# x1950 pro Crossfire problems and solutions.



## Lazzer408 (Jan 6, 2007)

Hi. I figured I'd ask you guys about a crossfire problem I'm having on my x1950 pro graphics cards. I've tried 4 different motherboards so that's not the problem. I have a crossfire certified powerexpress psu for the cards' power. I have crossfire certified memory. yadda yadda. Everything is certified except for the floppy drive. =)
 I've talked to ATI and they spent 3 hours working with me on trying to get crossfire working and so far no luck. They told me there going to build my computer as there facility and try to recreate the problem. In the mean time maybe someone in the forum has had the problem or can suggest a solution. 

*The specs.*

-P4ht 550 3.4ghz
-1024 Kingston hyperX pc6400 ddr-2
-Intel D975XBX2 (other boards tested were MSI p975 platinum, Asus P5B deluxe, Asus P5W DH Deluxe)
-ATI x1950pro crossfire (the ones with the internal connector)
-2 x 80gb Sata Raid-0
-Antec trupower 480 (main psu)
-Thermaltake powerexpress 250 (crossfire psu)

*MISC info.*

-All the latest drivers (cat 6.12) and BIOS updates were used on my tests.

*The problem.*

The drivers are installed correctly and I'm showing 4 adaptors in the device manager. Crossfire is ticked in the control panel to enable it. The Thermaltake powerexpress has 2 green lights indicating power is being drawn from each card while running a 3d application. Framerates remain unchanged in my games and my 3dmark05 score is 9500 +/- 50. If I uncheck crossfire in the control panel I still score 9500. If I completely remove the secondary card from my computer I will get the same score of 9500. So somehow crossfire isn't helping any. ATI seems to be stumpped as well.

*Other notes.*

Internal bridge is connected. I have tested each card by itself in either slot and any configuration will work fine as long as it's a single card. ATI had made the suggestion that I could have had a bad card and I have exchanged them both for two replacements and still have the problem.

 Has anyone else has issues with the x1950 pro running in crossfire? Perhaps I have a faulty bios revision on the card itself. Rabit shows 113-A99902-111 RV570 BIOS 688m/574e.

Thanks and hopefully someone out there has better suggestions then ATI.


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## DRDNA (Jan 6, 2007)

----- Also did you reinstall directX9C yet? have you reinstalled  the lastes .net ?
Did the hard drive get reimaged on every mobo test?


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 6, 2007)

DRDNA said:


> ----- Also did you reinstall directX9C yet? have you reinstalled  the lastes .net ?
> Did the hard drive get reimaged on every mobo test?



Crossfire is ticked in CCC. Screen blinks when it enables. Clean install of windows xp pro on each test. Dot net installed for each test. DX9c is installed but do I need to reinstall it after the driver install?

I guess it's easy enough to reinstall and let you know.

Thanks


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## DRDNA (Jan 6, 2007)

normally no but sometimes reinstalling DX9c can straighten out some wierd stuff.


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## DRDNA (Jan 6, 2007)

Also do you Vsync selected if so deselect.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 6, 2007)

I reinstalled DX9c from the redistribution pack. It didn't help. Normally I do enable vsync (75hz) but framerates drop below 75 when I start cranking up the effects so I know that's not limiting me. I have tried it with it off as well. I'd be happy with 75 fps at 1600x1200 with one card. =) 3dmark doesn't run with vsync on and it's score is unchanged. I can tell in the first scene watcing the framerate at the bottom. It sits about 50fps when the troops are flying in. It doesn't change no matter what I try. Any other ideas?

Also the secondary card (second pcix slot) is just warm where as the other primary card is ubber hot. ATI has the fan pwm set to low imo. I guess there trying to keep it quiet. The thermaltake powerexpress will only only show one of the two green lights when I uncheck crossfire in CCC. When checked both lights are on indicating both cards are indeed drawing power but judging by the temperature and framerates only one is working.


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## DRDNA (Jan 6, 2007)

do they test the same running only one at a time ?try testing each card separately only one on mobo at a time.
oops sorry you lready did that...I would try getting the two replacments if I WERE YOU AS IT SEEMS YOU HAVE DONE EVERY THING


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 6, 2007)

I mentioned ATI, as a last resort, suggested I replace them both. I did exchange them. It still didn't help. If your hardcore into computers and hardware I'm sure you know how it is to have some fluke bug you just can't isolate. I was hoping I might find someone here who has already delt with a problem like this and found a solution. I can't find help if I don't ask and I have to get lucky some day don't I? lol
If anyone else stumbles across this post please feel free to offer any advice you might have. My last resort is to give up on the x1950 pro completly.

This all started because someone bought me one as a gift and Bestbuy had them on sale for $200 so for the investment of $200 I would have 2 x1950 pros that -should- run faster then a single x1950xtx at 1/2 the cost. The savings was enough to justify a new motherboard. Next thing I know I'm buying a powersuppy and new memory. My boards (more then one. ...long story) all support my 2 year old HT chip but also support core2duo and quad cpu for future upgrades. It all sounds like the perfect upgrade untill the whole reason for it doesnt work.  

For anyone wanting to know about the the motherboards, here's a bit of a review from some quick averaged 3dmarks.

*MSI 975x Platinum V2 - 8300 3dmarks.* Aweful overclocking ability. Very buggy board.
*Asus P5B Deluxe        - 8400 3dmarks.* Unstable overclocking. Not tru crossfire. Stay away from 965 bassed mobos for crossfire!!
*Asus P5W DH Deluxe  - 9500 3dmarks.* Awesum board! Asus software sucks but overclock from the bios and this board just kicks ass. 3.4ghz hit 4ghz no problem. Not bad for a power hungry P4 550.
*Intel D975XBX2         - 8400 3dmarks.* This is also a very impressive board but is not correctly detecting my cpu and setting the voltage too low and the voltage adjustment isn't working. After all, Intel's flagship board was designed for the core2duo and quad. But I read other reviews and have very high hopes for it's overclocking abilities with either of the multicore CPUs. I still highly recomend it.

I know this isn't a review post but this information may be of use to someone who is trying to choose a motherboard.

Thank you for your suggestions DRDNA. I'll keep checking back for updates.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 6, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> I mentioned ATI, as a last resort, suggested I replace them both. I did exchange them. It still didn't help. If your hardcore into computers and hardware I'm sure you know how it is to have some fluke bug you just can't isolate. I was hoping I might find someone here who has already delt with a problem like this and found a solution. I can't find help if I don't ask and I have to get lucky some day don't I? lol
> If anyone else stumbles across this post please feel free to offer any advice you might have. My last resort is to give up on the x1950 pro completly.
> 
> This all started because someone bought me one as a gift and Bestbuy had them on sale for $200 so for the investment of $200 I would have 2 x1950 pros that -should- run faster then a single x1950xtx at 1/2 the cost. The savings was enough to justify a new motherboard. Next thing I know I'm buying a powersuppy and new memory. My boards (more then one. ...long story) all support my 2 year old HT chip but also support core2duo and quad cpu for future upgrades. It all sounds like the perfect upgrade untill the whole reason for it doesnt work.
> ...



... How many crossfire bridges did you use? Im under the assumption that you used only one. That would give those results.

EDIT: Might it be a bottleneck? Why are the scores so freaking "ordered"? Might I ask, do you really have that system? How on earth did you get your hands on all those motherboards? You know for a a bit more you can get stuff that has got more juice, right?

