NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi screen...

They make noise, too.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

alecmg
Posts: 204
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:56 am
Location: Estonia

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by alecmg » Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:37 am

When I was looking to buy Nvidia videocard I was worried about this problem
But here is a link that looks like a workaround http://www.overclock.net/t/964370/fix-i ... idia-cards

For ati I use Ati tray tools with custom clock profiles for both 2d and 3d so it maintains 2d clocks with two monitors, no problems.

faugusztin
Posts: 450
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:47 am
Location: Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by faugusztin » Thu Apr 12, 2012 6:43 am

It resolves it, sort of. I use that solution, but once in few minutes i get random screen distortions for few miliseconds on my GTX680.

st8ic
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 9:29 am

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by st8ic » Mon May 21, 2012 3:25 pm

I use nVidia Inspector as a fix for this as well, and it works on my 550ti. The only thing is that I have to manually undo it if I want to clock back up for playing games.

CPU actually idles 5 degrees cooler with the video card clocked down. The 550ti is a hot little thing when it's at 900mhz.

Wedge
Posts: 1360
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 10:59 pm
Location: NorthEast Arkansas, USA

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by Wedge » Tue May 29, 2012 7:43 pm

Wow this isn't fixed via the drivers yet? I just bought a *gasp* GTX 480, and now I am hoping my room doesn't heat up from doing dual-display productivity work.

As for those who might be wondering, "why a gtx 480?", I can only say that it is dirt-cheap right now for the performance you get. I think I will be undervolting it to help reduce the temperature.

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by CA_Steve » Tue May 29, 2012 8:21 pm

Wedge wrote:Wow this isn't fixed via the drivers yet? I just bought a *gasp* GTX 480, and now I am hoping my room doesn't heat up from doing dual-display productivity work.

As for those who might be wondering, "why a gtx 480?", I can only say that it is dirt-cheap right now for the performance you get. I think I will be undervolting it to help reduce the temperature.
Buy a dirt-cheaper :D low end card to run the 2nd monitor. That'll save more power than anything you can do with the gtx 480.

Wedge
Posts: 1360
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 10:59 pm
Location: NorthEast Arkansas, USA

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by Wedge » Wed May 30, 2012 10:38 am

CA_Steve wrote:
Wedge wrote:Wow this isn't fixed via the drivers yet? I just bought a *gasp* GTX 480, and now I am hoping my room doesn't heat up from doing dual-display productivity work.

As for those who might be wondering, "why a gtx 480?", I can only say that it is dirt-cheap right now for the performance you get. I think I will be undervolting it to help reduce the temperature.
Buy a dirt-cheaper :D low end card to run the 2nd monitor. That'll save more power than anything you can do with the gtx 480.
That's an interesting solution, not to mention a whole lot easier. So, this would ensure that the gtx 480 is not running at full clock speed while in 2d mode?

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by CA_Steve » Wed May 30, 2012 4:02 pm

If you only have 1 monitor plugged into the gtx 480, then it won't go into the squirrely must-protect-gddr5 memory-by-running-at-3d-rates mode. Or, if you had an iGPU, you could use THAT for the 2nd monitor.

Wedge
Posts: 1360
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 10:59 pm
Location: NorthEast Arkansas, USA

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by Wedge » Wed May 30, 2012 4:49 pm

Thanks for the tip. I would much rather do that (buy a 2nd el cheapo fanless card or use iGPU on my next build) than deal with a 3rd party software fix.

This whole thing still seems crazy though, given that this card is 2 years old now. So is there "officially" a driver fix to this that in practice is hit-or-miss, or has Nvidia stated there cannot be a driver fix for this?


edit: One more quick observation. Run and search here in the SPCR video card forum for "gtx 480" it will returns this thread only. This surprised me just a bit. I realize this card is anathema to silent computing, but I have read elsewhere the Zalman VF3000F produces good results.

