Memory Allocation Failures and Confusion
2busy4render
Posts: 81
I have spent most of the weekend reading through the forums to try to diagnose this problem: I have what I think are simple renders that are consistently having Memory Allocation Failures (MAF) along with other strange issues---like at the point of the failure, my monitor just shuts down and when I have to restart my computer but when I restart DS, DS says my GPU is missing until I restart a second time.
My GPU is a 1050 ti with 4 gb of RAM, and I only have 4 gb of ram on my mother board with an i3-7300 (2 core) processor. The GPU is on a riser to a single PCI slot. Trying to trouble-shoot this, I've tried:
- Switching from GPU only to both GPU and CPU. This kept my computer from just shutting down at the point of the MAF. Optix Prime Acceleration is off, and all render settings are at the DS default.
- Changing the power settings in Windows so the PCI slot is always powered and never hibernates (got that advice from another forum)
- I found a script in the forums that simplifies textures and I applied that to all background objects
So I'm guessing that either my GPU is the problem, my scenes are more complex than I think, or there's some configuration in DS that I should be using but don't know about. Any advice on how to zero-in on the problems and possible fixes?
I'm new to using IRAY and I'm mostly overwhelmed by how technical it is---it's a huge time suck to try something, then wait for the render to fail, and figure out what to try next. Thanks in advance for any feedback
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Comments
Shutting the whole system down does sound like more than DS, that usually indicates a hardware issue, though your system is pretty tight on memory generally so it may just be that Windows cannot manage the demands and falls over (or suffers a processing delay in messages that casues it to fall over).
Thanks, Richard, if it's not the way I'm running the renders that's one less thing to trouble-shoot.
I tested the GPU in a different machine and it seems to be fine but I had it connected directly to the PCI slot. But my computer for DS has the GPU connected via a USB riser, so I'm wondering if that might a problem? It feels like a power management problem, my power supply is more than enough to run everything but I swear it feels like at a certain point in a render, the computer ignores the GPU on the riser and reverts to the on-board GPU (which is disconnected at boot-up), so I get the dead monitor. Anybody using risers have any guesses?
I would certainly regard the riser as being a possible issue, but I don't know anything definite.
"has the GPU connected via a USB riser"
Risers are usually just that: PCBs that plug into connectors on your motherboard, usually to allow right-angled mounting of components such as addin cards. I'm not certain what you mean by your GPU connecting to a USB riser. What is the cards' PCI-E connector plugged into? Are you referring to an external video card enclosure connected to your PC via a USB cable? Are you referring to the type of USB riser that plugs into your PCI-E slots that connects by USB cable to another adapter externally into which the video card plugs, of the type used by cryptocurrency miners? If the latter, such arrangements might be fine for mining, but would represent a significant bottleneck for tasks such as rendering. Is there not a PCI-E x16 slot available for your card on the motherboard?
Yes, it's the setup like cryptocurrency miners use (GPU connected to riser, riser connects to PCI-E slot via USB not a strip). The PCI-E x16 slot would not power my GPU, either because the GPU didn't fit into the case (it was a super tight fit) to allow for a solid connection or because the motherboard didn't have the power to run it (it could run a GT 730 but not the 1050ti). The 1050ti doesn't take an external power supply (maybe some do, mine doesn't). So I didn't bother looking into getting a larger case, since it seems the motherboard I'm stuck with won't power the GPU.
It makes sense that the USB connection would be a huge bottleneck, and that could be contributing to the issues. So shouldn't the motherboard be able to power a 1050ti? If so, I might pull everything out of the case and try to connect the GPU properly---if that works then I can get a larger case, but if it doesn't the computer is still under warranty and maybe I can take it up with the manufacturer. (In case you're feeling extra helpful, here's the link to the specs for the motherboard).
Thanks for the feedback
Maybe you've already tried this, but try re-seating all your cards in their sockets: memory cards, GPU, etc. Sometimes the cards work loose from termperature changes, etc.