Is this an attempt to defame ATI?
I have *never* heard of someone's crossfire setup failing even after swapping. This seems like libel to me.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 6, 2007)

I used both bridges. One came in each box so with both cards I had 2. Here's a pic of the two motherboards I have left now. The P5W is back in the box. The D975XBX2 is in my computer now. The P5B was returned to Krex along with a 15% restock charge  and the MSI was returned to Newegg claimed defective for all the bugs. Most anoying was the Intel RAID controller not showing up after post even though it was enabled in the bios. After about 10 resets it popped up. The pic of the mobo mockup is the P5B (returned) and the one in the pc running is the XBX2 with a new blue fan. =) (Priorites right?). The other shot inside the PC was the P5B just not running. You can see the 2 bridges. I don't have any MSI pics. I could screenshot the RMA or invoice if you like but I have no intentions of jerking anyone around about this. I can't get any usable help if I don't give you ALL the details.

But ATI is going to get back to me about the problem. There recreating my system to see if they can recreate the problem using the exact same hardware I have. I'm waiting to hear from Intel about the voltage being locked on this board but that only effects overclocking not crossfire. Crossfire is just supposed to work. Put in the cards, pop on the bridges, check the box and wha-la. Well... not for me.  

What's libel? And what do you mean by my scores are ordered? I can't remember the exact numbers if thats what you mean. I was making mental notes of the scores not writing them down. I should be over 10k easy and that's all I was really looking at. And I'm not trying to defame ATI. I've been an ATI fan for awhile. My first ATI card (purchased for gaming) was a Rage Fury Maxx (SLI) to replace my Voodoo2 SLI cards. If 3dfx was still in business I'd own one of those. lol I hade a 8500 all in wonder, 9600, x700 pro, and now these 2 x1950 pros. I went thru 4 boards trying to make this work. I'd call that pretty devoted to ATI. =)


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## tkpenalty (Jan 6, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> I used both bridges. One came in each box so with both cards I had 2. Here's a pic of the two motherboards I have left now. The P5W is back in the box. The D975XBX2 is in my computer now. The P5B was returned to Krex along with a 15% restock charge  and the MSI was returned to Newegg claimed defective for all the bugs. Most anoying was the Intel RAID controller not showing up after post even though it was enabled in the bios. ATI is going to get back to me about the problem. There recreating my system to see if they can recreate the problem using the exact same hardware I have. I'm waiting to hear from Intel about the voltage being locked on this board but that only effects overclocking not crossfire. Crossfire is just supposed to work. Put in the cards, pop on the bridges, check the box and wha-la. Well... not for me.
> 
> What's libel? And what do you mean by my scores are ordered? I can't remember the exact numbers if thats what you mean. I was making mental notes of the scores not writing them down. I should be over 10k easy and that's all I was really looking at. And I'm not trying to defame ATI. I've been an ATI fan for awhile. My first ATI card (purchased for gaming) was a Rage Fury Maxx (SLI) to replace my Voodoo2 SLI cards. If 3dfx was still in business I'd own one of those. lol I hade a 8500 all in wonder, 9600, x700 pro, and now these 2 x1950 pros.




*Jumps to conclusions*

GET A X1950XTX . IMO Thats a great system. I reckon the X1950PRO Reference cooler looks sweet. They should have made the plastic UV-Reactive!

EDIT: Why didn't you get the POWERCOLOR X1950 PRO EXTREME 256MB? I'm scared of those huge coolers though. (Although they are lighter than my CNPS7700 CU)


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 6, 2007)

One of the pros was a gift. I paid $200 (sale at best buy) for the second one. So I figured why pay $400-450 for the xtx if I can get 2 pros for 1/2 the cost and have enough left for a crossfire motherboard? I was due for a mobo upgrade for core2duo/quad support anyways so this seemed like the perfect time to upgrade things. It turned into a nightmare with crap boards, crap bios revisions, buggy hardware, and crap software for overclocking. My other mobo was a AA8 duramax and that Uguru overclocking utility puts the asus AI thing to shame. No reboots for the Abit one. Asus wants a reboot if I bump it 1mhz. Screw that. But the P5W did overclock my 3.4 faster then the abit did. 3.8 on AA8 vs 4.0 on the P5W. I really wish I knew why this isn't working. It should be. Both cards did work by themselfs in either slot. Also swapped them in crossfire more. Nothing helps. It HAS to be some stupid little thing I'm looking over like xf enable not checked (it is).

I'm still considering the AW9D-MAX. Any opinion on it? I love that Uguru! =)

Now say your sorry.  and we'll go for a beer.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 6, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> One of the pros was a gift. I paid $200 (sale at best buy) for the second one. So I figured why pay $400-450 for the xtx if I can get 2 pros for 1/2 the cost and have enough left for a crossfire motherboard? I was due for a mobo upgrade for core2duo/quad support anyways so this seemed like the perfect time to upgrade things. It turned into a nightmare with crap boards, crap bios revisions, buggy hardware, and crap software for overclocking. My other mobo was a AA8 duramax and that Uguru overclocking utility puts the asus AI thing to shame. No reboots for the Abit one. Asus wants a reboot if I bump it 1mhz. Screw that. But the P5W did overclock my 3.4 faster then the abit did. 3.8 on AA8 vs 4.0 on the P5W. I really wish I knew why this isn't working. It should be. Both cards did work by themselfs in either slot. Also swapped them in crossfire more. Nothing helps. It HAS to be some stupid little thing I'm looking over like xf enable not checked (it is).
> 
> I'm still considering the AW9D-MAX. Any opinion on it? I love that Uguru! =)
> 
> Now say your sorry.  and we'll go for a beer.



Sorry  .

>_> Thats weird... probably one of the cards has a cracked bridge of some shit.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 6, 2007)

I returned both new cards tuesday for 2 more new ones. It's not the cards. If it is it's at the driver or bios level. Or like I said something in the system I'm not seeing. That's why ATI is building my -exact- configuration. Something's funky in it somewhere.


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## Pinchy (Jan 6, 2007)

I got the P5B Deluxe board with the X1950 PRO (full sys specs to the side)

I mite be 'borrowing' my friends X1950PRO and trying it in crossfire with mine. IF i do, ill tell you the results


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 6, 2007)

The card I have would be Powercolor's X1950 PRO 256MB. Part Number 47125050 20648.
http://www.powercolor.com/main_product_detail.asp?id=135 but I have the ATI branded version of it. Let me know how it turns out.


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## Pinchy (Jan 7, 2007)

i think i got the same as yours but the 512mb version


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 7, 2007)

I didn't know they made a pro with 512mb. News to me.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 7, 2007)

Pinchy said:


> i think i got the same as yours but the 512mb version



 You got the Extreme Version with Arctic cooling.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 7, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> I didn't know they made a pro with 512mb. News to me.



OMG 61.27 POSTS PER DAY...  Power user! 62.43!!!


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 7, 2007)

tkpenalty said:


> OMG 61.27 POSTS PER DAY...  Power user! 62.43!!!



???


