Random_2 Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Hi Just finished a build for a friend and I'll be darned if I'm not getting a Nvidia pop-up telling me that the video card isn't receiving enough power, and that it's been throttled down. Did have some initial boot problems with this build, but after pulling it apart, and re-installing everything, it seemed fine except I kept getting the "low power to video card message" from Nvidia upon boot. After swapping the PCI-E connectors it seemed to have corrected the problem. Worked great for a day of benchtesting, and gaming. Now for no particular reason, I'm getting the same message upon boot, and the gaming has come to a grinding halt. Have reseated the video card, checked the main power connector to the board, the eight pin connector, and have even plugged in an accessory 4 pin molex 12v to the board which is only supposed to be necessary for dual cards! No change. Have updated the card drivers from both the Nvidia site and also EVGA. No change. I haven't tried swapping PSU's but that seems like a viable option, (if I had one handy). Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliteKiller Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 This is a random compatibility issue that affects various psu's, motherboards, and video cards. Please see this thread and read all of the comments. http://www.asktheramguy.com/v3/showthread.php?t=64885 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employees RAM GUY Posted January 17, 2008 Corsair Employees Share Posted January 17, 2008 So far all the cards that have been posted as having this problem are using the G92 core (8800GT 512MB and 8800GTS 512MB), which consume less power than the older 8800 (GTX, Ultra, GTS 320/640) cards which use the G80 core. We are currently working with Nvidia to find out what might be causing these issues so that we can resolve them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random_2 Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 Thanks Ram Guy I appreciate your fast response both here and through Corsair support. It's a credit to you and the company you work for. This PSU is going back to the supplier, but I don't mind saying that I think this is just one of those engineering flukes, and from what I have been seeing in the forums, it isn't just a Corsair problem. Not by a long shot. Who knows how much of this problem can be attributed to Nvidia? Anyhow, do really really like the Corsair product line, and will definitely continue to support the brand. Cheers, Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employees RAM GUY Posted January 18, 2008 Corsair Employees Share Posted January 18, 2008 Thanks for the reply! We are definitely investigating the issue and trying to find out if there is anything we can do to help resolve it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithkt Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 unfortunately, for my first post, I'm going to have to pile on with the same problem. I'm trying to build two new systems. They are identical. (specs in dropdown) Tried both the 169.06 that came on the disk and the latest 169.28. Updated the motherboard bios and video bios to latest available. System Sentinel insufficient power error on boot of both systems. I've tried swapping motherboards, video cards and power supplies in various combinations between the two, but given that they are identical I did not really expect it to make a difference. I've done a completely fresh install of XP, with nothing more than the video driver installed. Nothing helps. It's clear from googling the problem that no one has a clear picture of what's going on, but the most common solution seems to be a change of the PSU. I think it's reasonable to assume changing PSU's is not a true solution, but rather is working around a compatibility issue. I'm posting here in total desperation, hoping that someone from Corsair has some news on any progress being made to solve the problem. I can't find anything concrete anywhere suggesting that Nvidia has acknowledged a problem even exists. Is there hope of a solution or am I simply going to have to play PSU roulette looking for one that works for me? I can wait if I know something is coming, but the lack of anything official from nvidia is very frustrating. I realize there is a very real probability that this is not really Corsair's problem, but you guys seem to be the most responsive regarding support issues, so I'm hoping you may have something new to share. EDIT TO ADD: I hope I was correct in assuming I should bump an existing post with the same issue rather than starting a new thread. If I am mistaken I apologize in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random_2 Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Hi Smithkt Actually before I even started posting in here and in the EVGA forums I had done a fair amount of checking online. Check out the link below. It may or may not help, and it certainly won't tell you if the GPU, and PSU manufacturers have a solution forthcoming, but you may find it to be of at least some help. Pay attention to what SKYMTL has to say. He's a review editor for Hard ware Canucks, and has tested more PSU's than we'll ever need to see. He's ran across this more than once, and I'm taking his recommendation and returning the Corsair 550vx and ordering the Silverstone OP650. Hopefully the damned thing will work:o: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/power-supplies/4120-corsair-psu-not-enough-power.html Cheers, Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithkt Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Thanks for the link. I read through it. I'd like to hear how that works out for you. In the mean time, I'm going to try to wait a little longer. It took me a while to find the time to put these together, so I'm beyond the point of being able to return the power supplies for a refund. I'd really like to have a more permanent solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employees RAM GUY Posted January 22, 2008 Corsair Employees Share Posted January 22, 2008 Currently I have heard no updates regarding the issue, however when I hear something I will be sure to post it on the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithkt Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Thanks RAM GUY. I'm certainly