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Advice on weird GFX problem please.

Tags:
  • Radeon
  • Monitors
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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March 3, 2011 9:37:57 AM

Hi,

I am having a problem with my graphics and I wanted to run it by the forums in the hope that someone has seen something similar and knows of a solution.

I am using two monitors off a Radeon HD3870 card. Everything works fine, until I do something graphically intensive like run a game or run some mathematical simulations.

This typically causes the GFX card to get up to 80 degrees Celsius. When I stop driving the GFX card hard, then everything is still fine. But when I reboot my PC, the second monitor doesn’t get detected. My initial thought was that the GFX card is failing in some way. It’s not a simple case of the card overheating, because I can leave it switched off over night and the second monitor won’t work the next morning.

I can usually get it to work after a couple of hours of rebooting, running diagnostics and manually detecting using Catalyst. I am not sure if these actions actually fix it, maybe they clear some sort of buffer? I cannot spot a pattern and I suspect its purely coincidental, and that if I just left it for two hours it might start working again too.

It only happens after a graphically intensive session. It will be fine for days if I am not doing anything that drives the GPU up to 100%.

I have run out of logical tests, other than simply try a different GFX card. But as I don’t have a spare I would have to buy a new one. Can anyone suggest a solution?

Thanks

Laura

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March 3, 2011 1:13:21 PM

Well, I hate to be the one to bring bad news....but that card is old and is not a very good card to begin with.
I would look at a newer ATI solution if you're brand specific...say a hd5xxx or even HD6xxx series they handle multi-screen much better than the 3870.
Could you please give us your system specs...cpu,mobo,ram,psu,etc...this will help in some advice/suggestions.
thanx....JQ
March 3, 2011 2:31:40 PM

Hi Johnny,

Thanks for replying. I was expecting to have to buy a new card, but I really wanted to find out if there was any other tests that I could run to be absolutely certain that the card is the problem. I don't want to buy a new card then find that wasn't the problem. I am not brand specific, I'm happy to try either an ATI or an NVidia.

System Specs: Dell XPS 420

CPU Quad Q6600
RAM 4 GB
PSU Antec Truepower 750w (I was expecting to need a new GFX card)
BTX Motherboard

Thanks for helping :) 

Laura
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