crazy video error... please help!!

junglerecker

Junior Member
Sep 22, 2006
17
0
0
I just built a new system (specs are at the bottom) with an evga 7900gs and a Samsung Synchmaster 204B. I've got crazy display errors going on and none of the "IT professionals" I've talked to say the same thing or offer anything that helps. I'm hoping someone here can give me good advice.

Here's what's happened: I ordered all the parts from Newegg (minus monitor and keyboard/mouse bought at Bestbuy) and a local comp store put it together for me. They loaded the OS, it worked fine (their monitors are all analog). I took it home (hooked up via DVI to my monitor), after about an hour, while downloading drivers, etc. the screen started flashing violently. It looked like the screen does when it's changing resolution or refresh rate, as in you'll see a glimmer of the display for an instant then it goes back to black, and it would flash like that for maybe 5 to 10 seconds, then have a second or two of consistent display, and then start flashing again. This continued until I restarted the computer. On the next boot it was flashing DURING the boot sequence. I restarted a couple times, and every time, even in safe mode, the same problem. I tried booting from the WIN XP CD and the flashing lasted until the OS loaded, at which point they stopped completely. No display errors until my next boot, when it'd flash during boot-up and stop when the OS loaded. Since then it'll randomly start flickering, but inconsistently, when the OS is running. Then after playing with installing new drivers, trying different monitors, etc. the problems randomly stopped during the boot sequence. Since then I've noticed at lower resolutions the problem almost never occurs, but is more likely to occur at higher resolutions. I've also found that it ONLY happens when the computer is connected to the monitor digitally, and not once has it happened when connected by analog (which seems particularly weird to me as it's the same plug on the VGA card, only using a DVI to VGA adapter, weirder still is that the graphics of the flashing is slightly different depending on which of the two plugs I use, one adds a green pixelation snowy effect). I took the first monitor back to Bestbuy and got another samsung 204B and the problem has persisted. Most recently it's been a problem at lower resolutions as well. Also, the problem is inconsistent, sometimes the computer will run for 8 hours and not so much as flicker, at other times it'll be terrible until I reboot or reinstall the video adapter drivers, both of which seem to fend it off temporarily.

Has anyone experienced similar problems?

Does anyone know if there are inherent compatibility issues between the 7900gs and the samsung 204B?

Does anyone have an idea of how I might fix the problem, or will it probably require buying a new video card?

And if so, does anyone know if the ATI Radeon X1900XT might be less likely to exhibit such problems?

Thanks so much for any input...

Here's the system I've built so far (aside from the display problems it runs like a dream...)


Antec Performance I P180

ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard -

eVGA 256-P2-N625-AR Geforce 7900GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO HDCP Video Card


PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 510-SLI ATX12V 510W Continuous @ 50°C Power Supply

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop

SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM

EVERCOOL EC8015 80mm Ball Case Cooling Fan -

LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Write Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHM-165H6S -

Antec 77095 120mm Blue LED Light Case Cooling Fan

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Track 1 NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A

Track 1 ZALMAN VF900 ? CU 2 Ball VGA Cooling Fan/Heatsink
 

vois2

Banned
Jan 5, 2006
97
0
0
Thanks for the detailed description. Here are my suggestions based on experiences with a lot of GPUs:

1) The card must be looked at first and ruled out as defective. You need to find someone with a PCI-E machine and put your card in their machine to observe behavior. This is the only way to determine if you need to RMA the card back to eVGA.

2) Having ruled out the card, you should look at power to the card. What you describe could very well represent a problem with the power supply, or a problem with the PCI-x16 slot's powering on the motherboard. The best thing you can do is to use a multimeter to test voltages on the +12V and +5V rails of your PSU. This is easy to do, and explained in pictures if you Google it, but let me know if you need guidance with that.

3) If you rule out the card as the problem, and you find good voltages at the 24-pin connector on your motherboard, then you follow through with the multimeter testing for continuity of good voltage up to the PCI-E pin connector. (This is the 'P6' connector which you plug directly into the card itself, to provide proper power. Thus, there should be a direct line of power from the PSU to your eVGA card.)

4) If all of the above shows good, then you have pretty much narrowed it down to a powering problem on the PCI-x16 slot. Rare, but not impossible, and would call for an RMA on the motherboard.

Thanks,
Travis
admin@commonmancomputing.com
 

TheRyuu

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2005
5,479
14
81
The first and easiest thing to do would be to try different drivers.

Edit: After reading your OP (original post) in more detail, It sounds like a defective card, but for the hell of it, just try all the stuff below first.

I would recommend these.
(probably the best damn drivers you'll ever find)

Make sure to install them correctly with the use of driver cleaner pro.

(also make sure that 6-pin PCIe connector is plugged in)

Proper way would be (install Driver Cleaner Pro first):
-Uninstall "normal" way in device manager
-reboot INTO SAFE MODE. (it gotta be safe mode, F8 key)
-Run Driver Cleaner Pro with "nvidia" profile. (it should just say nvidia. All the other nvidia ones are for other things like chipset/audio)
-Reboot into normal windows
-install drivers
-reboot
-configure drivers
-???
-profit :D

I'd also recommend you use the old CP with the Nvidia Drivers.
Beyond a simple driver reinstall maby something is wrong with the hardware. I might try to reapply the HSF to the card but your problem doesn't sound like it might be overheating. Also check the temps at idle and load (you can do this with Nvidia CP).

Also (unrelated), I'd suggest you get RivaTuner (would have been Guru3d link but there site is down, but it is the latest version) You can monitor temps with a temperature graph so you can see the load temp WHILE IN THE GAME (which is something you can't do with Nvidia CP since even a split second after you alt-tab out the temp would have gone done a great deal.

Beyond anything I have said, there's always RMAing it. You can do it through Newegg or Evga. Both are REALLY, REALLY GOOD companies for customer service. (i.e. you get your sh!t fast with both). Evga might cross-ship which Newegg does not, but either way you can't go wront (don't forget that insurnce and tracking).

Have fun :)

Edit:
Originally posted by: vois2
Thanks for the detailed description. Here are my suggestions based on experiences with a lot of GPUs:

1) The card must be looked at first and ruled out as defective. You need to find someone with a PCI-E machine and put your card in their machine to observe behavior. This is the only way to determine if you need to RMA the card back to eVGA.

2) Having ruled out the card, you should look at power to the card. What you describe could very well represent a problem with the power supply, or a problem with the PCI-x16 slot's powering on the motherboard. The best thing you can do is to use a multimeter to test voltages on the +12V and +5V rails of your PSU. This is easy to do, and explained in pictures if you Google it, but let me know if you need guidance with that.

3) If you rule out the card as the problem, and you find good voltages at the 24-pin connector on your motherboard, then you follow through with the multimeter testing for continuity of good voltage up to the PCI-E pin connector. (This is the 'P6' connector which you plug directly into the card itself, to provide proper power. Thus, there should be a direct line of power from the PSU to your eVGA card.)

4) If all of the above shows good, then you have pretty much narrowed it down to a powering problem on the PCI-x16 slot. Rare, but not impossible, and would call for an RMA on the motherboard.

Thanks,
Travis
admin@commonmancomputing.com

I like my response better :)
It probably wouldn't be the PSU since it's a good brand. You say nothing about drivers which it might be, I partially agree with 1, and 3, and 4 is just too impossible to happen.

But whatever, it's all good :) (after all, anything could happen)