Cause of 2D and 3D artifacts with modded 9500

[Zoinks]

I used Soft9x00 to mod my 9500 NP 128MB to a 9700 - no problems. I ran 3DMark2001 for two hours with no problems, no artifacts.
I then overclocked it to 325/310 and played several games. I then ran 3DMark and when I returned several tests had failed and there were wierd lines all over the desktop.
Rebooting didn't fix them. I uninstalled the drivers, turned the computer off, and reinstalled the drivers. This fixed it.

My guess is that the card is overheating at the higher clock speed. Any other ideas? Would a better HSF help?

 

[Killrose]

The ram on these modded cards usuall will never go over 300MHz reliably. You need to keep your ram speed below 300MHz. 295-297MHz is usually reliable.

 

[Zoinks]

Thanks for the info. I've seen a lot of people bragging about getting higher than 310. I guess I expected it to get higher than that. Good to know, but it still puzzles my why the memory would work for a while before giving artifacts. Doesn't that sound like a heat problem?

 

[Auric]

Yeah, but more heat is generated from the higher clock. Is it the Hynix 3.6 or Infineon 3.3? I'm not sure what the rated speed of the Hynix is (likely 275) but the Infineon is rated for 300 and mine still has to be under 310 to be reliable. A common HSF won't help with the memory but a fan blowing across them might. Some people use "ramsinks". Still, the potential gain from a few more MHz is probably not worth it.

 

[Zoinks]

It is the Infineon 3.3. I guess I'll take 300 and be happy I have a 9700!

 

[hdeck]

yes, just be happy with what you have. my card had bad pipelines and won't run as a 9700

 

[oLLie]

Originally posted by: hdeck
yes, just be happy with what you have. my card had bad pipelines and won't run as a 9700

Mine too, still not sure what I should do now.