Problems with GPU acceleration

Please see the list of questions related to GPU acceleration in Passware Kit. If you cannot find the answer, contact Customer Support.

• Why Passware Kit does not use a GPU when recovering a password for my file?
• What models of GPU cards does Passware Kit support for hardware acceleration?
• How do I know that Passware Kit is using my GPU card for the acceleration of the password recovery process?
• Why is the password recovery speed on my NVIDIA card much lower than advertised?
• Why are not all of my NVIDIA cards used by Passware Kit?
• Why has Passware Kit unexpectedly stopped using my GPU card for password recovery?

Q: Why Passware Kit does not use a GPU when recovering a password for my file?

A: The most probable reason is that the password recovery process for this type of file can not be accelerated. Passware Kit uses GPU acceleration for: MS Office 2007-2013 documents, Zip, 7-Zip and RAR archives, PGP, BitLocker, TrueCrypt, FileVault2 and Apple DMG disk images, Android and iTunes backups, Android mobile images, Mac keychain, and Lotus Notes ID files. These types of files are marked with the "Hardware acceleration possible" message in the software as displayed below:

The full list of file types, for which the password recovery process can be accelerated with GPU cards, is displayed on the website with the green 'GPU' icon:

https://www.passware.com/kit-forensic/filetypes/

Other types of files are not supported for GPU acceleration.

Q: What models of GPU cards does Passware Kit support for hardware acceleration?

A: Passware Kit supports all models of NVIDIA and AMD (ATI) cards with OpenCL 2.0 technology. 

For some older NVIDIA cards, you need to add environmental variable for them to work with the latest version of Passware Kit. Please use the steps below:

1. Make sure that the Passware Kit is closed.
2. Open Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts. There will be an option on the left: "Change my environment variables". A new window will appear. On the top, in the group "User variables for <...>" press New...
3. In the appeared window in the field "Variable name" enter PASSWARE_SINGLE_GPU_CONCURRENCY. In the field "Variable value" enter "1". Press "OK".
4. Delete CalibrationInfo.ini from C:\Users<CurrentUser>\AppData (Hidden folder)\Roaming\Passware\Passware Kit
5. Launch PasswareKit again and see if GPU cards are starting to contribute

Q: How do I know that Passware Kit is using my GPU card for the acceleration of the password recovery process?

A: When Passware Kit is using a GPU card, it displays a message "Using GPU device..." in the Log tab as shown below:

Q: Why is the password recovery speed on my NVIDIA card much lower than advertised?

A: First of all, you can compare the password recovery speed on your computer with our tests, which are displayed at:
https://www.passware.com/kit-forensic/performance/

If the speed on your computer is much lower than the one listed on our website, try updating the driver for your GPU. You can download the latest driver on NVIDIA website (make sure to install the correct version of the driver in accordance with your OS: 32-bit or 64-bit).

Please note that recovery speed depends on the encryption type and attack model assigned. The speed of the recovery process for 1-5 Xieve attack and 7-7 Brute-Force attack will be different with the same file and hardware.

Q: Why are not all of my NVIDIA cards used by Passware Kit?

A: First of all, make sure that Passware Kit lists all your GPU cards at Tools | Options | Hardware | Acceleration Units and that all of them are enabled as displayed below. You might also need to uncheck the box Disable GPU acceleration when the user is active there.

If not all of your cards are listed there, use the GPU Caps Viewer utility to check whether the system is able to recognize all of your GPU cards. In GPU Caps Viewer, go to the CUDA tab and check the "Number of CUDA devices" record as displayed below:

If the number of GPU cards in GPU Caps Viewer is correct, but Passware Kit still does not list all of your GPU cards at Tools | Options, please contact our Support for assistance.

If the number of GPU cards in GPU Caps Viewer is incorrect, the problem is most likely connected with the NVIDIA driver. You might need to update the driver to the latest version and perform a clean install of the drivers. Also, try disabling the SLI mode or CrossFire™ in the GPU card settings.

Additionally, please check that the cards are not in the same PCI slot. If you are unable to change this, please contact our Customer Support for a solution.

For stable performance, if you have more than 4 GPU cards on your computer, we recommend using the 64-bit version of Passware Kit on Windows 64-bit with more than 8GB of RAM.

Q: Why has Passware Kit unexpectedly stopped using my GPU card for password recovery?

A: If Passware Kit started using your GPU card, but as the password recovery process went on, it then stopped using it, the problem is likely connected with the overheating of your GPU card. In this case, the Passware Kit displays messages "Stopped using GPU" and "Hardware acceleration error" in the Log tab. Also, in case of overheating, the Passware Kit will automatically turn the acceleration on the card to prevent it from malfunctioning. The default temperature set is 85C, it can be changed in Tools | Options | Hardware according to the recommended card max temperature.

The only solution to prevent your GPU cards from overheating is installing a corresponding cooling system.

The problem with the unexpected failure of GPU acceleration may also be connected with power supply units. Make sure your power supply unit and its components meet the following recommendations. You can also check if your system instability is related to the power supply at:
https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-104