Graphics issues, artifacts?

Tobey · Jul 2, 2006, 07:19 PM

Ok well I have this ATI Radeon x1600 PRO 512mb(thank you DH for upgrading my card) and I've had it for about a month and a half now. Well I started playing oblivion and I have no problems with game play but every once and a while my screen goes crazy. I've noticed its when it does the invisibility texture and some other random times. Ill try to get a screenshot in the next few minutes. Well I did some research and I'm guessing the problem is my GPU is overheating(I did not OC at all.) and I have no problem under clocking it because its running Oblivion fine at its current settings(I don't care much for graphics more for game play)

Anyways has anyone else had this problem? How can I check my GPU temperature with ATI Tray tools, ( I use the latest Omega drivers package) if this card has the ability to in the first place(I assume it does considering its a pretty new card). And any suggestions?

p.s. I have a brand new power supply so it isn't that, my mobo is kind of old though. Ill get the specs with the screenshot.

Tobey · Jul 2, 2006, 07:40 PM

Ok here is a screenshot, usually its a lot worse and covers my whole screen or is like grey blocks and stuff. I dont think its artifacts because it only happens when I go invisable or I see things like the oblivion gates, sometimes it does it randomly. But I can play through it and it will go away eventually.

Sorry I couldnt get a better picture I would have had a better ss but it decided to stop working after the first screenshot.

Any ideas what the problem is?

Oh and I may as well throw this in there while I'm at it... using the ATI Tray Tools GPU max/min tester it locks up at default clock rates after 10.422s every time, then I need to close down ATI Tray Tools and start it up again. Any idea what the problem might be here?

MiDri · Jul 2, 2006, 07:56 PM

That is overheating or memory going bad, what temps are you running?

Invisbilty and oblivion gates in oblivion have a pixel shader rippling effect they use, this could be causing your card to heat up.

Temp can be checked in ATItrayTools by using Tools & Options -> OnScreen Display -> FlashOSD and checking GPU Temp. In game it will show your GPU temp.

Also tools like ATITool will show you the cards temp in "fairly" real time.

Tobey · Jul 2, 2006, 08:27 PM

[color=black]Well it being the temperature would make sense but the options in ATI Tray tools are greyed out so[/color][color=black] I'm[/color][color=black] guessing my card [/color][color=black]doesn't[/color][color=black] support it.

It is an AGP card and I've been told the PRO series has an issues with heat and the stock fan, any other way to check if my card has the ability to check the GPU temp? I know I could use a digital [/color][color=black]thermometer[/color][color=black] but I [/color][color=black]don't[/color][color=black] have one.[/color]

Randomletters · Jul 2, 2006, 08:53 PM

Hi try using ATITool to measure temps, Your card has an onboard temp sensor (lm63), no idea why att isnt working though.

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/259

Dyre Straits · Jul 2, 2006, 09:00 PM

Does it do this with the official ATI CATALYST drivers....with no Overclocking?

[hobo]eclipse · Jul 2, 2006, 09:02 PM

What Dyre mentioned would be the best place to start, either a full reformat or use DriverCleaner and try out some of the newer officials.

Tobey · Jul 3, 2006, 01:16 AM

ok sounds good, Ill try the officals and let you know

raven_g20 · Jul 3, 2006, 04:09 AM

im gettin same artifacts but more powerfull...

my rig is: p4 2.8, 1gb ram, ati 9800pro 128mb ram 256bit not overclocked, ati drivers 6.6 newest official. 400watt power supply, just added another big fan in cpu. also the gpu has a zalman cooler on top with its own fan...is it beacuse of overheating or maybe any settings...i use ati tray tools and have decreased quality a lot, catalyst A.I. off, zbuffer off, trilinear off, aa as off, most games i play @ 1024 32bpp,....can any1 give me any hints?? thnx...

/edit: hmmm gotta change my sig too :P

MiDri · Jul 3, 2006, 06:41 AM

Those defintly look like memory issues, try using ATITrayTools to lower your cards memory speed.

raven_g20 · Jul 3, 2006, 08:27 AM

lower them from factory settings??? lol...thats a wasted gpu card then u think? ow boy...that sux...

Yousaif · Jul 3, 2006, 08:50 AM

IF you need to see temps on your 1600PRO then you can use the ATITool Version 0.25 Beta 14. I use it with no troubles with mine. You can download it at http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4109

Tobey · Jul 3, 2006, 11:56 AM

Ok well last night at 4 in the morning(after winning 50 bucks in poker

) I went back to the official drivers. It fixed my temp problem with ATI Tray Tools, now I can monitor it. Also it seems to have fixed my oblivion problem but I haven't really put the card under much of a load yet so Ill keep checking it. Also, what is a bad temperature for the card to reach? Right now it seems to stay around 57-60 degrees celsius, which I've read isn't too bad for ATI cards. But just would like to know what is a bad temp range for it to reach just in case it does.

