Intel® Arc™ Discrete Graphics의 주제 Re: Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

simplezero — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:55:37 GMT

Hi
I'm having a problem: the GPU, even if the monitor isn't connected, unloads the model after a while. Even though it shouldn't. It looks like the GPU is being disabled (powered off) when there is no API activity (no model being generated).

All power-saving options are disabled in the BIOS (ASPM, Disabling unused PCIe portsor, any other). PCIe power saving options are also disabled in Windows.

The main problem I had after the break was trying to access the model again via the API — it takes a very long time to load... — and it happens in gigabyte increments over a long period of time. Sometimes it loads instantly, but I don't know what determines this.

If I load a model from scratch, it loads very quickly from RAM.

All I've come up with so far is a stupid script that polls the API every 30 seconds to keep things active.

$ServerUrl="http://localhost:8080"; $IntervalSec=30
while($true){
$ts=Get-Date -f "HH:mm:ss"
$body='{"prompt":"ping","n_predict":1,"temperature":0.1}'
try{
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "$ServerUrl/completion" -Method Post -Body $body -ContentType "application/json" -TimeoutSec 10 | Out-Null
Write-Host "[$ts] OK" -ForegroundColor Green
}catch{
Write-Host "[$ts] ERROR" -ForegroundColor Red
}
Start-Sleep $IntervalSec
}

Windows 11
Driver 8626
llama.cpp
A770 (x16 gen3)
C612 (Z10PE-D8 WS), Xeon 2699v3 x2

I'm really desperate, I don't know how to fix this annoying problem. I have 4x A770s.

Re: Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

simplezero — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:42:46 GMT

Important note.

After a period of time, GPUs that aren't connected to displays or aren't under load become unmanageable in Intel Graphics Software. Their REBAR availability also changes.

And until I launch hwiNFO® 64 and restart the program (Intel Graphics Software), it is impossible to configure the GPUs.

Re: Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

simplezero — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:43:50 GMT

Right now, the model is loading back into the GPU memory very quickly, despite being unloaded. 🤷
Unfortunately, I can't figure out why this is happening. I haven't restarted the computer, installed, or uninstalled anything new.

ps 100% HDD utilization - this is the defragmentation process running in the background.

Re: Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

simplezero — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:22:44 GMT

Re:Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

Nikhil_Intel — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 06:20:19 GMT

Hello simplezero,

Thank you for posting on the Intel Community Forum.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused by the GPU unexpectedly unloading the model during idle periods I understand how frustrating this behavior can be and appreciate your patience while troubleshooting.

I would like to inform you that a new graphics driver has been released. Please download and install the latest driver from the link below and check if the issue still occurs:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/785597/intel-arc-graphics-windows.html

Driver-Level Action: Perform a clean installation of the graphics driver using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller)

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000091878/graphics.html

After installing the updated driver, if the issue persists, to better understand the behavior, I would also appreciate your help with the following details:

SSU log: For SSU log file please check this link: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000057926/memory-and-storage.html

Once we have this information, we’ll be able to analyze the issue more effectively and advise on the next steps.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards,

Nikhil

Intel Customer Support

Re: Re:Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

simplezero — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 07:42:53 GMT

Hello, @Nikhil_Intel

I reinstalled the driver with the latest 8724 via DDU, but the problem still remains

Re:Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

Nikhil_Intel — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:46:19 GMT

Hello simplezero,

Thanks for the detailed explanation — we understand how frustrating this behavior is, especially with multi-GPU workloads.

Please share the steps you have already tried so far (driver versions tested, BIOS/power settings changes, and any workarounds like polling scripts).

Also, if your application supports it, please try configuring it to use specific GPU(s) only. This will help confirm whether the issue is related to multi-GPU behavior or individual device stability.

Isolation test (important):

If possible, please run the same workload on 2 GPUs, and keep the others disabled. Let us know if the issue still occurs in this reduced setup.

