HD4870 Furmark black screen crash.

mat9v said:

Try Ati tool artifact scanner for a few hours.

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I would highly recommend NOT doing that unless you take pleasure out of torturing your video cards. If you want to see if things are stable, try running some of your favorite games for a week or so...

Pleasure, yesssss
But seriously dnottis did not report any other problems then this one with Furmark and I only pointed that Fmark is unstable on it's own. As Furmark is a stability test (mostly used that way) I recomended other tool to test with. Torturing your card while pleasurable is also a way to ensure stability. It's hard to find a game that will push hardware as far as those tests. For example my stable Crysis speed is 845Mhz while Ati tool shows artifacts (<5 pixels) at 840. Also looking at temperatures while gameing and testing, games run cooler for my hardware. CF testing is another thing since most tools of that king do not work on both GPUs. But still there are ways

erocker said:

I would highly recommend NOT doing that unless you take pleasure out of torturing your video cards. If you want to see if things are stable, try running some of your favorite games for a week or so...

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I definately agree with this comment. Running the Fuzzy Cube or FurMark will do some heavy loading, and some serious torture will ensue. Like erocker said, try gaming for a week or so, crank up the goodies, and just enjoy what you have...if you start having issues, then back to square one on the diagnosis of the issue.

mat9v said:

It's hard to find a game that will push hardware as far as those tests.

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That's true, I can play Crysis at 860GPU but furmark crashes at 825. Hell I can even bench at 880GPU but not furmark, my PC will probably spontaneously self-combust at that speed!

Well on my x1950xtx and 1950pro's the VRM's would get insanely hot, around those temps, mostly during OC time though. I was told on both that it was NORMAL operation for the design of those cards, I can only assume it's just how the ATI designs work. I never really paid much attention to VRM temps on generations after my 1950's, but it seems not much has changed on the temps of them. I would say they must be doing something right though as it seems if the temp load of them is still there, yet the cards are still functioning and getting the job done.

I don't know how much voltage the cooling fan could really be holding back, but if it's something serious enough it's suggested to be removed...that just seems a little shady imo...but you tried it and noticed no difference.

I would say don't worry too much, even if Everest is correct...ATI has dealt with this for generations of cards, so I'm sure the PCB and components were tested to handle this load...whether or not it donates to the HD4xxx failures I've seen in other threads in this and other forums I dunno...but like I said my 1950 cards both had the same issue, but both are still working to this day!

Just go game and enjoy your card man! Furmark is hardcore on loading your GPU and it's components, so you should expect some pretty high temps and straining results from it. But in real-world activity and gaming I think you'll be A-OK! If you keep digging though, I'm interested in your results and I'm sure many other users are too!

dnottis said:

Well I got an RMA #, Im wondering if I should just RMA it for another card or not.

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That's up to you, you can try with another card and see what happens...I say if it worked fine in everything else, odds are you're okay. But if your gut feeling says RMA, then you might as well see what the replacement does for ya!

If you already have the RMA# though, might as well go through with it...no sense in crying wolf when no wolf is around right? I've read of quite a few users RMA'ing 48xx series, so you should be alright there...as-far-as if you have a severe issue or not, hard saying...but if it was doing what you say in other games, programs, I'd definately say go for it!

If you do go through with it, I do hope that your replacement meets your expectations man!

Hey just a small screenshot of my temps while playing Crysis. Small overclock at default voltages.

Link to full size image by chance? it's tough to make out those temp variables...

Sorry Photobucket allows 1MB images only so my original .png image got resized. Resaved as .jpg It's correct now.

mat9v said:

Hey just a small screenshot of my temps while playing Crysis. Small overclock at default voltages.

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Techpowerup has free image hosting. Use that.

Ok, everest shows my VRM's to be cooler than my GPU. I now am sure that everest is wrong.

I like to keep all my images in one place Since I post in a lot of forums I just link files. Just forgot about that limitation, most times there is no need to worry about that because desktop shots compress well Crysis screenshot on the other hand did not. So had to use .jpg

The stock heatsink doesn't cover it so I doubt it needs sinking.

I had the same problem with Furmark crashing on my HD4870. I'm absolutely certain that it's not the card being faulty, but rather that Furmark doesn't run properly with certain cards in the HD48xx series.

I'm using an Thermalright HR-03 GT, and I put heatsinks on every chip, mosfet, and resistor I could. Using a total of five 120mm fans on it didn't stem Furmark from crashing. One LED will light up on the back of the card, and I am forced to turn off the computer. Turning it back on resets the LEDs, and everything works fine again.

I even underclocked and undervolted the 3D settings for the HD4870, and the same problem would arise.

Absolutely no game I play ever had problems with instability/artifacts, and temperatures were always very good on the GPU, memory, and VRMs.

It is a bit disconcerting that Furmark won't run properly, but it's just as easy to just forget it and not use the program.

If you RMA the card, chances are good you may just get another HD4870 that doesn't play nice with Furmark...