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## Pinchy (Jan 7, 2007)

Yeah, its the extreme 512mb


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 8, 2007)

ATI decided to cancel my ticket!! I can't believe the run around I'm getting from there technical support department. From the get-go they tried shoving me to the back burner. At one point in time the support person told me "we have most of your hardware here to try to recreate your problem" That didn't get very far because my ticket was canceled. They claim it was because ATI Tray Tools was installed but that was installed -after- the problem in hopes the 3rd party application may have other settings I could modify that might be effecting crossfire opperation. So lets see. I have $400 in videocards, $170 on "crossfire certified memory" (per ATI's request), $469 in crossfire motherboards just sitting here, $200 on powersupply, and days of frustration. That's $1239 spent in futile attempts in trying to save money on graphics upgrades. For $400 I could have bought the x1950xtx. I figured 2 x1950 pros running crossfire would perform as well if not better and it was a good excuse to buy a new motherboard that would still support my cpu but also support the core2duo and quad once those prices dropped a little. I'm very dissapointed in ATI at this point in time. I have always been a fan of there's in the past. I guess everything these days is dropping in quality. From hardware to support, it's all falling fast.

Edit. I forgot to mention. I have a limited time to return the cards to the retailer for a refund. ATI's suggestion was to return them now and if they find a solution to the problem I can go buy the cards again. I think somehow there trying to avoid RMA responsibility under warranty. This is fine and dandy and all but I got them on sale. So I'll be stuck with 2 cards or wasted all this time for nothing. Either way the customer is the one paying the price. ATI isn't going to loose any sleep over this.


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## Pinchy (Jan 9, 2007)

wow...thats total bs!

If you asked me, its some setting thats just stupid. Like what happened to me; I overclocked my CPU, and as soon as I did, my graphics got WAY less frames. Apparently, the OC turned my PCIe lanes from 16 to 1 

(BTW, are you actually using the full 16 lanes?)

And, have you tried running anything other than 3Dmark05?


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## boecke (Jan 9, 2007)

Hmm, does anyone know how to get CrossFire setup with:
ASUS A8R32-MVP Deluxe (CrossFire Ready)
*Two* PowerColor ATI Radeon X1950 XT Cards

I do not have a CrossFire Edition Card.

Thanks,
boecke


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

Yes. ATI demos, quake4, fear. No improvement in speed or visual quality. I have never tried to overclock these cards...yet. No point untill I can get them working normally. I don't know how many lanes are running. 4 different motherboards all tested with the same result. Now I do have an interesting phenomena I found. I used 3dmark05 to render frames to bmp and ran frames 1500-2000. That's about when the big man with the big gun gets lined up. I sequenced the frames in animation shop and rendered them as a gif. Now get this. With crossfire on it's rendering frames like this. 123234345456567678789. For every 3 frames it drops back a frame. With crossfire off it's rendering the right way. 123456789 You can see in those 2 examples that the first sequence is 21 frames long ending on frame 9. The second sequence is 9 frames ending on frame 9. Technically the cards alternate frames and theoretically double the frames drawn. Usig this model it's almost exactly 1/2 as fast to run crossfire rendering frames, but rendering twice as many. Not framerate...but frames drawn. It's not drawing in realtime the way I'm using 3dmark05. It draws about 1fps to a bmp file. You following me or am I over your head yet? This is alot of work but I think I'm onto something.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

boecke said:


> Hmm, does anyone know how to get CrossFire setup with:
> ASUS A8R32-MVP Deluxe (CrossFire Ready)
> *Two* PowerColor ATI Radeon X1950 XT Cards
> 
> ...



If your cards connect via. external dongle, you need one crossfire ready card and one crossfire edition card. If they have the internal bridges there is no master/salve configuration.


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## Pinchy (Jan 9, 2007)

EDIT - Lazzer beat me to it 

EDIT 2 - Check the amount of lanes in CPU-z...never know, could be a possibility...
And i get what you mean with your rendering...but i have no idea what to do about it


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

Pinchy said:


> EDIT - Lazzer beat me to it



Sorry pinchy!  

So what do you think of my findings? Bwa hahahaha. I will find it damn it!


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

EDIT - I didn't see your edit.


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## Pinchy (Jan 9, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> Sorry pinchy!


Its ok...my net is like uber slow (capped and running at 32k unwired, half the speed of dial up  ...2-3 full mins to load up a page, 30-40 seconds to wait for my post to submit ...Thankfully, getting cable next month )



Lazzer408 said:


> So what do you think of my findings? Bwa hahahaha. I will find it damn it!


The lanes are under motherboard in CPU-z, just to let you know 

Man you got a weird-ass problem...but its bound to be fixable

As i said, i reckon its a setting, cus IMO, it has to be the motherboard or actual cards (For e.g, CD drive shouldnt make a diff ), and seeing as you have tried many mobo's and cards...its bound to be a setting


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

Tried new cards too.


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## Pinchy (Jan 9, 2007)

yeah, thats what i meant by "tried many mobo's and cards" 

im gonna read thru the crossfire guide that came on my driver CD...


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## Pinchy (Jan 9, 2007)

Oh..my..God

My crossfire manual (from the CD) is about the X1900 series...


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## boecke (Jan 9, 2007)

Alright thanks buddy, I'll have to sell it on eBay or something then.
Now to find an identical looking X1950 XT card that is CrossFire Edition  

Yeah the Manual that I got was for X1900 Series aswell :\
Crazy ass PowerColor.


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## DRDNA (Jan 9, 2007)

Hey just for kicks remove the bridge and try running crossfire like that and see what the results are...seeing as how your running the 6.12's you can enable software level crossfire for lack of a better term.


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## Random Murderer (Jan 9, 2007)

DRDNA said:


> Hey just for kicks remove the bridge and try running crossfire like that and see what the results are...seeing as how your running the 6.12's you can enable software level crossfire for lack of a better term.



yea, totally agree. try running without the bridges, if that doesnt work, try running one bridge(try it on both connectors)


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

DRDNA said:


> Hey just for kicks remove the bridge and try running crossfire like that and see what the results are...seeing as how your running the 6.12's you can enable software level crossfire for lack of a better term.



What would this prove? I don't want to hurt the cards or anything. Is it at all possible that my cpu can't keep up with it? P4 3.4 (550ht)


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## DRDNA (Jan 9, 2007)

If you do as I ask it will add to the picture is all .Also it will not damage the cards to run it in  the software mode crossfire, the 6.12 cats were made for it !


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

Oh are you saying it will transfer thru the bus instead of the bridge? I guess I can try it if it doesnt hurt anything


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## DRDNA (Jan 9, 2007)

Alls you do is turn off ur rig , pull power cord , hold power button in for a bit, remove bridge ,add power cord , power up, disable crossfire in bios before you start and renable after finshed.Hurry Curiosity is killing me


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

disable crossfire? I don't understand why I'm doing this. I already know one card will work without the bridge and crossfire disabled. They will both work as single cards supporting 2 displays each without the bridge and crossfire disabled. Do you want me to try to ENABLE crossfire with no bridge?


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## DRDNA (Jan 9, 2007)

No dis able crossfire before you uninstall the bridge , disable via the ccc , then when reboot with out bridge and you enable crossfire it will engage properly.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1000/

"In order for the software based CrossFire to work, you need any combination of two CrossFire Ready video cards from either the X1900 family or the X1950 family. The exception to this rule is the X1950 Pro, which uses its own form of interconnect and cannot be used in this method of CrossFire."