Please also share logs:

Run Intel System Support Utility → Scan → Save report (.txt) and attach it here. (Network tab should be unchecked).

link: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000057926/memory-and-storage.html

This will help us determine if it’s related to driver behaviour or power-state transitions.

Best regards,

Nikhil

Intel Customer Support Technician

Re: Re:Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

simplezero — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 08:47:06 GMT

Hello, Nikhil

I reinstalled the drivers and reset the BIOS. I also have a problem with the GPUs not going into power-saving mode—they simply "turn off" instead of consuming 1-8W when idle. I contacted Asrock support, but so far, no luck. I think some update failed to flash the GPU firmware correctly, and it's now constantly affecting their performance. I saw that during the driver installation, it indicated that the firmware was being installed, but I'm not sure that helps, even though there were no error messages during the installation.

A long time ago, I managed to enable low power mode in Windows, but that only happened once and never worked again. Currently, low power mode only works on Ubuntu with the out-of-tree driver, but then there's no display and the computer turns into a regular server without a monitor.

I don't know if it's important or not.

If possible, please run the same workload on 2 GPUs, and keep the others disabled. Let us know if the issue still occurs in this reduced setup.

I've tried with 1 or 2 or 3, and 4 GPUs. The problem still persists. I've tried disabling the GPU in Device Manager, and I've tried disabling it in the BIOS. The only thing I haven't tried in a while is physically removing the GPU from the PCIe ports—but don't even suggest it—it won't change anything. I've also tried resetting the CMOS (disconnecting the battery and disconnecting the power for an extended period).

I also opened an issue:
https://github.com/IGCIT/Intel-GPU-Community-Issue-Tracker-IGCIT/issues/1434

And here is a report:

Re:Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

Nikhil_Intel — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:19:43 GMT

Hello simplezero,

I hope you are doing well.

I am writing to provide a technical assessment regarding the stability issues with your multi-GPU Intel Arc A770 configuration.

The root cause is a fundamental architectural mismatch between the modern Intel Arc A770 hardware and your legacy C612/Xeon server platform.

The Arc GPUs require specific PCIe power management and Resizable BAR handshakes that your older chipset does not support. When the GPUs sit idle, they attempt to enter low-power sleep states that the legacy hardware cannot properly manage, causing the devices to disconnect or become unmanageable. Because this is a hardware-level incompatibility, it cannot be resolved via driver or BIOS updates.

Please check this Intel® Arc™ Graphics – Desktop Quick Start Guide. I am attaching the link:

Intel® Arc™ Graphics – Desktop Quick Start Guide

Please let us know if you have any additional questions or if there’s anything else we can assist you with.

Thankyou for your understanding.

Best regards,

Nikhil

Intel Customer Support Technician

Re: Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

Jianyu_Z_Intel — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:57:52 GMT

Hello simplezero,

We meet same issue in Xeon 6xxx on windows.

We install an Arc770 on it, whose mother board doesn't support BEBAR.

Arc770 work well, but with about 30% performance drop for AI, compared to PC with REBAR.

We connect a monitor by VGA or DP to the GPU. it can keep the GPU online.
You could try it.

Thank you!

Re: Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

simplezero — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:58:10 GMT

Thanks for the workaround!

I have another option for anyone who encounters a similar problem. You need to run the console in the background with this command:

for /l %i in () do @(cls & xpu-smi discovery & timeout /t 20 >nul)

The model is no longer unloaded from memory!

Re: Re:Driver problem: The model is unloading and the GPU is disabling (Intel A770)

simplezero — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:02:56 GMT

The Arc GPUs require specific PCIe power management and Resizable BAR handshakes that your older chipset does not support. When the GPUs sit idle, they attempt to enter low-power sleep states that the legacy hardware cannot properly manage, causing the devices to disconnect or become unmanageable. Because this is a hardware-level incompatibility, it cannot be resolved via driver or BIOS updates.

Hello, Nikhil

My motherboard supports ReBAR. Here's a screenshot. And Intel Graphics Software confirms this.