How to enable SBA?

[cool]

I'm using the FastTrax634a drivers, the included 'Display Doctor' says that AGP2X is enabled but not SBA. The checkbox for SBA is disabled (grayed out). So, is there a registry tweak for FastTrax or Detonator to get it working? It was enabled by default with my old V3 but with my GF2MX-DDR it's not...

 

[JayPatel]

just download the creative labs agp wizard utility. im not sure on this but i think your agp port has to support it as well....

 

[cool]

Thanks, but here the same problem: everything is grayed out except the settings for the AGP speed 1x and 2x. That's it. Anyone had this too? Could this be driver related? I'm using the Det 6.34 (included in FastTrax).

 

[JayPatel]

try using the 6.31 dets, those are the ones im using, what kind of mobo are you using. it could be driver related or mobo related, my old Pentium 2 mobo did not support SBA even though it was agp2x compatible.

 

[cool]

EPoX EP-BX3 --> BX-chipset which supports max. AGP2X with SBA enabled. Like said above, SBA worked with the V3. It was automatically enabled by the V3 drivers. Even FastTrax|AGP Options is telling me that AGP2X+SBA is the max. setting but SBA is disabled for whatever reason and I can't enable it.

You think it's the drivers? I don't wanna go back to the 6.31 'cause they don't run GP3 properly (messed up steering wheel). Is there a registry tweak to enable SBA?

 

[cool]

this is what PCI list is saying (you can get it at www.entechtaiwan.com):

--------------------------------------------------------
AGP transfers
--------------------------------------------------------
The AGP aperture is currently set to 128MB.

The system board supports up to 2X AGP transfers. The graphics card supports up to 4X AGP transfers.

AGP 2X transfers are currently enabled.


--------------------------------------------------------
Sideband addressing
--------------------------------------------------------
The system board supports sideband addressing. The graphics card does NOT support sideband addressing.

Sideband addressing is NOT currently enabled.


--------------------------------------------------------
Fast writes
--------------------------------------------------------
The graphics card supports fast writes.

Fast writes are NOT currently enabled.


--------------------------------------------------------
AGP revision
--------------------------------------------------------
The graphics card is an AGP 2.0-compliant device, and may not work correctly under Windows 95 or with first-generation AGP system boards. Ensure you have the very latest GART manager (AGP driver) installed.


--------------------------------------------------------
PCI bus hogging
--------------------------------------------------------
The graphics card may be hogging the bus, which could cause problems for other devices like PCI sound cards.


--------------------------------------------------------
Related issues
--------------------------------------------------------
PCIList only queries the system configuration registers. In the event of problems, other things to check to ensure AGP support is enabled and working properly include the following:

- make sure the correct and latest GART manager (AGP driver) for your system board is installed, as well as the latest drivers for your graphics card and DirectX version

- in your system BIOS Setup program, the AGP aperture should be enabled and set to at least 64MB; an IRQ should be assigned to the VGA card; any option referring to spread spectrum should be disabled; and video BIOS and RAM shadowing should be disabled

- if the system has been overclocked to reach 651 MHz, the AGP clock may now be too high; system memory which otherwise works without errors may be unable to cope with the heavier demands of AGP traffic when running 3D applications

- some AGP features may actually be available in hardware, but be disabled in specific BIOS and/or driver releases, or even by user-configurable software switches (e.g., in the Windows registry)


--------------------------------------------------------
Device enumeration
--------------------------------------------------------
Intel CPU bridge (71908086h)
Intel PCI bridge (71918086h)
Intel ISA bridge (71108086h)
Intel IDE controller (71118086h)
Intel USB (71128086h) - IRQ10
Intel PM controller (71138086h)
Creative Labs audio device (00021102h) - IRQ10
Creative Labs input controller (70021102h)
nVidia VGA controller (011010DEh) - IRQ11




So maybe the Detonator driver does not support SBA or the Geforce can't do SBA, which I don't believe...

 

[JayPatel]

hmmmmm very odd. even tnt1's supposrted side band adressing. maybe it needs a bios flash if it can be, but doing that is dangerous. i had a fatal flash with my tnt once.

 

[cool]

no, I just jumped from V3(with SBA) to GF2MX(without SBA). This must be driver related. I have no other explanation. My mobo supports definitively SBA as it did with the V3 (PCI list is stating this too).

 

[ikaika1]

Are you sure that your card supports SBA? I think that I read in an Anandtech Geforce Roundup or an article about overclocked AGP buses and AGPx2/AGPx4 w/SBA that certain brands of the Geforce cards dont run SBA at all. It could be that you picked one of those brands. Then again Ive been wrong before.

 

[Compellor]

If your video card has 32 MB or more memory, you don't need to use sideband addessing. SBA was intended for video cards that had 16 MB or less memory (texture memory was sent directly to system memory). It's been proven time and time again that having SBA enabled only gives a 1-2 fps increase in games, so, why bother with it?

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

No, the problem is not driver related. It is bios related. Go download the latest reference bios for you geforce card. Download one that has sidebanding enabled by default.

 

[cool]

You're talking about the nvidia reference BIOS for the CL GF2-MX?! Isn't this dangerous?