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## DRDNA (Jan 9, 2007)

errrr hot damn that wall you bang your head on has creaped its way into my home


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

Sorry. I always wind up with the odd ball.

Here's some vids of whats happening. These are the rendered images from 3dmark05 sequenced into video. Frame rate is slowed to see the effect. Every 3rd frame it jumps back.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

I disconnected the bridges and I can't enable crossfire in CCC. It is grayed out.


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## Random Murderer (Jan 9, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> I disconnected the bridges and I can't enable crossfire in CCC. It is grayed out.



try only one bridge, but try it once in both slots.


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## DRDNA (Jan 9, 2007)

Please ship me the whole PC


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

DRDNA said:


> Please ship me the whole PC



lol I can't do that. I could ship it on a train...or lay it on the tracks.


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## DRDNA (Jan 9, 2007)

has trying only one stick of your ram been suggested?


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

No not yet. The thing that confuses me the most is that the powerexpress supply to the cards has 2 green lights to indicate power being drawn on that rail. 12v1 and 12v2. When crossfire is unchecked only 12v1 will flicker. When crossfire is checked both 12v1 and 12v2 will flicker like both cards are in fact processing but framerates/quality is not effected. I also noticed when dumping frames in 3dmark the lights would flash back and forth as each frame was rendered. I think it's a timing problem with them. Did you see the videos I posted?


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 9, 2007)

I called ATI again to make sure they didnt cancel my ticket, again. They didn't, but no one was addressing it. It was sitting in limbo. Round and around we go.   The first thing out of his mouth was "what kind of performance increase were you expecting?" my answer "Any". I would think at least a 1000mark improvement in 3dmark05 would indicate crossfire doing -something-. There is no imrovement what so ever in any application. Bad news for ATI. There gonna get flamed hardcore for jacking me around for days. By the time they actually get to doing anything dx11 will be out.

EDIT - UPDATE - A friend loaned me a P4D 930 3ghz processor. Didn't help the problem.


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## TKZPOW (Jan 13, 2007)

Lazzer,

Sorry to hear about your problem with the cards.  Tho Ive read elsewhere that there seem to be problems with the 1950 pro cards.  I just built a crossfire system with the same mother board (D975xbx2 rev 505) but with a x1950 crossfire edition card and a x1950xtx.  So far everything seems to be running smoothly.  But I had to lay out more cash for them then the cards you got.  Sucks ATI isnt helping.  

Im not sure how the "pro" cards are supposed to work, but my xfire edition card was the only one to come with the external bridge.  What powersupply did you get and does it deliver the required voltage on the 12 volt rail that those cards need?


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 13, 2007)

TKZPOW said:


> Lazzer,
> 
> Sorry to hear about your problem with the cards.  Tho Ive read elsewhere that there seem to be problems with the 1950 pro cards.  I just built a crossfire system with the same mother board (D975xbx2 rev 505) but with a x1950 crossfire edition card and a x1950xtx.  So far everything seems to be running smoothly.  But I had to lay out more cash for them then the cards you got.  Sucks ATI isnt helping.
> 
> Im not sure how the "pro" cards are supposed to work, but my xfire edition card was the only one to come with the external bridge.  What powersupply did you get and does it deliver the required voltage on the 12 volt rail that those cards need?



I bought a Thermaltake Powerexpress 250. It fit's in a 5 1/4" bay and comes on with the main psu. It is Crossfire certified. For $44 it seemed cheaper then buying a whole new supply for $150+.

Can you tell me what your 3dmark05 score is with crossfire disabled? Then enable it and run 3dmark05 again and tell me that score? I'd appreciate it if I could see someone elses scores in the realworld other then review sites. Also what are the rest of the system specs? Thanks.


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## TUngsten (Jan 13, 2007)

I've read that the x1950pro needs 22a on the 12v rail to operate properly. I believe that info came from the Sapphire tech support boards, but I am not sure. Anyway, the Tt PowerExpress runs at max 21A/rail. I might imagine that a pair of them in xFire might be too much. Then again, I might be totally wrong.

But since you're exhausting all possibilities in your pursuit of crossfire (your 4 mobos for example) I'd hit up Bestbuy for a 600w+ PSU that can handle 25-30A on the 12v rails x2 to rule that element out. You can always just return the PSU when you're done. Or borrow one from a friend if available lol.

Perhaps the Tt unit isn't powering the cards sufficiently. I have conisdered the same option, so I'm curious as to its resolution in your system.


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## TKZPOW (Jan 13, 2007)

Sure Lazzer,

Just give me a day to download and run it.  I tested my machine with 3Dmark06 and it got a score of 11019.  Not sure how comparible they will be because your processor is single core and mine is dual - that has an effect on the score.  Will let you know when I run it.


----------



## Lazzer408 (Jan 13, 2007)

TUngsten said:


> I've read that the x1950pro needs 22a on the 12v rail to operate properly. I believe that info came from the Sapphire tech support boards, but I am not sure. Anyway, the Tt PowerExpress runs at max 21A/rail. I might imagine that a pair of them in xFire might be too much. Then again, I might be totally wrong.
> 
> But since you're exhausting all possibilities in your pursuit of crossfire (your 4 mobos for example) I'd hit up Bestbuy for a 600w+ PSU that can handle 25-30A on the 12v rails x2 to rule that element out. You can always just return the PSU when you're done. Or borrow one from a friend if available lol.
> 
> Perhaps the Tt unit isn't powering the cards sufficiently. I have conisdered the same option, so I'm curious as to its resolution in your system.



 I figured if the powerexpress is "crossfire certified" it -should- be enough. I did try once removing everything unimportant in my pc like cdroms, drives, fans, stripped to 1gb ram, etc. and running one card of my main psu and the other off the powerexpress. This didn't have any effect. After spending so much money I'm tapped. It'll be awhile before I'm ahead again to get another power supply. I need to sell off my old hardware first.


----------



## Lazzer408 (Jan 13, 2007)

TKZPOW said:


> Sure Lazzer,
> 
> Just give me a day to download and run it.  I tested my machine with 3Dmark06 and it got a score of 11019.  Not sure how comparible they will be because your processor is single core and mine is dual - that has an effect on the score.  Will let you know when I run it.



What are your system specs? Your using x1950 pro cards right? Internal bridge?

EDIT - Nevermind I see it's the xtx


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## noneed4me2 (Jan 14, 2007)

I came acroos this issue in a thread on Overclock.net, have to find it again but I believe the problem was also related to an Intel based system. Has anyone had this issue crop up on AMD based system? Intel chipsets are all over the place and it might be harder to address the issue but seeing ass these are recent boards wouldn't someone at either ATI or Intel come across this problem in relation to these cards?


----------



## Lazzer408 (Jan 14, 2007)

noneed4me2 said:


> I came acroos this issue in a thread on Overclock.net, have to find it again but I believe the problem was also related to an Intel based system. Has anyone had this issue crop up on AMD based system? Intel chipsets are all over the place and it might be harder to address the issue but seeing ass these are recent boards wouldn't someone at either ATI or Intel come across this problem in relation to these cards?



Yah if you can find the thread it would be worth a read. I'll try to search for it.


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## noneed4me2 (Jan 14, 2007)

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=312&type=expert&pid=3 , http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx heres a couple reviews which test setups and concluisions maybe some info in there can help.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 14, 2007)

noneed4me2 said:


> http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=312&type=expert&pid=3 , http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx heres a couple reviews which test setups and concluisions maybe some info in there can help.



