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Serious X800 XT PE Problems

R

rkhuntjr

n00b
Joined
Sep 7, 2004
Messages
8
Hello everyone. I just received my Sapphire X800 XT PE, and it does not work. It is very unstable in both 2d and 3d. I did a fresh XP install before installing this card, and i updated everything I could think of. I'm using the latest Catalyst 4.8 drivers and control center.

3d problems:
I enabled 4xAA and 2xAF, and maxed out all settings on UT2004. During gameplay, there are missing/flickering textures. After 10-15 seconds each time, UT crashes (ATI utility says graphics card no longer responding to commands or something).

2d problems:
The monitor will suddenly flicker a few times & turn off. I can't turn it back on. This has happened twice.

Does anyone know what the problem could be? Here is my system configuration:

Dell Dimension 8300
P4 3.4 GHz
1GB RAM
2 SATA HDDs configured RAID0
SB Audigy 2
Netgear WG311v2 wireless PCI adapter
ATI HDTV Wonder (not in my computer when I tested the card)
Windows XP SP1
Dell 1901FP Digital Monitor
etc.

I am in the process of reformatting & reinstalling so I can get this installation right. Can someone tell me the best order to reinstall my software/hardware?

Also, what are the optimum 3d settings for my system/card (i.e. aa, af, and game settings)?

I appreciate any help/advice you guys can give me. I will be closely monitoring this message if you guys need any additional info. Thanks again and have a great day.

Richard
 
My first and only guess would be power supply not powerful enough, but thats no guarantee either.

Upgrading a Dell, Gateway, HP machine is always a risk it seems.

I've got no other guesses.
 
How big your power supply? It might be because not enough power from psu. But, I might be wrong.
 
My first thought was PSU, too. Dell doesn't always use the highest quality power supplies, and that system does seem pretty powerful in general.

Also, check your card temperatures. You can do this through the VPU Recover tab, or ATI Tool (separate program). Mostly wondering at your load temp.
 
The PS is listed as 305W, but Dell assured me that it would be able to work in my system. They said that 305 was acutally an average number (or something, I can't find the thread on the Dell forums).
 
I bet its your psu. Because there is some psu's that are rated at 450watts, they only output 220 watts. I found out the only best psu's that output close to its actual wattages is actually antec and pc power and cooling.
 
This is from the Dell video card upgrade guide that says the X800 XT is compatible with my 8300:

Dimension 8300, XPS Gen 1, Gen 2 (AGP video cards) =
GeForce FX 6800 Ultra Extreme Edition (you must upgrade the power supply from the 250w)
GeForce FX 6800 Ultra (you must upgrade the power supply from the 250w)
Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition
GeForce FX 6800 GT (you might need to move the hard disk drive cage due to the card length)
Radeon X800 XT
Radeon X800 Pro
GeForce FX 6800
 
Where did you get the XT PE from?? I only ask because there have been some questionable XT PE's purchased from Ebay floating around. Other than that I would check into some better cooling as Dell cases are not the best ventilated in the world. GL :)
 
Scooter,
I got this from eBay (only place I could find it). I just tried it again on my system after reformatting/reinstalling & the same thing happened. I also tried it on my old 1.7 P4, and the same thing happened there too.
 
rkhuntjr said:
Scooter,
I got this from eBay (only place I could find it). I just tried it again on my system after reformatting/reinstalling & the same thing happened. I also tried it on my old 1.7 P4, and the same thing happened there too.
Click to expand...

Chances are you got sold a X800 Pro that was partially modded to XT-PE, try underclocking with ATi Tool or flashing a Pro bios, how did the card come to you? OEM or in a sealed package that said X800XT Platinum Edition? I think you got ripped off, doesnt look like its the powersupply or a heat issue.
 
Scooter,I got this from eBay (only place I could find it). I just tried it again on my system after reformatting/reinstalling & the same thing happened. I also tried it on my old 1.7 P4, and the same thing happened there too.
Click to expand...

