Constant hard crash to black screen, ERROR_ONCE DX11BACKEND

[Trubert]

Hi all, hoping you can help.

I have a constant hard crash problem during any gameplay. Loading to menu is fine, loading the mission is fine, mission consistently starts fine, but after 1-5 mins, my system is guaranteed to crash. One in 10 times it'll CTD, but normally it freezes altogether and I have to reboot. Game has worked previously without problems, on this exact hardware - so that and the error log make me think it may be a dodgy AMD driver or setting. But can't work out what to switch around.

System should have plenty of power: Intel 8700K (6 core/12 thread), 32GB RAM, 5700XT 8GB. Only mod installed is FC3. Using latest AMD drivers, and sometimes Oculus Quest 2 with Virtual Desktop link - but crash occurs whether in VR or just on my regular monitor.

I've done what I can with Google and looking around this forum: clean install graphics driver; Steam file integrity check; undervolt GPU (using default setting in Radeon driver software); dial up cooling on GPU (was getting to 90-95 junction temperature, though that should be well within spec for the card); reduce detail levels in game. None of it has made any difference at all.

Log is attached. Every single time it ends with the ERROR_ONCE DX11BACKEND error in the final line (which has also usually occurred a couple of times earlier in the log):

2021-12-27 14:05:32.790 ERROR_ONCE DX11BACKEND: texture 'mi_8_tex_spec' not found. Asked from ''

Sometimes the texture name varies (you can see this a couple of lines earlier in the log), but this is the consistent feature of the logs. Interestingly (to me as a non expert) it also always concludes with Asked from '' without specifying from where.

Thanks in advance!

dcs.log

[BIGNEWY]

Hi, 

as you mention this is a hard crash so the log is not showing the actual crash, the last line may not be related to the crash. 

Do you overclock or have a factory overclock on your GPU? If you do it maybe worth dialling it back a little to see if it helps

[Trubert]

1 minute ago, BIGNEWY said:

Hi, 

as you mention this is a hard crash so the log is not showing the actual crash, the last line may not be related to the crash. 

Do you overclock or have a factory overclock on your GPU? If you do it maybe worth dialling it back a little to see if it helps

Thanks for quick reply - yes it has a factory OC. I have tried using the 'undervolt' setting in the driver software which dials it back as you say, but no joy.

I can try doing that again with manual settings; currently clean-reinstalling the game from Steam just to eliminate that possibility.

Also I'm pretty sure it was working on the same graphics card previously with a different driver version. (Can't remember exactly when I upgraded to this card, otherwise I'd be certain.)

[BIGNEWY]

The constant disconnects are a concern and wont be helping the issue, you should try to resolve that also. 

Official support is here https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/ if you have no joy. 

 

[Trubert]

5 minutes ago, BIGNEWY said:

The constant disconnects are a concern and wont be helping the issue, you should try to resolve that also. 

Official support is here https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/ if you have no joy. 

 

Thanks - will post here after reinstall and manual underclock of GPU.

By disconnects do you mean the DX11BACKEND error?

[silverdevil]

@Trubert - maybe try to uninstall the current gfx driver in safemode and then let the computer reboot without reinstalling the driver right off. then download and install the latest. good luck.

[Trubert]

Update. I've uninstalled graphics driver in safemode, reboot and clean install latest driver with default settings. I have undervolted the GPU (down clock to max 1900 MHz and 1000 mV from >2050 MHz / 1200 mV; plenty of web reports of 1900/1000 working well) and set fan cooling profile to be more aggressive. I've uninstalled and reinstalled the game and run with built in LOW detail settings to minimise stress on the GPU. GPU tested stable with built in AMD tool in the driver, temps way down to c. 80 degrees at junction (from >90).

Result - the game runs a few minutes longer before crashing with exactly the same symptoms (hard crash to black screen / reboot needed).

So it's progress of a sort, but not enough. Any further tips before I raise a support ticket?

dcs - clean install game and drivers, low detail, underclock.log dcs - clean install game and drivers, low detail.log

[Trubert]

And update - switching to HIGH detail settings seems to make no difference (if anything last run went longer than most). So it's probably not that. Game is running consistently a bit longer than before; I get to land (or at least crash) my MIG-29 in the FCS instant action mission and usually start a second go-round.

Makes me think the underclock/undervolt has helped; anyone have tested settings for 5700XT?

[Trubert]

Further update - pretty sure I fixed this now. Several play-throughs of the MIG-29 landing without a single crash even on HIGH detail setting. Still getting the texture not found error:

2021-12-30 11:32:35.474 ERROR_ONCE DX11BACKEND: texture 'mi_8_tex_spec' not found. Asked from ''

But the game runs fine, with the odd transient framerate dip for 1 sec or so.

Made two changes that seem to have fixed this:

1) Further drop in GFX clock and voltage to a max of 1800 MHz and 975 mV (with aggressive cooling etc).

2) Enabling Radeon Chill FPS limiter (setting to min 30 max 100 FPS). Got one isolated crash without this; enabling it stopped crashes altogether (as far as I can tell anyway).

Answer was definitely clock/voltage on the 5700XT though. Log file attached if anyone cares to dig through.

Thanks for all your help.

 

Btw - any reason DCS is so sensitive to GPU clock/voltage? It's by far not the most demanding game I play graphically, but this is the only game that crashes.

dcs.log

Edited December 30, 2021 by Trubert