Good example. The first link shows 5088 (single) and 8526 (crossfire) The ONLY application to show a change so far is 3dmark06. I score 4111 (single) 5403 (crossfire). My crossfire score is just barely more then there single card score. :shadedshu I attribute that to maybe having the extra memory of two cards. I have a feeling when I tell ATI these numbers they'll say "ok it's working, thanks, have a nice day" even though no other game has ANY improvement what so ever. The 2nd card is ice cold so clearly it's not processing much. I also noticed windows media video playback is currupt when avivo is enabled. These cards have ALOT of issues.


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## noneed4me2 (Jan 14, 2007)

I remember reading in early crossfire setups crossfire has to be disabled in order for AVIVO to work, but I am not sure if this issue was resolved, but maybe try disabling crossfire and see if it helps in media playback.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 15, 2007)

noneed4me2 said:


> I remember reading in early crossfire setups crossfire has to be disabled in order for AVIVO to work, but I am not sure if this issue was resolved, but maybe try disabling crossfire and see if it helps in media playback.



Media playback (wmv) is currupt with xf on or off. Avivo has to be disabled for the video to display correctly.

  It really ticks me off these companies release products before there thoroughly tested. Granted they can't build every possible configuration but so far it hasn't work on anything I've tested it on including 4 very popular motherboards. From there standpoint I guess it makes them money because instead of paying the R&D department to test it they leave it up to the consumers to find problems and it doesn't cost them a dime. :shadedshu They just fix it in the next driver release. Hopefully Catalyst 79.45.1 will be stable.


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## boecke (Jan 15, 2007)

Lazzer408: Such a shame that you can't figure this problem out. I'd say sell them to anyone you can and buy yourself with the cash and maybe a bit more some decent cards that use the external connector. I've never been to keen on the internal bridge connectors, they just look a bit shotty.

But yes, ATI are bastards and it's no wonder why they aren't leading the Graphics Market.
They need to get together their shit and copy nVidia if they have to.


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## TKZPOW (Jan 15, 2007)

Lazzer, I ran the 3DMark05 and there was a difference with crossfire disabled on my system.

crossfire enabled: 17,114
crossfire disabled: 12,709 (running on x1950 only)


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 15, 2007)

TKZPOW said:


> Lazzer, I ran the 3DMark05 and there was a difference with crossfire disabled on my system.
> 
> crossfire enabled: 17,114
> crossfire disabled: 12,709 (running on x1950 only)



Hmm. I'm running the same mobo as you too. Maybe this problem is limited to the x1950pro cards. I'm just going to return all this crap and buy an xbox. Computer gaming isn't worth it anymore. Thanks for the results.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 15, 2007)

Sure man? I don't think your PSU is up to notch.


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## noneed4me2 (Jan 16, 2007)

Lazzer408 I was looking at your board and there is a molex connector on the board, is it connected? This may seem like a dumb question but if it isn't that may be related to your problem.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 16, 2007)

The 4pin molex is labeled as auxiliary pcix power connector (option). I was under the impression if I had the 4pin square power connected that I wouldn't need it. I will try it. Power wise I have a 480w running the board and a 250w running the gfx cards. The 250w is crossfire certified.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 16, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> The 4pin molex is labeled as auxiliary pcix power connector (option). I was under the impression if I had the 4pin square power connected that I wouldn't need it. I will try it. Power wise I have a 480w running the board and a 250w running the gfx cards. The 250w is crossfire certified.



You do need it or else XFire doesn't work properly.... problem spotted, there isn't enough power on the motherboard, not the GPUs.


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## noneed4me2 (Jan 16, 2007)

Lazzer can you post some pics of your setup and list your other parts? If I ever find that thread with the person who had the same issue I can use your info for comparison. Hope you get your crossfire working.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 16, 2007)

tkpenalty said:


> You do need it or else XFire doesn't work properly.... problem spotted, there isn't enough power on the motherboard, not the GPUs.



Plugging in this connector didn't do anything. The cards have there own power supply so they don't need much from the bus. The problem isn't spotted because the 3 other boards don't have this connector and XF didn't work on those either. This board is the last one tested so there's no chance that a card may have been damaged due to the extra connector not being connected. The Asus board actually had an adjustment for how much bus power would be provided to the cards from the motherboard. It had 5 settings and all 5 were tested.

Tomorrow I get my 6600  I'll be doing some further testing using that chip. I'll let you guys know just how far the Intel D975XBX2 can push it stable. I have a feeling the Asus P5W DH is going to do alot better overclocking. It overclocks my 550 200mhz faster (4ghz) then the Intel board could do (3.8ghz).

EDIT - The manual states that the 1x4 aux pcix power connector is used when the powersupply has a 2x10 main connector and the pcix card uses >75watts. Whan a 2x12 main connector is used the 1x4 aux connector isn't required.

I'm still open to suggestions.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 16, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> Plugging in this connector didn't do anything. The cards have there own power supply so they don't need much from the bus. The problem isn't spotted because the 3 other boards don't have this connector and XF didn't work on those either. This board is the last one tested so there's no chance that a card may have been damaged due to the extra connector not being connected. The Asus board actually had an adjustment for how much bus power would be provided to the cards from the motherboard. It had 5 settings and all 5 were tested.
> 
> Tomorrow I get my 6600  I'll be doing some further testing using that chip. I'll let you guys know just how far the Intel D975XBX2 can push it stable. I have a feeling the Asus P5W DH is going to do alot better overclocking. It overclocks my 550 200mhz faster (4ghz) then the Intel board could do (3.8ghz).
> 
> ...



>_>... this is confusing... maybe you have an "Anti-X1950PRO CF" Aura.


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## TKZPOW (Jan 17, 2007)

*Molex connector on Intel D975xbx2*

Lazzer,

If I were you (IMHO), rather than buy an xbox I would return those pieces of crap PRO cards and get one good x1950 or x1950xtx card and save your money for a second one later.  Also as TKPenalty stated it might be a good idea to upgrade your cpu at some point as that has as much to do with performance as the graphics cards do.  I know it meets the minimum requirements but keep in mind they are minimum.  Also xbox games are priced a bit higher than the PC games and the prices for PC games come down faster than xbox.  I paid $30 for FEAR on PC and it costs $70 for xbox.  Also your computer is a hell of a lot more versatile than an xbox.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 17, 2007)

TKZPOW said:


> Lazzer,
> 
> If I were you (IMHO), rather than buy an xbox I would return those pieces of crap PRO cards and get one good x1950 or x1950xtx card and save your money for a second one later.  Also as TKPenalty stated it might be a good idea to upgrade your cpu at some point as that has as much to do with performance as the graphics cards do.  I know it meets the minimum requirements but keep in mind they are minimum.  Also xbox games are priced a bit higher than the PC games and the prices for PC games come down faster than xbox.  I paid $30 for FEAR on PC and it costs $70 for xbox.  Also your computer is a hell of a lot more versatile than an xbox.



