Help! Weird Eyefinity + Crossfire Problem

[Spin5000]

Hi guys. I am going crazy here. I have 3 6950s. 2 of them were with shaders unlocked, but I returned all bios' back to stock, and stock 6950 shaders as I am desperately trying everything to fix my problem.

I have awesome scaling in general with xfire and tri-fire, crysis, crysis 2, battlefield bad company 2, even older games like RFactor 1, GT Legends, Left for Dead 2, etc.

I also have completely normal performance with eyefinity and 1 card.

The problem is when I try to combine multi-GPU (crossfire or tri-fire) and multi-screens (eyefinity).

Not only is everything a completely stuttering mess, I mean major stutters and frame skips, but the fps themselves are completely messed up......

I turned off super-sampling and just tried 8x adaptive multi-sampling and here are some real quick results, live gameplay tests (these problems also happen with very low, and even completely disabled AA)

All tests in multi-screens (eyefinity),

GT Legends:

1 card = 95 to 160 fps!!!
2 cards = 28 to 35 fps
3 cards = 35 to 48 fps


Left for Dead 2:

1 card = 90 to 130 fps!!!
2 cards = 28 to 35 fps
3 cards = 35 to 48 fps


Crysis 1 (may have had aa off)

1 card = 27 to 31 fps
2 cards = 8 to 15 fps
3 cards = 12 to 20 fps


What a joke!!!!!!! Everything completely unplayable in a low framerate + stuttering/frame skipping abysmal MESS!!!!!!

The point of multi GPU was so that I could crank the graphics in tri-screens, or at least be able to freakin play in tri screens!! Scaling works awesome on 1 screen, even with 3 cards, even on older games! Yet in eyefinity w/ xfire or trifire, everything is just completely broken and un-playable!!

What do I do now? Sell my cards? Use them for demanding single screen games (where they work and scale awesome), but disable them when I actually need their power the most (eyefinity)??? Go with NVidia SLI / tri-SLI and their multi-screen option (nvidia surround)?????

I am very upset over this crap! How could this still not work properly!! And here I was, planning on going tri 7950s soon, well I highly doubt that now AMD!

By the way, one weird thing I observed is that the usage on the cards is very good, in general 1 GPU is around 90-100%, the second in the 80s and low 90s, and the third in the 50-70 range, so the usage is pretty good damn good, so the problem has to be coming from somewhere else.

I tried googling high GPU usage but low fps, couldn't find anything.

Please help i feel so helpless, I usually can always come up with a fix or remedy, but this time I'm completely stumped.

I have tried drivers 12.10, 13.1 with and without 12.11 CAP2, and the new 13.2 beta 4. I have also tried switching the crossfire slots, crossfire cables etc.

Please help me guys.

 

[Spin5000]

I have tried the official AMD uninstaller, I tried using regular one from control panel then driver sweeper in safe mode, have tried 12.10, 13.1, 13.2b4 drivers, something is messed.

I have tried experimenting with vsync on/off, even tried the new radeonpro and experimented with triple buffering, scissor mode and all that crap. It's all useless, it's like something is broken but only when I combine eyefinity with multi-GPU at the same time.

Oh crap forgot all the info sorry

I5-2500k @ 4.5 ghz
G.skill 8gb (2x 4gb) 1600mhz 8-8-8-24-2T
EVGA P67 FTW
Auzentech Forte
Antec HCP-1200
3x Samsung PX2370
Tri-screen res is standard 5760x1080
Logitech g110/g9x keyboard/mouse
Windows 7 64-bit/ always updated

When I downloaded I think the 12.10 or the 13.1 drivers it forced me to install .net 4.0. Should I try to uninstall that? It says from now on, in order to use CCC, you need .net 4.0 though.....

Everything works very good in crossfire or trifire in single screen, and everything works good in triple screens with a sigle GPU. So weird. Feel like my cards are such a waste.

I saw another guy with the same problem with I think an evga z68 or z77 board, I want to blame it on the nf200 chip, but again all 3 cards work perfectly in tri-screen.....

 

[Spin5000]

All my gpus are showing 8x, first one is 16x @ 8x, rest are 8x @ 8x (all 2.0).

If you look at a p67 ftw mb my setup is primary card in the first top most slot (ignoring the un-useable very top pci-e 1x slot), then the next card is in the 3rd slot from the top, the third card is in the very bottom slot, with the sound card just on top of it (2nd bottom slot).

