Leadtek 6800GT

[will808]

Hi,

 

I've got an intermittent graphics problem, and I'm after some opinions as to whether I need to RMA my card or not - the reason I'm asking is because I've tried everything I can think of; I know the problem isn't the mobo, but I'm starting to wonder if the card is innocent as well.

 

Specs are in my sig. I started out with an Asus A8N SLI Deluxe mobo with the rest of the specs as below. It worked fine for about 2 months, and then I started getting VGA errors on boot - basically the card wasn't being detected. On maybe 1/100 cold boots, the thing would fire up fine. I tried the card in a friends machine and he got on fine with it.

 

So I RMA'd the mobo, got another one, same problem. For reasons I won't detail here, I still suspected the mobo was at fault, so I went for the Lan Party Expert. Great board, but still the same problem. I know the board is ok, because it runs fine with an ATI X550, and apart from the graphics issue, it runs a peach.

 

So, I've got an RMA number for the card. But I'm still not sure it's faulty, and it's got me wondering about voltages and that kind of thing. I'm certain my PSU should handle the card - if I'm wrong I'll be upset, because I replaced the PSU before anything else.

 

Anyway, just for a trial tonight I thought I'd stick the 6800GT in to check it was faulty. And it booted second time. So I'm really at a loss here - the card works seamlessly when the system boots (actually it always boots regardless of VGA errors, but 99% of the time you just can't see it).

 

I went to the Leadtek site tonight because the manual for the card is not available atm. I found a download for a BIOS update but to be honest I was a bit wary since it didn't state what for. I like my new mobo, and don't want to shaft it with a pointelss excercise.

 

So, I'd really appreciate any suggestions regarding:

 

a) Should I rma the card

B) Voltages, BIOS set up, Jumper set up - anything stupid I may have missed.

 

If at all possible, I'd like to avoid the RMA, not only because it will take forever to get a replacement, but also because I've got a horrible feeling they'll test it and say it was fine.

 

Oh, and although I'm not exactly loaded at the moment, any experiences with the 7800GT on this board and a similar setup would be appreciated - if it turns out the board and the card don't get on, I'd rather pay the extra than still be in the same boat with a replacement card.

 

Sorry for the long winded post...

[cd520]

I find it odd that the problem follows your system (even after changing mb) but works fine on your friends setup. I'd try a different PS just to see. Perhaps strip system down to the essentials for boot up and see if it works.

[will808]

Point taken - I'll check the PSU, but I seriously hope it isn't the problem

 

BUT. Having got it to boot with the 6800 last night, I started looking at the various NVidia tools, including the NVidia Monitor, and was quite surprised to see:

 

Core Voltage 1.53v - highlighted in red

Mem Voltage 2.59v - highlighted red

GPU Temp 54c - highlighted yellow.

 

So in other words, the core voltage and the memory voltage are, in the manuals words, in danger of causing system instability or component damage. And the GPU, although running nothing more than my desktop, is potentially unstable becasue of over heating.

 

All my other components are fine in terms of temps - if anything I've gone overboard on the cooling.

 

I'm also wondering where in the BIOS I can change these voltages, and what I should change them to. Seeing the figures in red, my first reaction was that there was too muchg voltage going in. But, when I found the mem voltage in the BIOS, I found that it as on as low as it could go. So I'm now wondering if the problem is a serious lack of juice (possible in turn not enough to power the fan hence overheating?).

 

If anyone could tell me what sort of voltages I ought to be looking at - oh, and where to change the Core Voltage in the BIOS, I'd be very grateful.

 

I went to bed quite happy last night, and then noticed the screenshot (in the NVidia pdf I found on the net) reprted exactly the same values as I have now - so either they ewre using the same set up as me, or the NVidia Monitor app ain't all it's cracked up to be

 

Any thoughts on the above still very welcome though.