Yes, I was beginning to suspect that we were looking at some small form factor case, 2busy4render. It isn't really your motherboard that is providing the power to your video card, but rather it provides the filtering and circuitry that directs that power in the proper amounts to various components. It is the PC's PSU (Power Supply Unit) that ultimately converts your wall current to DC and feeds that to your motherboard and directly to certain other components such as your drive(s). A small form factor PC tends to be somewhat like a laptop in that they are not designed to be particularly upgradable compared to larger form factor PCs. Small form factor designs also tend to have smaller, less powerful PSUs as well, designed only to provide sufficient power for the standard components that would be included with the computer. That may be part of the problem. Nvidia recommends at least a 300 watt power supply for the 1050 ti and I would hope that the PC has at least that. Perhaps more importantly, is the USB port capable of delivering enough power to operate the video card? The miners that use such arrangements are often using faster cards with supplementary power connectors which they plug a dedicated PSU into, so they are not dependent upon only the power coming through the PCI-E bus, funneled through the USB port and cable, then passed to the PCI-E adapter to which the video card is attached. As you start to render the power draw for the card ramps up, and if the power supplied through the USB connector cannot supply that demand, that would explain the difficulties that you are having. By comparison, the few external video card enclosures that exist on the market have their own dedicated power supplies to power the video cards and usually use the much faster Thunderbolt ports, rather than USB. Here's some math:
The USB 3.0 specification provides for up to 900mA at 5V for a maximum power output of 4.5W. The GTX 1050 ti is rated at up to 75 watts of power, which, not coincidentally, happens to be the maximum power draw through a standard PCI-E connector, thus explaining the lack of a supplementary power connector on the card. I don't know what kind of power is actually being drawn through that USB cable and its connected ports, but the power the card is trying to draw is obviously way beyond their specifications.
Sorry, I cannot offer you any clear solution to your problem, but I am convinced that that mining rig kludge is not the answer, but that is only my opinion.
Thanks Dragonfly and SixDs. I now at least understand what I'm up against.
I am admittedly doing this the hard way, but I had a budget of a few hundred dollars. The smart thing is to configure a system that will do the job (rendering I mean) with careful planning but I was trying to do this on the cheap. Picked up an open-box PC that they were practically giving away; got a GPU on ebay; and got a new PSU. Neither the PSU nor the GPU will fit in the case. My next step is to get a solid state drive. From there, I'm going to upgrade the mother board to a better chip and two PCI-E slots, and then add more ram, and ultimately get a case. Ultimately I'll end up with parts that actually work well together but it'll take me awhile.
In the end I'll certainly end up paying the same or more then if I just built the thing all at once but in the meantime, I can still enjoy a few renders. Even what I got now gives me a render in 30 minutes that took my last machine almost 10 hours.
Cheers,
2busy,
Did you ever get this figured out? I have been running accoss memory allocation errors (win10, daz4.10, 1070) after a year of no issues. So I'm beginning to think that it might be a plugin or morph that is loading incorrectly.
But on yours, I was thinking (and that's always dangerous) have you tried upgrading the USB cable? I agree with SixDs that it might be a USB wattage issue, but since it sounds like you're only really using it as an adapter, the electrical way to fix that bottleneck might be 1) shorter, cord, 2) beefier cord. Since USB male and female heads can be purchased or cannibalized pretty easy, you might be able to convince a local electrician to solder you a more robust conduit. .
I only chime in, because I was thinking about doing your exact setup, to be able to handle VR and rendering, but in a smaller more portable form. For example, with my old i7 thinkpad, with onboard gpu, there were pci-e extentions built to run out the hot swap card ports, but they were pretty diy, and end results were never certain.
Admittedly, external GPU enclosures are improving so this entire thread might be moot now, but I am curious as to whether the premise would hold.
Regardless, I hope it worked out for you.
I really doubt you can power a 1050ti that way. USB simply cannot provide enough power.
MandM your problem might be system RAM if it just started happening and you're not otherwise having any graphical glitches in normal use.
unplug all your peripherals and if that fails try removing a stick of RAM and then test the other one
I don't know a lot about computers but a bad stick of RAM and an external drive did this to me on separate occasions