7900GTX = random reboots in XP 32bit & Vista 64bit

[rickwhite]

Hi

Thought I'd try and see if anyone here can help :help: me out.
XFXForce ticket number:

In early September this year I bought (new) an XFX 7900GTX.
I installed the card in my machine running XP 32 bit, after sorting out a few motherboard bios errors which meant I had to RMA my motherboard, i found my machine started to randomly reboot. Sometimes when I tried to launch an application, sometimes when it was sitting idle, sometimes it would multiple boot straight from the off.
Sometimes it would work fine for a few hours (including gaming, e.g. Quake Wars, Company of Heroes) before rebooting but often it reboots when your in the middle of doing something, surfing, occasionally gaming, e-mail etc or doing nothing!
It does not BSOD or freeze, I've turned off auto reboot but there are no error messages or memory dumps to look at.

I've tried switching RAM sticks around, using just one, two etc. I've gone back to my old vid card (Asus 7900GS) which works ok.
I've updated all drivers, tried other versions too.
I found some info on the net about old Asus drivers & software not uninstalling properly so I manually removed the bits concerned.

I just could not find the solution.
Since then, I've bought Vista Home premium (64bit) in the hope that I can start afresh on a clean drive.
Having (clean) installed Vista and the video drivers (163.69 currently) the exact same problem is still there.
(To get Vista to run on my system I had to update my mobo bios to the latest version). I've not installed anything else at this point, mainly because my PC keeps rebooting during downloads, installs, surfing for solutions, etc - anything really. (Thanks god I managed to find this site last night!)
I have tried the same things again and still cannot find a solution.
Can anyone suggest anything?

Thanks in advance.:-D
PS Also run virus checkers, Spybot etc - no luck.

My kit:
Asus M2N-SLi Deluxe mobo (nForce 570)
AMD 64X2 4000+ (dual 2.1) with Zalman CNPS 9500-AM2 HSF
4 matched sticks of 512MB Corsair XMS2 PC6400 (at stock 5-5-5-15)
XFX NVidia 7900GTX, 512MB (model PV-T71F-YDL9) at stock speeds
QTechnology 560W PSU (incl PCI-E power)
Creative Audigy soundcard
Samsung S-ATA DVD writer
LG IDE DVD Reader
WD 120GB hard drive, 7200rpm
Samsung S-ATA Spinpoint 160GB (not currently installled)
2 case fans etc

[xfxsupport]

Looks like you left the ticket number out of the post PM it to me and I can take a look. Many times such a problem can be PSU related, which is why the 7900GS wouldnt have a problem as it dosent take as much power. The other option is that it could be the video card, but less likely. Have you tried another PSU or the 7900GTX in another system?

[werty316]

Could be a PSU problem. Could be memory related but I doubt it.

How are your video card temperatures.

[kiwiplayer]

agreed, it appears to be Power supply related.
if it were driver or hardware, you should get a blue screen at least once.
PSU problems tend to show as a system that just reboots for absolutly no apparent reason and ususally there are no error reports since it would act like a quick power cut. it can be very random too, sometimes during post, sometimes after 2 hours of playing.


If you do choose to replace the PSU, may i suggest enermax, silverstone or OCZ. i dont suggest antec or thermaltake, this is just my opinion.

if changing the PSU doesnt help, look closer at the mobo, i know you've already RMA'd it but a faulty video card should show errors, not just reboots :grin:

[bobletman]

I would go with the OCZ gameXstream PSU very good pruduct and it has a COOL BLUE LIGHT inside it. They come in all different wattages and they are well priced.

[werty316]

Now, now don't jump the gun when you haven't had a reply back from rickwhite...

[bobletman]

Hehe sorry just got a little anxious.

[rickwhite]

Thanks for the replies.

XFX Ticket: sorry, I was in the process of getting this but work internet was SLOOOOOW! Had trouble getting the XFX pages to load. I 'll get on to this today. Will post it ASAP.

I had been thinking the PSU may be the problem, guess I've been trying to convince myself it wasn't as the thing runs fine at times.
Sadly, I don't have a second PSU to try. My mate uses cheap crap ones as he tends to blow them up every six months!

werty316: You got me there! I'll be honest and say I haven't measured them properly.:redface: GFX temps are fine, that is to say the thing doesn't kick out any heat or feel too hot. I'll check!
I've checked my memory in every way I can think of and have ruled that out.

Everyone else: I'll give it some thought, i guess a spare PSU won't be so bad anyway. Thought that 560W would be enough for this system. Guess not.

Some details for info: 560W
Model Number QT-08560G Gold
ATX12V Version v2.2
20-pin ATX Connector Yes
24-pin ATX Connector Yes
ATX12V (4-pin) support Yes
EPS12V (8-pin) support Yes
PCI-E support (6-pin) Yes, x2
Acoustic noise level 19 - 32 dB(A)
Mains input voltage selection Auto range
+3.3V maximum output current 30 A
+5V maximum output current 30 A
Total +12V maximum output current 36 A
+12V1 maximum output current 18 A
+12V2 maximum output current 18 A
Combined maximum output (+3.3V/+5V) 180 W
+5VSB maximum standby current 2.0 A
Mains input voltage 100-240 VAC, 47-63 Hz
Physical dimensions Standard ATX (86x150x140)Power conversion efficiency More than 80%
Operating temperature 0°C to 50°C
Remote power on / off Yes
Fan speed control Thermal, maximum speed limited
Over voltage protection +3.3V, +5V, +12V > 150%
Short circuit protection Yes, on all outputs
EMC CE / CNS / FCC / CISPR22
Hold-up time 16ms at full load

I'll give those brands some thought, although the price of things in the UK can be way higher than the US!

Cheers

[rickwhite]

To XFX support

I have a ticket number!

116062

Thanks again for the speedy response!

[xfxsupport]

Thanks for the ticket number, I will inform the Europe team!!