PCIe x16 2.0 as opposed to non 2.0 slots

[bhowell]

What are your thoughts on using a PCIe 2.0 card in a non 2.0 slot motherboard? Have you gotten it to work? Had any issues?

My situation is this. I have a 9800 GTX+ black from XFX. I have an Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard. I have no issues with this board if I don't load the video drivers. As soon as I do, it locks up constantly. I can't keep it running for longer than 5-10 mins. I have used latest drivers for everything. I have even flashed the bios. The next to latest for my board expanded compatability with newer video cards (even though my video card came out well before the bios update).

To make things more interesting, I took out the 9800 and put in an old geforce 6200LE. I have been running fine for several days. No lockups. Mind you I can't play the latest stuff with it since it is overpowered, but everything works.

Just before buying this card in Jan, I contacted XFX and asked them about any compatability issues with 2.0 running in non 2.0. They said there should be no problems. Even now, after replacing my card once already, and getting ready to replace it again as soon as I send it back to them per their request, they say there should be no issues. So, explain to me why my system locks up constantly with that card in it, but won't if there are no video drivers installed or the lesser card is installed? If replacing it the second time doesn't work, I am going to be quite upset.

Just a little background...I have already replaced (most under warranty) the motherboard, memory, hard drive, processor, and power supply. Nothing has worked. Here are my system specs if anyone has any thoughts:

Antec Sonatta II Lifestyles case
Coolmax 950w power supply (replaced with known good 600w Antec Power supply)
Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless m/b (replaced under warranty)
AMD Athlon FX 64 6400+ (replaced under warranty)
A-Data 4x-2g dual channel DDR2-800 for a total of 8g (tech support was poor so I bought an 8g kit from OCZ)
XFX 9800 GTX+ Black GPU (replaced under warranty once, will be doing again this week)
1x 150g Western Digital Raptor (used one of the 80g drives in place of Raptor to test lockups)
3x 80g Sata drives (none of the drives in a raid config)

Any thoughts? Can you slow down the video cards to make them more in line with the previous generation ones?

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

My thoughts are temps on either gpu or cpu, and possibly even your wall power load, if theres excess load on the circuit, or fluctuations

 

[bhowell]

Last time I watched the temps, the CPU ran around 45-47 C. The GPU runs around 51-53c.

I have 7 fans running through this machine including the GPU/CPU fans.

As far as wall fluctuations, I suppose that is possible. I have no way to test that out. This is the 4th PC I have run on this same outlet/power strip. This latest machine the most powerful though.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

See if the temps are spiking when this happens, and maybe try a different circuit, easy first tries, tho I know its certainly not your first
Heres a link to what Im talking about as to the loaded circuit
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/265588-28-strange-shutdown-place#t1971947

 

[bhowell]

Well, that is certainly something I hadn't thought of. I have swapped out my PSU so that isn't it. I will have to see what I can do about a UPS or another circuit in my house. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

YW, and GL, hope this is it, youve spent enough money and hopefully no more need for time on this

 

[jitpublisher]

Hmmm, I'll toss out a couple of things that you might try just to see what happens. Have you tried with just 2 sticks of RAM?
Does the BIOS allow you to adjust the voltage to the PCIe slot...perhaps bump it up a little? Temps do not appear to be a problem at all.......

 

[bhowell]

Yes. I have done anywhere from 1 to 4 sticks. I have even used each stick in each slot by itself.

Yes, my bios does allow for adjusting the voltage for the PCIe slot. Do you, by chance, know what that card requires by chance? I don't remember seeing anything like that in the manuals or specs.

 

[jitpublisher]

Yes. I have done anywhere from 1 to 4 sticks. I have even used each stick in each slot by itself.

Yes, my bios does allow for adjusting the voltage for the PCIe slot. Do you, by chance, know what that card requires by chance? I don't remember seeing anything like that in the manuals or specs.

I am not sure, I think, but I am not positive, the standard voltage for the slot is 1.5 volts.
The feed from the PSU to the secondary connector is 12 volt.
My old DFI Lanparty had the option to overvolt the slot in small increments at a time.
It also had the option to overvolt the Chipset, RAM, PCIe slots, and CPU by a percentage rate from 1% to like 30%.

 

[bhowell]

I will have to look at it tonight. There are tons of options in that BIOS. Far more than I am used to seeing when I built PCs a number of years ago. I am not really an overclocker, so all those options are overwhelming. Some I know, many I don't.