Have a look at this screen shot. Need help!!

rob_uk

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Hello,

Have a look at this,

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=4506844

These two pictures are screen shots from F.E.A.R. One in single player, one in multiplayer on the net. As you can see thay are both messed up.

Does anybody know what this is? Or where it is coming from? Or even how to stop it?

My spec:
3800+ X2
Asus 7900GT 450, 1320 (never been oc'd, not pre oc'd)
Asus SLI-SE
2gigs of Corsair Value 1 gig.

There is more to this however.
As soon as there is any problems with the images, as there are in the picture above, and when i try to close down the application and go back to desktop it just does not happen. The screen flickers on and off. A little bit like when you are trying to change resolution in windows.
It took about 5 minutes just to be able to do a screen shot and paste it.
Sometimes the game will just freeze totally. But i can still hear the buttons click when i pass my mouse over them. This leads me to think that its nothing to do with the cpu but with the card.

I have tried with Quake 4, and similar issues. The game runs fine, very fine. However when i close it, to return to deskotop, the screen goes grazy again and i have to restart.

The problem looks to come and go, one session and it will be fine, but others, no chance.

I have also tried 3Dmark06 and got 4700 something. The test ran fine, no problems at all.

I have also tried superpi for my cpu and no probelms here either. Please help me, i am having a hell of a time trying to sort this thing out.

I have updated all games drivers, cpu drivers, and gpu drivers (even the new beta version)

r

ps. sorry for the overly long post :)[/img]
 
Looks like my screen once when I found out the gpu was overheating. Check the gpu temps to make sure not too hot. Also, try using the production release of the gpu driver rather than the beta version; maybe even try an earlier release of the driver.

Good luck!
 

Human1

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I third the overheating suggestion. Check your heatsink and make sure it is seated correctly on your GPU.
You can check your GPU temp in the driver UI. Go into desktop properties, hit advanced on the appearance tab (I think) and go to the nvidia tab. There should be a temperature tab in that menu. Good times. Without running a game you should be idling ~40C, though mine idles at ~37 with passive cooling. Anything higher than 45C and you've got problems.
If you're sink looks like it's fine, you may need to dissemble it to put better heat paste on it.
Sorry for the double post. :oops: Server stopped responding and I thought of more to say...
 

waylander

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Please don't try to scare this guy out of his wits...

Anything higher than 45C and you've got problems.

The NVidia 7800 and 7900 series cards should be able to handle 60C with no problems, not recommended but should not be causing artifacts. The cards won't shut themselves down until you hit around 75C. I do think it's a heat problem as well but I think it will be in the 65-70C range that he will be seeing to have those kinds of problems.
 

Human1

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You're right, I was talking about idle temps though. :wink: If his idle temp is over 45C then his heatsink probably isn't seated correctly.
As for temps under load, GPUs are good into the 80s easily. I've never seen artifacting below 90C, but then I haven't seen artifacting too often, so my experience is limited. When I play Oblivion, though, my card hits 75C regularly and it's no problem.
 

Tattysnuc

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I've had the same effect in other games and it's been corrected by reinstalling the NVidia drivers.

I've just got a 7900GT and that idles at 45 deg c, so your card is not too different to mine temp wise. I'd hazzard a guess that it's therefore a software issue. If you're worried about your card voerheating, just set the setting in the NVidia properties (right click display, settings, NVidia GeForce 7900GT) and in one of the tabs under the gfx card setting, you should find a setting that alerts you when your card's getting too hot.

Mine reads 120Degrees as the threshold, but that's what the card manufacturer/driver writer has implimented.

Have you updated Direct X to the latest April distro?

Does it do this in other games, or just Fear?
 

rob_uk

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thanks for the posts guys.

good to know im not the only one.

I just rad 3dmark again, and had a gpu temp of 55, idle its about 38.

now going to open her up and have a look at whats going on.

i will also try removing one stick of ram, i heard that it can be a memory issue too.

will post again in a bit

:)
 

Human1

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Well, it's certainly not temps then. Try removing the driver with a uninstallation tool. There's a couple out there. Then, reinstall the latest drivers and see if that helps.
 

rob_uk

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things kind of got better,

i did.....

- removed one gig of ram. so its running on its own now
- pointed a 12cm fan at my graphics card

I think that the fan thing is kind of pointless, but still.

i will report back after more ameturish testing.

r
 

icbluscrn

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Well, it's certainly not temps then. Try removing the driver with a uninstallation tool. There's a couple out there. Then, reinstall the latest drivers and see if that helps.

what ↑said = Thats what solved my similiar quake 4 problem
 

gomerpile

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If all else don't work I suggest turning down the clock to 425 and memory to 1200 and go from there I've seen this in cards before and most companies do oc the card becase the norm of selling a higher clock rate is better for sales.
 

rob_uk

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May 18, 2006
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hello

just under clocked the card,

no artifacts in the game. running very nicely. i think i put it down to 430, and 1200.

however, the game still made the screen go nuts after i closed down fear, and had to restart. getting closer. will try the driver re-installation tomorrow.

thanks for the help guys.

good of you

r