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by CA_Steve » Wed May 30, 2012 7:13 pm

Wedge wrote:This whole thing still seems crazy though, given that this card is 2 years old now. So is there "officially" a driver fix to this that in practice is hit-or-miss, or has Nvidia stated there cannot be a driver fix for this?
It's apparently all about the design the memory controller and the quirks of GDDR5. AMD and Nvidia both have issues. AMD choses to downclock the core but not the memory, Nvidia just leaves both humming along. I have no idea how the IGPs react...but then, they aren't using GDDR5. Nvidia claims (at least with the 5xx cards) that it does some amount of downclocking if both monitors are exactly the same. I've also seen some better mitigation in the HD7xxx and the 6xx cards as compared to early generations...but they all still suck. :D

HT4U.net and some other sites will list the multimonitor idle power when the cards are reviewed. Here's an example @ HT4U in googlish (below the BD playback chart). Your GTX480 wins!

faugusztin
Posts: 450
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:47 am
Location: Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by faugusztin » Wed May 30, 2012 9:57 pm

It does downclock. My GTX680 with two ZR2740w's is running at idle clocks in Windows with both displays connected using dual link DVI (displays are running at 2560x1440).

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by quest_for_silence » Thu May 31, 2012 7:22 am

faugusztin wrote:It does downclock. My GTX680 with two ZR2740w's is running at idle clocks in Windows with both displays connected using dual link DVI (displays are running at 2560x1440).


And what about your previous state:
faugusztin wrote:It resolves it, sort of. I use that solution, but once in few minutes i get random screen distortions for few miliseconds on my GTX680.


?

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by quest_for_silence » Thu May 31, 2012 7:26 am

Wedge wrote:edit: One more quick observation. Run and search here in the SPCR video card forum for "gtx 480" it will returns this thread only. This surprised me just a bit. I realize this card is anathema to silent computing, but I have read elsewhere the Zalman VF3000F produces good results.
'Cause we prefer GTX 460 SLI: less money, better performance, lower power consumption, and less issues with multi-monitors setup. :wink:

And at any rate, if you look for an aftermarket heatsink, Arctic Cooling is the way to go: get rid of those "useless" Zalmans!

faugusztin
Posts: 450
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:47 am
Location: Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by faugusztin » Thu May 31, 2012 7:26 am

@quest_for_silence : First statement was with :
ZR2740w + LP2475w + GTX570 + NVIDIA Inspector solution

Last statement was with :
2x ZR2740w + GTX680

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by quest_for_silence » Thu May 31, 2012 7:36 am

faugusztin wrote:@quest_for_silence : First statement was with :
ZR2740w + LP2475w + GTX570 + NVIDIA Inspector solution

Last statement was with :
2x ZR2740w + GTX680
Thanks for the very quick answer, faugusztin.

However, I'm still confused as in the "first statement" I read:
faugusztin wrote:i get random screen distortions for few miliseconds on my GTX680.

Probably I'm misinterpreting something...

faugusztin
Posts: 450
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:47 am
Location: Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by faugusztin » Thu May 31, 2012 7:58 am

Ah, then i probably wrote that in short time i had GTX680 without the second ZR2740w. Sorry, didn't check back when i wrote that, i got my second ZR2740w shortly after buying GTX680, so i assumed and didn't check :D.

But the main point is still the same - i had to use NVIDIA Inspector to force low clocks with two different displays (ZR2740w & LP2475w), while with two identical displays (2x ZR2740w) it is not needed.

Edit: Oh yeah, April 12 - that is the one and half weeks when i already had the GTX680, but didn't have the second ZR2740w (i got it at the end of the week after that post). Once more sorry for writing the wrong card in the previous post.

Wedge
Posts: 1360
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 10:59 pm
Location: NorthEast Arkansas, USA

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by Wedge » Thu May 31, 2012 10:37 am

I currently have a 560 Ti installed in the PC that uses 2 monitors. Does the 3-D clock-speed-while-in-desktop exist with this card as well? I guess the answer would have to be yes. It never occurred to me to check until now, but I can't since I am at work.

faugusztin
Posts: 450
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:47 am
Location: Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Re: NVidia GPU always runs full speed when using multi scree

Post by faugusztin » Thu May 31, 2012 11:58 am

Every card does this. Unless you got identical monitors running at identical resolution - then it downclocks.

Post Reply