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NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception!

I have the error above on the intel iMac 24" when running Second Life.

Error lines from syslog can be:

avalon-3 kernel[0]: NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception! status = 0xffff info32 = 0x3 = Fifo: Unknown Method Error
avalon-3 kernel[0]: 0000000b

and

avalon-3 kernel[0]: NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception! status = 0xffff info32 = 0x6 = Fifo: Parse Error
Feb 23 01:53:22 avalon-3 kernel[0]: 0000000b

If this happens SL is going to freeze up and die

Hardware failure?
OSX bug?
Application bug?

iMac 24" Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz, Mac OS X (10.5.6), NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT

Posted on Feb 22, 2009 5:22 PM

Reply
457 replies

Jun 24, 2009 10:20 AM in response to Witch

For the record, I was having major problems with this a couple of weeks ago, but on advice from elsewhere in forums/web, I installed Fan Control (Google Intel Mac Fan Control) and just set the speed of each of the fans slightly higher and haven't had any problems since. Seems something about 10.5.7 makes the GeForce7300 run too hot..?

I'm also tempted to do the permissions repair and taking a can of compressed air to the innards of the beast to further help the situation. If I do, I'll let you know if I run into any problems...

Jun 24, 2009 3:01 PM in response to monday1313

Set the lower temp threshold to 30.0C, Upper to 80.0C
CPU: 1800
HD: 2500
DVD: 1400

I've not done any really demanding stuff since and also as a desperate measure, before installing Fan Control, I switched off Spaces and turned off various aspects of the interface trickery (such as dock magnification etc) as it was always when such animations were being invoked that the problems occurred. I've left them switched off for the time being. I will probably introduce them back in and see what it does to the system. Again, if I do and I see a result I will add it here.

Anyway, the four temp gauges seem to be maintaining their levels at the low to mid 30s C - I don't have any point of reference as to what they were before, but as I say, the system seems stable for the moment.

Jul 4, 2009 9:59 PM in response to Witch

Since I upgraded to 10.5.7 both of my main 3D software are freezing (Maya and 3DEqualizer). I can't work anymore with those software. Nobody at the Apple Store and Apple Tech Support found the cause of the problem. They changed my motherboard, all of my ram and they also changed my video card for another Nvidia 7300 GT. All this didn't fixed the problem.

I found out by myself the problem was caused by a video card driver update in 10.5.7
Now I've installed 10.5.6 on another disk partition in order to run my 3D application.

Apple and Nvidia need to fix this problem !!!!!
My video card is the Nvidia 7300 GT (Mac Pro first generation)

Jul 9, 2009 3:23 PM in response to Mayo Weber

Addition:
I do have now definitly the verification, that these problems must be all about nvidia drivers.
After downgrading to 10.5.6 i bought two brand new graphic cards for my first generation Mac Pro (2006, 2 x 2.66 GHz), first one the ATI Radeon 4870, second one ATI Radeon 3870). Because the 4870 will only work under 10.5.7, i made as a start once again an update to 10.5.7. Then replaced the both Geforce 7300 GT. Since then and absolute "Nvidia free" the whole system works like a charme. Speedy, no freezes, no spinning wheel, total stability. By the way: The official statement on part of apple is, that the new ATI Radeon HD 4870 won’t work on older Mac Pros. Do not believe in that statement. The only concession one has to accept, is the reduced link speed (2.5 GT/s) according to PCI-Version 1,1.

Jul 10, 2009 6:32 AM in response to Mayo Weber

Verification here, too:
- Did the Archive and Install thing
- Upgraded with downloaded 10.5.6 Combo (at http://support.apple.com/downloads/MacOS_X_10-5-6_ComboUpdate )
- Upgrade with Software Update, all BUT 10.5.7

System stable, none of the previous hangs/freezes, no beachbal ever, snappy and free from the BUG (that is B.U.G. - like in SYSTEM BUG, like an Apple ERROR, like Apple HAS TO FIX THIS NOW, read my lips.).

Feels good to be behind the line of beachballs, and I recommend you all do the same. Withdraw.

Aug 3, 2009 9:22 AM in response to Witch

I have had these same issues for going on a year now (since 10.4). I have tried all of the fixes mentioned here, but none have gotten rid of the problem. SMCfancontrol made it better for a while, but it's still gotten progressively worse over time.

I've heard many theories as to the exact cause of this issue, from the driver using > 2GB memory area (I have 3GB), to heat problems (which don't really make sense to me, since a simple reboot will make the problem go away for a period of time, though this doesn't cool off the machine) to driver code issues (could be related to the high memory).

Whatever the cause, I could wait no longer for Apple to provide a fix. It seemed to me that this specific issue only happened with the Geforce 7300 GT card. It's possible that card is just so much more prevalent that it's generally reported that way, though.

As a result, I recently replaced my Geforce 7300 GT card with a Geforce 7600 GT, and am happy to say I've not had an issue since doing so four days ago, knock on wood. I bought the card for $231 and replaced it myself. I'll post here again if the problem comes back.

NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception!

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