X1800XT problems or?

BlueMak · Jul 29, 2006, 06:43 AM

Hello all, bought this sapphire x1800xt w512mb in December. Overall no complains, this thing is very fast and I have no problem playing any game at 1280x1024 with very high fps.
All is not well in paradise though. The last week or so I have been experiencing drops to the desktop (while gaming), Serious error messages while playing Zero Hour (not the ones that everybody gets at the same time), and yesterday 2, yes 2 BSOD, the first after many months.
After the last one I sent the report to MS and had a page where it said the problem was the drivers. I changed the drivers to the official catalyst 6.6 (had the Omega ones based on the 6.5), and again had th same problems.

I checked the temperature for my system with the program Smartguardian. According to it at this moment (music streaming and having 4 tabs open in Netscape) the temperatures are :

CPU 32-34C fan speed 4963
PWM IC 46C fan speed 2596
Chipset 55C fan speed 7031
Current Voltage (don't know how accurate this program is of coursE)
CPU 1.32V
LDT Bus 1.19V
ATX +5.0V 5.05V
DRAM 2.72V
ATX +12V 12.22V
NB +1.8V 1.82V
ATX +3.3V 3.26V
VBAT+3.0V 3.24V

The program doen't have settings info for the graphics card, but according to the ati control center under the ATI Overdrive tab:

Graphics Processor Status:
Requested 621 MHz Current VPU Clock 594MHz Current Temp 70C (I have seen it go up to 91C )

Graphics Memory Status
Requested 747Mhz Current memory Clock 693MHz

My system is:
AMD X2 4400
2 GB RAM (a too expensive fast Corsair, don't remember the details right now)
Sapphire x1800xt w512MBs
SB XFi Gamer
2x300 diamondmax 10 drives (different type)
etc

I am going to download the Direct X again, just in case (yes yes I know).
I am thinking that it might be a heat problem, but, I am not sure.
Please, to some people, refrain from comments about how your system runs at -67 with your extra cool cooling system. I want to solve my problems and find out if the temps are around normal, not how low you can get them...

Thanks in advance.

Chaos · Jul 29, 2006, 08:33 AM

chipset temps seem a bit on the warm side

X1800XTTOP · Jul 29, 2006, 08:35 AM

My current temps on my X1800XT TOP is 51C. If yours are 70C in idle state, i believe that its too hot. Try opening the side of your case and cool it down with a deskfan.

~~hackerx~~ · Jul 29, 2006, 10:05 AM

the x1800 xt top has a custom cooler.So u can't really compare.My x1900 xt idles at 66C.So u must have bad air flow in ur case.Check temps with the side of ur case open and add an extra intake fan if possible.

Chaos · Jul 29, 2006, 10:23 AM

yeah 70C idle does sound high, my x1900xt idles around 50C but has been as high as 88C after game sessions

BlueMak · Jul 29, 2006, 10:25 AM

Update:
I downloaded the 0.25 beta version of atitools and it showed that my fan speed for the gpu was at 32% I increased through it started going down and down. I set it at trying to keep the gpu temp at 60C and it looks like it works, and for the first time I can actualy hear the GPU fan. I wonder if it gets damaged if it works at 100% or so all the time. Any ideas?
Also, I want to ask you since I have no clue, if you know what are the normal (not over or under clocking) for the Sapphire X1800Xt 512 card. I am trying to find out the max settings with the atittool thingy but currently is testing the memory at 819 and keeps going up with the temp staying not higher than 77C which ^^ is great. BUT, I don't want to over clock the card. I will try the same for the Core speed, but, still, I don't know what is the "normal".

fritzie · Jul 29, 2006, 11:27 PM

try using ati tool you can control the fan speed
the fan speed will not increase on its own you need a secondary program for that such as ati tool

i run the fan @ 100% while playing games and it never gets over 60 c

BlueMak · Jul 30, 2006, 02:20 AM

Ati tool sure works good. I think lol.
Currently while having netscape open and a video playing on WMP, (and about 34C room temp) the GPU is at 57C. Last night after 2 dreadful hours of Battlefield 2, the temp was at most at 71C which is well, good. One thing that I noticed is that sometimes the core speed of the GPU gets reduced to like 475 from the set of 600. My guess is this is normal.
I don't understand why the CCC doesn't have (that I know of) a fan speed control thingy.
Also, I checked Sapphire's site and it says that the memory of the x1800xt runs at 1500Mhz, which sounds like an error to me. It now runs at 700 on my card and I have let it go up to 819 (find max thingy) before I got bored, but I am still not sure what are the actual normal settings for them (core and memory).

Anyhow, thank you all for trying to help me.

BlueMak · Jul 30, 2006, 10:57 AM

Well, my pc crashed earlier, I am not sure what is the problem but this is what the monitor displayed. Strange black and white vertical lines.
I don't know what the problem is since last night apart from the graphics card experiments ^^ I also upgraded the BIOS of the mainboard (DFI Lanparty UT DX somethingsomething S939)

Well, if something goes dead in the near future then I hope it is the mainboard and not the graphics card lol.

sonob · Jul 30, 2006, 04:46 PM

I been having the same exact problem..I have the same card...I have tried older drivers..ATI's, Omega, and the driverheaven ones. My card idle temps are around 54c and maxes out around 68c or so.. Where and when did u buy your card??? I bought mine alittle over 2 months ago at newegg.

BlueMak · Jul 30, 2006, 06:16 PM

Last December, dabs.com UK.

sonob · Jul 30, 2006, 08:17 PM

hmm Im wondering if its a bug or something with the latest driver sets?? wierd that it just started happening now.. New ATI drivers should be coming out soon hopefully that will fix the problem else im RMAing this card for a new one..Wierd thing is i played Prey for a few hours one night with no problems and now i cant play for more then 15-20min on any game without it crashing.