Artifacting

[Scorpiоn]

While I'm glad my PC is what it is (like others, I've actually named it*), I've always harboured a tinge of bitterness toward it.  Throughout it's serviceable lifetime it's always given me small problems at one point or another.  Some I shoot trouble - most I just resign and stomach.  This latest batch, I'm not sure if it's actually errors or just software outpacing hardware.

My laptop pretty much permaborked my CRT, but now on top of that I've been getting some artifacting in numerous games.  
Notably:

• Need for Speed: Carbon Demo
• FEAR Extraction Point Demo
• Star Wars: Empire at War

NFS is the most severe.  I will get CTDs and BSDs while simply loading up the game or a level.  If I am not actually doing something in the game, I am constantly ALT + TABing to avoid crashing.  The FEAR demo doesn't render videos correctly, however control is not freezed and the videos can simply be skipped.  To the game.  If settings are too high, I get strange errors.  Such as one diagonal half of the screen flickers black.  SWEaW has similar problems with loading videos, and overall poor preformance.  Fortunately, its problems simply went away.

My only theory is defective hardware, outpaced hardware or, what I truly suspect, insufficient power.  Mostly because of this:

http://forums.vugames.com/thread.jspa?t ... 1&tstart=0

One of the important items that the DirectX Diagnostic Tool doesn't  deal with is the type/power output of the Power Supply Unit , so information about your PSU make, model and power rating  should also be provided, particularly if your problem is related to computer crashes or graphic card freezes/lock-ups.

I believe my CRT might be borked, but I don't really think my GPU is defective.  Also Empire at War isn't that demanding of a program.  Anyway, I still think that has nothing to do with it and the PSU is the culprit, assuming my hardware isn't just outdated.

PS: Temps are normal.
PPS: Socket 754 3000+
MSI MS-7030
BFG 6800 128
1024 DDR
PSU No laughs Nick. Lawl.

*Skorpion Mk.II

[cheesegrater]

If the monitor was defective you would get display issues everywhere, not just in games.

Since you get the display issues in games, and they are of different severity I think the GPU is defective.

It could be the PSU. However, I don't know what it is like to have a failing PSU because I never got one. That PSU is terrible though. It is 600W but it has less amps on the 12V rail than my 460W.

[ctjoyce]

Simple way to find this out. Grab RivaTuner, or NVTune and under clock your memory. If that fixes it, its time for a new card. If your still having problems, its time for a new PSU.

Cheers
Cameron

PS: How is the carbon demo? I'm buying the game tonight, god I can't wate.

[Scorpiоn]

Actually, I was underwhelmed with Carbon.  With the demo of U2, I was impressed with the free roam world and the customization available.  I was blown away with the cop chases in MW.  Both full games were just as good.  Carbon just doesn't seem to have much going for it except canyon duel and autosculpt.  To be honest I think I'll pass.  Music is great, as always, though.

Anywho, I've never really done anything with over/underclocking, so what do I even do?  I'm not even sure where to do it.  I'm assuming, using nTune, it's under Adjust Motherboard Settings>Memory Timings?

Current:
tRAS: 8
tRCD: 3
tRP: 3

I've never gotten into overclocking because, well, honestly, I'm chicken about the consequences. :[

[cheesegrater]

nTune, it's under Adjust Motherboard Settings>Memory Timings?

No. He means GPU RAM, not system RAM. Download RivaTuner and underclock the card's memory. You just move a slider lowering the memory speed in MHZ.

[Scorpiоn]

Even reducing the speed a few MHz fails testing.  Conclusive?

[NicksFXHouse]

Tough call.. assuming it is not some type of driver issue it would appear either the PSU or card is going south.


Can you run a 3D test and monitor the voltages? The program Speedfan has a graph chart that will show the 12v, 3.3v and 5v rails on a time graph. If find the 3.3v and 12v rail well below spec during 3D operation it could be a PSU

[Scorpiоn]

Truth be told, I don't really feel like downloading FutureMark's stuff just for this (I find their installation rather invasive), and failing that, I don't really have any 3D test.  I just ran a variety of games, and ran ran speedfan in the background.  I got a range of spikes and dips around .02 on 12v, 5v and 3.3v.  However, this stood out from the rest:



:/

[NicksFXHouse]

[quote]Truth be told, I don't really feel like downloading FutureMark's stuff just for this (I find their installation rather invasive), and failing that, I don't really have any 3D test.

[congo]

Scorpion, download "coolbits".

It's a simple registry hack that adds the nvidia overclocking section to your video driver settings. All you do is click on coolbits and it installs the new tweak in a second or 2 straight into your registry, no mess, no fuss.

[Fozzer]

Navigating my way through the default nVidia Control Panel in the Task bar at the bottom right of my screen results in this window popping up for adjusting the Clock and Memory speed of the GPU.....>>>



(I often have to fiddle with it to prevent artifacting on my 6600GT card).......!

Paul... ...!

P.S. ...(apart from using Riva Tuner).

[congo]

You should have sent that BFG card packing back to it's place of birth Fozzer.

BFG used to make cards with high quality components for enthusiasts, then they became Extremely popular.

Remember Gunnerman in these forums? He bought a BFG 6800GT I believe and started having issues immediately, when I was researching his problem, it was evident that BFG's quality control was out to lunch as many users were experiencing problems. I warned about this issue during the popularity of the 6000 card series, and also warned people off the O/clocked editions of that card series.

I just shook my head when you bought that BFG card Fozzer, I wished you the best with it of course, but let's call a spade a spade and accept that it's a dud and send it back for a suitable update eh?

I'm sure if you contact the nice guys at BFG and tell them of your complete dissatisfaction with that 6600GT, even though you tried for so long to accept it as is, and tried every workaround possible, that the card has been nothing but a complete waste of time and money and that you are willing to pay a bit extra for something that actually works, (like a shiny new 7900GS).
They will feel so much empathy for you that they will send you a new "special AGP Fozzer Edition 7900GTX" just for causing you all this grief in the first place. You think?

Oh, and I haven't seen Gunnerman ever since then either, so his BFG card may have actually conspired against him, but I'm not one to start rumours, (there is still no solid evidence that BFG graphics cards are killers), so let's just assume he's missing.

[Scorpiоn]

Well, thanks for that Nick.  Good to know some components are still keeping up.  Alas not so for my poor display and GPU.

there is still no solid evidence that BFG graphics cards are killers

Of course not.  Why would you say such things?  You don't want a "visit", do you? :O

Though it's great to know BFG is substandard 2 years after buying a 6800.  An "OC" version, no less. :/  Oh well.  I'm not too disappointed considering my level of knowledge when I built my PC.  I'll try coolbits.  Would you recommend overclocking?  I've held off on it for warranty, fried hardware etc, but I'm just about willing to buy an interim card, so what's to lose with OCing?

[congo]

You probably have a good one Scorpion, Gunnerman's was a dud right out of the box, and being a tinkerer he probably voided his warranty trying to fix it

The thing with BFG was that they rose to market acclaim by catering to the enthusiast niche market and they then appeared to drop the ball once they had notoriety.

It was probably just a phase and no doubt they are back on track, but as for Gunnerman....... who knows.

[DizZa]

I know someone who managed to run a X1900XT on a 350watt PSU. It was a Dell PSU so it's kinda underated as usual.