Need help with GTX 260 going half speed

[GammelMan]

Hello,

I've now got a ASUS ENGTX260 (as I wrote in an earlier post), but it is generating unexpectedly low PPDs. It gets 2000-2500 PPDs, while my older 8800GT gives me 3000-4000 PPDs (across several different projects). So obviously I'm doing something wrong and need help.

My setup is:
GPU: Asus ENGTX260 896MB
MB: Asus P5Q Pro
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7300
RAM: Corsair 4GB (2x2) XMS2 DDR2 PC6400
PSU: Corsair 550W
OS: Windows XP 32-bit
Client: Console, v6.23

I've tried with drivers 178.28, 180.60 and am now running on 180.84, but the result is always the same. According to NVTools the GPU is running around 45-49% at about 60C. CPU load when running only GPU console client is negligible.

For some reason GPU is only running at about half speed.

Anyone got some hints as to where I should start looking for errors? Or is there something I have missed that applies to a 260 that does not apply to my older 8800GT? Any ideas welcome

[Ren02]

What does GPU-Z tell you? Are the shaders running at full speed?

[GammelMan]

What does GPU-Z tell you? Are the shaders running at full speed?

GPU-Z sensors says that GPU Core Clock = 576MHZ and GPU Memory Clock = 999MHZ.
No sensors for shaders, but says that default clock is 1242MHz.

[Hyperlife]

Are you running the 8800GT and the Asus GPU on the same motherboard at the same time? If so, there is a known problem where a second card will not fold at full speed if the two cards don't have equal numbers of shaders.

[GammelMan]

Are you running the 8800GT and the Asus GPU on the same motherboard at the same time? If so, there is a known problem where a second card will not fold at full speed if the two cards don't have equal numbers of shaders.

Sorry for being unclear, the 8800GT is in another computer, the 260GTX is all alone in the PC specced above.

[Ren02]

Damn, no idea what could be the problem.
I replaced my 9800GTX+ with GTX260 and everything just worked. I'm using Vista on that particular machine though.

Are you by any chance running another client on that dual-core? SMP can choke the GPU quite easily.

[Leonardo]

SMP can choke the GPU quite easily.

Not with drivers 180.60/70 or 180.84. Yes, I've tested all those drivers on several machines, all of which are running multi-GPU plus SMP.

[GammelMan]

Are you by any chance running another client on that dual-core? SMP can choke the GPU quite easily.

Nope, nothing is running on the CPUs.

However, I just discovered that somehow the GPU seems to be down-clocking itself. For some reason it changes itself to:
GPU Core Clock = 300MHZ
GPU Memory Clock = 100 MHZ
SHaders = 600 MHZ

GPU-Z, NVTools and Riva tuner are all reporting it. I can change it back via Riva tuner, but after a while it's been downclocked again. According to Fahmon, the current WU will take 18hours, which shouldn't happen on a 260.

Is there any way I can figure out what the **** is going on?

[Leonardo]

I don't know what your knowledge and experience levels are, so please excuse me if I seem condescending:

Check the performance/device settings in NV Tools. Do you perhaps have a profile set for a previous video card? Set it to default. Ensure that you don't have any profiles checked to run at start up. If that still does not fix the problem, I suggest uninstalling Nvidia System Tools. You can still access video card settings (except clock settings) through advanced settings after right click on the desktop. If you still have problems, install Riva Tuner and manually set the clock to the 'default' values.

You may have remnants of old video drivers in the computer that are conflicting with the newer ones, but I've never heard of that downclocking a video card.

[HD580]

The GTX 260 has 3 modes. 2D mode where it down clocks to 300/600/100 for power saving, they claim only 25 watts power use. Low power 3d mode/dvd mode 400/800/300. And performance 3d mode which are the stock clocks of the card. The card should not be dropping down to the lower clocks when under load. I am using 2 monitors and due to the limited features of the 180.60 drivers the card will not down clock until the OS shuts off the monitors. But, while GPU folding the card does not down clock after the OS shuts off the monitors.
I did experience an unwelcome down clock when I overclocked my GTX260 too far and the GPU dropped its clocks and switched to low power 3d mode as some sort of protective countermeasure. It was determined to stay at these clocks, rivatuner would not change the clocks and a reboot was the only way to get the card back to the normal speeds.
I would try pressing the "Restore defaults" button in the driver customization toolbar of rivatuner.
Since you switched cards removing rivatuner, nvtools, and the drivers then reinstalling them might remedy possible conflicts.

[GammelMan]

UPDATE: I have installed Vista, but still running on same Nvidia driver levels, and now at least the downclocking is gone. GPU is keeping the same clock all the time, not switching down. NVtools still says it's running at 49%, but at least it's clock stable. Don't know why, but Vista seems to be better for this kind of job.
By overclocking it I can make a frame in about 2 minutes, still too slow I think, but...

Talked to Asus support, and they say that "The card goes into a power saving mode, when not using 3D application, when playing a 3D game, the card will start running at full speed."
I was hoping that the Folding client would somehow trick the card into going into 3D mode, but maybe there is some kind of hack that can be made, I'm gonna start looking.

Currently, fully overclocked my GTX 260 is slightly slower than my older 8800GT in another box

[lobuxracer]

I am having the exact same problem with my GT280. It started after installing 180.60 CUDA drivers. So, uninstall Riva & drivers and re-install to "fix" this?

[scubascythan]

Try disabling screensaver, my 260 used to downclock too until I found this solution.

[orion]

@ GammelMan: on your XP installation did you have SP3 installed?

@ lobuxracer & scubascythan : kind of the same question. Are you running Vista or XP? And if XP is SP3 installed?

[lobuxracer]

XP32 SP3. I turned off the screensaver entirely yesterday and it's been running full speed without issues since. I just turn the monitor off now.