XFX GTX 260 Black Edition - PROBLEM! - Page 2 - Overclock.net

Negativity · 03-01-09

Mate chuck your fans upto 70-80% then try it, if your still cooking at that point, i'd RMA the card cause that just aint right.

TehStone · 03-01-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corder

XFX GTX 260 Black Edition - FurMark stability test = crash on 81C temp.
Same in games when temp is higher then 80C - crash.

Turn up your fans to 68% (from the stock 40%). It's a good compromise between sound and cooling for my situation, which is why I recommend this speed and not 75-100% range. Don't let temps get above 80c.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corder

Other interesting point is. When I decrease my clocks for a level of normal GTX 260 FurMark works perfectly for hours. And it don't crash with temp 80 (temp is 85-86) and everything stable. While in stock clocks in crashes on 80. HOW is it possible?

I had a similar problem, except for me heat was not an issue for me at all. I was getting total system failure and crazy patterned crash screens. I downclocked to 575 core stock settings and it fixed my crashing problem. THEN I turned up my clocks PAST the factory overclock and it's still very stable.
Currently running 666/1403/1175 fully tested and more stable than stock!! Not every card overclocks equally, so naturally there can be instability for specific cards at specific clocks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corder

And if there is any more GTX260 Black Edition owners could you please post your bios here. (You can save your bios file using GPU-Z).

why?

hout17 · 03-01-09

If I were you I would not run furmark unless you have your fan turned up to 100% it puts an ungodly amount of stress on video cards. I don't think 85C should cause your card to crash though video cards are designed to take a lot of heat.

Corder · 03-02-09

Quote:

had a similar problem, except for me heat was not an issue for me at all. I was getting total system failure and crazy patterned crash screens. I downclocked to 575 core stock settings and it fixed my crashing problem. THEN I turned up my clocks PAST the factory overclock and it's still very stable.
Currently running 666/1403/1175 fully tested and more stable than stock!! Not every card overclocks equally, so naturally there can be instability for specific cards at specific clocks.

Yeah core sotck settings works fine. How can I check stability increasing clocks?
Seems like we all will never buy any XFX product. If they advice to decrease clocks on Black edition card...

eltacopirata · 03-02-09

To the original poster:

My experience has been similar to TehStone. I get crazy patterned crash screens (pink and black blocks, or green patterned blacks, red, etc.). I have found that heat is a contributor to the crashes, although I can crash at 50 C. When I forget to turn on RivaTuner (the app. I use to control fan speed), my temps get high quickly, and I am much more likely to have a patterned crash screen.

Anyway, as far as heat is concerned, I have an easy solution. Download RivaTuner version 2.23 (or later, if there even is a later version). This version has support for your GTX 260 card.

The following link should be helpful in figuring out how to set temperature events in RivaTuner (i.e. if your card reaches 60C, then turn the fan to 65%, etc.):

http://www.vaguetech.com/index.php?pageid=rt207

Please not that the guide at the above link is for an older version of RivaTuner. A lot of the guide should still be applicable. I'm sure you can Google other helpful guides. Anyway, I have many events scheduled in RivaTuner that trigger different fan speeds. As the heat increases, my fan automatically ramps up.

I don't trust manufacturer specs on temperature thresholds. I don't believe that any gpu should ever operate 80+C. The highest my XFX Black Edition GTX 260 ever gets is about 63 to 64 C (for games like Crysis), although it usually operates at a much lower temperature. Of course, the more demanding the application, the higher the temperatures.

Also, my fan noise hasn't been a problem because the fan only gets loud when the temps start to get out of control (out of control to me is 60s and rising, so my fan kicks in really hard to keep temps at low 60s or below).

Don't throw in the towel with your card yet. You might be able to solve your problems by either A) lowering temps and/or B) adjusting the clock speeds a bit.

Good luck. Send me a message if you would like more info.

Cod2player · 03-02-09

1. GPU's can handle up to and over 100deg Celsius, don't listen to anyone who says otherwise especially when they say 65 degrees is to much, even CPU's can handle that. That of course doesn't mean that you should let it run at that...lower temps are always nice.

2. The reason you overclock is unstable @ those temps is probably that your trying to push it to far without a vmod.

3. The crazy patterned **** that eltacopirata is talking about is called artifacting, it happens when you do not have a stable GPU/MEM clock.

How much of a mhz increase are you attempting to get atm?

TehStone · 03-02-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corder

Yeah core stock settings works fine. How can I check stability increasing clocks?

