Windows won't detect more than 4 GPU is MYTH

[dishwara]

I heard many saying ONLY Linux can able to detect more than 4 GPU's & Windows won't detect more than 4 GPU's.
ONLY Linux can able to use up to 8 GPU's or more.

Windows won't detect more than 4 GPU's is completely false & wrong.
Windows detects more than 4 cards at least in my rig, i have 7 cards so far & windows detects all the 7 cards.

Its the MINERS which WON'T mine more than 4 GPU's in Windows.

I am not sure, it was done intentionally or unintentionally.
Because normally Linux needs more work than Windows due to its open source & geeky & intellectual type.
With Linux you can do wonders with out paying even a single penny or bitcent, completely free.
But you have TO KNOW Linux programming & its structure .....
You can't just download, install & work in a software.
Linux needs more from you, make you learn more.


Since, Bitcoin developement MUST be free from all, it adopted open source & to make Bitcoin work early developers used the open source Linux for bitcoin client & also miners.
Gavin & his early developers created Bitcoin client both in Linux & Windows.
They simply know & wanted Bitcoin to spread as fast as it can.
But, the same didn't happen in miners.

I have so far never seen Gavin replying or developing mining program. His interest is to make Bitcoin the international currency both for online trading (internet) & offline trading (local).

Miners are mostly created in Linux then as many Windows users too wanted to mine, Windows binaries released.

In my opinion, here the CONTROLLING came. Forcing/blocking intentionally or unintentionally windows not to mine more than 4 GPU's.
In windows everything can be done even as novice. This seems not liked by some, so they put restriction.



The above picture clearly shows Windows with 7 GPU's.
4 are MSI R6970 graphics cards
2 are ASUS EAH5870 graphics cards
1 is Sapphire HD 5870 graphic card.

All are connected using extender cables from cablesaurus. NO crossfire cable used. Mother Board is MSI Big Bang Marshal.
Still one pcie slot is free, to which i can add another graphics card & can have 8 GPU's in Windows.

The OS is Windows 7 Ultimate, 64 bit.

I try to mine with 2 softwares & its variants.
Phoenix & Poclbm.
I tried GUIminer, PR up to 1.62, directly used phoenix & poclbm in command prompt also.

I disabled 3 cards & i run the above miners & it can able to mine with out any problem.
The minute i enable 5th card in device manager, miner gives error & exits.
Then whatever i do, miner both phoenix & poclbm just gives error when ever started, that it encountered a problem, search online for solution or close......

The moment i disable 5th card, i can able to mine.
All these done with out rebooting system.

I request mining program developers to review their code on windows.
I am not good in programming, so i can't do much myself.

Please rewrite your mining programming so Windows too mine more than 4 GPU's.
If not then the base for which Bitcoin is fighting won't be their. NO CONTROL BY ANYONE is the motto on which Bitcoin travels. That is killed by locking mining program not to mine more than 4 GPU's in Windows OS.

Its not order, but a humble request from a Windows user.

Thank you
 

[iamzill]

There's some misunderstanding here.

In order to you to mine on a GPU, the following statements must all be true:
1. Your GPU must be detected by your OS
2. Your GPU must be detected by the ATI openCL driver
3. Your GPU must be detected by your miner

The current problem is that ATI's Windows openCL drivers does not work with more than 4 cards. The onus is on you to prove it otherwise. I'm sure many developers would've love to overcome this limitation, but none have succeed so far.

Your screenshot shows that Windows can detect 7 GPUs for the purposes of displaying pictures, but without the help of proprietary drivers Windows cannot do any computation with them. The 4 GPU/OS limitation lies with the proprietary drivers, and not Windows or the miner developers.

[fpgaminer]

dishwara, I think you've forgotten that all this mining software was provided for free out of the sheer kindness of the developers. Nobody has any right to complain, let alone accuse the developers of malicious intent.

And the truth is likely as iamzill said, AMD is at fault, not the mining programs.

As another example, you don't need dummy plugs in Linux, but you need them in Windows. It isn't the fault of the mining programs. It's Windows/AMD.

That is killed by locking mining program not to mine more than 4 GPU's in Windows OS.

[um0rion]

So, the ATI drivers and SDK for linux support more than 4 gpus but windows, who thy develop their drivers for as their primary market wont support more than 4? Not sure that makes sense, you'd think the OS they do the most business with would be the more developed of the two, one would think Linux would support less than a windows machine just because the linux community is small.