Unfortunately I haven't tried a new windows install, would be in insane amount of work to find, download, reinstall etc etc all my programs n such, but I didn't think of it, I have an extra hdd lyin around (older 120gb raptor), I'll try installing windows on that drive, it's been fully formatted the entire true way (0s and 1s or whatever it's called), I'll give that a shot this week........

Is the proper order:
1. windows
2. inf driver/files,
3. all other drivers (network, usb, etc)
4. GPU drivers
5. fully update windows

??????............

Oh and cards are connected with just 2 regular single link dvi cables, third card with a dvi to mini dp active adapter (tried both mini dp slots in the back of card)

 

[DooKey]

Before you reinstall everything make sure you update the MB BIOS to the latest version.

 

[DooKey]

While looking into this it appears some people have noticed one of their cards not clocking up to full speed. When running games have you checked to ensure all 3 cards are running at full speed and not downclocked?

 

[Spin5000]

Ya I've checked with gpuz, also with radeon pro, cards are clocking fine.

Mb bios is second latest version (121), noticed ppl having vcorevissues with latest version, plus evga said if u dont have sandy bridge e than the latest bios is not really needed.

I'm going to install windows on my spare drive in the next few days and try it out, this is retarded, completely retarded

 

[aditi bhatnagar]

Check if your GPU getting overheat or not. If its getting heated then it should be the Compatibility problem or it maybe the driver problems.

 

[RussianSensation]

How do you have those screens connected? All 3 are connected to the primary/top GPU, right?

I am pretty sure your monitors should be connected to just 1 card. DVI + HDMI + mini-DP to DVI adapter for 1080P. At least 1 DisplayPort/MiniDisplay port is required for Eyefinity
to run 3 monitors from one AMD card. You could do DVI + 2x MiniDP-to-DVI
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/amd-eyefinity-technology/how-to/Pages/set-up.aspx
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/amd-eyefinity-technology/how-to/Pages/faqs.aspx

You can actually post in this specific EyeFinity thread at OCN for help from actual Eyefinity users on how to set up your 3 screens with 3 GPUs.
http://www.overclock.net/t/591413/official-ati-amd-eyefinity-club

I turned off super-sampling and just tried 8x adaptive multi-sampling and here are some real quick results, live gameplay tests (these problems also happen with very low, and even completely disabled AA)

All tests in multi-screens (eyefinity)

Please help me guys.

Ok first try running all those benchmarks with 0AA. Do not force anything like super-sampling or 8x Adaptive Multi-sampling through the AMD control panel. Those are very GPU intensive modes that a 6950 can't handle on 1 1080P screen, which surely means 3 6950s cannot handle it across 3 screens. In AMD CCC set Anti-aliasing to performance (Multi-Sample AA). For Anti-aliasing mode select "Use Application Settings."

Report back the scores with no AA at all. Then try running the games with Anti-aliasing ONLY through the in-game menus settings. For example in Crysis select 2xMSAA only from in-game control panel, not through CCC. Report back the scores.

There is no way your videocards can run some of those games with 8x Adaptive AA or Supersampling at 8x. I don't remember the exact details which at higher AA modes kick in with 2-3 cards but certain higher AA settings in CCC will only apply in games if you are using 2-3 cards. Let's isolate CF scaling issues without any AA first.

Honestly the best way is to start with 2 6950s and see if your performance scales (do not force any AA through CCC) with no AA, then add 2-4x MSAA only through in-game menus. Then add a 3rd GPU and repeat the tests.

 

[Spin5000]

Hi aditi, card temps are good top and middle card in high 50s to mid-high 60s, top card is mid 70s to mid 80s, none are throttling.

Hi RussianSensation, thanks for all that info. I have my eyefinity setup correctly, all 3 plugged in to the top primary card, with 1 active dvi to mini dp, and the other 2 just regular single link dvi cables.

I have tried with everything in control panel disabled/app controlled.

Remember, my eyefinity works PEEFECT when I disable the other 2 cards (through CCC), and my trifire works PERFECT when I game in single screen mode. It's only when I combine both multi-GPU and eyefinity at the same time that the fps problem happens, also remember, GPU usage shows high on all 3 cards even though frames are terrible.

I fear this might be one of those rare problems that nothing will be able to fix except for buying new hardware .

I will try a new install on a spare old wd raptor I have, maybe starting from scratch will help.