GTX 470 causes random reboots?

euskalzabe

euskalzabe

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
May 9, 2009
Messages
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I have the weirdest problem. My GTX470 will make my pc crash and there's no way to recover other than hard rebooting. The weird thing is that this NEVER happens when I'm playing games, thus intensely using the gpu. It only happens when using the pc in desktop 2D mode. I've noticed it likes to happen more often when watching youtube videos, other times it's totally randomly: using Word, or just iTunes. This makes me think it can't be overheating or lack of airflow in my tower, given that under stress in benchmarks/games I've never had any problems (same for my old gtx260).

I believe this is only a driver issue that Nvidia has yet to resolve, but I though I would check with you guys, who know much more than I can ever dream of, should I be worried about my card or patient for driver updates?

Btw, my setup is basically:

Windows 7 x64
Corsair 850W
Amd Phenom 9950 BE
Asus m3n72-d mainboard
4gb RAM
Intel 80gb SSD + 500gb HDD
 
Nothing? 100+ views of the thread and nobody has any idea of what's going on with my card?
 
I do not have 2D crashes and have never had any to speak of (maybe one or two over the last 3-4 years) with 8800 GT/GS, 9600 GT/GSO, 9800 GT/GTX, GTS 250, GTX 260, GTX 460.

What kind of crash are we talking about, a hard reboot, blue screen, lock up, power off, what?
 
basically the computer freezes, my monitor turns to black, but everything is still on, I just can't do anything with the pc. The only way to solve it is a hard reboot. I've monitored the temps, the card doesn't get too hot at all, completely normal temps, and my PSU is more than enough for my system. Could it be a driver issue? (I'm using the latest from nvidia) I just don't think it's a coincidence that it tends to happen when viewing youtube videos or when my system is doing basically nothing (word, excell, chrome...). Any ideas?
 
Is the computer still working? Can it be accessed over the network, does sound continue playing (like winamp or mplayer, is there sound after the screen goes black?).
 
Nope, basically everything is blocked. The pc is still on (i mean, the light in my tower is still on) but the sounds does some weird distortion and then nothing works (meaning, if a video were playing, it seems like it's not, no sound at all). It's basically a freeze up, same effect, just without a blue screen.
 
If you can try connecting second monitor to it.

When gf 200+ series cards have two monitors connected they don't go into 2d mode but stay in low 3d mode.

If it helps then the problem would indeed be 2d mode.
 
Sounds like you need an RMA but no way to know which component needs it yet. You suspect the video card but I would narrow it down some more. Run Memtest86+ overnight to rule out the memory. Use a different video card if possible for a few days to see if you still get crashes (could be the motherboard, too). Power supply is another possibility, but again, only way to test is either with a spare or with specialized testing equipment.

It could be a driver issue, but I would suspect a hardware malfunction first. Does it do this with every driver?
 
Oh, well I've had my system for 2 years, and it's only started giving me problems since I installed the gtx470 2 weeks ago, so I'm assuming it's that. I'll do some testing though.

And yes, the gpu behaves like this with all the las 256 family drivers... and the previous 197 before that.
 
So it doesn't reboot your system, it just hangs with the monitor turning black?

RMA it.

My top 470 does the same thing about once every 10 boot-ups or restarts. I can tell because it's always the two monitors connected to that card that go dark on me. Happened across drivers.

I thought it had something to do with me spilling water all over both my cards when I was putting the kit together as a water cooling newbie, but maybe it is just a defect some of the cards have. It hasn't bothered me enough to do anything about it since it never happens in games and I'll just RMA it when I want to resell it.

One thing I thought I noticed is that it seems to happen most when the card is entering 3D low-power mode, but I don't really know.
 
I just requested a replacement gpu from amazon, and will be returning them this one tomorrow. Hopefully the new one doesn't give me any problems!!

Fingers crossed... and thanks for your help guys.
 
Hi there
i'm new to this forum and have the same problem as users in post above with my card.

Matrices said:
it seems to happen most when the card is entering 3D low-power mode
Click to expand...

It's the same here, my evga gtx 470 occasionally freezes my system with a black screen and it seems to happen when the card is in adaptive power mode and goes to a lower frequency after heavy load. It never freezes during gaming, everything works perfect then. Didn't crash on Furkmark or other stability tests either. Does this really indicate a faulty card and i should RMA it soon as possible ? I hope not...
 
I am having the same problems. I have had a GTX 270 for 2 years with no issues. Upgraded to the PNY GTX 470 and now I have:

When computer goes to sleep, and you wake it, screen will stay black and not recover. You have to do a hard reboot to fix.

Random reboots happen for no reason, like when playing a you tube video, etc.

Random screen goes black and you cannot recover unless you do a hard reboot.

A few times the screen loaded up with random characters like the card is failing.

I have the latest drivers, and even tried many older drivers, and nothing fixes it.

I got an RMA from PNY, but I have not sent it off yet. It takes 7-14 days to turn around, and I want to make sure it is a defective card before I do that cause I don't want a refurbished unit back, as mine is new.

