Search
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

A Problem For the AGES! Please help me!

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
Share

Ok, this is a biggie, here goes,

I bought a bfg geforce 7800gs oc, and got wierd gfx glitches in games, not on my desktop.

I returned it for another, same deal ( I thought it was a dud card)

I returned that, got an ati x1600, now less glitches, but still some, in diff games.

I have tried 2 different PSU's, and still the problem is on..

I have done all Windows elements, i.e.

Reinstall dx,
Tried various drivers for both gfx solutions,
Updated shipset drivers for agp, sound, etc.

Still the problem persists.

I have found, that I have 8 things on IRQ 11;

On board sound,
Ethernet,
Modem,
Video card (both the bfg and ati)

Now, Here are the options I think I have left,...

I am going to test my RAM just to make sure that is not the cause,
If that does not work, I will try reinstalling windows 2000 in a HAL setup, to get each device on its own (especially the agp card) IRQ.

Any other ideas?

The glitches are like textures sticking out of characters, or flashes of textures, etc. Also, when I had the bfg card, I was on the phone with a tech for like 2 hours, and he was stumped.

Anywho, any advice I will be grateful for.

Specs are as follows...:

P4 2.4 Genuine Intel
PC2600 RAM @ 333 Mhz
ECS P4s5a/dx mobo
ATi x1600 pro AGP
400 Watt Dynex psu, (have also tried a novia 400w psu)
Maxtor 200 GB HD
DVD Drive
CD-WR Drive


I have no Fastwrite in BIOS, and am AGP 4x 2.0 GFX Aperture set to 512, to match the card, will be testing lowering it tonite, Though it happened at any setting with the 7800.

Have also defraged, spywared, reg cleaned, driver cleaned.

Please Help ! Thx in advance!

More about : problem ages

Register or log in to remove

Make sure your power supply has enough amps on the 12v, my 6600gt recommends 20a, and it takes a special 400w to provide it. If you don't have any case fans, the extra heat from the video card could be warming everything up to much. Checking the ram is a good idea.

What glitches, what games?

Graphical glitches are part of life, drivers are never 100% perfect with every game. You might just be unlucky as far as the titles you play.

It's also possible your case is too hot and it's causing some problems I guess...

Well, as for games, with the bfg, it was

Vampire masquerade bloodlines,
tomb raider legend
tomb raider AOD

the ati so far is

vampire bloodlines ( i think happens fast sometimes)
sacred


The reason i dont think its dirvers, or card related, is that is the same type of glitches in all the games, regardless of gpu, and which game.

Here is a link to the nzone forums, where when i thought it was the card (my bad) with screenies of various games.

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=13732

Also, the 7800 never once was over 45 degrees in the monitor, the ati is cool and quite, and my cpu heat is fine.

I will check the rail on the psu tonite as well, but I do not think the ati card is that demanding. Only said a 350w psu on the box, as opposed to the 400w the 7800 wanted. Hoever, thx for the idea, can u tell me exactly where on the psu this data is listed? of course have seen the thing, but it does not say "rail" etc, so I want to be 100% sure of what I am looking at.

Thx again!
Related ressources
Ask the community

The PSU won't cause graphical glitches, if you don't have enough power it'll simply crach.

Well, that's an odd problem. GLitches are usually caused by overclocking, heat, drivers, or simply a bad card. I'm not sure what else could cause it.

OK! I put in 2 case fans, Have one on the x1600, one on cpu, and a massive one on the psu, and after installing the 2 case fans,...

My card now seems to be running hot. Any Ideas?

Also, my screen flickers when booting windows.

Please help.

Are you sure the fans are blowing out of the case, and not into it?

This is kind of a hard problem to diagnose remotely. I'm sorry but I'm not sure what else to suggest...

I have the stock fan system on the x1600,
the stock one on the psu, (which is huge)
one on thr processor.

The two case fans, one blows out, right under the psu, the other right under that, blows in,

I thought it would be best for airflow. Am I wrong? should both go out?

Also, my hookup is as follows;

dvd drive, to cd wr drive, to floppy drive, to harddrive 1 cable.
video card, to these 2 new fans, (0.14a each for power)
psu is 21a on the 12 rail.

is this all wrong?

As a rule, all fans on the back and top of the case should blow out... fans on the side and front should blow in.

Having said that, I really doubt this is causing your artifact problem...

What about the hookup?

Think that the psu hookup is off?

Plus, I still have 8 things on 1 IRQ...

