stingray77

I just had a GPU log running in the background while opening SF2V and starting to fly... (Was clouldless sky so the fps were 5 min / 50 max - still bumpy...) Here it is - can somebody read sth from that? GPU-Z Sensor Log.txt

Right, Fubar - interesting... Possible that this was done intentionally to keep the chip from overheating. Say: when I had my notebook repaired, the people put a new "downclocked" graphics-chip into my machine to avoid future damage? I can hardly imagine that NVIDIA has several sets of chips around - "normal" and downclocked... And that PhysX-thing - should that one be checked in the GPUZ? Or doesn't that matter (if not needed by a game)?

I just downloaded and installed the latest PhysX software from NVIDIA... Let's see what that changes... Hum, no - noth'n. I installed the NVIDIA Software first, without that changing something in the GPUZ (Computing: PhysX still NOT checked) and re-installed the driver set - this time at least the a.m. error-message did not appear and the full set (with the PhysX software) was able to be installed...

Okay, here what CPUZ shows - the graphics tab first: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS Perf Level Current: Clocks Core 169 MHz Shaders 338 MHz Memory 100 MHz Memory Size 256 MBytes Type DDR2 Bus Widthe 64 bits Perf Level 3D Applications: Clocks Core 500 MHz Shaders 1000 MHz Memory 400 MHz Memory Size 256 MBytes Type DDR2 Bus Width 64 bits Perf Level 2D Desktop: Clocks Core 275 MHz Shaders 550 MHz Memory 2400 MHz Memory Size 256 MBytes Type DDR2 Bus Width 64 bits Perf Level Default: Clocks Core 169 MHz Shaders 338 MHz Memory 100 MHz Memory Size 256 MBytes Type DDR2 Bus Width 64 bits and the CPU-tab (what I think might be useful): Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T9300 @2,50GHz Clocks (Core #0) Core Speed 2494.2 MHz (but changing constantly - of course) Multiplier x12.5 (changing, too) Bus Speed 199,5 MHz Rated FSB 798.2 MHz Cache L1 Data 2x32 KBytes 8-way L1 Inst. 2x32 KBytes 8-way Level2 6144 KBytes 24-way Something to learn from this? More info needed? Help!!!

Okay, now here's what GPUZ spits out for my rig: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS GPU G86M Revision A2 Technology 80nm Die Size 115 mm² Release May 09 2007 Transistors 210M BIOS unknown Device ID 10DE - 0425 Subvendor HP (103C) ROPs 4 Bus Interface PCI-E x16 @ x16 (----all unimportant up to here I guess...) Shaders 16 Unified DirectX Support 10.0 / SM4.0 Pixel Fillrate 2.0 GPixel/s Texture Fillrate 4.0 G Texel/s Memory Type DDR2 Bus Width 64 Bit Memory Size 256 MB Bandwidth 6.4 GB/s Diver Version nvlddmkm 8.17.12.6089 (ForceWare 260.89) / Vista GPU Clock 500 MHz Memory 400 MHz Shader 1000MHz Default Clock 500 MHz Memory 400 MHz Shader 1000 MHz NVIDIA SLI Disabled Computing: Open CL checked, CUDA checked, PhysX NOT checked, DirectCompute 4.0 checked The clock MHz's are all far away from what Fubar posted - but that looks like other specs then my 8600M GS'... And what is very interesting, when just installing the latest NVIDIA-driver (260.89) at the end I got a message like "PhysX System software Error - installation failed" But the driver version 260.89 gets displayed in the GPUZ and the NVIDIA-control panel. Does THAT lead to something? By the way, does GPUZ measure the graphics or does it only list the spec "as per the book"? Next I'll list what CPUZ provides... Stay tuned... PS: Malibu - thanks for your confirmation... Looks pretty much like my set-up BEFORE.

From hot to cold and back...... First: thanks, Fubar - I'll look and check for those values (those are the stock values of the 8600M GS, I guess?) Then: okay, I saw those fps-jumps before, too - but not with 3 the lowest value (or do I just not remember and am searching for clues as the game is stuttering NOW??? As said, before the repair I had the game running smoothly - even with fps around 12 "only"...) Malibu, does you game run smoothly with 2 or 3 the lowest? Then I'd skip looking at that value... Anyway, hopefully tonight I will be able to run GPUZ* and RivaTuner and come back with values to check back with you. BIG THANKS everybody for helping me (once again - what would I do without your support?) * just added CPUZ to the list of tools to try out...

