Artefacts + crashing = power problem? 8800GTX

[Anjow]

Today I bought an XFX 8800GTX.

Rest of my system:

A64 3700+
1GB DDR400
ASROCK Dual-SATA2 motherboard
XP Pro SP2
DirectX 9.0C (latest one)

When I got it home I realised that I did have 2x PCI-E connectors, but they were on the same wire from the PSU - which the XFX leaflet says won't do. My PSU is some Thermaltake 550W one, can't remember the name (could have been purepower, toughpower or something).

As it stands, I'm running the card on both of those, since the shops were closed and I couldn't get hold of a 4-pin molex to PCI-E adaptor. I have tried playing Oblivion and FEAR - both of which work initially, but develop artefacts after a short while. The HUD, text and mouse pointer get all blocky and messed up on Oblivion, and on FEAR everything turned bright pink.

Then, after I tried to quit Oblivion, my screens went to 640x480 and I got a dialogue box saying that nv4_disp.dll or something similar was not functioning properly and that I should reboot.

That was using the 97.44 official drivers, I've also tried uninstalling them and using the 96.89 drivers that came with the card. I did not experience the same artefacts, but the game did still show the occasional flash of mangled geometry and it crashed after 5 minutes, freezing my machine.

It might also be worth mentioning that none of my system is overclocked in any way.

I am assuming this is because of my running it without the proper power setup - can confirm whether this is likely to be the case? They say it is okay if you just use 2 separate wires from the PSU, do you think that my using a separate wire with a PCI-E adaptor on it will solve the problem?

Thanks.

 

[santz]

make sure you have the panel where the gpu exhausts the air out from case is removed from the back!
there are 2 cpu case panels : 1 for gpu exhaust, and 1 for the actual port connectors!

I only say this as i was dumb enough to make that mistake and not realize it for over 8 months during which my card temps were 90c-110c. i got a replacement card and still had the same problems until i FINALLY figured it out 2 days ago!

 

[Hyperlite]

what are your GPU temps? use rivatuner or something to see them...

 

[josh609]

That PSU may be the problem. I just got done reading a review of that thermaltake 550 toughpower PSU. I heard it was not any good.
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/348/14/

I would see about getting a OCZ GameXtreme 700 PSU if i were you. Also be sure to check out the GPU temperatures using Nvidia Monitor. Sounds like more of a Driver or a Heat issue. Run Driver Cleaner after you uninstall the drivers and before you install the new ones. Run Driver Cleaner in safe mode to get the best results.

 

[Anjow]

Thanks for the responses.

None of the slots at the back of my machine are blocked when they shouldn't be.

I monitored my temperature using RivaTuner, it is 68 degrees C idling on windows desktop, I then ran Oblivion - it went up to 80 degrees then after a while I saw the blocky artefacts around non-3D stuff like the HUD, text and mouse pointer. At this point my machine froze and I had to reset.

The main thing I was asking was 'could getting a molex to PCI-E adaptor and running it off a second wire from the PSU fix this?'

Getting another PSU isn't really an option since I can't afford to.

Also, which drivers would you recommend I use? And can you direct me to this driver cleaner please?

 

[josh609]

Originally posted by: Anjow
Thanks for the responses.

None of the slots at the back of my machine are blocked when they shouldn't be.

I monitored my temperature using RivaTuner, it is 68 degrees C idling on windows desktop, I then ran Oblivion - it went up to 80 degrees then after a while I saw the blocky artefacts around non-3D stuff like the HUD, text and mouse pointer. At this point my machine froze and I had to reset.

The main thing I was asking was 'could getting a molex to PCI-E adaptor and running it off a second wire from the PSU fix this?'

Getting another PSU isn't really an option since I can't afford to.

Also, which drivers would you recommend I use? And can you direct me to this driver cleaner please?

Those temps do seem a little high. I know my GTS is idling at 51C and gets up to around 65~ when it's overclocked. I would look to make sure the heatsink is properly installed onto the card.
Getting a molex to PCI-E adaptor and running it off a second wire could fix it. I think your card should have came with that wire.

 

[Anjow]

Okay, I bought an OCZ Game X Stream 700W PSU.

I plugged it all in, the PSU has two separate PCI-E wires coming from it as the XFX box says the card requires. Still the fan doesn't start.

So, can anyone tell me:

Have I just spent over £100 on a PSU that I didn't need?

