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Awesome X850XT feature

R

RGFrog

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 19, 2004
Messages
214
Ok, this is bizzaro... feel free to flame as I'm at the end of my chord already.

I just added a brand new x850xt to my system. Love the card. Can play everything with all the settings ramped up.

Sadly, I can't play anything online. You see, since adding the card, whenever I play a game, my Cablemodem goes out.

Now, this is not just online games. I could be playing a single player like KOTOR:ROTS, or Half-Life 2 and the cable modem goes bonkers.

I've completely isolated everything I could think of: disabled the ethernet controler, disconnected the cable from my switch, and removed everything that could provide any kind of electrical loop back to the modem.

So, I'm down to the only connection between my computer and the cable modem being the surge protector.

So, I've put the two on seperate surge protectors on the seperate outlets, but the same wall jack.

Still, I start a game that uses any heavy graphics and walla, poof goes the cable connection. Quit the game and, again with nothing connected, the cable modem goes active again...

Is it possible my system is drawing so much power that it's creating a mini brown out? This is driving me nuts, cuz there's nothing like being in the mood for some CS:S or BF2, getting low pings and not being able to play when the game starts and the modem goes on the fritz.

As you can see, normal web browsing, word processing, etc. doesn't cause this problem.

The setup:
Abit IS7
Antec Truepower 420w
P4 3.2 prescott
1GB (2x512) Geil Ram
2 80GB hd's (master/slave on ide)
1 CD-RW/DVD Rom
1 DL DVD +/- RW
1 250GB SATA
Creative Audigy2
Logitech 5.1 speaker

The Lan:
Motorola 5xxx Cablemodem with 3 ip's >> Linksys 5port switch>> the following:
>Netgear wireless router
>5 wired router
>My rig


Help me Obi-wan, you're my only hope.
 
there is a simple answer, actually...

ATI's drivers use the CPU at a high priority, and it can be a particular problem with single core/non HT systems.

there is no way to change this priority, it is not the game's .exe that is doing it.

you need to update your NIC drivers and hope there is a set that does not need as much CPU... also make sure you have HT enabled if your cpu supports that.

basically your NIC is timing out since the ati drivers are hogging all the cpu cycles at high priority, this would not be a problem, but for some reason the priority level in the scheduler is high and it won't give them up.

I have confirmed this is the case several times over. it is the core difference in the ati and nvidia acceleration models.

ATI has huge driversets that use alot of CPU, I think ati's openGL .dll file was well over 10 megs just in itself until very recently.

I always recommend nvidia for people that play games in windows and expect to do other things at the same time... otherwise, ati is good and since they rely more on software they scale better with your CPU.

so try updating your NIC drivers.
 
1. do you have this problem when you use your old card?
2. can your read the lable off the side of your PSU, specifically the 12v rail max amps, there are several models of this PSU, I suspect you are drawing just a bit more power in 3d mode that it screws up your on board or PCI ethernet controller.
3. Did you clean off all your old vid card drivers using a program like drivercleaner?
 
That's weird, I never had the problem and I owned an x850xt pe.......
 
Well, here's my input on this one.

I really don't believe this is software oriented, as posted above. You mentioned the modem actually goes flakey? I'm guessing maybe a couple lights flicker and so forth? I've never seen software cause something like that, especially display drivers. I highly doubt this is the cause.

Your NIC really doesn't care that the cable modem is actually a cable modem, all it does is get an IP address, wether this be from a router or a modem. It also doesn't control wether or not it turns on or off, or anything else (unless you have the software installed to control it). Plus, you mentioned that you tried disabling and unplugging the ethernet altogether (which should answer your questions about drivers)

When you mentioned a "mini brown-out" or a line dip, I think you're right on the money there. Your system is drawing more power when your playing games than not, plain and simple. I guess it really comes down to a couple things: How much current are you drawing out of that circuit? How much stuff do you have running on that circuit? Does your circuit breaker trip often?

Have you considered running an extension cord from another room (circuit) and plugging the modem into just that (make sure it's a different circuit)? Should answer the question right there, in the cheapest and easiest way possible.
 
Thanks, Rocco123, it can't be a nic or driver issue (unless the driver is somehow causing an increase in power consumption).

No, I haven't moved either device to a different circuit. The breaker never trips and seems to be a fairly clean line.

My current plan is to procure a couple of UPS units. Try on the same circuit with the computer and modem on seperate UPS's, and then move one or the other to a different circuit.

I'm currently looking into the wiring and talking to an electrician friend about adding another jack off a seperately grounded circuit.

The Modem isn't flakey. I've been all over it and it's rock stable at 6mb/s per ip address. Which is why I think it's a power issue.

I'll update all my drivers as well, just in case.


Thanks for the feedback.
 
Do you have Comcast???? If you do...welcome to the new bug. They released a new config file like 3 weeks ago or something like that. Well it has a tendency to reset your connection if you run a certain router or even without. It does it to me too. Like once a day when I play CS, but its like 10 times in a row. Last night was the first night it didnt happen.


http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,15388050
 
HOLY SHIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!! Im having the same fucking issue with my ati card and comcast !!
Ok let me settle down a bit.............
I thought i was going crazy trying to figure this out but i see that im not the only one. :mad:
 
Code: 
asdf
Hmmm... no, I'm on COX, but if one cable company does something, I wouldn't put it past the wonder twins at COX.