impressed by your responsiveness even if it has not yet resolved my problem. I have also posted over on the Jonnyguru forums and someone identified as a Corsair rep, using the id Redbeard, has essentially said the same. The worst part here is that I am simply in limbo. I could RMA the power supplies, or the GPUs, or the motherboards, but taken individually, each is likely to be fine. It is likely I would get them back and the combination still wouldn't work. I really don't want to spend the time and money sending things back and forth without a clear idea if it would be helpful. Without a clear cut resolution, even a replacement that works today could fail later. I could shell out the cash for an entirely different supply and still be in the same boat. Perhaps an 620HX or 520HX would work for me, but then again, some have had trouble with those as well. The uncertainty of the whole situation leaves me feeling helpless. Unfortunately, my cash supply is not limitless, so I can't afford to experiment. If only I had access to a selection of PSU's..... Oh well..... I offered to ship the entire set, PSU, GPU and MB to Redbeard if it would help troubleshoot the problem. No response to my offer yet. :) Thanks for letting me vent. I know you guys are trying and it is appreciated. Especially when it may not even be your problem. Hopefully time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff99 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 So I don't have a Corsair PSU so don't flame me here but I have been in contact with my PSU manufacturer and what I was told is it is a timing issue. When the system boots the graphics card tries to detect how much power is coming in over the extra PCIe connector and the timing is off by a few milliseconds so the card doesn't see the amount of power it requires at the right time in the boot cycle, and as such it throttles itself down into a low power state and you see those sentinel messages. Several people have reported good luck with the 167.26 drivers, I cannot personally vouch for them although I plan on trying them tonight when I get home. It seems to me that since so many manufacturers PSU's have this issue, that the issue isn't the PSU it is in the card and Nvidia needs to do something to address it. I am guessing, pure speculation now, that behind the scenes there is a lot of finger pointing going on, but if this does come down to an RMA situation on either card or PSU you can imagine that it is going to cost the industry big time. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithkt Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Just a small follow up. I was able to borrow an Enermax Noistaker II EG425P-VE, 425W supply from my office. This thing claims 20A per +12 rail on a 2 rail setup. It works perfectly. No sentinel warnings after approximately 10 reboots. 3dMark06 scores are now around 11800 instead of 1100 I was getting. I even added two additional 120mm fans, some LEDs for case lighting and an additional 500G Spinpoint. Do I really believe the Corsair is bad? No, I don't. It has to be something in the combination. I can't keep the Enermax, so I'm back to waiting. BTW, griff99, you won't get flamed by me. If even the smallest additional detail such as you have provided leads to a permanent solution, I say post away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employees RAM GUY Posted January 23, 2008 Corsair Employees Share Posted January 23, 2008 To help us try to resolve these issues can you all please give me the following information about your system? Motherboard Make/Model: Motherboard Revision: BIOS Revision: Graphics Card Make/Model: Graphics Card Revison: Graphics Card Firmware: Graphics Card Driver Version: CPU: Power Supply (please include any that you have had the issue with): Operating System: If you do not have all the information that is alright, just give us what you know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff99 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 After a little more digging I found that when I removed my 8600GTS I should have plugged in an 4-pin molex connector to my EVGA 680i motherboard. I don't know if this will solve everyone's problems but now with my Antec TPQ-850, one of the first problem power supplies reported as having an issue, my system is running as it should and dare I say completely normally. I feel pretty dumb. I can't imagine though that everyone who has had this problem made that same mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff99 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Sorry I didn't give it all before... Motherboard Make/Model: EVGA 680i 122-CK-NF68-A1 Motherboard Revision: A2 (according to CPU-Z) BIOS Revision: P31 Graphics Card Make/Model: EVGA 8800GT 512-P3-N801-AR Graphics Card Revison: A2 (Device ID: 10DE-0611 according to GPU-Z) Graphics Card Firmware: 62.92.24.00.01 Graphics Card Driver Version: 169.25 CPU: Intel E6750 Power Supply (please include any that you have had the issue with): Antec TPQ-850 Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit On a side note I booted my system up and the problem was back, however if I immediately shut down, and then power back up within 2-3 seconds the card behaves as it should... very strange. I tried to get a bunch of info about what power supplies were working this info is over on the EVGA forum under the following threads... What PSUs work with 8800GT/GTS (G92)? and 8800GTS 512 receiving insufficient power - Antec TP(Q) G92 Issue When I spoke with Antec earlier today they told me that because so many manufacturers were having this same issue they determined it was not a fault of their power supply and they were pushing the issue back on Nvidia. When I spoke with EVGA tech support earlier they told me they had no idea what Nvidia was doing about it nor were they able to give me a list of power supplies that they personally tested and that worked with their cards. Their suggestion was to look on slizone.com for the list of certified power supplies, the problem with that is the Antec TPQ-850 is on that list so it makes me doubt the reliability of the list. Thanks to RAMGUY for trying to pull this info together... maybe someone will figure out what is going on if we provide the "right" information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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