BIG BIG BIG TROUBLE WITH G400 - EXPERTS NEEDED

[shadow]

Guys let's try this one more time - i really have big BIG problems with my MATROX G400 SH 16MB
and I tried everything that I could think of(list provided below) and with no success. Some of
you did reply the last time I posted this message, but I wonder did anybody looked
at my message?

The last time I posted some of you suggested me to:

a) remove all the files from my previous 3D card (Voodoo 1) - I'm already done that long
time ago (as I stated before)
b) buy more system memory (like that would solve anything!) - my buddy has also 64MB ram and
MY G400 runs perfectly on HIS PC (as I stated before)
c) upgrade SCSI drivers

As I stated before I removed EVERY card from my slots EXCEPT G400(SCSI included)and the
problem was still there, so that means that the problem isn't between G400 and the rest of my
PCI and ISA cards. The problem must obviously be between G400 and ABIT BH6 rev1.1!


Fist of all my TECH DEMO doesn't work (on my computer). In 2D everything is OK,
but whenever I start to play games there is some sort of "glitch". That means
when the game runs every 4-5 seconds screen just freezes for a moment. This
happens in Driver, Freespace 2, System Shock 2, etc. Also my tech demo doesn't
work.
I don't have any TSR's except PowerDesk 5.3
Needless to say, there was no problem with my last graphic 3D card(Diamond Monster 3D).
And yes, I did erase ALL the files related to old graphic cards (glide3x, etc.)

My configuration:
ABIT BH6 rev 1.1, 64MB RAM(PC-100), ADAPTEC SCSI controller, Celeron 400A, Sound Blaster 16
(ISA),modem 56k, etc.

I've tried:

-Power Desk 5.30 (currently present)
-Power Desk 5.20 (and older)
-DirectX 6.1
-DirectX 7.0 (currently present)
-under clocking my Celeron 400A
-BIOS=display init first-AGP
-BIOS=change AGP aperture size
-BIOS=tried to change AGP/CPU clock to 1/1 and 2/3
-BIOS=disabling video shadow and video caching in BIOS
-checking IRQ (only one on IRQ11)
-I have latest BIOS for motherboard and G400
-forcing 1X AGP and 2X AGP
-REMOVING ALL THE CARDS FROM SLOTS EXCEPT G400
-tried re-inserting G400 but didn't screw the card into the case


BIG NOTE:
I've tried G400 with my friend's computer and EVERYTHING worked perfectly (even tech demo).
He has: ASUS P2B, Cleron 333A, 64MB(PC-100),Adaptec SCSI card(similar to mine),
ISA sound card.

shadow

[Scytale]

So TechDemo doesn't work, and many games seem to freeze for a fraction of a second, about every 4 seconds?

Erm... maybe task scheduler or even better -antivirus software- kicking in?

Another shot is to disable PowerDesk from the registry (HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run, just put something meaningless like 'not ' in front of the program path).

[This message has been edited by Scytale (edited 25 October 1999).]

[JC]

In my opinion, I would completely reinstall windows from scratch and you may find the problem completely dissappears. Windows can still be a sod when replacing hardware devices. I had to do this when upgading from a Millenium II to the MAX.

------------------
System: P3@558 Vantec 5040 cooler, 128MB PC125 Ram, Matrox G400Max, V2 SLI (Currently out), HOT 661 MoBo, 2940AU Scsi with 32xReader and 4x4x16 Writer, Jaz and Zip, Card Cooler.

3DMark99 800x600 = 5765
Quake 2 Timedemo2 = 103.9 fps

[Borg]

Hi !

Are you sure that BUSMASTERING works OK ?

Is your sys 2x AGP ?

Did you try withouth SCISI , try with any EIDE HD just to see if there is a problem between SCISI & G400 ?

Did your MBO bios upgraded to LATEST rev.?

You should REINSTAL your WIN95/98 (format C: ofcourse) with only G400 & SCISI without SB, MODEM , PRINTER, or other,THEN install DX6.1 , install your favorit games , try it..if ewerything is OK start to add other components for exemp.S.Blaster , try game again when you encounter trouble ..than you have your critical device..