It's not my only computer. I have others I use for audio/music and another is my media PC. This one was just for gaming. I'm getting a 6600 for this one and might swap it out with my music pc but I'll see how the benchmarks do with that cpu. I don't think my current cpu has much to do with the low framerates in games but it does account for the lower 3dmark05/06 scores. Crossfire enabled should help with every game though. I don't see even 1fps with anything but 3dmark06. That is the only application showing any improvement using crossfire over a single card. Maybe this is a warning to all the x1950pro potential buyers trying to get crossfire as cheap as they can. Well, DON'T BUY THE X1950PRO, IT DOESN'T WORK IN CROSSFIRE!! lol

Anyone interested in my motherboard of graphics cards?

Thanks to all who have responded.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 17, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> It's not my only computer. I have others I use for audio/music and another is my media PC. This one was just for gaming. I'm getting a 6600 for this one and might swap it out with my music pc but I'll see how the benchmarks do with that cpu. I don't think my current cpu has much to do with the low framerates in games but it does account for the lower 3dmark05/06 scores. Crossfire enabled should help with every game though. I don't see even 1fps with anything but 3dmark06. That is the only application showing any improvement using crossfire over a single card. Maybe this is a warning to all the x1950pro potential buyers trying to get crossfire as cheap as they can. Well, DON'T BUY THE X1950PRO, IT DOESN'T WORK IN CROSSFIRE!! lol
> 
> Anyone interested in my motherboard of graphics cards?
> 
> Thanks to all who have responded.



Sure about that man? You are a special person  .
Do you even know how crossfire works? You probably set it in SUPER AA mode; hence no performance increase. 6600 Is not up for gaming dude.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 17, 2007)

TKZPOW said:


> Lazzer,
> 
> If I were you (IMHO), rather than buy an xbox I would return those pieces of crap PRO cards and get one good x1950 or x1950xtx card and save your money for a second one later.  Also as TKPenalty stated it might be a good idea to upgrade your cpu at some point as that has as much to do with performance as the graphics cards do.  I know it meets the minimum requirements but keep in mind they are minimum.  Also xbox games are priced a bit higher than the PC games and the prices for PC games come down faster than xbox.  I paid $30 for FEAR on PC and it costs $70 for xbox.  Also your computer is a hell of a lot more versatile than an xbox.



Um to you  

There is no such thing as an X1950 specifically.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 17, 2007)

I'm sure he means xt   ...or should


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## tkpenalty (Jan 17, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> I'm sure he means xt   ...or should



Actually doing some research... Lazzer408, your CPU Is probably bottlenecking the overall performance of the whole system. Pentium 4s are budget chips right now (celeron have been discontiuned)... I find it weird that you spent so much on the whole system except for the CPU.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 17, 2007)

tkpenalty said:


> Actually doing some research... Lazzer408, your CPU Is probably bottlenecking the overall performance of the whole system. Pentium 4s are budget chips right now (celeron have been discontiuned)... I find it weird that you spent so much on the whole system except for the CPU.



First answer = $$$.  I can't afford a CPU now that I spent that money on ram per. ATI's request for "crossfire certified" memory. So I'm stuck with another gig sitting around and another $150 out the window. Thanks ATI!   If everyone else's applications run fine on my memory and there's some need for "certified memory" for ONE product, who's issue is it? 

I tried a P4D 3.0. Not that that's saying much but it was the only other CPU I could get to try. I've ran this 3.4 chip up to 230fsbx17=3910. I can't imagine that being a bottleneck. Pick a game that wouldn't be much of a workout for a CPU like Quake 3. A timedemo gets me 300fps. Turn on crossfire and another timedemo gets me 300fps. Another example is Quake4, Fear, or Halflife2 with the effects turned up just till I just start to notice the framerates drop. Usually around 40fps. When I turn on crossfire it should be enough of a bump that the barely noticable lag would stop. This is not the case. Also remember one card is cold and the other one could fry an egg. Clearly that shows the second card isn't processing. It's a crossfire issue ATI needs to figure out soon or they lost a (another?)customer. I'm still waiting to hear back from them. I'll call them if I have 2 hours free tomorrow.

HEY ATI!!


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## micron (Jan 18, 2007)

I don't know if it's relevant to post this here, but I have an X1900GT, and at christmas I bought a second one for Crossfire. After installing it and enabling Crossfire in my control panel, I got a _zero_ gain in performance....nothing...zilch.

My cpu is only a little Venice 3000+, but it's overclocked to 2.6Ghz. I could simply have a cpu bottleneck, but you'd think I'd see a performance gain in something. I was so disappointed that I sold the second GT to a friend. Right now I'm a believer that Crossfire simply sucks. I like my Crossfire motherboard though at least.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 18, 2007)

micron said:


> I don't know if it's relevant to post this here, but I have an X1900GT, and at christmas I bought a second one for Crossfire. After installing it and enabling Crossfire in my control panel, I got a _zero_ gain in performance....nothing...zilch.
> 
> My cpu is only a little Venice 3000+, but it's overclocked to 2.6Ghz. I could simply have a cpu bottleneck, but you'd think I'd see a performance gain in something. I was so disappointed that I sold the second GT to a friend. Right now I'm a believer that Crossfire simply sucks. I like my Crossfire motherboard though at least.



Is one of them a master and one of them a slave?


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## tkpenalty (Jan 18, 2007)

Lazzer408 said:


> First answer = $$$.  I can't afford a CPU now that I spent that money on ram per. ATI's request for "crossfire certified" memory. So I'm stuck with another gig sitting around and another $150 out the window. Thanks ATI!   If everyone else's applications run fine on my memory and there's some need for "certified memory" for ONE product, who's issue is it?
> 
> I tried a P4D 3.0. Not that that's saying much but it was the only other CPU I could get to try. I've ran this 3.4 chip up to 230fsbx17=3910. I can't imagine that being a bottleneck. Pick a game that wouldn't be much of a workout for a CPU like Quake 3. A timedemo gets me 300fps. Turn on crossfire and another timedemo gets me 300fps. Another example is Quake4, Fear, or Halflife2 with the effects turned up just till I just start to notice the framerates drop. Usually around 40fps. When I turn on crossfire it should be enough of a bump that the barely noticable lag would stop. This is not the case. Also remember one card is cold and the other one could fry an egg. Clearly that shows the second card isn't processing. It's a crossfire issue ATI needs to figure out soon or they lost a (another?)customer. I'm still waiting to hear back from them. I'll call them if I have 2 hours free tomorrow.
> 
> HEY ATI!!



Why did you buy so many motherboards then? Each one = 1 Core 2 Duo

I think I know why Moderators steered away from this thread. I shall to... libellious poster >_>

EDIT:

http://www.planetx64.com/index.php?...sk=view&id=433&Itemid=14&limit=1&limitstart=3
Thats to shut you up.

I think this is going more towards false bullshit... it DOES work. How do we know you were an ATI fan anyway? You said "I got the two PROs replaced" and so did the rest of the hardware. Those photos probably aren't even yours, seriously. If you go that you are so loyal to ati, whats with that post that you just blurted out?


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## DRDNA (Jan 18, 2007)

Dude i dont see memory playing too much of a role, i ran crossfire with 2x512 OCZ DDR550 and  1X512 GskillDDR600 and no issues also runs fine on kingmax DDR500 , but i guess in some very very rare situtions ?maybe?


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## tkpenalty (Jan 18, 2007)

Lazzer, we could help you if you added your system specs to the drop down menu thingy in the control panel. So far your findings sound like a hoax.


