Topic: how do i fix this 5970? (Read 1502 times)
Owned quite a few 5970s. Not uncommon for one of the cores to die prematurely, leaving the other intact or gimped. Try mining with each core at a time and I'll guess one core may work just great at whatever clock settings you're using and another core will insta-crash the machine.
Hey Thanks again SuperFastKyle and everyone else. I will try to mine each gpu core and see what happens. I had them each mining at a very very low setting earlier, so maybe I have a full core and a partial still. Are vrm's diagnosable and/or replacable ?
Back to my original post, bad vrm's. I know thats not what you want to hear but you can get away with a failing voltage regulation system because of the much lower frequency in 2d mode and much more headroom on your voltage. When its failing the ripple is so bad (at stock 3d clocks) that the card will crash instantly like its overclocked way too much. Try it on just core 1 and just on core 2. If it doesn't mine just one core at a time, either ebay it or maybe sell it to AndrewK here on the forums.
update:
I hooked it up to a different system today. The psu was a good 1000w seasonic and all cables snapped tight into place.
With this as the only card on the system, it booted into windows. Windows 7 recognized it as two 5870 halves in device manager but once I started cgminer it went all berzerk again, black screening and fans to the max. The problem hits instantly once stock non-2d settings are called upon.
Does anyone have other ideas what has caused this, and/or more possible fixes ?
update:
I hooked it up to a different system today. The psu was a good 1000w seasonic and all cables snapped tight into place.
With this as the only card on the system, it booted into windows. Windows 7 recognized it as two 5870 halves in device manager but once I started cgminer it went all berzerk again, black screening and fans to the max. The problem hits instantly once stock non-2d settings are called upon.
Does anyone have other ideas what has caused this, and/or more possible fixes ?
update:
I hooked it up to a different system today. The psu was a good 1000w seasonic and all cables snapped tight into place.
With this as the only card on the system, it booted into windows. Windows 7 recognized it as two 5870 halves in device manager but once I started cgminer it went all berzerk again, black screening and fans to the max. The problem hits instantly once stock non-2d settings are called upon.
Does anyone have other ideas what has caused this, and/or more possible fixes ?
Seeing that the card was good until recently, I doubt this helps. But there is a known issue with some 5xxx cards(I have experienced it myself) with the memory voltage dropping and spiking to quick, and basically giving out grey/red/black screens.
The easy fix, which isn't a sure-fire bet, would be to use triXX to "Force constant voltage".
update:
I hooked it up to a different system today. The psu was a good 1000w seasonic and all cables snapped tight into place.
With this as the only card on the system, it booted into windows. Windows 7 recognized it as two 5870 halves in device manager but once I started cgminer it went all berzerk again, black screening and fans to the max. The problem hits instantly once stock non-2d settings are called upon.
Does anyone have other ideas what has caused this, and/or more possible fixes ?
and when all else fails, you could try the bake method and cross yer fingers...if ya can't use the card no hurt in trying...and if it still doesn't work just sell it on fleabay 
I had a 5970 that was very very picky on the clocks it would mine with...not as low as yours, but i had a feeling it was on its way out the door so i sold it and let someone else worry about it
i fully disclosed all the info i had on the card of course...
Good Luck
I had a 5970 that was very very picky on the clocks it would mine with...not as low as yours, but i had a feeling it was on its way out the door so i sold it and let someone else worry about it
i fully disclosed all the info i had on the card of course...Good Luck
If you are using PCI-X risers check those, this is what caused my problems. Clean your card cooler there are some good guides on ifixit google it.
Try another PSU just to be sure
The red light comes on when there isn't sufficient power to use the card. My guess would be a failing voltage regulator. It could also possibly be a bad cable/connector so check that first. Make sure all pins are still getting good contact with the power connectors on your video card. But more than likely you would need to replace the mosfets on the card. You may be able to mine on just one core without fixing it though
One night last week my sole 5970 stopped mining. It immediately locks the pc , ignites a red led, and spins the fans to max but only if i go 3d or mine. I can still use it 2d/desktop fine. I have it on a 1000w PS that has no problem running two other cards and has run all 3 for over a year. I -can- mine with it only if i set the clocks incredibly low, like 300/300 for both cores, which is useless. If I go above 300/300 once temperatures reach 70 the system blacks out and fans spin crazy again. I have tried the card in different pcie slots, removed and carefully replugged the power cables to it multiple times, and even checked the thermal paste- which was fine. Trixx and afterburner both see the expected two parts of the 5970 though trixx sometimes wont change settings on the 2nd because it says the card has ulps. With ulps set off and both parts changable the problem is still the same. Running the fan faster has no effect as at regular mining settings the lockup/max fan occurs instantly every time.
Any ideas what has happened to this card and/or how to fix it ?
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