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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

Aug 11, 2009 3:35 AM in response to jonesinfrance

Well....

I started getting these problems two weeks ago.

Everything was perfect and suddenly it hung, frooze.. spinning beach ball. I'm sure it happened after an update.. but in all honesty I don';t keep tabs on them.. just restart and updates crack on.

So.. after numerous hard restarts... (every couple of mins) I archive and Reinstalled back to 10.5. I have a NVidia 7600GT (?)

The hard restarts have stopped but it still freezes for a good minute or so and frequently the screen gets pixallated and messed up.
I've tried 10.5 10.5.6 and most up to date 10.5.8 and they all have issues as described above.
Have removed software that I think might conflict and still the same....

I'm really starting to think its a hardware issue and the graphics card has had it.
So I'm buying a new one.

Aug 11, 2009 8:46 AM in response to Floydeh

This is all due to faulty Nvidia Chipsets. This problem got acknowledged by apple and nvidia for the notebook chipsets. But a lot of industry sources claim, there are a lot more nvidia lines that are affected. I guess the 7300GT and the 7600GT are one of them. It just took about 3 years of usage and material fatigue to show up everywhere. I am glad to have AppleCare since they are going to exchange my 7600GT for free now. I let you guys know if it helped.

Aug 13, 2009 6:49 AM in response to al_broccoli

I had my 7600GT replaced with a new one today. ROM-Version changed from 3021 to 3022. But unlike I hoped, nothing changed. I still have the following error which crashes my GUI:

+imac kernel[0]: NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception! status = 0xffff info32 = 0x3 = Fifo: Unknown Method Error+

@al_broccoli: could you please download the Multiwinia Demo at http://www.introversion.co.uk/multiwinia/downloads/ and test it on your mac. This one crashes my GUI for sure everytime. Introversion told me, it is a bug apple is aware of.

Aug 14, 2009 5:08 AM in response to Winfer

Guys... this is kindo strange:
- had a 7300GT installed due to the problems in this thread, was on 10.4.7
- with this new one installed, had same problems
- downgraded to 10.5.6 - no problems visible (10.5.6 with Safari 3)
- found this thread, thought it was a card issue, and expected to have to go get card replacement again, possibly to a 7600GT
- BUT: Apple suggested i upgrade to 10.4.8, in case that would work, instead of getting new card
- And it did! NO problems with 7300GT (rom revision 3022)

Whacky, eh?

Aug 15, 2009 7:59 AM in response to Witch

What an ordeal!! I've been experiencing increasingly difficult and changing circumstances for about 3 months. Everything that has been reported here I've experienced. I've followed this thread and tried every suggestion. I tried booting from an external drive and went back to 10.4.11. I ran every utility and diagnostic including hardware test and everything always came back as passing. The ordeal ended when I got an ATI Radeon HD 3870 video card. Problem solved instantly!! Sorry NVIDIA I'm a little gun shy of your products now.

When I purchased my Mac Pro DP 2.66 Core Duo machine I didn't pay attention to the fact that one video card would run both my displays so I ordered 2 of these NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT cards...AND THEY BOTH WENT BAD!!! I tried every combination of one card or the other or both in every port and they're both no good.

I really like this new card, I popped it in WITHOUT running the software first because the machine would no longer boot. Also, I had brought the OS back from 10.5.7 to 10.4.11 which is not recommended for this card. The card needs 10.5.2 or higher. I also did NOT connect the power cable to the motherboard. I popped this card in and it ran. All problems solved instantly, the machine booted right up and ran. I did connect the power cable and then did update the OS and installed the video drivers. What an ordeal!

Aug 15, 2009 8:03 AM in response to Michael Hammarnejd

I have 10.5.8 now and still have same problem.

It seems now I can triger the exception with only resizing the EyeTV window by dragging the conrner with mouse:

15.08.09 16:07:49 kernel NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception! status = 0xffff info32 = 0x3 = Fifo: Unknown Method Error
15.08.09 16:07:49 kernel 0000000b

As I did not get Apple care in time, it looks like I will not get help from them. Asking the shop in time did not help and it was not reproducable, happened after running SL an hour or more and mot with any other app.

I guess either I have to try to replace the graphic card myself though this can be just spending money in vain or I have to return to my good old PPC machines and forget about any new apple computers.

If anybody from Germany knows, what else I can do, that would be great. The computer is only a bit more than 1 1/2 year old. Far too early to replace it.

NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception!

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