I would start withouth SCISI HD or any SCISI device just in case...

good luck

------------------
PIII450@465,P2b,128mb,Matrox Mill-G400 32SH,SB.Live !(value)...

[IceStorm]

Get a new motherboard - a Soyo 6BA+ rev III, or an Asus P2B/P3B. Obviously, your Abit board doesn't work with the G400.

There's one other option to PROVE it's the motherboard - UNDERCLOCK your board's Front Side Bus to 50Mhz, instead of the regular 66Mhz

If everything works with the board set to 50Mhz, then there's a pretty good chance that there's something wrong with the Abit's AGP implementation.

If it works at 50Mhz, then at least you know that it's a hardware problem, and you need a new motherboard.

Just my $0.02

P.S. Just re-read your post. You say you underclocked your CPU. If you set your FSB to 50Mhz, and it didn't work, you're pretty much SOL. Go get a new board, like a Soyo or an Asus.

------------------
Primary System: PIII-540 (450@4.5x120), Soyo 6BA+ III, 2x128MB PC100 ECC SDRAM CAS2, G400 MAX in multi-monitor mode. V2 SLI rig. Two Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 900u monitors, 3Com 3C905, SoundBlaster Live!, DeskTop Theater DTT2500 DIGITAL Speaker System (Sweeeeeet!), WD AC41800 18GB HD, WD AC310100 10GB HD, Toshiba SD-M1212 6x DVD-ROM, HP 8100i CD-RW, Epson Stylus Pro, OptiUPS PowerES 650, MS SideWinder Precision Pro USB joystick, Logitech 3-button mouse, Mitsumi keyboard, Win98 SE, Belkin OmniCube 4-port KVM, 10/100 5-port Linksys Ethernet switch (30~40MB/min under Win98SE)

Secondary System: PII-266, Asus P2B BIOS 1008, 1x128MB PC100 ECC SDRAM CAS2, Millennium II, 3Com 3C590, ADSL Modem 640kbit down/90kbit up, 3Com 3C509, Mylex BT-930 SCSI card, Seagate 2GB Hawk, NEC 6x CD-ROM, Linux distro S.u.S.E. 6.1 (IP Masquerade works!), Sharp JX-9400 LJ-II compatible

Tertiary System: DFI G568IPC Intel 430HX chipset, P200MMX, 4x64MB EDO Parity RAM, Millennium II, Intel Pro/100+ client NIC, SoundBlaster 16 MCD, Fujitsu 3.5GB HD, WD 1.2GB HD, Creative Dxr3 DVD decoder card, Hitachi GD-2500 6x DVD-ROM, Win98 SE

All specs subject to change.



[This message has been edited by IceStorm (edited 25 October 1999).]

[shadow]

IceStorm, how can I downclock my FSB to 50Mhz if the lowest value in BIOS is 66Mhz?

Nevermind that anyway, I will go to my friend and check something else. I will connect my HDD & G400 with his computer and if it works - I have to change motherboard (ABIT) or graphic card. If not, I will reinstall my Windows 98.


shadow

[Ant]

Do you have a network card installed in your system?

[IceStorm]

You could try setting your FSB to 66Mhz, and your AGP clock divider to 2/3. That'll yield an AGP bus speed of about 44Mhz.

I don't know if running the AGP bus below the FSB speed causes problems for AGP or not, but it's worth a shot.

Just my $0.02

[Snake-Eyes]

Two questions for you- what size is your virtual memory set to?, and is your CD/DVD-ROM drive set up to use DMA?

Either or both of those can cause the symptoms you're reporting in games, ie.: the pause every so often. BTW- if you happen to have a music CD loaded, look out! My wife has a habit of doing that in my system, and while it's not too big a deal (DMA set helps), I can still see the difference.

Too little virtual memory can cause frequent swaps to and from the hard drive, especially if you're running other apps in the background (MS Office's Find Fast is notorious for this).

Sorry, but those are the only things I can think of at the moment, based on the information you've given us so far. I do know that unless there's a problem with the motherboard, you should be able to figure this one out (you did say that you tried the G400 in your friend's comp with no problems, so that, to me, eliminates the card itself). I have the older BH6 rev. 1.0, which I'm no longer using. When I was, I didn't have the same problems, but that's just a generic instance.

Good luck!

------------------
Ace