Blinking random Pixels in games and static pixles in minimized photos

[tharindu_1992]

I had a system running windows 7 32bit at the time when this problem sprouted up,

the problem is that whenever i run any graphic based game ( ARMA , Hot Pursuit ) little blinking dots pop up randomly on the display, on darker scenery the pixel like dots are black and on lighter scenes they are white.
and apart from that when on the desktop photos ( JEPEGs) seem to have the same dots ( in the color of black, and non blinking) on them .. and whenever the photos are maximized they disappear and when the photo is minimized they again disappear... the dots/ pixels sometimes appear in diagonal jagged lines, but mostly as random groups

i first suspected the problem was with the drivers, so i went to nvidia and got the latest drivers for the VGA, and with it not solving anything,
i installed windows 8 64bit, and still nothing
i did roll back and install the vga driver again but still nothing

and i checked some forums but couldn't find anything really

my PC specs are as follows
intel i3 3GHz
8GB RAM
ASUS nvidia 210 silent
DH 67BL mother board

it would be a great help if someone could shed some light into what actually is happening with the PC, thanks in advance,
cheers..


( I recently purchased " Dishonored" the PC game and while installing , the part where the c++ redistributable patches up popped up and i proceeded as usual , but while that was installing an error popped up saying there was a problem with the files, i continued with it but to be sure downloaded and installed c++ redistributable pack from Microsoft.. )

 

[wanderer11]

That looks like artifacting to me. Can you RMA your card?

 

[tharindu_1992]

yeah , i guess...... it's still under the manufacture warranty.. any ideas on what must have cause it ??

 

[wanderer11]

Well how hot is it getting? Download hwmonitor or gpuz and take a look.

 

[tharindu_1992]

Well how hot is it getting? Download hwmonitor or gpuz and take a look.

45 degrees Celsius to 48

 

[wanderer11]

That isn't too hot. I would start an RMA process. You already did the driver thing so I don't know what else to say.

 

[tharindu_1992]

That isn't too hot. I would start an RMA process. You already did the driver thing so I don't know what else to say.

i guess its just my bad luck
yeah, gotta see to that tom.
anyhow, thank you so much for the assistance

 

[swifty_morgan]

could be a bad card.

what are the chances of trying another cable ?

and what are the chances of trying that monitor on another computer and trying another monitor on the same computer ?

 

[tharindu_1992]

could be a bad card.

what are the chances of trying another cable ?

and what are the chances of trying that monitor on another computer and trying another monitor on the same computer ?

Well, the card is actually 8 months old,
the video cable right??? yeah i had an extra, worth a check i guess...
is it somehow connected with the C++ Redistributal package we get with games; i mean is there a possibility that a bad istall sort of messed the system up?
gonna check both the cable and the monitor swap first thing in the morning

 

[swifty_morgan]

If you have the Install disc for the operating system you could do a repair install......... ( the second time it asks .. and keep current files intact )....

and go to windows update........ would do that first and again after repair install if you feel comfortable doing it.

 

[djscribbles]

The issue won't be with your monitor or the cable to the monitor. As can be seen in your screenshots, the images are corrupted in the framebuffer (in VRAM). (If a screenshot captures artifacting, you know that the data being sent to the monitor has artifacts, screenshots don't capture monitor problems)

You may try some older nvidia drivers to see if the problem clears up; however I would agree that an RMA is probably the only solution.

It's worth pointing out that you've got an nvidia 210-Silent. My guess is that it's passively cooled? What are the (summer) temperatures in the room your PC resides in?
I'm speculating that a hot summer day with a heavy gaming session may have caused some lasting damage to the card, as the passive cooling on the card may not have been able to diffuse enough heat. Just a theory, but it's something to consider.
If you RMA the card, consider adding a PCI slot fan next to it to help keep it cool (if it's passive) or asking if they can provide an actively cooled replacement.

edit: I don't suspect the C++ Redistributable at all. First, it is not the directx redist that interacts with the GPU, corrupt C++ libraries would cause crashing possibly, but probably not artifacting. Second, you see the issue on your desktop which does not rely on the C++ libraries that are part of the redist package (since windows doesn't require them to work).

 

[tharindu_1992]

If you have the Install disc for the operating system you could do a repair install......... ( the second time it asks .. and keep current files intact )....

and go to windows update........ would do that first and again after repair install if you feel comfortable doing it.

I will check that on.. yup, got a disc ..

 

[tharindu_1992]

The issue won't be with your monitor or the cable to the monitor. As can be seen in your screenshots, the images are corrupted in the framebuffer (in VRAM). (If a screenshot captures artifacting, you know that the data being sent to the monitor has artifacts, screenshots don't capture monitor problems)

You may try some older nvidia drivers to see if the problem clears up; however I would agree that an RMA is probably the only solution.

It's worth pointing out that you've got an nvidia 210-Silent. My guess is that it's passively cooled? What are the (summer) temperatures in the room your PC resides in?
I'm speculating that a hot summer day with a heavy gaming session may have caused some lasting damage to the card, as the passive cooling on the card may not have been able to diffuse enough heat. Just a theory, but it's something to consider.
If you RMA the card, consider adding a PCI slot fan next to it to help keep it cool (if it's passive) or asking if they can provide an actively cooled replacement.

edit: I don't suspect the C++ Redistributable at all. First, it is not the directx redist that interacts with the GPU, corrupt C++ libraries would cause crashing possibly, but probably not artifacting. Second, you see the issue on your desktop which does not rely on the C++ libraries that are part of the redist package (since windows doesn't require them to work).

thanks, ill check that ...

yes, no FAN, passive cooled indeed, cause it's quite small GPU i though that massive heat sinks gonna cool it all up its around 26 degrees Celsius ...
Possible , indeed.. it did undergo a kindda heavy gaming session , thanks for that hint, well if i do RMA it, and if they are going to provide a replacement i will most definitely try to get some more cash in , get a better card...

i have near-zero knowledge on the the C++ thing, i suspected it because it was " closest incident" , to this " blinking" .. its kindda fishy cause some textures aren't affected..

 

[djscribbles]

thanks, ill check that ...

yes, no FAN, passive cooled indeed, cause it's quite small GPU i though that massive heat sinks gonna cool it all up its around 26 degrees Celsius ...
Possible , indeed.. it did undergo a kindda heavy gaming session , thanks for that hint, well if i do RMA it, and if they are going to provide a replacement i will most definitely try to get some more cash in , get a better card...

i have near-zero knowledge on the the C++ thing, i suspected it because it was " closest incident" , to this " blinking" .. its kindda fishy cause some textures aren't affected..

I'm curious if the issue started during a hotter time. 26deg C wouldn't should be no problem for the passive cooling, but if your problem started during a hotter season (around 33-35deg C) then heat could easily be a culprit; or if your case has relatively little airflow (so the interior of the case is 45-50c maybe).

It may also be that it wasn't really heat at all (if you are confident that it has been kept cool in your room and your case has decent airflow), it could be just coincidence and that some part of the card has failed early. I had a similar issue with my HD4870 early in the year, where I would have blocky artifacts throughout the screen, I RMA'd the card and the issue was resolved. I always suspected it was an issue with the VRAM, but I cannot claim to know