Was this a full retail box or card only?? I would STRONGLY suggest getting in touch with the seller if it was not a full retail package. If the seller does the old Ebay scammer disappearing act and there is no chance of a refund or exchange. Use ATitool to see if all 16 pipes are at least seen. I would recommend getting some better cooling. My x800pro modded to XTPE was not stable at all with the stock cooler. After adding my waterblock, pelt and ramsinks it ran smoothe as silk. You may be able to get yours stable with some decent air cooling. GL ;)
 
My seller e-mailed me this information before i even received the card, and another time tonight:

----------

Note:

The previous email was a response I recieved from manufacturer and problems they have had with the X800 XT PE, I figured I would forward that to you if you did need any tech support, and troubleshooting if your card is experiencing those issues.

I do my best as a seller, to try and keep customers informed and take care of issues if they do arise.
---
I have recieved an email from sapphire regarding the issues that you are having and it seems to have remedied the situation in some of the cards that ATI has acknowledge to have issues, If you have any problems with the new card try this:

Download a program called ATI Tool, version .21...it must be this version, so that you can adjust the FAN CONTROL settings, to make sure everything is maximized. Apparently in some versions of the card, it does not run at full capacity.

1) Install ATI Tool .21
2) Load the program and click on button in lower right hand corner labeled SETTINGS.
3) Drop Down box click the arrow and scroll down to FAN CONTROL.
4) Click on OVERRIDE and set it to 100% all the time.

Click apply if that option is available, then shut down the computer for 15 minutes to let everything boot up Cold. Test to see if it works, you can also go to TEMP CONTROL and turn it on in your task bar using ATI TOOL, so you can monitor the temp of the card itself through windows.

Also, consider adding a PCI Dual Fan card, and place it below your AGP slot, leaving 1 empty PCI slot in between the AGP & PCI Fan Card. These cards omit a lot of heat, and its better for cooling anyways.

As always, when installing a video card, you need to format the hard drive before installing new hardware, otherwise it will corrupt the registry.

-------------------

I tried turning the fan on 100%, and this gave me an extra 4 minutes of gameplay until it crashed again. I need some evidence that this is not a true X800 XT PE (even though it is pretty obvious) so the guy will give me my money back. What can I say/do to prove it?

Thanks
Richard
 
The part about reformatting the HDD to clear the registry is complete BS. Use DriverCleaner3 to clear out ANYTHING catalyst related.

I'd also say that it's the power supply. A 305 watt PSU is NOT going to be able to adequately power all that hardware. Antec TruePower 550 or 430 is definitely good and stable, tried and true :)
 
"The PS is listed as 305W, but Dell assured me that it would be able to work in my system"

You're kidding right?

I DONT have a X800XTPE and I need 550W to be stable. And a really really GOOD 550W at that.

SuperFlower550W, Fortron530W, PC-PowerCooling510W, Antec510W in that order....anything less and you wont get there.

Also, factory application of heatsink compound can generally SUK....so remove the heatsink from the card and see, I'd replace the stock crap with Artic Silver. (only on the core surface).

Sounds like a combo heat/shitty-power problem. Solve these first, then if problem continues...RMA to ATI directly.
 
rkhuntjr said:
My seller e-mailed me this information before i even received the card, and another time tonight:

----------

Note:

The previous email was a response I recieved from manufacturer and problems they have had with the X800 XT PE, I figured I would forward that to you if you did need any tech support, and troubleshooting if your card is experiencing those issues.

I do my best as a seller, to try and keep customers informed and take care of issues if they do arise.
---
I have recieved an email from sapphire regarding the issues that you are having and it seems to have remedied the situation in some of the cards that ATI has acknowledge to have issues, If you have any problems with the new card try this:

Download a program called ATI Tool, version .21...it must be this version, so that you can adjust the FAN CONTROL settings, to make sure everything is maximized. Apparently in some versions of the card, it does not run at full capacity.

1) Install ATI Tool .21
2) Load the program and click on button in lower right hand corner labeled SETTINGS.
3) Drop Down box click the arrow and scroll down to FAN CONTROL.
4) Click on OVERRIDE and set it to 100% all the time.

Click apply if that option is available, then shut down the computer for 15 minutes to let everything boot up Cold. Test to see if it works, you can also go to TEMP CONTROL and turn it on in your task bar using ATI TOOL, so you can monitor the temp of the card itself through windows.