Have I sent back a card with a problem, only to receive another card with EXACTLY THE SAME problem?

 

[Bobthelost]

Your first problem sounded like it was overheating rather than power problems. If a PSU tries to supply more juice than it can handle then it normally keels over completely, either shutting down (ie the machine turns itself off) or blowing up (rare). For this to have been a PSU issue then the PSU would have had to be letting the graphics card line voltage drop while keeping the main one at a reasonable level, then only the RAM would could have been affected as crashing the core should either stop the signal (ie freeze) or go blank or maybe shut down the machine.

Also the most likely time for a PSU to fail is at start up, followed by the time when it starts up a 3d app as the power demand surges. Only after those does during gaming become a factor, as the temperature inside the case builds up and lowers the PSU's output.

Artifacts occur (i think) when the GPU or memory can't handle something, they skip a calculation and something random gets filled in, or a pollygon is ignored. Thinking about it the type of artifact you get could relate to what's causing the problem (anyone know about this?). But knowing that your temps get into a high range and looking at the timing i'd say it's very probably heating related.

It sounds a lot like over heating was the problem, however i'm not sure what's going on with the fan now, is it the PSU fan or is the machine not booting up anymore? If it does boot but you're still getting hte same problems, open the side of your case, open a window, put a jumper on and try playing that way. If it doesn't crash becasue your GPU isn't overheating you know your problem.

If it's overheating then box up your PSU, call the company that you bought it from and inform them you are returning it (you're legally allowed to do so within 7 days of recipt as long as it's complete and you haven't clearly taken the piss) if they ask for a reason tell them the truth, you thought yours was broken but it's not. Check their terms and conditions if you're unsure.

 

[Anjow]

I'm going to be keeping the PSU. My brother needed my old one so I might as well keep this now.

The artifacts in games varied depending on the game. In FEAR everything turned bright pink but the geometry was fine. In Oblivion the HUD became garbled and the geometry was fine. I don't know if you needed clarification, but I'm pretty certain it's something on the card overheating - the fan on it doesn't start and a temperature monitor shows a sharp rise before the crash.

I will be sending this card back. Can anyone recommend a different brand of card to get? It is a bit of a shame since I will have to fork out a lot more money - this card was £380 in a sale but I'm only seeing other GTXs starting at £430

 

[Bobthelost]

If it's overheating then there's a good chance it's your case / positioning of the case that's the problem. See if it overheats with the side off, if it's still overheating you've got a problem. If not then it could be that improving your case's airflow will fix it.

What case do you have? You need at least 1 120mm exhaust fan from the rear and preferably another blower exhaust fan as well, the 880GTX is a DHES isn't it? You don't need intake fans, the push-pull configuration doesn't do much for airflow (although some people say it reduces dust accumulation). Also make sure the case isn't under a desk where hot air pools. My machine used to sit in a corner where the hot air pooled, i popped my head under the desk and broke a sweat.

 

[Anjow]

I have a Stacker 830. I have 2x 120mm + a 120mm PSU fan for exhaust and 6x 120mm for intake. My room is very cold, but as I said - the fan on the card isn't starting up and I'm certain that's what is causing it to overheat.

 

[Bobthelost]

Ah, gotcha, RMA time.

 

[Anjow]

I don't know about who is a good manufacturer for cards - can anyone suggest what brand I should go for? Is there much difference between different branded cards? Would I be paying £70 more for exactly the same thing?

 

[Bobthelost]

XFX is a pretty decent brand, give them another shot (make sure you've still got the lifetime warranty on the new card). eVGA is excellent but the main advantages are the step up program (you're not really going to be using that) and the warranty's inclusion of 3rd party heat sinks (again, probably not going to use). I think both of them allow for overclocking inside of warranty, although eVGA will even allow overvolting according to some reports.

The warranty is the big thing to look at, for most brands even attempting to OC voids it, if you're willing to take that risk then it's a bit up in the air. There is also trends of some manufacturers getting higher overclocks than others, possilby due to better components. If you're not overclocking then there is no real difference.

 

[Anjow]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
XFX is a pretty decent brand, give them another shot

By this do you mean a third shot? I've had 2 cards with exactly the same problem so far. I suppose they aren't a bad brand, my brother has a 6800GS he's had no problems with from them. I'm just afraid of getting another card with the same problems yet again.

Overclocking isn't an issue for me, I won't be doing it.