Topic: OFFICIAL CGMINER mining software thread for linux/win/osx/mips/arm/r-pi 4.11.0 - page 608. (Read 5806103 times)

After running for about 10 mins, I'm getting ~51 MH/s with the changes instead of ~56 MH/s without on my Mobility Radeon 5650. (I tried both versions of the kernel with the current git master, so that other changes wouldn't falsify the results.)

I'm using cgminer 2.3.1-2 on Windows, and can't get Catalyst 12.2 or later to work with phatk kernel and SDK 2.1. The setup that's working best for me currently is Catalyst 12.1 + SDK 2.1 with the following settings:

"gpu-memclock" : "450",
"gpu-platform" : "1",
"gpu-threads" : "1",
"kernel" : "phatk",
"intensity" : "6",
"vectors" : "2",
"worksize" : "256"

This gets me about 375-380MH/s with a 5870 at stock speed (850MHz). Note that I'm using gpu-platform to select SDK 2.1. Just to clarify, I first install Catalyst 12.1 in express mode, then SDK 2.1. After installing SDK 2.1 cgminer -n shows the additional platform.

There seems to be a problem with Catalyst 12.2 and 12.3, though. I can install either of those + SDK 2.1, and still seem to get the desired hashrate. But no shares are ever submitted! I've tried this a few times now, and cgminer consistently shows the expected hashrate with zero accepted shares. The first time I ran cgminer for a whole night on one rig, and only discovered the problem after looking at my pool stats. Deleting the bin files doesn't help.

It's easy to return to Catalyst 12.1 to get everything working again (already done), but I'd like to have the latest drivers for gaming. If I don't select the SDK at all when installing Catalyst 12.3, and then install SDK 2.4 or 2.5, I still get lower hashrates with underclocked memory. The best I've managed to reach using just Catalyst 12.3 and the included SDK is 365-370MH/s, using diablo kernel. That's close to but still lower than the expected 375-380MH/s. If I'm doing something wrong and diablo should be just as fast as phatk for a 5870, please point that out.

Should phatk + SDK 2.4 or 2.5 have problems with underclocked memory? Does anyone successfully mine with Catalyst 12.2 or later and SDK 2.1, on Windows?

Thanks very much.

Good job, I'm glad to report zero performance loss on either VLIW-4 or VLIW-5 cards.

The bad news is, there's no noticeable gain either - I believe at this stage it would take no less than three 8-level wizards, an ancient grimoire, a bucket of cat blood and a slew of minor magical odds and ends to boost the hash rate.
At least git update 532179b24d made the code more elegant...

I sure hope you guys deleted the .bin files before doing this "testing" with the new kernels / drivers

Just stating the obvious here

Thanks.

Finally upgraded to linux 12.3 driver. This one isn't as shit as 12.2 which was making my 7970 die. No difference to performance (as it is the identical 898.1 SDK) so a safe choice for GCN users.

will try when I get home...

I've made a couple of what I believe to be low-risk changes to the phatk kernel in the git tree. Given how precarious this kernel has shown to be in the past, I would like it if someone has an R5xxx card and runs from git could please git it a try and confirm no loss of hashrate. Thanks.

Created a poll about a change to cgminer ... if anyone is interested

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/small-change-of-cgminer-screen-display-and-api-display-74532

Thanks, but seeing as this is my main computer, I want a fully functioning operating system.

Heh I don't have room to stuff a fan over that.

The PSU I actually am still happy with now even though it failed. It was an OCZ gold 1250W and it was pulling about 1300W for about 7 months. It went poof on fan spin-up as well.

Use the xubuntu install (to HDD) in my sig
I'm still using Xubuntu 11.04 which is SDK 2.4 and Driver 11.6? (well it is either 11.4 or 11.6 not 100% sure which it is coz ATI had 2 different driver numbers for linux and windows back then)
Unless you have a new 7 series ATI card use "old reliable"

Con, you might be interested in P4man's solution. Fastening the fan with duct tape won't void your warranty.

BTW, whatever did happen to that PSU of yours? Feel like sharing some data points? What make and model was it? What load did it typically pull?
Oftentimes, glitches at the production plant like solder points with inadequate amount of solder won't be severe enough to render the device completely inoperable but they will make themselves known (perhaps even with a bang and some fireworks) as the load increases.

GPU mining sure can be exciting. I had a reference fan on one of my sapphire 6970s fail in spectacular fashion last night. About 1/8th of the blades came flying off into the GPU and then it seized. The GPU still works but obviously won't cool so I can't mine with it. It happened on start up when the fans spin up abruptly to 85% so I've reluctantly relinquished that default speed now to a much gentler 50% on autofan startup and autofan management should be fast enough to raise it if necessary. It's still under warranty, and at least the rest of the machine is still running so nothing like the PSU drama I had and the mobo one before it. Sheesh...

OS X has always been great for me. It's just that I lose about 100 MH/s per card when I try to mine with it.

I just have the one miner. I try to keep it up-to-date just to satisfy my own paranoia.

If Windows falls flat on its face and Ubuntu dies in pain, what makes you think that the faildrivers won't take down OS X just as easily?

You need to learn some basic sysadmin tactics: never-ever deploy untested updates on production machines.
Your miners are your production machines, leave good enough alone - find a working driver/sdk combo and do yourself the favor of never touching it without a very good reason.

I've once seen my Debian systems "lose" the AMD driver following a slew of system updates. Fglrx module could no longer be found, manual reinstallation of the driver package helped.

Yeah. Second time this has happened since I switched to Ubuntu. So it's either boot fails on Ubuntu or registry corruption BSoDs on Windows. Why can't OS X be more efficient at mining? Ugh.

Welcome to the AMD fail wagon 

Well, I tried installing 12.1/2.5, but now my computer won't boot past the Ubuntu loading screen. Kinda considering just going back to Windows now.

That's because you're thinking "update" means better... I wish the world was like that. Likely xorg had some update which made the AMD driver weirdness become even weirder, or you got yourself a new AMD driver in the process.