USB's,
video card,
on board sound,
ethernet,
modem,...

all on one IRQ... am trying to figure out a HAL install to get em all on seperate IRQ's.

always best to have the vid card on its own power, though that is probably not your issue.

also, the fan setup you have would cause some overheat issues, as they are pushing in and right back out w/o cooling much of the case. Put either both facing out, or one out and move the other to the front of the case going in... also prb not your total issue though.

I know that tomb raider AOD was a glitchy game at best. Many reports of graphics errors. Legend may be the same way. (both primarily ps2 titles)

Vampire also was twitchy, which contributed to low sales and the dev folding... now not supported i think.

don't know about sacred, but it is older and was not very popular.

could it be those games are the issue? have you tried anything more "mainstream" (read: currently updated/supported by bigger companies) like farcry, hl2, doom3? anything that might be hardware taxing and show that the system is working fine? If you dont see issues in the bigger games then it is surely software related, if you do see issues in a title like doom or even (better) UT2004, then it is still something in your system. I say UT2k4 b/c of its widespread engine use in so many games that it would confirm if it is a specific title thing or a system thing... it runs both direct 3d and open gl too which could narrow that down if need be. (changeable in the .ini file)

I know it is not software related, unless its the IRQ's or my OS.

As I get screen flickers when booting, on boot screens, and on desktop.

Also, these games never glitched etc on my 9800 pro.

I will reformat this weekend, as if its not hardware, its gotta be the damned IRQ's.

IRQ conflicts have absolutely nothing to do with graphical glitches in a game.

An IRQ problem will cause a crash, not a graphical glitch. The problem lies in the graphics subsystem:

Overclocking
Overheating
Bad Drivers
Bad Card

I appreciate all yer guys responses!

Question tho, the card isn't overclocked. And as I said, have tried 3 cards now, 2 bfg geforce 7800gs oc's and now this ati x1600. Same problems still...

Have tried various drivers, driver cleaners.

Perhaps it is the fact these cards are native PCIe cards, and there is AGP "side effects?"

Or my motherboard is incompatible with these type of cards?

I am getting sick of going back to future shop saying these cards are bad, they are gunna start looking at me funny....

my 7800gs runs fine. sacred was renound for being a pile of crap with bugs and glitches every time u do somthing. and a quick question, by glitches do u mean artifacts? if so, download ati tool and underclock your 1600 a bit, if errors still occur then its deff software related, especially considering they are not the most widley aviable titles out there, and the fact that your using two new cards and the companys releasing the cards may not have added support for the newer cards...

Plain and simple: if another card works fine on your system, and the current card does not, it's a bad card.

Do you have a buddy whose graphics card you can borrow?

Personally, I'd keep returning it to future shop. They don't care, it's not their money. Besides, you paid for a working graphics card. It's not inconceivable that the cards you got were both bad.

But if the third one also screws up, there's something wrong methinks. nobody is thrice unlucky...

Your AGP size should be 128MB at the max for a 256MB card.

I have zero issues with my 7800GS card. I had studdering in BF2 with everything on high until I upped my system memory to 2GB of RAM.

I think your problem is either in the card or you have a BIOS issue. Check forums and see what your AGP volts should be as well as other settings. I find it hard to believe you have been given three lemon cards.

Quote:
I appreciate all yer guys responses!

Question tho, the card isn't overclocked. And as I said, have tried 3 cards now, 2 bfg geforce 7800gs oc's and now this ati x1600. Same problems still...

Have tried various drivers, driver cleaners.

Perhaps it is the fact these cards are native PCIe cards, and there is AGP "side effects?"

Or my motherboard is incompatible with these type of cards?

I am getting sick of going back to future shop saying these cards are bad, they are gunna start looking at me funny....


im sorry to say all the games you listed, are buggy games that had alot of graphical problems, make sure tis not the games by running a different mainstream game, try something like UT2004, should be nice and cheap now, if you need to buy it and with the gfx setting up it will test your card.

the other guys are right these problems tend to occur with driver, heat or overclocking... did you test your RAM? what were your results? sorry but this is a wierd problem.

if you really want to check if it is IRQ coinflict then try disabling/uninstalling all cards on the same IRQ.

personnally im gonna say its a heat issue, if you can use MBM5 to record your CPU temps if you cant record your gfx temps, atleast the temp of the cpu will give us an idea of the heat your stuff is working in.
Register or log in to remove
 
Ask the community
Read discussions in other Graphics & Displays categories
!