I checked stability by: ran furmark for 20min, ran 3dMark Vantage, ran 3dMark06, ran Cs:s, ran far cry 2, grid, fallout 3, empire total war demo, etc.

Real world testing is the best kind of stability testing but it takes time. Watch for artifacts & errors as you go!(that's the whole point).

Quote:

Seems like we all will never buy any XFX product. If they advice to decrease clocks on Black edition card...

Yea my next purchase will not be xfx due to their black edition scam. They said BE owners are supposed to get preferred tech support! What a joke!

Rochfordrambo · 03-02-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corder

What we have here:

XFX GTX 260 Black Edition - FurMark stability test = crash on 81C temp.
Same in games when temp is higher then 80C - crash.
Definetely card isn't ready for stock overclock.
ALSO! Card is REALLY quiet seems like it should increase fan speed with temp increasing but it doesn't happen.
When I increase temp manually in RivaTuner - temp is good and FurMark working for a long time. But I don't want to regulate speed everytime I play the game.

Other interesting point is. When I decrease my clocks for a level of normal GTX 260 FurMark works perfectly for hours. And it don't crash with temp 80 (temp is 85-86) and everything stable. While in stock clocks in crashes on 80. HOW is it possible?

I tried to give it back to a shop where I bought it - they said that they don't want to use FurMark (they didn't heared about it) and I left the card for them for 2 days for "testing" then I came back and service guy in store told me that they were playing Crysis on Max during 2 days and everything works perfectly.

So now I can't return card. And I have to manage this problem by myself.

What could you advice me?

And if there is any more GTX260 Black Edition owners could you please post your bios here. (You can save your bios file using GPU-Z).

I have 3 in tri-sli and have had the same problem as you from day 1 the only fix i have found (after a month of trying) is to downclock from stock speed of 666 eg mine are at 650 and are stable as hell at any temp i use evga's tool to control my clocks at start up.

shadex · 03-02-09

I have Point of View GTX 260 Premium Edition (216 cores) and usually have the fan set at 65%. It idles at about 40°C and hits a maximum of 65°C under heavy load.

kremtok · 03-02-09

There's nothing wrong with your card. Furmark stresses a GPU well beyond any realistic level, and will cause almost all cards to give some kind of trouble. Like others have said, it's far better to use real-world tests and benchmarks, like games or the F@H GPU client. Use ATI Tool's scan for artifacts function if you must, but even that misses some things so you'll have to actively monitor it yourself.

As for fan speeds, I have mine set at 70% at all times and I never get above 60. But then again I have a case mod to help my GPU cooling...

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XFX GTX 260 Black Edition - PROBLEM!

03-02-09	#15 (permalink)
eltacopirata New to Overclock.net Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2 Rep: 0 Unique Rep: 0 Trader Rating: 0	To the original poster: My experience has been similar to TehStone. I get crazy patterned crash screens (pink and black blocks, or green patterned blacks, red, etc.). I have found that heat is a contributor to the crashes, although I can crash at 50 C. When I forget to turn on RivaTuner (the app. I use to control fan speed), my temps get high quickly, and I am much more likely to have a patterned crash screen. Anyway, as far as heat is concerned, I have an easy solution. Download RivaTuner version 2.23 (or later, if there even is a later version). This version has support for your GTX 260 card. The following link should be helpful in figuring out how to set temperature events in RivaTuner (i.e. if your card reaches 60C, then turn the fan to 65%, etc.): http://www.vaguetech.com/index.php?pageid=rt207 Please not that the guide at the above link is for an older version of RivaTuner. A lot of the guide should still be applicable. I'm sure you can Google other helpful guides. Anyway, I have many events scheduled in RivaTuner that trigger different fan speeds. As the heat increases, my fan automatically ramps up. I don't trust manufacturer specs on temperature thresholds. I don't believe that any gpu should ever operate 80+C. The highest my XFX Black Edition GTX 260 ever gets is about 63 to 64 C (for games like Crysis), although it usually operates at a much lower temperature. Of course, the more demanding the application, the higher the temperatures. Also, my fan noise hasn't been a problem because the fan only gets loud when the temps start to get out of control (out of control to me is 60s and rising, so my fan kicks in really hard to keep temps at low 60s or below). Don't throw in the towel with your card yet. You might be able to solve your problems by either A) lowering temps and/or B) adjusting the clock speeds a bit. Good luck. Send me a message if you would like more info.

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