Anyone else ever fix these issues? was it a bad card?
 
Well today i found out Windows 7 doesn't hard freeze, its just the screen that goes black. I can still close open applications with alt+f4 and initiate a windows shutdown with the power button on my pc case, it works correctly. And yea, i don't wanna send it in for RMA either unless this is 100% a faulty card, i have no replacement card to use in the meanwhile nor do i have another pc at the moment. I try and see what official Nvidia forums got to say about this issue. Good luck with yours!
 
I know. I don't have a replacement card either, and don't want to be without a computer for 2-3 weeks, or get a refurb unit back to replace my new unit.

Aghhh! It seems like different brands are doing the same thing, not just mine, which is a PNY. Maybe it is a major flaw with the drivers?


But I even tried old drivers, 3-4 versions back, and it still happens.
 
Just because a handful of people are experience doesn't mean it's a driver issue. I suspect you would see a huge flood of complaints if this were widespread.

How frequently is it happening to you? Again, for me it happens maybe once in every 10 boots or reboots, and it almost never happens once I've been loaded into Windows for more than a minute.
 
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=171657
There are some more people having the same problem with other brands of the 470.
It happens about once every 1-2 days maybe, not too much but its still annoying. I completely removed the driver now and run that driver sweeper tool to reinstall it in a 100% clean way. I doubt that will change anything but who knows. I also called mindfactory, the big pc hardware distributor where i ordered the card and their warranty/technical support guy said they never got a 470 back for RMA with this problem and suggested to look for a driver solution first. I want to keep my new card as well...
 
I am having the exact same problem! It locks up on really light use like a low res youtube video or running photoshop
 
I just got my 470, installed the 259 developer drivers from the get go and haven't had a single problem. The fan noise isn't even noticeable, although apparently my case might have good airflow, since my card won't spin past 60% during load. (CM690).
 
Where do you get the developer drivers? My card is getting worse. Causing alot of blue screens and errors.
 
I tried the developer drivers, tried turning off the pci-e power control, nothing fixes it. These cards are complete junk. I am sending mine back RMA tomorrow. I think these are lemons.
 
And the funny thing is, PNY acts like they never head of this problem. I said, well, funny, when I had my GTX 270, I had no issues. Since the 470 install, nothing but errors, reboots, BSOD, and unrecoverable black screens.
 
Same problem here.. it's only in 2d and yes especially youtube.

Anyone have any insight on WTF this is? Weekly crashes are annoying
 
Mine started out with a few times a week, and gradually got worse and worse, to the point I was getting BSOD on startup. Popped in a $60 video card from officemax, and my computer works fine again. This GTX 470 is a total paper weight, and it seems that none of the MFG's want to admit there is serious problems with it. And I don't think it is driver issues either. I think it is hardware issues.
 
I know people with the GTX 465 with no issues whatsoever. so i am sure if it was just drivers, it would effect all kinds of cards.
 
Somebody on the thread about this problem on official nvidia forums said he RMA'd and it didn't fix anything, same problem with a new card. It barely happens on mine now for some reason, i had no blank screens for 2 days. This needs to get fixed nevertheless i hope nvidia will do it through a driver update.
 
I saw the same thread, but the idiots he sent it back to, said they checked his card and mailed it back to him. they never replaced it.

Reason I don't think it is drivers is because, it doesn't matter what version drivers you use. I tried several old ones, current, and developer ones. And no change, all the same.

My card got so bad that it would cause a instant bsod reboot on startup. I just sent the card back. Will wait and see what they say. They told me it would take 7-14 days turn around. So for now I stuck a Radeon 4450 in there, (cheap $60 card) and everything works completely fine.

I have a gamer case, with loads of ventilation and airflow, but these cards get extremely hot, which makes me think they are even more prone to hardware failures.

be careful.
 
Let me know how this turns out. I have 2 GTX 470s and I get the same issue. Sometimes it even uninstalls the display driver and I have to reinstall. I am having all of the blue screen, Black screen and random reboot issues. So far I am hating my 470s...
 
Ok, I sent my 2 week old GTX470 card back for RMA. It took 2 weeks.

Guess what PNY shipped me back? A Refurbished unit, that is all scratched and used looking. I called and left their support messages and emailed them how extremely angry I am that I sent them a 2 week old $380 card and they send back a banged up refurbished unit.

PNY support sucks. they have yet to get back to me.

On a better note. Since I installed the replacement card, I have had no issues.
 
I've got the same issues with my EVGA GTX 470.... so is there any solution or does it cause by the driver issues? or the hardware problem? ~~ it's really annoying... I've RMAd mine but... it will take 2 - 4 weeks and it will be replaced if they've got the same problem... respond plz
 
Hi Guys,

I ran into the EXACT same issue with my system - I thought it was related to getting 2 other monitors and trying to run surround and 3dsurround but as I messed around with it more and more and went back to a single monitor the problem still existed. It was REALLY bad - couldn't view any youtube video, and on bootup it almost always crashed after login.

