Black ops ripples. Game or hardware?

[HostileDonut]

When I was playing black ops the a ripple will go through my screen sometimes, about once every 20-40 seconds. It is not very big at all and does not really bother me, but is my hardware breaking? Is this a common problem? I am using a hd6850. If you need anymore information I will be glad to tell you.

 

[Tamz_msc]

What exactly do you mean by a 'ripple'?

 

[bystander]

Two things come to mind when he says ripple. Tearing, or timing changes. Perhaps a signal interruption to the monitor.

 

[HostileDonut]

Like, it looks like something is going up the screen in a ripley (I do not know if that is a word) way. Would a VGA to DVI make a signal interruption?

 

[bystander]

If it's across the middle, where it's like two slightly different images are shown side by side, try using v-sync. If it's disturbing more than a single row worth pixels, you might check that cable or monitor.

Also, you might want to download MSI Afterburner or GPU-Z, and check the log on memory clock, gpu clock and voltage. If it's changing during those rippling effects, it may be a problem with the drivers or something else relat

 

[HostileDonut]

So none of my hardware is broken, right? V-sync makes me get bad FPS, I think you were the one who helped me with that actually. It doesn't show two of the same pictures either. When you through a rock into water, it makes a ripple through the water. It looks like that. And sometimes part of the image moves over a bit and then go back in place.

 

[wolfram23]

Hmm I had an Apple IIe do that on it's 5" green display. Are you using a CRT monitor?

I'm thinking of a distortion effect that moves from bottom to top, it'll look like a ripple. I've never heard of it happening on an LCD tho, but if you have a CRT well, time to upgrade.

On the other hand if it's a horizontal line across the screen and the image looks "off" between the top and bottom of the line, that's called screen tearing. Vsync is meant to fix it by limiting the output FPS to equal your monitors refresh rate.

 

[bystander]

So none of my hardware is broken, right? V-sync makes me get bad FPS, I think you were the one who helped me with that actually. It doesn't show two of the same pictures either. When you through a rock into water, it makes a ripple through the water. It looks like that. And sometimes part of the image moves over a bit and then go back in place.

That doesn't sound like tearing then. I'd try your setup on another monitor if you can.

I'd also check to see if the clocks on your card are changing, or the voltage.

 

[geof2001]

When I was playing black ops the a ripple will go through my screen sometimes, about once every 20-40 seconds. It is not very big at all and does not really bother me, but is my hardware breaking? Is this a common problem? I am using a hd6850. If you need anymore information I will be glad to tell you.

Is it only when you are playing this game? What other fps games do you have installed does it occur with any of those?

 

[bystander]

Also, what PSU do you have?

 

[HostileDonut]

Is it only when you are playing this game? What other fps games do you have installed does it occur with any of those?

I only noticed it Black ops. Not BFBC2 and SC2.

 

[HostileDonut]

Also, what PSU do you have?

Full system specs are as follows: Biostar McP6P v. 6.3, 4gb PNY 800Mhz RAM, AMD Athlon II x3 440 @ 3.3Ghz, OCZ 600w StealthXstream PSU, and an hd6850 @ 820/1100 core/mem.
I use a 17" LCD, Should I put my refresh rate to 75 (maximum)? Also, do you guys think that my hardware is damaged? If my hardware is not damaged then I really do not care too much, it just the scare that me computer is breaking.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

it could be the gfx card, monitor, or cable. This happens with a laptop at work sometimes when displaying on external projector. monitors are ok, just not the projector, yet other computers display on the projector ok, so it must be a gfx card issue/incompatability with the projector. Id say your monitor is not handling the signal well possibly.

 

[nforce4max]

On a typical crt unless there is a problem you are not going to see it but on a lcd that is a problem. It can be the signal from the card to the monitor that is producing this effect or a defect with the monitor or the card. Hardware aside software can do this to but I don't know how it would unless there is a bug in the drivers or the game that makes it possible that it renders by the gpu as normal data.

 

[HostileDonut]

So my gfx card is broken and is not sending the right signal?

 

[HostileDonut]

I set my refresh rate higher, but it didn't do too much. I looked in the device manager and it says that my hd6850 is working properly. Do you think that my hd6850 is broken it is just not telling me or just a little glitch here and there and I shouldn't be worried? (I have the worst luck with anything I buy so I wouldn't be suprized if it was broken :lol

 

[snoogiloo]

I actually started to experience this when i updated to 10.12 in black ops (together with a massive FPS decrease of about 40-50 FPS). Try to downgrade ur drivers if ur using 10.12 and see what happends

 

[HostileDonut]

Okay, if there is no damage done to my hardware it doesn't bother me much.

 

[HostileDonut]

Like I said, I put my refresh rate at 75 herts, will that damage my monitor? I heard that on older monitors it can.

 

[wolfram23]

No, generally the refresh rate is used for vsync so that you don't get screen tearing. But it can't damage it that I know of.

 

[HostileDonut]

What is screen tearing? I do not use V-sync, I might have that.

 

[wolfram23]

 

[HostileDonut]

Yeah, I think that is what happens, but for a split second, I just see something wrong for a second. Sometimes, it really does look like a ripple or a wrinkle.

 

[wolfram23]

EDIT: Wrong post sorry!

 

[HostileDonut]

So, just to get this straight, there is nothing wrong with my hardware?