HD 6950 crossfire problem with drivers

[antony209494]

Sorry if I am tiring you with this issue...I recently got an reference unlocked sapphire hd 6950 with a non reference (not unlocked) power color 6950 for crossfire.

The problem is that I can't enable crossfire with any newer driver than 12.10.In fact I get a video TDR failure BSOD when I try to enable it if I had installed the drivers with the crossfire bridge OFF.On the other hand the system freezes on AMD display driver if I install with the crossfire bridge on.I tried with 13.1 and every beta released after it.

I even formated twice and tried with a clean install of Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit and Win 8 PRo 64 bit again.Same problems (except in Win7 the install was successful with the bridge on and the BSOD came on startup resulting in restart loops).Tried both with stock and updated mobo drivers too.Also switched the sapphire back to it's stock Bios and defaulted all clock,memory and other settings from Vision Engine Control Center for both cards but still nothing.

Here is a previous thread (please don't suggest anything that has already been said:means read it):

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180119

Basically I am stuck with 12.10 if I want crossfire but new games (crysis 3,tomb raider etc) had various problems with 12.10 which is why I want to update so bad=to play them smoothly.Is it a problem I have to solve or I just have to wait for a working driver release from AMD (if there will be any at all)?

 

[Law-II]

Hi

Look here - http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticle...TIKMDAGhasstoppedrespondingerrormessages.aspx

Report issue to the AMD Driver Team here - http://www.amdsurveys.com/se.ashx?s=5A1E27D20B2F3ECF

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff557263(v=vs.85).aspx

atb (all the best)

Law-II

 

[antony209494]

Hi

Look here - http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticle...TIKMDAGhasstoppedrespondingerrormessages.aspx

Report issue to the AMD Driver Team here - http://www.amdsurveys.com/se.ashx?s=5A1E27D20B2F3ECF

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff557263(v=vs.85).aspx

atb (all the best)

Law-II

Thanks for trying to help again although none of these things worked.I already have reported the issue twice to AMD.I guess I have to wait for a proper driver but will there be one at all?All after 12.10 seem to cause this problem and I doubt AMD will spend much time troubleshooting for the HD 6 series right now.

 

[Aquinus]

You know, I was having a little trouble with my 6870s in crossfire a month ago. Ever since I installed one of the 13.3 beta drivers, it has been running flawlessly.

 

[RCoon]

I had nothing but problems with all 13.2 drivers, even some 13.1's, but base 13.1 and 13.3 beta solved all my crossfire problems.

 

[Fatal]

I'm using 12.11 I would get newer but have not seen a real reason to update. I am on Windows 7 though so maybe that's the issue.

 

[manofthem]

Have you tried making sure original bioses are on both of the cards, meaning without any unlocks? Perhaps you have a bios switch to flip and can give it a whirl like that.

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

I have crossfired 6850's. I have tried the 13.x drivers and they all don't work right for me. I have stuck with my trusty 12.6's and they work flawless.

 

[antony209494]

Have you tried making sure original bioses are on both of the cards, meaning without any unlocks? Perhaps you have a bios switch to flip and can give it a whirl like that.

Yes as I said before I did try that with the sapphire.The power color never actually unlocked.But it seems that AMD has done something with the new drivers and results in this problem.

Also:How can I get 12.11 (was this a beta?) and where to download previous betas generally?

 

[antony209494]

I have crossfired 6850's. I have tried the 13.x drivers and they all don't work right for me. I have stuck with my trusty 12.6's and they work flawless.

When you say they don't work right you mean you can't even enable crossfire like me or just problems in general?

 

[manofthem]

Yes as I said before I did try that with the sapphire.The power color never actually unlocked.But it seems that AMD has done something with the new drivers and results in this problem.

Also:How can I get 12.11 (was this a beta?) and where to download previous betas generally?

You can download the 12.11b11 here

 

[antony209494]

You can download the 12.11b11 here

Thanks.I'll see if they work.But how did you find download links to previous beta drivers (google?).From navigating the AMD driver site I can only find the latest beta.

 

[brandonwh64]

Hmm I have 6950's Xfired and use the 13.2 beta 4's

 

[RCoon]

Thanks.I'll see if they work.But how did you find download links to previous beta drivers (google?).From navigating the AMD driver site I can only find the latest beta.