I just did a brand new build of win7 - and it works great!!!! I then started loading things up yesterday and *something* I did triggered this behaviour. I reverted back to an earlier system checkpoint and the system is stable.

So - I don't think its a hardware issue - I think something gets installed that interacts poorly with the drivers and causes massive instability. Over the next week as I slowly load up my apps I will keep watch of what I think it might be and reply back when I find the culprit.

Matt
 
I find this thread very interesting, I liked what I was hearing in the [H] reviews and I was leaning towards purchasing a GTX 460, so I started doing a little more research into them to see how they're stacking up - speed wise...Read a few reviews, checked out a few forums...this was the same discussion the GTX 460 guys are having...black screens, hard lock-up's, freezing at the login screen etc.

For a quick run down, just go to Newegg and read the recent reviews left on the 1gb Gigabyte GTX 460. Although, you can find more information on quite a few forums around web...

<Click Here>

Liquid Cool
 
Last edited by a moderator:
have this issue few times, thought it was my end that caused it..

guess not.... -.-
 
I had 2 Asus 470's, was getting black screens. Was still within the 30 day return period so i returned them, bought 2 EVGA's, and I'm still getting black screens, with 1 card or two.

Seems RMA doesn't help, or I just got supremely unlucky : (
 
FranklyShankly said:
I had 2 Asus 470's, was getting black screens. Was still within the 30 day return period so i returned them, bought 2 EVGA's, and I'm still getting black screens, with 1 card or two.

Seems RMA doesn't help, or I just got supremely unlucky : (
Click to expand...

See thread, seems to be a motherboard issue that is causing incompatibility with Fermi cards...weird issue but it's Foxconn's problem:

http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/711556-gtx470-foxconn-bloodrage-boots-2-sticks-6.html

Supposedly you can find the G40 bios over at XS to fix it.

Blood Rage:
Yes, g40 works!

Just don't try restoring your previous overclock settings or you may get a post-loop. I did. Took me a few flashes to get it fixed. Glad that battle is over. This card is fantastic.

Foxconn Flaming blade:
what about me,a poor flaming blade owner? G21 bios does the same as p9 bios for me and my gtx470
EDIT: G21 rolling fine, you have to RESET CMOS, then mash DEL like mad, the moment you get into BIOS, hit load optimized defaults, Y, then save and exit
This is required in order for it to store the new configuration into CMOS, and you dont get the A1 error.
After this, configure BIOS however you like, and Fermi cards will work properly
Click to expand...
 
Dev1ant said:
See thread, seems to be a motherboard issue that is causing incompatibility with Fermi cards...weird issue but it's Foxconn's problem:

http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/711556-gtx470-foxconn-bloodrage-boots-2-sticks-6.html

Supposedly you can find the G40 bios over at XS to fix it.
Click to expand...

That was a problem I tackled when I first got the 470's. had to flash just to get my comp to get past POST. That was all fixed and fine. This black screen issue only happens occasionally, and only in 2D, usually windows startup. It seems a lot of people are experiencing it, not just with Foxconn boards.

Thanks for the tip though, I fought the battle described in that thread for a while too lol.
 
This is obviously not just a Foxconn issue (who even uses Foxconn here?) so one can only hope that someone will identify the real culprit here and that other vendors will have some shit to fix this.
 
After much trouble I finally figured it out.
The black screen issues in 2D was because of the realtek drivers. I used driver sweeper and cleared them all out then put a fresh install of the LAN 08 drivers then the lastest 9/10 audio drivers.
The blue screen and crashes was due to the card. I bought them from tiger direct and I RMAed both of them just in case. Thier policy is great they sent out 2 cards and overnighted them to me. I changed my primary card and all was well. Since i got the cards for $220 each I ended up just keeping the 2nd one and now I am running triple SLI with no issues.
 
I'm having the same problem with 2 MSI 460 GTX 1GB Cyclones in SLI crashing in 2D when playing video especially (youtube, mediaplayer) and a couple random reboots.

The cards are the only thing new in the system which was stable with a 260 GTX and 8800 GT SLI setup for the last 2-3 years.

I'm getting messages that the video driver failed and recovered as well. The system and MB temps don't look to be the problem as I've read that an overheating MB could cause this message at times from a web search on the error message.

I'm on travel right now for Oktoberfest but don't think I have any realtek drivers loaded. Not sure about LAN drivers on my XFX 780 board but I definitely have no realteck audio drivers loaded. I'm using a Creative XiFi.

Probably going to have to look at RMAing the cards when I get back.
 
I had this happen to me with a stock Zotac 470. Didn't matter which nVidia driver I tried. The card was fine with no vid drivers. EVGA 470s didn't do that alone or with SLi disabled but would occasionally freeze when windows tried to load with SLi enabled. That turned out to be a conflict between Realtek LAN drivers and nVidia drivers. I had to use older Realtek LAN drivers provided by EVGA for the LE to get rid of that. Good luck getting it worked out. It's some frustrating shit when it occurs.
 
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