Also, consider adding a PCI Dual Fan card, and place it below your AGP slot, leaving 1 empty PCI slot in between the AGP & PCI Fan Card. These cards omit a lot of heat, and its better for cooling anyways.

As always, when installing a video card, you need to format the hard drive before installing new hardware, otherwise it will corrupt the registry.

-------------------

I tried turning the fan on 100%, and this gave me an extra 4 minutes of gameplay until it crashed again. I need some evidence that this is not a true X800 XT PE (even though it is pretty obvious) so the guy will give me my money back. What can I say/do to prove it?

Thanks
Richard
Click to expand...

Thats bs the card wont work out of the box so sapphire says download a unsupported third party utility to fix the problem? Try this to make sure its not a heat issue: get rivatuner from guru3d and use the hardware monitoring graph while your in a game for a little while to see how hot it gets. If dell says your computer can support a X800XT then I think it should...
 
uwackme said:
"The PS is listed as 305W, but Dell assured me that it would be able to work in my system"

You're kidding right?

I DONT have a X800XTPE and I need 550W to be stable. And a really really GOOD 550W at that.

SuperFlower550W, Fortron530W, PC-PowerCooling510W, Antec510W in that order....anything less and you wont get there.

Also, factory application of heatsink compound can generally SUK....so remove the heatsink from the card and see, I'd replace the stock crap with Artic Silver. (only on the core surface).

Sounds like a combo heat/shitty-power problem. Solve these first, then if problem continues...RMA to ATI directly.
Click to expand...

Wattage is all garbage. What matters is the specs at the 12V rail, etc. The Antec Neopower is only 480W but with dual rails for a total of 33A it's more than adequate for a power hungry FX53 system with either a x800XT PE or 6800 Ultra.

Albeit the Fortron 530W is a damn good PSU for the price. I would have bought one if it were as future compliant as the Neopower
 
depending on how far you want to go

Have a look at the RAM Speed
Take the heatsink off and look at the chip

Use ATItool to underclock the card back down to pro levels 450/475 (?)

There might well be a part number on the card too
 
uwackme said:
"The PS is listed as 305W, but Dell assured me that it would be able to work in my system"

You're kidding right?

I DONT have a X800XTPE and I need 550W to be stable. And a really really GOOD 550W at that.

SuperFlower550W, Fortron530W, PC-PowerCooling510W, Antec510W in that order....anything less and you wont get there.

Also, factory application of heatsink compound can generally SUK....so remove the heatsink from the card and see, I'd replace the stock crap with Artic Silver. (only on the core surface).

Sounds like a combo heat/shitty-power problem. Solve these first, then if problem continues...RMA to ATI directly.
Click to expand...

You can run an XT PE on a 220 watt Shuttle power supply...a 305 watt one should do, unless it's compelte crap.
 
it really depends what else is in your system.

If you got cd-rw, dvd, 2 hdd, front panel display etc you're gonna need 500W
 
Go here and click on "Product Identification" to the left of the page. This will pop-up another window. Since you have a Sapphire card, you will probably have to follow the instructions to the left of the screen under the "Powered by ATI" section. This will help you figure out if you got sold a modded pro or not. What he sent you from Sapphire is completely fabricated BS. You could try playing around with ATI tool, which might help, but that's not going to be the company's official answer to any technical issues people are having with their cards. I thought you needed a beefier PSU for any of these new cards. I would upgrade your PSU just to be sure that that's not causing an issue. 75 bucks for a good power supply is not that much in comparison to a $578 video card.

From what I see, it sounds like sleeptwitcher burnt you. Sorry :(
 
That sucks man, but I'm sure you know you're taking your life into your hands when ordering off of ebay.

The card crashing in 3dmode might indicate heat issues but you say it crashes in 2dmode which to me is either, bad card, bad drivers or inadequete PSU.

Doesn't Dell have its own PSU spec, like you can't just throw any PSU in there, it has to be a Dell?

Good luck, hope you get it figured out
 
Get antec 430 watts. I know one of the [h] people on this forum which had SuperFlower550 watts and it couldnt even run 6800GT. So I recommended him antec 550 watts and it was working perfectly even since.
 
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