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## DRDNA (Jan 18, 2007)

would also like to mention I have been running crossfire fire since the very first day the x1800XT hit the web for sale and I have really never had an issue ...Crossfire gives me gains in almost all situations....I did notice that the first bench in 3dm05 doesn't seem to benefit too much at all from CF but in all my game (NFSMW,NFScarbon,halo,UT2004,Fear,Farcry,Brothers In Arms,Oblivion ES,Tombraider Legend) They all play fine at 1920X1080 @8AA X 16AF every thing else max no problems !!! I have also been able to be Very competitive in all graphic benchies too , so just wanted to point out the other end of the street


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## tkpenalty (Jan 18, 2007)

DRDNA said:


> would also like to mention I have been running crossfire fire since the very first day the x1800XT hit the web for sale and I have really never had an issue ...Crossfire gives me gains in almost all situations....I did notice that the first bench in 3dm05 doesn't seem to benefit too much at all from CF but in all my game (NFSMW,NFScarbon,halo,UT2004,Fear,Farcry,Brothers In Arms,Oblivion ES,Tombraider Legend) They all play fine at 1920X1080 @8AA X 16AF every thing else max no problems !!! I have also been able to be Very competitive in all graphic benchies too , so just wanted to point out the other end of the street



That guys just posting libel. Pure Libel, making crap up to defame ATI. I swear... its so unbelievable. :shadedshu


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## DRDNA (Jan 18, 2007)

I agree it seems very unlikely , but I also believe in giving folks a chance at beating better than hope ; I am way too soft:shadedshu


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 18, 2007)

It's no hoax at all. I have two tickets open with ati now for support on the issue. My rant was about how they pretty much told me that unless I had crossfire certified memory they weren't going to even bother helping me. I paid $165+tax for another 2x512 of ram I didn't need because it didn't help. I also got the powerexpress since it was crossfire certified and less expencive then say a 650watt supply. I can take screenshots of benchmarks with ccc open to show you xf is on or off but I shouldn't have to prove anything. It just doesn't work and I'm stumpped. All the motherboards were purchased locally and returnable after testing. I wanted to see which performed the best and had the features I wanted. Some boards post in no time and other take 10-20seconds. I wanted one that doesn't doodle around and gets right to booting. Some o/c very well and some (cough msi cough cough) not well at all.

What's libellious?

I'll update my specs now.


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## micron (Jan 18, 2007)

tkpenalty said:


> Is one of them a master and one of them a slave?


I'm not sure what you mean, Crossfire motherboards have a master slot and a secondary slot and the cards go in them, I swapped cards around...did everything you could imagine....nothing worked.

I'm using a DFI LanParty motherboard with an ATi chipset.


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## boecke (Jan 18, 2007)

Why didn't you just buy a X1950 XTX and a X1950 CF card in the first place.
A decent power supply, a good motherboard + CPU and you're set.

The fact that you're the only one that seems to be having the problem proves that it's something on your end and you've obviously got something wrong with the compatibility of the parts.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 18, 2007)

tkpenalty said:


> EDIT:
> 
> http://www.planetx64.com/index.php?...sk=view&id=433&Itemid=14&limit=1&limitstart=3
> Thats to shut you up.



TK, I read alot of reviews about the 1950pro in crossfire long before I had them. ALL of the reviews show SOME improvement. I had no expectations of 2x the speed or anything like that but I swear not even one fps is gained when crossfire is enabled. I was always under the impression that the x1950 pros, with that internal bridge, were idiot-proof. You just put them in, install the drivers, turn on crossfire, and they work. ATI tells me yes, that's pretty much it. There confused as well. Shall I record my next phone conversation with them? I have no reason to waste everyones time on the board. Did you see the videoclips of what the frame sequence looks like from 3dmark05? I can attach them again just let me know.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 18, 2007)

boecke said:


> Why didn't you just buy a X1950 XTX and a X1950 CF card in the first place.
> A decent power supply, a good motherboard + CPU and you're set.
> 
> The fact that you're the only one that seems to be having the problem proves that it's something on your end and you've obviously got something wrong with the compatibility of the parts.



One card was a gift and bestbuy had them on sale for $200 so I bought another. The money I saved, vs. a x1950xtx, I used to get a new motherboard which I was overdue for anyway. My exhisting board wouldn't support core2duo or quad. It seemed like the most logical route to take.


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## boecke (Jan 18, 2007)

You're either living on Ancient Indian burial grounds or..... you're a nVidia employee!


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 18, 2007)

boecke said:


> You're either living on Ancient Indian burial grounds or..... you're a nVidia employee!



lol I'm leaning towards burial grounds. I wish I worked for nvidia. Maybe I'd get some deals. I'm an ATI fan though. The ATI cards always seemed to run -smoother- for lack of a better description, and had brighter color. Maybe that's just me. I haven't owned an Nvidia card since a ti4600 that wound up in the kids computer. Well I'll leave this thread alone for awhile. I don't want to be accused of anything. Mark at ATI will be calling tomorrow and I'll update it then.


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## DRDNA (Jan 18, 2007)

Plz ship me the whole pc, and if your mobo isnt on the risers we are gonna have trouble


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## noneed4me2 (Jan 18, 2007)

I didn't find any of his posts libel against ATI, if he has an issue this is a place to find resolutions not slander against others. I know from experience results may vary just from even a little difference in hardware setupsand PC part makers cant always anticipate every kind of configuration. He hasn't even said "screw ATI, I am going nvidia" he just is frustrated with the gaming PC issues and considering the ease of console gaming compared to the PC side of things I can understand his frustration.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 18, 2007)

TO GET THINGS STRAIGHT: First off learn how Crossfire works before posting any "Slander". (Nvidia is better at Open GL, ATI is better at the rest). Crossfire is better off used for super AA (16X?) as it looks darn good.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 19, 2007)

UPDATE - I got the c2d 6600 and that fixed it. Now I'm seeing differences between xf-on and xf-off. I wasn't so worried about the actual scores. I was more worried about the fact that xf-on showed no improvement and the second card was ice cold. Now the second card gets as hot as the first so I know it's working now. Here are some results.

System:
-Intel D975XBX2
-P4 Core2duo 6600 (2.4) @ 3.06 (give it time I'll get to 3.5)
-1gb (2x512) Kingston Hyper-x pc6200 (junk ram btw, can't do 800 even with v-adj. and higher timings)
-2x x1950 pro crossfire
-Nothing else important.

3dMark05:
-16,465 xf-on  
-10,383 xf-off

3dMark06:
-8682 xf-on
-xf-off no test cause I'm sick of 3dMark for tonight. (I'll update it later)

The other 2 cpu tested were the P4ht 550 (3.4) and a P4d 930 (3.0). Crossfire would not function with either of these CPUs. Some combination of the x1950pro in crossfire, 975x chipset, and the 2 P4s tested don't get along very well. I didn't get my call back from ATI today but the CPU seems to have solved everything. Very strange the "cold card" issue. As if it wasn't working at all. Now it's fine. Go figure.  

I will keep in touch with ATI and maybe they will figure out what the incompatability was with those other 2 CPUs. If an updated driver is released addressing the problem, it may be a nice suprise to someone who unknownly isn't using both cards.  


Thank you to everyone who tried to help. Especially those who didn't hint towards me lying about the whole thing :shadedshu  and had an open mind and honest input.  Cheers!