Google what you want, and it will provide

 

[antony209494]

Beta 12.11 b11 DIDN'T work too.Trying to download other betas from 12.11 now.I'll post back.

 

[brandonwh64]

The best driver for 6950's xfired is 11.11C

Test it out

http://www2.ati.com/drivers/hotfix/catalyst_11.11_hotfixes/amd_catalyst_11.11c_windows_vista_7.exe

 

[antony209494]

The best driver for 6950's xfired is 11.11C

Test it out

http://www2.ati.com/drivers/hotfix/catalyst_11.11_hotfixes/amd_catalyst_11.11c_windows_vista_7.exe

Whaaaa?Going back a year in drivers!!The problem is to install a driver after 12.10 that will work with crossfire not to downgrade to year old drivers to get it working.If I just want to get it working I can use 12.10 but I want to take advantage of the new drivers!

 

[cadaveca]

Whaaaa?Going back a year in drivers!!The problem is to install a driver after 12.10 that will work with crossfire not to downgrade to year old drivers to get it working.If I just want to get it working I can use 12.10 but I want to take advantage of the new drivers!

Then you install the older drivers, with just the AMD CAP from the new driver. If that fails, then you're SOL. I think there is probably some other software problem or something causing your problems though.

 

[antony209494]

Can someone give me links again for any of the following:

12.11 BETA8
12.11 BETA7
12.11 BETA6
12.11 BETA

I can't download them from the AMD site!

 

[cadaveca]

Can someone give me links again for any of the following:

12.11 BETA8
12.11 BETA7
12.11 BETA6
12.11 BETA

I can't download them from the AMD site!

Not all betas were released to the public. Beta6 and Beta7 you might find here on TPU in the downloads section. If not, I have them, so they gotta be available somewhere.

BETA6:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175155

 

[antony209494]

Then you install the older drivers, with just the AMD CAP from the new driver. If that fails, then you're SOL. I think there is probably some other software problem or something causing your problems though.

I said I formated twice and tried both 7 and 8 64-bit.What software problem could it be after 2 clean installs with different OSs?AMD just changed something in one driver release and caused this problem for all the next releases and I am trying to find just what that driver was.

 

[brandonwh64]

Here is a search on our forums from when BTA announced BETA drivers. Some of the download links should work.

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/search.php?searchid=17241943

 

[cadaveca]

I said I formated twice and tried both 7 and 8 64-bit.What software problem could it be after 2 clean installs with different OSs?AMD just changed something in one driver release and caused this problem for all the next releases and I am trying to find just what that driver was.

AMD changed MANY things in many driver releases. Most notably in 12.4(changing main driver base code, and CCC, making tools like RacerX mod not work), and then in 13.1(getting rid of the CAP profile system).

That's why I blame software in your situation.


I have had Crossfire enabling cause BSOD...and when I get back into OS, everything is working as it should. It sounds like, to me, that you are not installing both cards at the same time, and they end up with different drivers. This causes the problems you report. If you have both cards installed when installing OS, then there might be something else afoot, like the BIOSes from each card not liking each other. In this instance, I'd flash the same BIOS to both cards(assuming both are reference).

 

[antony209494]

AMD changed MANY things in many driver releases. Most notably in 12.4(changing main driver base code, and CCC, making tools like RacerX mod not work), and then in 13.1(getting rid of the CAP profile system).

That's why I blame software in your situation.


I have had Crossfire enabling cause BSOD...and when I get back into OS, everything is working as it should. It sounds like, to me, that you are not installing both cards at the same time, and they end up with different drivers. This causes the problems you report. If you have both cards installed when installing OS, then there might be something else afoot, like the BIOSes from each card not liking each other. In this instance, I'd flash the same BIOS to both cards(assuming both are reference).

I did install Windows with both cards installed.Before that I messed around with the powercolor's bios trying to unlock it and I couldn't.Then I flashed back the original bios in both slots (both for position 1 and 2).And unfortunately they are not both reference,only the sapphire is so I can't flash them both the same BIOS either.But if that was the problem,as you put it the bioses "not liking each other" then why does it work with 12.10?Shouldn't it fail there too then?

 

[antony209494]

UPDATE:12.11 b 6 didn't work too.I found 3 and 4 in the TPU downloads section.I'll test and post back.