I'm new to this project but not entirely new to BOINC. I'm switching from a GT430 to a GTX570 and having a little problem. After BOINC is up and running, and the timing appears to be right about when GPUGRID would be starting up, my display goes blank, and the computer is non-responsive (even via VNC remote). If I shut down BOINC after bootup, the system runs fine....it's only after BOINC starts up.

I had the driver already loaded for the GT430. It auto loaded for the GTX 570 during which I prevented BIONC from starting up. I reboot after the drivers are loaded (as instructed). Again, I make sure the driver is running and reflecting the correct video card before I fire off the BOINC manager.

I did not do a reinstallation of the driver. GPUGRID is in the middle of a task (I did not wait between tasks to make the switch). Also, I'm only running a 450 Watt PSU. I was thinking of maybe dropping a 600 watt in there. I've never used one of these super video cards, so I wasn't sure what the symptoms would be if there wasn't enough power.

BOINC 7.0.28
Windows XP SP3
GTX 570, Nvidia WHQL 306.23 drivers
The machine ID is 133536

I'm hoping this is familiar to someone, and can tell me "on yeah, just change this setting <here>, and you'll be fine". I'm really excited about upgrading my video card for some better crunching.

Thanks!

-MichaelMac

I just went through upgrading video cards on 2 xp systems. Both had the correct drivers for the new card, but after numerous reboots I still had to reinstall the drivers fresh for the card to work.

On one machine there was a 660 Ti and simply adding a second 660 Ti still required a complete reinstall of the driver. So you should try that and then see if you still have a problem.

Also you can check in the Event Log in BOINC (ctrl+shift+E) and near the beginning of the log it will list the GPUs available for crunching. If the card is listed there with the correct driver it should work.

It wouldn't be the first time drivers have to be reinstalled fresh for some reason! I'll give it a try and report back the results. I think I'll drop in a bigger power supply too.

Thanks!

Ok. This is what I did and the results:
1. I installed the GTX570 card in the computer.
2. I booted it up, and re-ran the NVidia driver installation. I selected "clean install".
3. It rebooted.
4. Ran 3DMark, and during the second graphic test it failed the same way as before (blank screen, unresponsive computer, lights on).
5. I shut it down, and installed a Thermaltake 600 Watt PSU. I didn't see the 80+ Gold spec as suggested, but I figured it would do.
6. I booted it back up, and re-ran 3DMark which ran to completion.
7. I started up BOINC, and checked the event log. It does show the GTX570 GPU as available.
8. I started GPUGRID which ran for a while (maybe 10 minutes) then it failed the same way as before (blank screen, unresponsive computer, lights on).
9. I re-tried GPUGRID a few times with the same results.
10. I tried my Einstein project using GPU, and it's been running for several hours with no problems.

Now, is there something special that I need to do for GPUGRID that I missed? Some setting in the NVidia control panel that I need to shut down or turn off or uninstall or something?

I have another GTX570. I was going to try swapping it out to see if the results are the same.

One more thing, the GTX570 card is an EVG, and the box says "Overclocked". Could overclocking cause this? If so, where do I go to change it, and what would I change it to?

I've been reading some other Forum threads....could I possibly need more than a 600 watt PSU? Perhaps 850? Could power still be my problem?

Sorry, that's EVGA, and it says "Superclocked" not overclocked.

Ok. This is what I did and the results:
1. I installed the GTX570 card in the computer.
2. I booted it up, and re-ran the NVidia driver installation. I selected "clean install".
3. It rebooted.
4. Ran 3DMark, and during the second graphic test it failed the same way as before (blank screen, unresponsive computer, lights on).
5. I shut it down, and installed a Thermaltake 600 Watt PSU. I didn't see the 80+ Gold spec as suggested, but I figured it would do.
6. I booted it back up, and re-ran 3DMark which ran to completion.
7. I started up BOINC, and checked the event log. It does show the GTX570 GPU as available.
8. I started GPUGRID which ran for a while (maybe 10 minutes) then it failed the same way as before (blank screen, unresponsive computer, lights on).
9. I re-tried GPUGRID a few times with the same results.
10. I tried my Einstein project using GPU, and it's been running for several hours with no problems.

Now, is there something special that I need to do for GPUGRID that I missed? Some setting in the NVidia control panel that I need to shut down or turn off or uninstall or something?

I have another GTX570. I was going to try swapping it out to see if the results are the same.

The "clean install" option in the nVidia drivers is a misnomer. It's not nearly as clean as one would like to think. It only removes custom application profiles and driver settings, it doesn't actually uninstall the previous driver or any of the registry entries.

To do a fully clean driver install:

1. Uninstall the nVidia drivers via the Control Panel.
2. Reboot
3. Run a driver cleaning program to remove any remnants. Treexy Driver Fusion (formerly known as Driver Sweeper) and the free version of Driver Cleaner Pro are both very good
4. Reboot again
5. Install new drivers

450 watts should be enough for that setup if the PS is actually capable of delivering that much. If the PS is a few years old, it might not be able to deliver to juice anymore. They do start to deliver less power as they age. Cheap power supplies in particular age poorly, and they don't start out that great to begin with.

Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice!

Ok, this is what I ended up doing as my next step.

1. I had not installed the EVGA Precision software so I could see what the temp was doing, so I installed this software.
2. I watched the temp and fan controls. The temp got up to 88 degrees celsius pretty quickly, and it was shortly after that the system shut down again.
3. So, I set the fan to max as suggested by MarkJ. The temp stayed around 82 degrees and ran for about an hour, no problems. It seems stable.
4. I did notice the PSU was too hot to touch. Really hot. That scared me a little, so I went ahead and switched out the 600 watt Thermaltake for an 850 watt Thermaltake (80+ Bronze).
5. I also added a feeder fan to the front of the box. I had a good rear fan blowing air out, and the PSU was circulating air out, but I was just using suction to feed air into the box. The feeder fan is blowing air into the box from the front. This set up a nice air flow of front to back (and up).
6. I powered it all up, and the GPU took a while to get up to 82 degree but is steady at that level. The PSU is hot, but not too hot to touch.

Everything seems to be running steady for a few hours now.

What I've learned; Power and Cooling are the keywords for running these video cards!

I'm going to keep an eye on it, and I'll post if anything changes. Again, thanks to EVERYONE for your help!

-MichaelMac

*Cool* you've got it sorted out :)

Did you buy the PSU(s) new or did you have them laying around anyway or swapped them from another box? Because the heat you're feeling is actually your money being burnt directly in the PSU. More efficient PSU generate less waste heat, so they not only reduce your running costs, but also stay much cooler & more quiet (as there isn't as much heat to get rid of).

A few years ago I exchanged my good old Enermax (which reached almost 80+ Bronze) for a Gold unit.. it payed for itself within a year! (I was drawing 300 W 24/7 back then)

Ok, a little followup.

I received my new power supplies. CoolMaster 800 watt 80+ Gold rated. WORLD OF DIFFERENCE! They run just slightly warm (barely), and temps are down and enough power for everything. So worth the extra money....and it wasn't that much more expensive.

I was stunned at the difference it made.

Thanks again for all your help!

-MichaelMac