I've seen a number of other people on various forums who have had problems with HD4870's and Furmark, so it's not an isolated incident...

nafets said:

I had the same problem with Furmark crashing on my HD4870. I'm absolutely certain that it's not the card being faulty, but rather that Furmark doesn't run properly with certain cards in the HD48xx series.

I'm using an Thermalright HR-03 GT, and I put heatsinks on every chip, mosfet, and resistor I could. Using a total of five 120mm fans on it didn't stem Furmark from crashing. One LED will light up on the back of the card, and I am forced to turn off the computer. Turning it back on resets the LEDs, and everything works fine again.

I even underclocked and undervolted the 3D settings for the HD4870, and the same problem would arise.

Absolutely no game I play ever had problems with instability/artifacts, and temperatures were always very good on the GPU, memory, and VRMs.

It is a bit disconcerting that Furmark won't run properly, but it's just as easy to just forget it and not use the program.

If you RMA the card, chances are good you may just get another HD4870 that doesn't play nice with Furmark...

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Good input and welcome to TPU

furmark runs flawlessly on my 4870... mines a sapphire.
I installed mine was shocked at the idle and load temps standard with the card so now i run my fan at 45% constantly...

no problems and been up and running for 2-3 weeks now

dnottis said:

Have any of you guys tried sinking the VRM control chip(VT1165MF)? Maybe that is where the VRM temp is coming from in Everest -

http://en.expreview.com/2008/06/24/first-review-hd-4870-and-hd-4850/4/

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i sinked mine. but i've decide fur just dont play nice. sometimes i can complete a run sometimes not. so i've given up on fur. however i can game at 830mhz core for hours with no plroblems. i'll dl everest in a minute and check vrm temp.


By rangerone7669, shot with Photosmart M415 at 2008-07-25


By rangerone7669, shot with Photosmart M415 at 2008-07-25

Just thought I'd chime in a bit more...

dnottis said:

Good post -
1. I still dont like seeing 125C on the VRM temp.

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My temps during Furmark before it crashes are just as horrid, regardless of how much cooling I throw at the card. This has to be some error with how the card is reacting to intense 3D programs like Furmark, ATI Tool.....etc. The temps just never get that high while gaming, which is what matters most to me. I don't play Furmark. As long as the games run fine, I can live with it...

2. Furmark wont run more than a minute and RTHDRIBL did the same after about 10 mins.

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For me it's Furmark and the ATI Tool artifact tester, which give my HD4870 fits. Rthdribl runs fine, for some strange reason.

3. I am still in my RMA window - I have the RMA that is valid for 10 days. I thought about getting my money and going back to Nvidia.

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I was a bit disturbed about this overheating with Furmark, and I looked around for other options. I actually picked up a fairly cheap GTX 260 and found that while it was performing just about the same as the HD4870 in certain games (running various benchmarks), the HD4870 felt smoother while in-game. The HD4870 ran cooler and quieter (obviously because of the aftermarket cooling). Furmark and the ATI Tool artifact tester ran fine on the 260, which was nice, but temps in game were a bit higher and it wasn't very quiet. In the end I sold the 260 and stuck with my minimally buggy HD4870.

Im not sure what I want to do - I really want ATI to acknowlege this issue - which they wont, their engineers I have been in contact with keep blaming it on the cooling.

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I read on another forum that a user had this problem and had contacted ATI. Speaking with them he found that they were also able to replicate the problem with an HD4870 and Furmark, but weren't sure of a fix for it, at the moment.

Apparently without the 3 pin fan header connected they don't guarantee it will work properly. (supposedly could draw too much current and of course their cooler cools the right spots... however this happens with the stock cooler too lol) I have connected the 3 pin to the stock fan while using water cooling with the same problem.

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For me the problem also manifests with the stock cooler running at 100%. I also tried plugging in the 3-pin from the stock cooling while running with my HR-03 GT, with no fix. Probably FUD on ATI's part...

I have everything sinked and actively cooled. There is nothing more I can do to try and resolve this. Frustrating.

Bottom line - if the screen goes black there is a problem that needs to be addressed and I dont feel like being a beta tester since I paid $299.

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Yeah, it is a bit of a let down. The HD4870 is such a great card, but little things like this Furmark deal can turn the tide and make you look elsewhere for a video card. I absolutely know the feeling. I guess this is just one of those things with having the latest and greatest PC equipment. It could be that the architecture hasn't been fully tested to the extent that enthusiasts like us would like (extreme 3D loads). It could be something to do with using GDDR5 memory, or the VRMs/circuitry. Who knows. Hopefully with newer PCB revisions of the card or possible driver updates can give us a resolution to this. But until then, we are the guinea pigs with this new tech. Best of luck with whatever path you go, either RMA'ing or trying a different card.........

Great job on the cooler and heatsinks Ranger. Looks great. My setup is just like that with a few more heatsinks though. Lousy Furmark!