Guyver2K5 · Jul 3, 2006, 12:06 PM

oh crap, when i get my X1600pro to run ill be sure to use the Official Catalyst Drivers

dont want those artifacts lol

btw, tobey what psu did u buy?

Tobey · Jul 3, 2006, 12:24 PM

Antec Trueblue 2.0 480w ATX12v v2.0

I cant find a link to my specific model though. Also I bought this before I won the card, I knew I was going to need a new PSU once I got a new card and then I won the X1600 PRO; a match made in heaven.

MiDri · Jul 3, 2006, 12:28 PM

not sure if 60c is abnormaly high for comperison though, my X1800XL oc'ed to 621/666 runs at 55c 100% fan at full load.

Guyver2K5 · Jul 3, 2006, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tobey

Antec Trueblue 2.0 480w ATX12v v2.0

I cant find a link to my specific model though. Also I bought this before I won the card, I knew I was going to need a new PSU once I got a new card and then I won the X1600 PRO; a match made in heaven.

nice. Well im an idiot and i know nothing about psu's, so my card came i tried it out and it didnt even boot lol. I didnt know what psu i had and sure enough it was a crap 250w psu lol

i bought this one, just waiting for it to arrive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...rtron%20Source

fortron has dual +12v rails that yield 18A each

Tobey · Jul 3, 2006, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiDri

not sure if 60c is abnormaly high for comperison though, my X1800XL oc'ed to 621/666 runs at 55c 100% fan at full load.

That does make mine seem kind of high for not being OCed at all... Ill try to put it under full load right now via oblivion, any other way to test it out? Like any programs or anything?

As for PSU, I haven't heard of Fortron so I cant really say my opinion on them, I choose Antec because I've used their PSUs for as long as I can remember and never had a problem with them. Also I've heard great reviews about them from others. 42 dollars seems pretty cheap so keep an eye on it for a while, one thing you don't want to fail on you is your PSU.

Dyre Straits · Jul 3, 2006, 01:51 PM

The temps on my X800 XL run around 46 with no load and, in Oblivion during high demands, I see about 63. The cards are supposed to be able to handle up to around 100...but 90 would cause me to get concerned.

Is there a fan on that card? And, is it working? Seems there may be a cooling problem.

Also, about PSU's: It's more important what the Amp rating is on the 12V rail. You need to have one that puts out over 20A. Mine is 28A.

Tobey · Jul 3, 2006, 03:17 PM

There is a fan and its spinning(dont know if its rpms are right but it seems to be) but I've been told the fan on the X1600 PRO is pretty crapy and should be replaced if I experience overheating. It isnt too bad at ~57 degrees right now so I think it should be fine.

raven_g20 · Jul 3, 2006, 03:19 PM

do u guys think maybe the problem can be fixed by installing omega drivers? i mean can it be a software issue instead of hardware or heat issue?? thnx

Tobey · Jul 3, 2006, 11:06 PM

After a long gaming session the max the card reached was 66 degrees, it seems like my fan is working just not well enough to keep the temp low. Over time it just keeps getting worse. So instead of cooling it just slows down the speed in which the heat increases.

Dyre Straits · Jul 4, 2006, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tobey

After a long gaming session the max the card reached was 66 degrees, it seems like my fan is working just not well enough to keep the temp low. Over time it just keeps getting worse. So instead of cooling it just slows down the speed in which the heat increases.

This just definitely seems to be a heat-related issue. You can do some 'work around' by adding a couple of 80 mm fans to the area over your video card. These are pretty cheap and will tell you the tale about whether it's really heat or not.

Just how clear is the area around your card? Also, try running with the side case cover off and the fans blowing directly onto the card. Anything to try to get some airflow over it.

MiDri · Jul 4, 2006, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

This just definitely seems to be a heat-related issue. You can do some 'work around' by adding a couple of 80 mm fans to the area over your video card. These are pretty cheap and will tell you the tale about whether it's really heat or not.

Just how clear is the area around your card? Also, try running with the side case cover off and the fans blowing directly onto the card. Anything to try to get some airflow over it.

Better yet, if you can mount an inword blowing fan in the front of your case and remove the PCI card/bracket from right below your video card. If I remember correctly X1600 do not have outward venting fans.

Tobey · Jul 4, 2006, 02:56 PM

[color=Black]They[/color][color=Black] don't[/color][color=Black] have an [/color][color=Black]exhaust[/color][color=Black] for the back, and currently I [/color][color=Black]don't[/color][color=Black] have a fan sucking in the front so setting up some air flow in my box would help. I could just put may case in in direct airflow to my AC for the summer(or is there too much moisture in that air?)[/color]

Guyver2K5 · Jul 4, 2006, 03:05 PM

my pc is in my basement, A/c on its very cold down here, and the towers on the cold cold floor lol.

i also have a humidifier(spelling?) running 24/7, so no moisture.

2 fans in case + psu blowing directly down to my card

hope i wont ahve any heating issues