EDIT - CPU@3400.  xf=on 17,240 3dmarks 3dMark05


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## R.A.G.E. (Feb 2, 2007)

i need some help i have 2 ati x1950 xtx cards and every time i install ati's control panel after a while i start having problems with my sound card cutting out and throwing loud noises at me. can anyone help? im thinking it may have something to do with the sound from the 2 ati cards or maybe my x-fi sound card cant handle being inbetween them because of the heat.


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## Lazzer408 (Feb 2, 2007)

Welcome to tpu!

 Maybe a bit more information would be helpfull as to your PC specs, any overclocking? That can effect the PCI bus as well. Is it random noises in general or is it sounds from an application becoming currupted/distorted? Does it happen from the time you power up or does your PC have to be on for awhile before the problem pops up?

I assume when CCC is installed it's for you to enable crossfire. Leave CCC installed with crossfire disabled and see if you have the same problem just to lean the issue away from CCC itself and more towards a heat problem. You can also open the side of the case and put a fan in there to see if the problem is less or eliminated.


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## R.A.G.E. (Feb 2, 2007)

i added my computer specs to my account. i think i may have found the problems located in my sound cards defualt settings on mic i turned off sence when mic is connected well i was having the problems with the noise being thrown back and it stoped and seems to work fine now if i start having the problem again ill make sure you post. and yes it did throw noise back when i didnt have it in cross fire mode. i think the auto mic was picking up noise from the video card when in cross fire.


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## R.A.G.E. (Feb 2, 2007)

i also noticed that in your spec's you overclocked your cpu to 3.4447. iv been thinking of overclocking my e6700 even though i have no problem with the speed i would like to get it to at least a x6800  speed would be nice. i would be new to overclocking i have never overclocked anything before.


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## Lazzer408 (Feb 2, 2007)

I see you have the xbx not the xbx2. There are some differences between them and I don't know exactly how to o/c the first xbx. There are a few overclocking threads elsewhere on tpu forums but you can start by bumping the fsb up 10mhz at a time untill an instability occurs then go back to the speed that was stable. That should give you some noticable improvements. When you hit that unstable point it now boils down to many more variables then fsb clocks. Perhaps the memory stopped you from going any higher due to it's limitations. Next step would be to lower the ratio on the ram. If your memory default spd was 800mhz then set it to 667 manually and try to raise the fsb again 10mhz at a time. If you are able to go higher then before keep adding 10mhz till you reach instability again.
This is a very basic overclock method and doesn't get into changing any voltages or memory timings or nb straps. That, I would consider, more advanced and if your not familier with overclocking and how to monitor your temps I don't suggest trying to push your overclock untill you learn a little bit about the effects of each setting and how to identify which setting is capping your overclocking. Overclocking is a bit of an art. Your not going to know exactly what all the settings needs to be in order to hit 3.6ghz overnight. Feel free to post a new thread and ask for more advice about it. You have alot more potential in that chip then Intel let you have.


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## nflesher87 (Oct 15, 2007)

k guys, I'm digging this one out of the archives because I'm having the same issue!
my system specs are as listed to the left but here are some specifics:
Sapphire X1950Pro 256mb Blue PCB
His X1950Pro 256mb (not IceQ) Red PCB

I believe the BIOS is updated to the latest the board is brand new
Wile and I tried tonight to get CF to work but to no avail
CF is checked in CCC but if I leave Catalyst AI on standard, programs like 3DMark01 and 03 run extremely scrambled, though 06 doesn't
Then if I disable Cat. AI all of them run fine but my scores are that of a single card
Anyone have any ideas?


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## =TFM=Melvin (Oct 15, 2007)

*Screen tearing and crashes*

This is my first post to this forum.  Hi!

Here's another one on the subject of X1950 pro Crossfire problems.

My PC specs are linked on the left of the message.  My PC system uses only qualified equipment from ATI's Crossfire Certified component lists. My PC BIOS, Operating System, and motherboard all have the latest updates. I have two LCD monitors hooked up to one of the X1950 Pro for non-Crossfire work. I have selected all defaults in CCC, (including Catalyst AI at Standard). Resolution is set to 1280x1024, 32-bit. When I switch to Crossfire mode, I just check the Enable Crossfire box, click YES to the pop-up notice and then click Apply and then OK.

When I start Half Life 2, it crashes to desktop during startup. After I reboot, games will start but they all have horrible screen tearing; this includes, but is not limited to, Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2 and Day of Defeat: Source.  There is also a problem with Battlefield 2 and others, but I'm getting the idea that it's not game related and I just need help with my setup. Could someone help?


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## nflesher87 (Oct 16, 2007)

ok well I found a thread elsewhere that said each card needs to have the same BIOS version...which shouldn't be but it worked for him and another guy posting in the thread
anyone know how I'd go about that seeing as one is Sapphire and the other is HIS?


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## nflesher87 (Oct 16, 2007)

well I found a BIOS for download at Sapphire for that card but no luck with HIS, they only have catalyst drivers for download...


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## nflesher87 (Oct 16, 2007)

is there no one out there that has any input?

I flashed the HIS BIOS to one that I found on our GPU BIOS database, no luck

also I noticed that in everest under crossfire it says Disabled no matter whether I have it checked or not in CCC


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## =TFM=Melvin (Nov 2, 2007)

Sorry, I don't have a clue, nflesher87.  Have you tried a fall back to older drivers?

Well, I have a workaround for my problem with Crossfire on two X1950pro.  Just fallback to Catalyst 7.9, (the current version is 7.10), and my problem with Crossfire goes away.  I guess they broke something going to version 7.10.  Maybe it will show up on the next Release Notes since I filed a report with ATI Catalyst Crew Feedback.  (I won't hold my breath.)

ATI support was very helpful in my case.  If you haven't already, sign-up at http://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894 and then file a ticket for support.


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## nflesher87 (Nov 2, 2007)

hey bro, thanks for the help but I have actually since sold both of my 1950Pros
the problem was resolved however
for 1950Pros to work in CF, at least the master card must have what is called a Rage Theatre chip:






neither of mine had it, hence no CF...


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## =TFM=Melvin (Nov 3, 2007)

Oh, mein gott!  The Sapphire and HIS cards didn't have the CF chip?!?!  I never would have thought they wouldn't have the CF chip.    I wonder if they had the card edge connection for the two crossfire cables to hook the two boards together for CF to work.

Anyway, I'm glad you were able to unload those cards.


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## tkpenalty (Nov 3, 2007)

Don't revive old threads. But anyway, that chip isnt required for crossfire mate... thats the ATI Rage Theatre chip that handles HD video decoding . Also, X1950PROs don't have a master and slave config... No idea how you came up with that when my friend's CF setup worked without those Rage Theatre chips.


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## chemisttt11 (Nov 27, 2007)

hello people.:)I dont know if u still watch this topic but I have one question)) I have sapphire x1950 pro 512MB.... and I want to buy another one as an upgrade to crossfire but I cant find the same one)) and there is a new version of sapphire x1950 pro 256MB with HDMI and I want just to know if there matters the memory difference....old 512<---> new 256 
my PC : AMD AM2 X2 6000+, motherboard ASUS M2R32 X580 , 2GB Dualchannel kingston 667 RAM, HDD 320 GB WD , power ...enermax liberty 500.... just if was someone solving this problem)) plz someone help....


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