Artifacts, HELP!

[Detoyminador!]

For a while I was running a Nvidia Zotac 8800GT Amp edition with no dramas on my gaming machine, it was a great card. I needed to upgrade to a new card because the 8800 really struggled with Battlefield Bad Company 2. So I did something I would never do, I was looking at the ATI cards (previously had 2 x1900 running cross-fired, always had dramas with them). I settled on the Sapphire HD5870 Vapor-X OC Edition. Everything was running great for a while. I had all settings enabled and maxed out at 1920x1200 with BBC2 and ran smooth as.

My problem is I’m now getting artifacts in both windows desktop 2d and during gaming. In windows I get red dots flickering with windows opened, horizontal lines flickering and shadows. In 3d there are artefacts also. I’ve done a clean install of Windows thinking it was something to do with driver issues but the same problems were there. I’m running the latest ATI CCC 10.4 drivers.

Other things I have tried are:

- Re-seating graphics card
- Shifting both ram modules to the other 2 slots and even trying 1 stick at a time.
- Ran CPU at default clock settings
- With both PCI-E power cables from the power supply to the video card I unplugged 1 and replaced it with the power adapter the card supplies
- Purchased a new DVI-D cable. Tried both ports on card

My CPU temps are fine idle around 35-37c and max around 55-59c and video card temps are low running the fan at 62% idle temp is 31-32c, max during load 59c at default fan setting max temp is 69c.

I have read that the default 2d settings of Core-157 and Mem-300 can't handle higher resolutions and can cause trouble. I don't really know how to up the 2d settings, I'm using MSI Afterburner just for monitoring.

I'm guessing and hoping it's not the video card. I ran 3Dmark Vantage yesterday and noticed 3d tests ran pretty good with a few artifacts but noticed an extreme amount of artifacts during CPU tests which makes me think it may be CPU, RAM or Power Supply related.

[FONT=&quot]Please help as this is very frustrating. [/FONT]

 

[MJinZ]

It's your Graphics Card.

/thread

 

[Detoyminador!]

It's your Graphics Card.

Your 100% certain? Why would graphics be corrupted in Vantage CPU tests?

 

[MJinZ]

Anything wrong with your CPU = Locks, Crashes, Bluescreens, corruptions, death of your OS Install.

You can get Artifacts in your BIOS if your card is shitted out enough.

 

[Axon]

Before I even clicked this thread, I knew it was going to be related to BFBC2. That game is an absolute killer.

I would suggest rolling back drivers quite a bit and giving that a shot. If not, you can break everything down piece by piece, but it's usually the video card when you have artifacts.

 

[Axon]

Anything wrong with your CPU = Locks, Crashes, Bluescreens, corruptions, death of your OS Install.

You can get Artifacts in your BIOS if your card is shitted out enough.

Correct. RAM issues are typically related to system instability and locks/crashes as well.

I'm telling you - I've never seen so many issues with a game as I have seen since BFBC2 came out. Cards across the board die at its feet.

 

[Detoyminador!]

Correct. RAM issues are typically related to system instability and locks/crashes as well.

I'm telling you - I've never seen so many issues with a game as I have seen since BFBC2 came out. Cards across the board die at its feet.

Sheez that's not good to hear about BFBC2. I'm getting no BSOD or lockups so you must be right.

Thanks for the quick replies.

 

[mfenn]

Sheez that's not good to hear about BFBC2. I'm getting no BSOD or lockups so you must be right.

Thanks for the quick replies.

Do you still have your old card laying around? Pop that in and see if you still have artifacts.

By the way, a bad GPU will still give you artifacts in Vantage CPU test, because everything still has to pass through the GPU on the way to the monitor.

 

[Detoyminador!]

Do you still have your old card laying around? Pop that in and see if you still have artifacts.

By the way, a bad GPU will still give you artifacts in Vantage CPU test, because everything still has to pass through the GPU on the way to the monitor.

I'll just go ahead and return the card but I'll try my old ATI x1900 in there, I gave my 8800gt away

 

[Detoyminador!]

I'll just go ahead and return the card but I'll try my old ATI x1900 in there, I gave my 8800gt away

I chucked my old HIS x1900XTX in my PC . No artifacts in desktop 2d. I played Dirt 2 and it played pretty good with maybe a a couple artifacts here and there (hard to spot). I played team fortress 2 and noticed artifacts in there during game play and after getting killed some flickering going on. I ran 3Dmark06 and it all looked good even under CPU test (was unable to run Vantage because of the card). Is it something other than the video card?

 

[mfenn]

I chucked my old HIS x1900XTX in my PC . No artifacts in desktop 2d. I played Dirt 2 and it played pretty good with maybe a a couple artifacts here and there (hard to spot). I played team fortress 2 and noticed artifacts in there during game play and after getting killed some flickering going on. I ran 3Dmark06 and it all looked good even under CPU test (was unable to run Vantage because of the card). Is it something other than the video card?

What you're describing still sounds like VRAM errors or a driver bug. If the errors were in main memory, you would experience random lockups and crashing. It's possible that the newer drivers have bugs with a card that old (has been known to happen) or your 1900XTX has been damaged as well. Are you taking proper precautions against static electricity when installing and removing the cards?

Since you've already RMAed your 5870, I would just wait until you get the new one back.

 

[lxskllr]

How about power from the PSU? Would getting short/unstable voltage cause artifacts(I'm thinking of the gfx card cable)?

 

[Detoyminador!]

What you're describing still sounds like VRAM errors or a driver bug. If the errors were in main memory, you would experience random lockups and crashing. It's possible that the newer drivers have bugs with a card that old (has been known to happen) or your 1900XTX has been damaged as well. Are you taking proper precautions against static electricity when installing and removing the cards?

Since you've already RMAed your 5870, I would just wait until you get the new one back.

Pheww!, it was a driver issue with the x1900xtx games are running fine with no artifacts at all. Had to install uninstall a few times, can only get 10.2 legacy drivers for them.

With grounding for static, always very careful when it comes to that.

 

[Detoyminador!]

Good news! The place I purchased the card from received the video card today and tested it and they also had artifacts which is great news. I was a little worried that it may have been some other hardware problem. So they are sending it back to the supplier for repair or replacement.

Just a quick question, when I get the card back is it safe for me to connect both my PCI-E cables from my Corsair TX-650 Power Supply to the video card? as I'm not sure this might of had something to do with the damaged card.

 

[mfenn]

Good news! The place I purchased the card from received the video card today and tested it and they also had artifacts which is great news. I was a little worried that it may have been some other hardware problem. So they are sending it back to the supplier for repair or replacement.

Just a quick question, when I get the card back is it safe for me to connect both my PCI-E cables from my Corsair TX-650 Power Supply to the video card? as I'm not sure this might of had something to do with the damaged card.

Yes, the card is designed to use both PCIe power connectors.

 

[Detoyminador!]

Yes, the card is designed to use both PCIe power connectors.

I should have explained it better. I know it needs 2 power connectors but can the 2 PCI-E cables from my power supply handle the video card?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I should have explained it better. I know it needs 2 power connectors but can the 2 PCI-E cables from my power supply handle the video card?

On a 650W? It should be just fine.