Boostjunky, do you have some answer to my question about the "cycling" fps' (other thread) as well? I already downloaded GPUZ and RivaTuner to get me a clearer picture - hope to scan my system over the weekend.......

Hm, okay - thanks for your input. Actually, I bought one of those fan-stands AFTERWARDS right away... (Wish, I had had one before the "meltdown".) Win Vista and NVIDIA drivers are on the most current drivers (NVIDIA just put out a new one yesterday) - what do you think with DirectX? Going from 10 to 11? Or back to 9.29? Yes, I understand the limitations with notebooks, and was happy with the Pavilion's specs from the beginning. Actually everything WAS running smoothly before - that's what puzzles me. Then again, It may well be that I screwed something when trying to find out about the graphics problem before surrendering and taking it in to have the hardware fixed (at first I thought it would be some software/settings-prob) - say de-installing/re-installing drivers of different stages and so on. After getting the notebook back, I updated Win and the graphics drivers immediately - maybe something is missing somewhere else. So, when that only leaves DirectX, that narrows in what to look for. Checking CPU is easy - but where can I check GPU performance? Somewhere in the NVIDIA-settings? Well, and by checking you mean, if I still have bumps with CPU and/or GPU not running to their limits, that might look like something with the soldering? Thanks again for your feedback. It helps a lot getting closer to all this

Just downloaded and extracted (not installed yet) - COOL, what's in there. And indeed - although I pretty much like Jimi - for my taste that Hanger-tune is a bit "over the top" in the game; so thanks as well for the alternative... Question: can I delete some of those wav's without harm and the game will "automatically" switch back to the standard ones, or will that interfere with the INI's (original or supplied here)? Special thanks for: - Loading +++ (of course!!!) - Debriefkilled +++ (always LOVED that one!) - Credits ++ - DebriefFail ++ - SingleMissionScreen ++ - DebriefSuccess + - HangarRadio1 + - PlanningMapScreen + And that map adds a lot to the atmosphere, too... Now let's see how this mod goes with(in) the game.....

The screen on my HP-notebook started flashing and I needed to restart. At first try the symptoms were gone - but soon they came back... Unfortunately this screwed my whole display (two identical / mirrored displays on screen with weird colors, icons way too big and everything definitely out of order), not only in Windows (Vista) but on booting already. Investigating showed the GC (GeForce 8600GS on latest drivers) disabled and an error code 43. Google brings up several of these errors - and proposed solutions to revert back to older drivers or replace GC... Reverting does not really seem to work (and the distorted screen already at booting makes me believe more in some hardware-problem), but do you have any other recommendations / suggestions before I send my notebook in? (Unfortunately this is 3 mths after the warranty expired...) I hate not being able to fly......... Here's how the mess looks like

HP seems to bit slow there: the only one available to download from their pages is of early 2009 (or 2008) - whereas the latest ones from NVIDIA are not older than three months... So, listening to what you're saying, I will give the 258 "another try". Thanks again for your help/advice.

Okay, after a little more than two weeks of "down time" I received my notebook back for "testing" over the weekend. Every looks good again, so far. Now, I am a bit reluctant to restore all my before-the-crash-settings - like going back to the latest NVIDIA-drivers. (My machine went back to 195. or 197.something drivers, after manually deinstalling the latest 258.96) As the problem was related to the chip running to hot and losing contact with the MB, my question is: does the driver influence the temperature the chip is running at? Or doesn't it have any effect whether I use rather old or the newer NVIDIA-drivers??? (Maybe I am a bit over-cautious right now, and that will droop over time again...)

Maybe they give it to their kids to play CS... As said: I started on 5, so I have no 4 to sell........

I cannot say much about the 4 - I've been using the 5 ever since... I HEARD there was not THAT much of an improvement of 5 over 4, but I decided to get it top-notch... Let me tell you: the 95 bucks (what is it un USD or EUR?) will be forgotten soon, and you'll know you are running the latest version - at least that's MY philosophy. btw: I am using Track Clip Pro which offers a tremendously improved tracking in comparison to the reflective clip...

The SAME! I have TIR5 and it's PURLY GREAT (with any flight sim/game that is).....

