Strange corrupted area in display since replacing graphics card

FaLaFeLoG

Commendable
May 22, 2016
2
0
1,510
Hi everyone,

I'll start with a quick description of the issue and delve into the system's details and background below.
I've recently replaced my previous graphics card (Gigabye AMD HD6870) with a newer one (Sapphire Toxic r9 280x). Since then, I see these weird distortions in my display from time to time.
Sometimes the distortions change place. Here are two short videos showing it from the games D4 and Besiege, respectively:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chzr2fCWW6g&feature=youtu.be"][/video]
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtoJyxvafj4&feature=youtu.be"][/video]

System specs:
Operating System
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit - Fresh install following the purchase of the card.
CPU
Intel Core i7 2600 @ 3.40GHz 38 °C
Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology
RAM
8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. B75-D3V (Intel Core i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz) 28 °C
Latest bios
Graphics
SAMSUNG (1920x1080@60Hz)
3072MB ATI AMD Radeon R9 200 Series (Sapphire/PCPartner) 42 °C
Storage
1863GB Western Digital WDC WD2002FAEX-007BA0 (SATA) 40 °C
465GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKX-001CA0 (SATA) 40 °C
111GB KINGSTON SVP200S3120G (SSD) 37 °C
931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EADS-00L5B1 (SATA) 34 °C
931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EADS-00L5B1 (SATA) 39 °C
931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00BN5A0 (SATA) 37 °C
Optical Drives
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7260S
Audio
AMD High Definition Audio Device
PSU:
SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold G-750

Link to dxdiag summary file.

Background of issue (this is a bit long, feel free to skim over it...):
I got the card from a guy who had a few laying around following a start up comany being sold.
A few were used but some where in a sealed box.
I got one that was not sealed but appeared unused.

As soon as I opened the box and tried to connect it to my PC, I realized I was going to need a new PSU as my old one (HEC 500W) was old and didn't even have 8 pin connectors.
I know there are adaptors for this but with all the hard drives and the requirements of the card, I figured it was time to change that piece of hardware as well.

When I connected the PSU, I noticed I'm feeling some current in the case itself and tried to insulate as much of the parts as I could - added some tape between the MB screws and the board, same for the PSU, etc.
Since the current was pretty weak, I let it go for now and tried out the card.

Trying it in Shadow of Mordor showed strange behavior when trying to render the view when standing on a tower.
Other games startd getting the distortions shown above.

I contacted the guy who sold me the card and he said I can come and grab another one.
The new one was completely sealed and still had the original plastic cover on it.

The issues with Shadow of Mordor disappeared but after a day or so, the rectangular distortions started appearing again.

Following a few days' worth of trial and error, I found that the electirc current in the case only appeared when the PC was connected via my UPS device (1000W Advice UPS). It's a bit old so I figured it might be on the fritz and connected the PC to the socket directly.
Current is gone now.
Distortions in graphics still come up.

I don't know if the electric current in the case is relevant but figured it was worth mentioning.

Today I bought an electronic cleaning spray and cleaned the inside of the PCI-E x16 port.

So this is where I'm at now.
Not sure what else I can test.
Your sage advice will be most appreciated.

Thanks

Amir
 

FaLaFeLoG

Commendable
May 22, 2016
2
0
1,510


I don't believe the card is defective because
1) I tried two cards of the same model
2) Two of my colleagues had bought the same card from the same guy and are experiencing this issue.
That's a total of 4 cards tested and the two cards that had the issue were both on my PC.

I'm using the latest driver (installed via AMD software) but I can't rule out an issue there.

The card is long past its warranty so I don't think I'm gonna get much help from the manufacturer. That's why I came here :)