Graphics Cards

[razrezzed]

Windows version: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 , 6.1, build: 7601
Hardware: ASRock, X99 Extreme4
CPU:  Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5820K CPU @ 3.30GHz (Actually 4.0) never goes beyond 60 degrees
OCZ vector SSD
RAM: 34279174144 bytes (31.9GB)

Honestly I don't know where to start. I've always had nagging to crippling issues with my AMD drivers. Atikmpag/Atikmdag issues.  Messing around the registry somehow fixed it. Wattman crashing, Radeon not opening. Flickering in game. I recently realized I was many many version behind even though I was stable for a year, some in game weirdness but nothing crazy. some HUD flicker, high temps. I tried to make a system restore. Which apparently I didn't actually do!!!. I updated to the newest recommended 19.5.2 drivers. And there was some crashing on the desktop, but in game it was amazing. temps in the 70s when I was pushing max on the old driver. I played for a few days no real issues but wattman crashing prompts. I started to get some in game flicker that was getting burnt into my BenQ screen. Then 2 BSODs. Now I'm crippled. All games are flickering heavily, tried 5 or 6 drivers. I've gone through the atikmpag nonsense before. Im tired of reading forums from 2016. My cpu/psu are rock solid. ive tested these cards, they clearly work. ram tests, disk check, It seems like a clear cut driver issue to me or some deep windows issue I'll never know enough to figure out. One minute I was stable and playing games, the next i was updated playing games with way better performance, now im afraid to start a game. Im at my wits end. This is also my work station. Its unnerving. I could spend weeks inside this vastness troubleshooting these things. 

crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\082119-57782-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: atikmpag.sys (0xFFFFF88004CDE714)
Bugcheck code: 0x116 (0xFFFFFA801ED52010, 0xFFFFF88004CDE714, 0x0, 0x2)
Error: VIDEO_TDR_ERROR
file path: C:\Windows\system32\drivers\atikmpag.sys
product: AMD driver
company: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
description: AMD multi-vendor Miniport Driver
Bug check description: This indicates that an attempt to reset the display driver and recover from a timeout failed.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: atikmpag.sys (AMD multi-vendor Miniport Driver, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.).

crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\082119-18033-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x93CA0)
Bugcheck code: 0xC4 (0x91, 0x2, 0xFFFFFA8026AF6B50, 0x0)
Error: DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This is the general bug check code for fatal errors found by Driver Verifier. The driver switched stacks using a method that is not supported by the operating system. The only supported way to extend a kernel mode stack is by using KeExpandKernelStackAndCallout.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

[razrezzed]

The only event log "critical" is the kernel power 41. I've gotten past an atikmdag issue. But this one seems like a AtikmPAG issue. Can AMD give me an updated atikmpag file??

[mstfbsrn980]

Remove your graphics card, clean PCI-Ex port of your motherboard with a old toothbrush.
Clean PCI-Ex port of your graphics card with a napkin.
Renew thermal paste of your graphics card with 8w/k value.
Test your system with AIDA64 and Prime95.
Test your graphics card with FurMark.

I think you are using your processor with very high speeds, and atikmpag.sys is just a port controller. You have a different problem and you need to solve it by thinking it.

[razrezzed]

thanks. SO i cleaned the ports as directed and reseated the cards. a couple crashes on boot and then it was ok. But I noticed in afterburner it wasn't reading one of my cards. I look in the case and the card with the display outs plugged into it did't have its lights on. which is odd because I assume it's the primary card? Which I've never been able to figure out. Now I tried with just the bottom card in the x16 slot. And I'm not getting the errors. The game I was playing, Planetfall booted with no flicker. Radeon settings opened without crashing. And this is on the 19.5.2 driver which was way ahead of what I was using before. . . Then I threw the other card in the 2nd slot. Previously it was in the top slot. It reads in afterburner. But on global settings it doesn't show crossfire, which I think it does normally. And also now there is second profile graphics under individual games. One shows crossfire and one doesn't. Which is weird. Afterburner reads my card too but it's basically idle, in game and otherwise. Hm. I've had trouble getting the cards to work together before and eventually figured it out. But maybe there's more wrong with card 2. Maybe this last issue was it's death throes. But really it's disheartening that I was just playing I. Crossfire recently with such ease. Albeit with some unit avatar flickering. 

[mstfbsrn980]

But you did not mention that you have a CrossFire configuration. I did not use this configuration, but the problem seems to be hardware. I think you should test graphics cards one by one then apply CrossFire. Try to stabilize the CrossFire system, and then try to solve flickering problem. The source of flickering and stabilization problem may be different. Also, use a display driver that you know is stable and that you have tested it for a long time. The new driver may cause stability problems for your graphics cards.

[razrezzed]

thanks for pushing me towards hardware. I was an idiot to start messing around in the registry before just reseating the cards. Im not getting the Atik--- garbage. I'm a little afraid to change driver versions. I ran Aida 64 extreme on the one card. For a time. I've used it before briefly, I dont really understand how it works for GPU's. I see specs for everything else but GPU and it didn't seem to raise the cards temps. I ran it thru Unigine that I still had from when I got the second card. seemed ok. Since I was on an old driver for so long, and I can't friggin remember which, I don't have much of a frame of reference. Not sure when I start peeling back drivers, and at what interval. I guess Ill try to benchmark them both individually at this the newest driver. Although I'm not sure about Aida specs readout. Crossfire seems botched right now. Sometimes it reads the cards at 0c. SOmetimes BOTH cards at 0c. 2nd card not pulling its weight even when its enabled properly-ish. Sometimes when I open Afterburner the clock speeds are all the way down. Which is odd. No way I did that. I just lean on afterburner because I'm conditioned to hate wattman as I've seen a hundred wattman failures even when I don't have wattman enabled which is just ridiculous to me. So I'll try to benchmark them individually at this driver and then try crossfire again if they both work. Then start peeling back drivers.  shrug. 

Thanks for the direction. Worth hours and hair to me

R

[razrezzed]

Sorry I thought I was more specific with the crossfire. Im now aware of the GPGPU benchmark feature. Hopefully this is the way to go. Although I feel like the typical stress test is more telling? And the variable to which I measure GPU stability is if my system doesn't crash?

[mstfbsrn980]

Is the GPU stable? It's actually very difficult to understand. Although a stress test is successful, a game can give an error because of GPU. Stress testing is not very important but helpful. You have two graphics cards. If you sell both of them and get one of latest graphics cards, you will have less problems and hear less noise.