Okay, took my rig to a local (Hamburg) repair shop around the corner yesterday. They confirmed this is a common "glitch" with the 8600 (and Pavilion DV9er series). Relatively easy fix though: disassemble, take the graphics chip off the motherboard, resolder it back on, check/replace the heat sink(s), check and reassemble if everything checks out fine. Takes around two weeks, cost below 200EUR* flat and that should provide me a reliable machine - after resoldering the chip, no such problem should occur again in future (don't know if he just told me, what I'd want to hear, but he sounded very convincing ). Sounds great to me. He even showed me another mainboard of a DV9er he had at at hand, explaining what they are going to do - left a very good impression that they really know their job. And they won't touch - say: they unhook - the drives for the repair (other than the shop doing the warranty repairs for hp here in Germany, who reportedly format the drives and send back the rig in "as was new"-state and condition). Wish me luck guys, that my very good impression of their performance will keep up with what they deliver, and that everything will be a-okay in two weeks then. * for THAT amount no way would I have been able to do anything near "repairing" or baking - the more when I saw the mass of those "micro-solders".

1) thanks for moving to proper thread 2) thanks for explaning - I love building aircraft-models, but that's far beyond my reach... But good to hear/get to know about things like that... When reading about "sloppy" driver design I already thought "man, there must be someone on their heels to deliver or pay back to their customer - the more so on the ("sue-everybody-for-nothing-minded") US-market"... But no? When talking to the HP-support here in Germany I already got the info, that even if they replace a/that part there would be a warranty of 3 mths (instead of the usual 24 mths) only...

Let's get drunk TOGETHER, pal... Yup, my warranty expired three months (or so) ago, too.... And I always understood NVIDIA to be one of THE top supplyiers of a part like that - sigh. I think I wouldn't do that, but what's that "baking", you are talking of.....?

Ah yeah, cool advice. When doing my first set of back-ups (at least I DO have an external data storage since 2 months now) I tried to copy all my SF2-stuff - but aside from showing some 22hrs of duration, after a while the system refused to copy any more data and showed my some wi-fi-connection-fail every 5 to ten minutes - had to click it active again.... That took me "ages" just to copy my final modded SF2-install! But can it be so hard? On the bottom of my machine I see a door hiding the drive. Why dont they "simply" unhook it before doing ANY work to it???

Well I never opened anything on my notebook - and still am quite reluctant to do so... So I think I wont go the diy-direction, you describe - I VERY MUCH WELCOME THAT INFO THOUGH! But I am quite sure, there's only one fan... When reading your post, one of my first ideas was trying to cool down the machine in the fridge before starting it once again (adding some more temp-gap for the GPU to overheat) - although things like that never sound like pro-ideas, I must admit... So, I skipped that idea right away. The more as your post sounds like it might already too late for the GPU anyhow... So, if there is no "seperate" card, it would need the whole circuit board (with the graphics-whatever-component on it) to be replaced? Any input on the back-ups and affecting the drive(s)? And (although this of course depends on shop and area) can I expect to receive my (unscathed and pampered) "design-notebook" (shiny surfaces) in its "as new"-condition, or do I have to expect some scratches and dents from the "usual works it takes"??? THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT! Though I am pitying myself a lot, at least I can leran a bit.........

Oh, another question: I always tried to back-up as good as possible - but you never know... From your experience: do the drives might get "damaged" while the machine is back at the yard? There's quite a load of SF2V-data on one of my external drives, but all my FS9-data (including all of its registries) is on C, and only the original unzipped and not applied planes and sceneries are backed-up (as there was not much of an alternative - I failed to copy the flightsimulator-folder with all its add-ons)! I can envision re-applying all that again to plain vanilla will take me a year.............

Okay, that's not what I wanted to hear, but pretty much reflects what I was thinking. Right after pushing on/off I am getting a green screen horizontally divided even before ANYTHING appears on the screen (that BIOS "menu") - all that was black before and (of course) not divided... So, guess I'll have to pack the machine to send it in..... Darn f***in' s***! Guess that will mean Stingray77 signing off for quite a while..... But thanks for all your input.

Not more than it was before - and the fan didn't kick-in harder or longer than before (not that I noticed much a difference)... I often read about the temp reading, but how/where can one see the temp of it? Then, after the problem remained after days of not using the machine, the prob remains as was - does that sound more like a permanent problem? Btw: a guy in a computer-shop around the corner said, as it was a notebook, there was noch real graphics card in it anyhow that could be exchanged!?!? Hey, that thing even has its own NVIDIA specification and name as a "card" - I certainly hope that man just didn't want to dive into a deeper discussion.....

Hum, I never much missed that...... I always regarded it "the way it is"....

What kind of de-restriction do you have in mind? I think, the TrackIr (5 in my case) works quite well... It "resembles the pilots strapped-into-the-seat-view", TK once stated...