HIS x1950 Pro Ice3 ?Turbo? 256mb issues

[Blackflash]

Greeting?s,

My name is blackflash and I recently bought a Video Card (AGP)


Old Video card: x800 Pro 256mb

New Video Card: HIS x1950 Pro Ice3 ?Turbo? 256mb


My current system is as follows:
P4 3.Oc NorthWood HT 800FSB (Upgraded Cooling fan and heatsink)
P4P800-E Deluxe MB
Raptor WD SATA HD 30+gigs
2gigs Corsair XMS DDR400 w/heatsinks(4 sticks of 512mb each)



I play Everquest 2 at FULL BLAST with no issues. I can play beta game God and Heroe?s at very High Setting?s and it looks great.

But when I play Lost Planet? after a few minutes within the game my screen gets all distorted.

1st Pic


I try to guide myself blindly through the rubble I am seeing towards my desktop? and when I finally get to the desktop, the image remains ugly.


2nd Pic


I had the latest drivers from the ATI website and I even tried earlier versions of the drivers to only have the same issue.

I then went over to HIS website and got the drivers from them. I installed the drivers and I think after like 20 min of play things looked good. So I went back to EQ2 and played and as usual on that game things were good. But then I left it on overnight and when I woke up this morning the graphics were all messed up similar to those pics above but not as bad but still looked very unplayable.

What do you guys think the issue is? I still have time to return the card for an RMA I just hate to go through a return again if these cards are only going to give me the same thing. I never went through this with my X800 Pro.

Thanks for reading,
BF

 

[imported_clockerspiel]

I have a rig similar to yours, and upgraded from an ATIX800XL to a VisionTek X1950 Pro. My processor is a 3.2 P4 C with stock HSF mated to an Intel D865PERLL Mb with 2 Gig of Ram. This combination has worked well for me with no glitches whatsoever.

I did considerable research before I purchased the video card and decided to go with the card that, across the many forums that I visited, had the fewest reported glitches. I don't overclock anything because at some point I may want to ebay an item and want to honestly report that the item was at no time overclocked, nor do I game at resolutions higher than 1280 x 1064. I also was looking for a "lifetime" warranty or one that extended past a year. While the VisionTek only has 256 Meg of memory and doesn't have temperature sensing and overclocking abilities, it does run dependably day in and day out. Best Buy is now selling this card for $189 and will take the card back if it doesn't work during the first 30 days (past 30 days, you have to RMA through VisionTek).

Your screenshots indicate overheating. This isn't good, as in many instances (but not all) it signifies permanent damage. Another possible cause could be your power suppley, that is, it is not supplying enough power to the vc, mb, and components. I have a Corsair 520 in my system which I know suppies in excess of 30 amps (what most 1950 manufacturers recommned) across the 12v rails. I also have an outstanding case with excellent ventilation to keep the components cooler. I would recommend at least a 12cm input fan and 12 cm exhaust fan. So, in summary, I think your problem can be traced back to heat, or power. Hope this helps.

 

[Jschmuck2]

Pop the side off of your case and let it run for an hour then come back and let us know.

 

[Blackflash]

I run my case with no side covers on both sides. I don't have any fans running inside though. The items that are getting power in my system is the card which takes 2 of those ports - the SATA HD which has 2 ports - 2 DvD roms - and an extra HD IDE.

The PS is a 420w that came with my case.

I'm going to install an extra fan but I had a quetion. Should I put the fan to blow air out or in? I appreciate the reply guys and thanks for helping me through this.

 

[imported_clockerspiel]

Most "off brand" power supplies in the 420 watt range will not feed the X1950 Pro beast, and very few tier 1 or 2. You need to think about buying a better power supply. I would recommend a name brand power supply of 500 watts or greater.

