Graphic glitches in Windows

[goldfishh]

I have a brand new build with an annoying problem. Every time i boot and enter Windows, black and white stripes appear on screen, as seen in the screenshot below. After a few minutes, normally when I do something CPU intensive, the computer freezes. But if i restart - before or after it freezes - everything is fine, and I can play games for hours without a single glitch.

I am running Windows XP SP3 (the problem was there with SP2 also). The BIOS and all drivers have been updated. All components have temperatures between 30 and 50 degrees Celsius, even under load. Antivirus and antispyware are installed.

The specifications are as follows:
Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R, P35, Socket-775 motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
Kingston DDR2 HyperX PC8500 2048MB
Gainward GeForce 8800GT 512MB
OCZ 600W StealthXStream power supply

 

[guanyu210379]

I have experienced something similar to yours.
It was caused by defect gpu.
Check your gpu by installing it on another computer, or try to install another gpu on your system.

 

[sandmanwn]

Defective hardware. Probably GPU.

 

[evongugg]

Try a different video card.
Check the memory with memtest86+.
Try a different power supply.

 

[goldfishh]

I thought that there was a defect at first, too, but then why does it all work fine after a restart? I had similar problems with a laptop, and it turned out that there was a defect in the memory. But then there were artifacts all the time, even before entering Windows.

 

[guanyu210379]

Th reason why your picture is fine after restart is that your GPU is not yet 100% down. I have this problem with my GeForce FX5200 long long time ago.
It started to give me something like your posted screen after 10-30 mins and it was normal again and again after restarting.

I know that are also several other possibilities. Your memory could also be your culprit but your GPU is most likely your source of trouble since you have succesfully installed the OS. Most new memory problems can be seen most of times during the OS installation process. But it is still possible.

That is why I have told you to test your GPU first! not to throw it away directly!
Check it! if this is the cause than your problem is found and if it doesn't we'll help you to think of other possibilities.
Just try it and after that just post your result!

 

[guanyu210379]

Or you can check your memory rightaway by change with any supportable memory you can find .
Just don't stand there and doing nothing but complaining. Do something!

 

[arson94]

I agree with the other posters. It's possibly your memory, but more than likely your GPU. The GPU should be the first thing you check. Just simply replace it with any GPU you can get and see what happens. You could also try just wiping off the contacts of your GPU and reseating it. Blow out the PCI-E port before reseating. If you're lucky, and it's not likely, maybe it's just a little dirt or dust that got caught in the PCI-E slot between it and the contacts of the GPU.

 

[night_wolf_in]

why dont u use atitool. give ur gpu a good stress testing, then use memtest84+ to c if u have rams problem.

 

[goldfishh]

Thank you for your help so far. I've run memtest84+, which reported no errors. I'm running ATITool now; so far the artifact scanner has run for ten minutes, but no errors have been found (this is after a restart).

I would have tested another video card if I had one available, but I don't (my old one is an AGP, which this motherboard doesn't support). Also, I have changed the GPU cooler and managed to throw away the screws for the old one, so the store probably won't even think of giving me a new one. Stupid me.

 

[arson94]

lol... You should be able to find screws somewhere to fit. Or buy another, switch the heatsinks, then take it back.

 

[goldfishh]

I ran ATITool for more than two and a half hours without a single glitch. Then I shut the computer off and booted it, and the artifacts were there again. ATITool wouldn't even run the test - it just froze. I rebooted, and everything was fine again.

I'm going to install Windows on another partition and see if the problem is still there.

Or buy another, switch the heatsinks, then take it back.

You know, that's so crazy it might just work...

 

[arson94]

hmm... you know what. Check and make sure your Northbridge and Southbridge chipsets aren't overheating. Gigabyte likes to do this **** where their NB and SB heatsinks aren't adequate and the damn thing gets hot enough cause 2nd degree burns on human skin. It was like that why my parent's 690G board that I built them and I had to change it to a better one.

 

[guanyu210379]

+1 for arson94 opinion.
There is also possible that youre chipset ais overheated. Sometime, the chipset heatsink is not correctly installed, this happends often, nomatter where your mobo comes from (ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, etc.)
Or just sometime the heatsink is not enough, and you'll need a fan.
Or your case had simply bad airflow circulation and your system suffers because of it.
But this is also only a possibility.