Sudden artifacting

The Titan

The Titan

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Oct 10, 2001
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I have a 9800 pro old 128 MB edition from visiontek, and today after a lovely 5 hours of gameplay (not contiguous), I came back to play WoW again and now my video card has a serious artifacting problem, and it isnt the game, this happens on the desktop randomly. Unfortunately the only thing I can see doing is getting another videocard, and this is the second piece of hardware thats failed on me this year.

I try to play the game and I get a nice kaleidoscope effect. Why would it do this? It was hot today but I have had my machine in hotter circumstances and it gave no trouble at all...

I really dont want to spend 300-500 dollars on a new card (I trade up if something decides to fail, like now...). Figures my machine would do this before a 3 day weekend, thereby ruining it for me.
 
Get any specific colors when it artifacts like crazy.

Fan still spinning and all that right?

Visiontek has a lifetime warranty don't they?
 
try sticking an 80 mm fan under it... downclock it a little...or buy better cooling
or see what you can do with the warranty
 
As far as colors go you name it, its in there. It also actually shifts and changes artifacts ON THE DESKTOP as I write this. Might be time to get a new video card, although spending more money is the last thing I need, and sure enough...

The artifacting on the desktop is a stairstep pattern repeated downward, in game its a little bit of everything... I have never ever seen this before...

I cant downclock it because I dont really know how. I would love to practice the warranty however that will pretty much leave me without a computer until I can get a replacement...

The colors dancing over my screen are pissing me off.
 
The power supply might be overheating. Feel the outside casing of the power supply inside you're case, and also check and make sure the fan is still running inside the power supply.
 
What a strange coincidence.

My Powercolor 9800pro 128mb also started artifacting two days ago. It usually starts off small with little bits of color popping up here and there, then like a virus, the entire screen begins to get infected.

I've had to replace the fan in the past. The stock powercolor fan's bearings died and produced a horrible grating noise. So I replaced it with a VGA silencer by arctic cooling, which has worked well for about the last year.

Very likely it's a heat issue...

I'm going to be buying a new vidcard in a few days, so it's more annoying than critical.
 
The Titan said:
As far as colors go you name it, its in there. It also actually shifts and changes artifacts ON THE DESKTOP as I write this. Might be time to get a new video card, although spending more money is the last thing I need, and sure enough...

The artifacting on the desktop is a stairstep pattern repeated downward, in game its a little bit of everything... I have never ever seen this before...

I cant downclock it because I dont really know how. I would love to practice the warranty however that will pretty much leave me without a computer until I can get a replacement...

The colors dancing over my screen are pissing me off.
Click to expand...


use Ati tool to downclock . if you return it .. ask a buddy if you can use an extra video card from his secondary computer.. or if he has a pile of junk card lying around , or buy a cheap pci video card for backup from now on ;)

ati tool link : http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=725
 
The Titan said:
As far as colors go you name it, its in there. It also actually shifts and changes artifacts ON THE DESKTOP as I write this. Might be time to get a new video card, although spending more money is the last thing I need, and sure enough...

The artifacting on the desktop is a stairstep pattern repeated downward, in game its a little bit of everything... I have never ever seen this before...

I cant downclock it because I dont really know how. I would love to practice the warranty however that will pretty much leave me without a computer until I can get a replacement...

The colors dancing over my screen are pissing me off.
Click to expand...

Yeah if its not overheating, I would say your card is in need of a RMA
 
Well I tried the card in a friends system and his instantly exhibited the same functions as mine did. It is definitely the card. I guess I cooked something. Dunno how or why, was perfectly fine in hotter conditions years before...

Anyway its time to upgrade, and maybe RMA the card for a non-defective one later for use in another system at some point. Hopefully the warranty is in effect. Figures this would happen right when I need things not to fail.
 
Herulach said:
Sure you havent knocked your monitor cable loose?
Click to expand...
Very sure. This other card I got going right now from a friend works fine - I played my games for hours and hours yesterday with no hitches at all. Its the card. :( Sucks too. It was my first card I ever had when it was fucking uber.
T3hW1se_1 said:
The power supply might be overheating. Feel the outside casing of the power supply inside you're case, and also check and make sure the fan is still running inside the power supply.
Click to expand...
The power supply is fine. If something was wrong with it the whole computer would take a serious dive. I know this from experience with friends machines blowing up.

SO. Anyone got some card recommendations? 256MB I am going for now, old card is 128, might as well move up. I would like to spend less than 300 bucks. Is saphire a good maker? Might get a saphire card... might trade up to an X800 pro. Would be sweet.
 
heh...I just went through this exact same problem...with a sapphire 9800 pro...finally sent the card in for RMA and voila 8 weeks later got a brand new card from sapphire...no one at sapphire or ATI is talking about what the cause of the problem is, but from stories and information I gathered it seems to be a problem with new catalyst drivers and direct-X 9.0c.

Whatever it does It seems like it overclocks the card somehow...go into the direct x diagnostic tool and check out your direct 3d tests...watch how the direct x box spins at lightning speeds....yet no one can seem to give an answer with the failure of what must be well in excess of 100 cards since this started happening back when Cat. 5's came out.

my new card better not show signs of this or I will be jumping back on the nvidia ship next time.
 
The Titan said:
Very sure. This other card I got going right now from a friend works fine - I played my games for hours and hours yesterday with no hitches at all. Its the card. :( Sucks too. It was my first card I ever had when it was fucking uber.
The power supply is fine. If something was wrong with it the whole computer would take a serious dive. I know this from experience with friends machines blowing up.

SO. Anyone got some card recommendations? 256MB I am going for now, old card is 128, might as well move up. I would like to spend less than 300 bucks. Is saphire a good maker? Might get a saphire card... might trade up to an X800 pro. Would be sweet.
Click to expand...

If you are wanting to get another Ati card and stay clear of the Nvidia route, I think everyone would agree an X800 XL would be the card for you which are found around MSRP of 299.

If you have any need for a tv tuner the x800 XT All in Wonder for 370 with a 50 MIR is not bad if you want to spend the extra cash.. Makes it down to 320

ZipZoomFly

Was around 280 after MIR from Amazon a few weeks ago. Assuming of course you are going to go back to an AGP card.
 
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