If you can only put 1 fan in your case (I assume on the back panel just below the PS), I would recommend to use it as an exhaust fan. The problem you are having is the same I faced. I realized that my old case just wasn't designed to supply the ventilation to cool hot burning parts like the X1950 Pro, and keep the hard drives, optical drives (when running), motherboard north and south bridge chips, and processor zones cool. You can try the one fan option, but it may not be enough. In addition, you could mod your side panel to mount a 92mm or 120mm intake fan - one that would blow on the video card and n&s bridge areas of the mb. Look at it this way...at some point you are probably going to want to upgrade most of your components and would need a better case and power supply anyway. This would be an excellent way to prepare for a major overhaul at some point in the future.

 

[Blackflash]

Thansk for the reply.
I double checked the case and it looks like I can squeeze in 2 small fans. Yes they are below the PS. So I am thinking of having one blow out and the other in?

If I upgrade my Power Supply would it still be worth keeping this current card in hopes that it won't look ugly when I play games, or should I return the card because it will keep doing it even after the PS upgrade?

 

[imported_clockerspiel]

You should configure both to exhaust. If you set one for exhaust and the other for intake, your ventilation would be "short-circuited". This should help some, provided the case has other openings or slits/slots for intake air. I suspect the two openings are probaly for 80mm fans - this might suffice until you can get an improved case - you won't know 'til you try. You could also purchase an intake fan such as the following to help case ventilation and to cool your vidcard:

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=75060

You won't know if the card is truly blinked out until you try both improved ventilation and a stronger PS - unless you have a friend who has a cooler running case and better PS, who would be willing to try out the card for you. If after doing these modifications and the card still artifacts on you, send it back or RMA it for a replacement. If you can get a 1950 pro that works, you'll be well pleased with the improvement over the series X8XX you are moving up from.

Good luck!

 

[JPB]

FYI....I had a X800 Pro before also, and when my power supply was dying, my screen looked EXACTLY like that. Sometimes it would do it, sometimes it would'nt. PSU finally quit.

Installed a new PSU, ran perfectly.

 

[Blackflash]

well after installing an extra fan
(even hough it looked like would have been able to fit 2 before I unplugged everything , I was only able to fit 1)

I also moved my system towards a different side of my desk where I thought would be more cool and logged back into Lost Planet. I was able to play with no glitch. I will try to milk this PS as much as I could before I buy a new one cuz I'm on a lil tight budget now.

thanks guys for the smart advice , these forums rock and I'm glad I found this place.

 

[pyro451]

Don't count on your problems being over.

I had the same type of issues with my HIS x1950pro (AGP/256MB/Turbo/IceQ3). I first purchased a 780W OCZ modXstream power supply (on the advice of HIS) and it did not solve the problems. I then RMA'd my card and received a new one about a two months ago. After about 1 month of use the new card started having the same problems as the original.

HIS wants me to RMA the second card now (with shipping at my expense). If you search around (check guru3d forums) you will find several others with the same problem with this card. There is definitely a design flaw or manufacturing/QC problem at HIS. Since the card is ROHS compliant it may be a tin whisker issue or solder cracking from heat/cool cycles.

Like you, I notice the problem more often when the card is idle in 3D games. For example, if I pause FarCry and get up for a drink I almost always return to find that type of corruption.

I have four 120mm fans exhausting out of my Antec P180 case, so I don't believe it is a cooling issue.

Good luck!!

 

[Rottie]

If the problem is coming back to haunt you again the best advice is to get heavy duty power supply with good brand name at least 550 watts (mine is Antec Smartpower 500w).

 

[pyro451]

Originally posted by: Rottie
If the problem is coming back to haunt you again the best advice is to get heavy duty power supply with good brand name at least 550 watts (mine is Antec Smartpower 500w).

I replaced an Antec True Power 2.0 550W PSU with the OCZ PSU. The problem started with the Antec.

 

[Rottie]

Originally posted by: pyro451

Originally posted by: Rottie
If the problem is coming back to haunt you again the best advice is to get heavy duty power supply with good brand name at least 550 watts (mine is Antec Smartpower 500w).

I replaced an Antec True Power 2.0 550W PSU with the OCZ PSU. The problem started with the Antec.

I am sorry to hear that but I am not sure if True Power 2.0 and Smart Power 2.0 are the same but mine runs great for almost a month now.