[hugolp]

So, the ATI drivers and SDK for linux support more than 4 gpus but windows, who thy develop their drivers for as their primary market wont support more than 4? Not sure that makes sense, you'd think the OS they do the most business with would be the more developed of the two, one would think Linux would support less than a windows machine just because the linux community is small.

Im just speculating here, but the limitations AMD introduced for windows are probably due to limitations on windows, and not done on porpouse. It does not make any sense to limit to 4 cards in windows and allow 8 in linux, and then force the use of dummy plugs in windows but not in linux. I find it hard to believe that AMD is doing that on porpouse, I dont see any reason, so its probably due to some limitation of the OS.

[EpicFail]

dishwara, I think you've forgotten that all this mining software was provided for free

There lies the biggest flaw of open source.

[dishwara]

I am not aware of AMD opencl causing all these. So far i heard only windows won't support more than 4 GPU's.

I am aware that miners are given by free only. No one asked money for miner(besides one, who said he will give, if paid, i think it is before hashkill released, not sure).

But i don't understand why AMD/ATI blocking Windows while allowing Linux to use as much as GPU's.

[dishwara]

Every email sent to AMd via web form, direct email & also sending email AFTER registering in AMD developer forum returns with this same message.

This is an automatically generated email, please do not reply.

Dear Customer,

You submitted your Service Request from an email address that has not been registered in our Services Portal.

In order to process your inquiry, we require you to submit your query via our services portal.

    http://emailcustomercare.amd.com

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Best regards,

AMD Global Customer Care

Also by this link, It seems OpenCL is not limiting up to 4 GPU's in Windows, as No OS info is mentioned.

http://forums.amd.com/devforum/messageview.cfm?catid=390&threadid=151486

[jackjack]

Y'all posting in a troll thread

Because normally Linux needs more work than Windows due to its open source & geeky & intellectual type.
With Linux you can do wonders with out paying even a single penny or bitcent, completely free.
But you have TO KNOW Linux programming & its structure .....
You can't just download, install & work in a software.
Linux needs more from you, make you learn more.

You must be kidding

[dishwara]

Y'all posting in a troll thread

Because normally Linux needs more work than Windows due to its open source & geeky & intellectual type.
With Linux you can do wonders with out paying even a single penny or bitcent, completely free.
But you have TO KNOW Linux programming & its structure .....
You can't just download, install & work in a software.
Linux needs more from you, make you learn more.

You must be kidding

Who is trolling?
Why you called this thread troll thread?

[supa]

You outright accused developers of attempting to create an advantageous situation when using Linux over Windows with no proof, alternative testing or understanding whatsoever.

You support your argument with FUD and wild exaggerations.

Did you bother to try any of the samples provided with the SDK?  You'll discover many of them bomb out when they encounter 4+ GPUs..... did we hack AMD and add the issue you complain the miner-developers created into AMDs own examples?

Try it yourself - also, try it with 2.4.  The last time I tried I was using 2.1.

[gat3way]

I request mining program developers to review their code on windows.
I am not good in programming, so i can't do much myself.

Please rewrite your mining programming so Windows too mine more than 4 GPU's.
If not then the base for which Bitcoin is fighting won't be their. NO CONTROL BY ANYONE is the motto on which Bitcoin travels. That is killed by locking mining program not to mine more than 4 GPU's in Windows OS.

Its not order, but a humble request from a Windows user.

Thank you

You've lost so much time in ranting, apparently unwilling to accept objective reality. You could just have migrated to linux instead. It is JUST YOUR FAULT. I am not fixing anything. I am also unable to do so - it's a windows limitation, blame it on Microsoft.

We are providing you software for free (and you are making money out of it). We are trying to provide at least some basic level of support for free in our precious spare time. I personally haven't got even a single 0.01 BTC for this. Yet at the end someone accuses me of some absurd paranoid bullshit. Last time it was that I deliberately don't port it to Windows cause I was a FOSS idealist, heh. Now you are blaming all miner developers in conspiring against your favourite OS. You know what, I feel sorry I've lost so much time writing this reply. You deserve no explanation. You are correct - it's a conspiracy.

[DiabloD3]

Troll thread detected. This thread is now locked.