the gpu or cpu, there is not really any thing special before the crash)
`
after that you mention:
I see it in the hardware monitor, but i cant see the gpu temp.

 

[Opaz1ka]

Me thinks drivers

 

[RS82]

but i`m a little confused about first you mention this:
(when i check the temperature history of the gpu or cpu, there is not really any thing special before the crash)
`
after that you mention:
I see it in the hardware monitor, but i cant see the gpu temp.

If i set the cards in the bios as a primary and only card they will crash, but i can see the gpu temp.
If i set them as a secondary card, behind the onboard graphics, i can not see the gpu temp, and really i dont know if it is doing any thing.

so i know how to see the temperatures, just in dual display mode, they dont show up, but the card displays in the hardware list.

why is it freezing even in indle, just with windows and the temperature monitor running, and the gpu practicaly doing nothing?
i will take a look at this gpuz and everst programs

 

[RS82]

Me thinks drivers

well i first bought 1 nvidia card quadro 1700 fx, then another one quadro 580 fx, because i thought it was the video card, when it also happened with the other one, i thought it where the drivers so i tried it with the ATI fire gl 3600. but the problem remained.
So i dont think that its a driver issue, (for all cards i tried different drivers to be sure)

but if it happens with 3 different video cards, and not without those it confuses me.

 

[Quentin Chalmers]

Me thinks drivers

well i first bought 1 nvidia card quadro 1700 fx, then another one quadro 580 fx, because i thought it was the video card, when it also happened with the other one, i thought it where the drivers so i tried it with the ATI fire gl 3600. but the problem remained.
So i dont think that its a driver issue, (for all cards i tried different drivers to be sure)

but if it happens with 3 different video cards, and not without those it confuses me.

If you don't mind me asking, did you ever find out what the problem is? I have this exact same issue.

 

[RS82]

Hi

Yes in my case the problem was eventually very silly, and also the solution.
The computer runned fine with on board graphics, but not with pci graphics. In the end it appeared a problem with the hybernation/sleep mode support.
to be honest i forgot if the onboard graphics just didnt allow to go in hybernation such that it never froze, while the pci i card supported it allowes sleep mode, or if it was the other way around, that the pci card dint support sleep mode and made the computer locked.
Anyways when i turned of sleeping / hybernation mode all was running fine!

I hope this helps,
sorry my memory is like a cheese with a lot of holes, i dont remember how to turn the sleep/hybernation of, but i guess you can find it some where.

I hope it helps you.

 

[Quentin Chalmers]

Thank you so much for replying!

Do you by any chance remember if it was automatic sleep/hibernation or simply any sleep/hibernation at all that was causing the problem? To solve it, have you just not been able to use sleep/hibernate at all?

 

[RS82]

Thank you so much for replying!

Do you by any chance remember if it was automatic sleep/hibernation or simply any sleep/hibernation at all that was causing the problem? To solve it, have you just not been able to use sleep/hibernate at all?

ok, after i wrote you i remembered a bit more.
The onboard video didnt support sleeping mode, so it never went to sleep.
Really i never knew that normal computers have sleeping mode automatically activated in windows 7
When i plugged in and enabled the pci express video card, windows activated the automatic sleeping mode without me knowing.

to turn it of you have to:
Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. (small icons, some where althoug it is not logically ordered there is the button power options, yes with a battery logo, also for normal computers)
Double-click Power Options.
In the Power Options Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
there you can turn of the turn of displaz and put computer to sleep settings.

So after i turned of the option put the computer to sleep to never, i never had the problem again.

i guess its more about sleep then about hybernate,

but i also never used hybernate, but maybe it is possible to use them, but just only when you activate them by hand in stead of automatically

Well i hope this is the problem for you to, because its easy to fix, but maybe you have a different problem.
Good luck.

 

[Quentin Chalmers]

Great! I'm going to try it today

Thanks again!