H67MA-E35 (B3): Using certain tuner cards causes freeze/BSOD

Question

Hi, I have an issue with my HTPC that I've narrowed down to the motherboard. Certain TV tuner cards or combination of TV tuner cards don't work, by which I mean the PC freezes or BSODs when I try to use the tuners on those cards. Here's a list of the combinations I've tested along with their maximum current draw on the 3.3 V rail according to their user manuals:
BGT3630 = 1.8 W / 0.6 A = fine
BGT3600 = 4.0 W / 1.2 A = fine
BGT3600 + BGT3630 = 5.8 W / 1.8 A = broken
TBS6981 = 7.3 W / 2.2 A = broken
TBS6981 + BGT3630 = 9.1 W / 2.8 A = broken
As you can see there's a bit of a pattern here - as the 3.3 V rail current usage increases, things stop working (somewhere between 1.2 A and 1.8 A). I don't know if this is a pattern or just coincidence. Here's my specs:
MSI H67MA-E35 (B3)
Intel Celeron G530
4 GB 1066 MHz RAM (CMV4GX3M2A1333C9)
nVidia GT 430 (Asus passive)
Antec EA-380D Green
Intel 320 Series (40 GB)
SH-B123L/BSBP BD-ROM
GD04B Grandia Case
To narrow down the problem, I tried the tuner cards in my main desktop and they all work fine. I've also tried swapping over the PSU with from my file server (Huntkey Jumper 300G) and I get exactly the same problems. I have the latest drivers for everything including the tuner cards, plus the latest BIOS. I've also tried using both PCI-E 1x slots in different situations and clearing the CMOS; nothing helps. So I think that leaves me with one option: the motherboard. 
Is this likely to be an incompatibility issue with the H67MA-E35 (B3) or a fault with my specific board? 

Answer 1

Quote from: xmad on 23-July-12, 06:24:05
It seems thouse cards wont work @ 1x which is all you are getting with your VGA & 2 other pcie slots filled. I found several other people having trouble with those cards in 1x slots.
Hmm, where are you getting this information from? The pins on the tuners are only 1x and the user manual of the BGT36xx series states they will work in 1x/4x/16x slots. The MSI website just says this for the PCI-E slots on my motherboard:
• 1 PCI Express gen2 x16 slot
• 2 PCI Express gen2 x1 slots
• 1 PCI slot, support 3.3V/ 5V PCI bus Interface
I'm pretty sure that the two non-VGA slots are physically 1x so won't ever be 8x. Also, are you sure the "several other people" aren't just me on other forums cos that's what a quick google shows.
Quote from: xmad on 23-July-12, 06:24:05
To confirm, remove the vga and use onboard, put the tuner cards in the top 2 slots and test. I believe that should be 16x and 8x (although i'm not sure about the specifics on your board in regards to the total number of lanes.) or at worst 8x /8x.
I'll give it a go some time this week. I'll do a full backup beforehand and restore after testing because driver conflicts could cause problems, plus whenever I put in the BGT3630 alongside the BGT3600, it detects all the tuners as "new" so I have reconfigure my software, MediaPortal, each time.
By the way, I really appreciate your help here. So far no-one else has any idea what is going on!