The problem is fixed now.

I seperated the system and the modem. Put them on different circuits. Unplugged EVERYTHING that could cause any kind of power spike to the modem. Seeing that there's only 3 possible offenders (Coax cable, Ethernet Cable, Wal wart powersupply), I made sure there was nothing that could possibly connect the modem to my computer.

I unplugged the ethernet from the switch. And removed the splitter.

I started the computer and ran KOTOR:ROTS as it was pretty predictable in being a trigger for the problem.

Yep, with nothing connected, and on different power circuits, the problem returned. Exit the game and return to the Desktop and the Modem would cycle back on and reconnect. Bob's your uncle and everythings fine.WTF!!!

So, I removed the router that was attached to the switch and placed it in another room where I could still get a connection back to the switch and attach the computers to the Router (and lose my print server...bleh!).

Low and behold, the gods of the electrons deemed this tiny reduction in power draw from near my cable modem as enough to appeas the gods of KLUDGE!!!

I'm glad it's working now, but I"m so f'ng confused. With nothing connected how the hell is my system drawing enough power to cause the modem to twich? Also, how can one little router that's not even connected to my computer make a difference in the power draw? But, it did. No matter what circuit I put the computer on, gaming would kick the modem.

I don't have my multimeter (love friends that borrow and never return my stuff, but without them I'd rarely see sunlight..) so I can't be sure what the power levels are.

Perhaps this is the same thing with routers and comcast modems... no way to know.

I've checked the modem's logs and power levels and they are all in spec.

Following is a typical log during the droppout:

2006-02-03 19:29:53 6-Notice 0x045A80E4 TLV-11 - unrecognized OID
1970-01-01 00:00:17 4-Error 0x040D9A93 ToD request sent- No Response received
1970-01-01 00:00:14 3-Critical 0x040D9A2C DHCP WARNING - Non-critical field invalid in response.
2006-02-03 19:29:03 3-Critical 0x0501BD64 SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire QAM/QPSK symbol timing
2006-02-03 19:29:01 3-Critical 0x04E33A10 Received Response to Broadcast Maintenance Request, But no Unicast Maintenance opportunities received - T4 timeout
2006-02-03 19:29:00 3-Critical 0x0501BE90 SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to receive MAC SYNC frame within time-out period
2006-02-03 19:28:29 3-Critical 0x04E33A74 Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2006-02-03 19:27:03 6-Notice 0x045A80E4 TLV-11 - unrecognized OID
Click to expand...

I've no idea if this helps. I've no idea if the Router was the real culprit all along. I've no idea what to think now. With the Router removed and placed elsewhere, everything's back the way it was when it started. The computer and modem are on the same circuit, but different ports. I'm pinging 17's in CS:S and playing just fine. KOTOR doesn't cause the modem to freak out. But I can't see how a router that was no where near connected to this computer could cause any of these problems. So the system is working now and I'm back in KLUDGE land.

I can only hope someone will read this and spot a nugget of reason that helps them, cuz I'm nothing but confused here. Glad it's working though.

Oh, I'm using a SB5100 cable modem that I purchased around a year ago.
 
I think we're going to need Visio to sort this problem out....:). That is pretty strange. I'll reread this in the morning, I'm not thinking straight.
 
Thats weired. Someone flash the bat signal for a electrical engineer or a network specialist. I would like to hear the answer on this one.

If its not any trouble, could we get a diagram of your network setup, power and all. After reading the post i think i/we need a visual aid.

Im glad everything works thought
 
Well I tried to follow everthing you were saying. This is strange a customer has having same type of problem with a pc he built 2 years ago. I went over to his place and tried to figure it out. I couldn't find the problem so I asked if i could take it to the shop . So I did. I was thinking it was his house electrics also . So I hooked it up at the shop. I would play CS and bang i would loose the connection and back to windows we go. So I checked power supply installed 510 AC power &cooling 510 . Did same thing . So I calledf him up and said I thought the M/B was the problem. I removed his Abit card replaced it with another Abit . That was it . :confused:
 
Not to dig up old bones, but just in case someone else was having these problems.

It was an Undervoltage situation.

The problems returned later. I slapped a UPS on both the PC and the Network (2 UPS's).

Cleared right up... sorta. Still comes and goes depending on other factors.

Short story long, I've got an electrician coming out to run two new sockets off two additional circuits and I'm having him do seperate grounds.

I'm starting to do more video editing, production work and I can't have my internet connection knocked out becuase unqualified electrical contractors can't wire an addition on a 1950's home correctly.

Those looking for a network diagram:

cable company > Cable Modem > 5 port switch > 3 devices

> My computer
> 8 port router > 'rents computer and laptop
> 5 port wireless router > multiple lappy's via wireless (we all like to work while watching the tube)

Since this problem started I moved the wired and wireless routers to other rooms in the house (running cable sucks!). This alleviated the problem for a few weeks.

UPS's are currently taking care of the undervoltage, but I'm not going to stop there.

Thanks for the help, everyone.
 
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