Graphical artifacts

[Guest]

Hello community,

I struggled for some time during the early summer of 2010 with a faulty graphics card (it varying when it was ACTUALLY faulty) but since summer came and the weather was lovely outside, I quickly forgot about my troubles again. That is, untill now: It appears the term for the issues I have with my gfx is 'artifacts', basically they're what I'd refer to as texture errors / texture replacements, often with solid white or solid black colors in a triangle shape, the thick end starting at the edges of my screen, moving inwards (however they can start anywhere on the screen, and sometimes they do not maintain a triangular shape).

I've tried reading whether or not a PSU with too little wattage could be the reason for my issues but I have come up empty-handed (or at least, with so many different answers to my questions, I don't know what to believe). I therefore turn to you: Is it possible that my graphical artifacts stem from a PSU not supplying enough power?

NB. I've tried underclocking my GFX and it seems I do not get artifacts while running an underclocked GPU - does this tell you anything in regards to my problems?

Thank you in advance.

 

[hell_storm2004]

A little bit more info on your complete specs would have helped!

 

[coozie7]

Might be the PSU, might be temperature related, might be a dying card.
Please post full system specs.
Either Rivatuner or GPUZ will monitor the card temperatures. As a general rule of thumb, expect to see idle temps of around 30-50C and load temps to be 75-85C, depending on card and case cooling.

 

[katanadude]

It sounds like a faulty GPU. Have you had the card for a long time? If so, I would try this;
http://www.addictivetips.com/computer-tips/fix-your-graphics-card-by-baking-in-oven/

 

[Guest]

System specs:
Gigabyte GA-MA770-DS3 Motherboard
5400+ AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor
2x1GB Kingston DDR2-800 Ram
Sparkle GeForce 9800GTX+
2xSATA HDDs
Corsair 450W PSU (31 amp on 12v rail)

Please inform me if I've left out soem information that is needed

After underclocking my GPU (copied the settings from the Low Performance 3D profile in RivaTuner into those in High Performance 3D) I've been playing for well over 4 hours and whilst my temperatures have been roughly 80-85 degrees the whole time, I've not seen as much as a single glitch in graphics. Could it possibly be my GFX demanding less power whilst underclocked and therefore the PSU can actually supply the wattage needed?

 

[hell_storm2004]

Your PSU is way too good for the 9800GTX+. Unless its gone bad.
1. Update the drivers to the latest one. See if it helps.
2. Check with another good PSU and see if the problem goes away.
3. What is your case? Maybe bad airflow is causing the card to heat up and cause problem.
4. If any of the above doesn't help, your card is dying!

 

[Guest]

1. Drivers are newest forceware: 258.96.

2. I do not have another PSU as it stands, I could possibly test with a no name 450W one, would that suffice?

3. I currently have one side off on my case (since I had to check to see there wasn't much dust down there)

4. If it's dying, how come underclocking works? I'm not saying you're not right, I'm merely looking for an explanation

 

[MrMooky]

I'm going to have to try that baking trick on my dying 8800GTS!

 

[MrMooky]

Quick question on the baking trick. If I bake the card, then put it back into my rig, is there any chance the baked card can destroy any other parts of the computer if it didn't work right? Or will the card just not work?