Video Card. Maybe OT.

I was given an ATI X800 Pro card yesterday with no cooler so I fitted a
ThermalTake cooler I had here that would cool it enough to do tests with.
The card seems to work like a dream with the exception that it also displays
artifacts.
Thinking some kid may have tried to flash it and failed a bit, I flashed it
to standard but it said that it already had the standard X800 Pro bios.
Nothing changed so I ruled out a bad flash. Generic drivers or the latest
drivers make no difference the same as XP Pro or Vista makes no difference
to the artifacts. I set it to run a screensaver when I went to bed last
night and it was still running the screensaver plus artifacts this morning
when I got up.
Anybody have any ideas or is the cards next resting place the rubbish bin?

"Venom" wrote in message
...
I was given an ATI X800 Pro card yesterday with no cooler so I fitted a
ThermalTake cooler I had here that would cool it enough to do tests with.
The card seems to work like a dream with the exception that it also
displays
artifacts.

Possible the fan failed and the core was heat damaged. Possible it's not the
core but the memory. I'm going to assume that you installed the new cooler
correclty with heat transfer compound with no possibility of shim or poor
contact issues. It artifacts in 2D and 3D? Or just 3D? Can you post a link
of the artifacting you are getting?

"Augustus" wrote in message
news:hh_Th.603$VF5.455@edtnps82...

"Venom" wrote in message
...
I was given an ATI X800 Pro card yesterday with no cooler so I fitted a
ThermalTake cooler I had here that would cool it enough to do tests
with.
The card seems to work like a dream with the exception that it also
displays
artifacts.

Possible the fan failed and the core was heat damaged. Possible it's not
the
core but the memory. I'm going to assume that you installed the new cooler
correclty with heat transfer compound with no possibility of shim or poor
contact issues. It artifacts in 2D and 3D? Or just 3D? Can you post a link
of the artifacting you are getting?


I have been fitting heat sinks with appropriate heat sink compound for years
but as I have only had the card for two days and the artifacts were there
before I got it, I don't think it was anything I did.
The artifacts are a full screen of rows of these = = = = = = = = = = and
once XP Pro is up and running they get thinner and paler and you can
actually work the computer through them. As I said, it even runs all night
with a screensaver going. I am only getting the usual 12 pipelines but
earlier I tried to upgrade the bios to 16 pipelines but it tells me that
particular bios is already loaded. No matter what bios version I try to
flash it with, it tells me that it is already loaded. I don't know if it
matters but the card is actually the X800 Pro VIVO and it's memory is
Samsung. The cooler I fitted just to make sure it wouldn't overheat does the
job ok as I have the side off the computer and I feel the heatsink every now
and then but it isn't hot.
Mostly I just wanted to know if it was worth messing around with or just
binning it.

I have been fitting heat sinks with appropriate heat sink compound for
years
but as I have only had the card for two days and the artifacts were there
before I got it, I don't think it was anything I did.
The artifacts are a full screen of rows of these = = = = = = = = = = and
once XP Pro is up and running they get thinner and paler and you can
actually work the computer through them.

This sounds like a flaky memory module more than the GPU.

"Augustus" wrote in message
news:gf7Uh.1243$VF5.821@edtnps82...
I have been fitting heat sinks with appropriate heat sink compound for
years
but as I have only had the card for two days and the artifacts were
there
before I got it, I don't think it was anything I did.
The artifacts are a full screen of rows of these = = = = = = = = = = and
once XP Pro is up and running they get thinner and paler and you can
actually work the computer through them.

This sounds like a flaky memory module more than the GPU.


I would go along with that idea simply because the card in general seems to
work ok. No freezes etc and doesn't get much past warm so I don't think it
is a heat problem either. If I set the screen to 1024x768 the artifacts
rearrange themselves into two vertical bars so the desktop is split into
four equal sections. First section is perfect in every way then the next
section is opaque artifacts and the third quarter is perfect and the last
quarter is opaque artifacts. The desktop is perfectly useable as is the
whole computer but the two clear sections only appear at that setting. Every
other setting gives me a full screen of opaque artifacts and dropping the
card to 16 color makes no difference. No problems. It was worth a try to see
if it could be salvaged.

Have you tried underclocking the card?

"Venom" wrote in message
...

"Augustus" wrote in message
news:gf7Uh.1243$VF5.821@edtnps82...
I have been fitting heat sinks with appropriate heat sink compound for
years
but as I have only had the card for two days and the artifacts were
there
before I got it, I don't think it was anything I did.
The artifacts are a full screen of rows of these = = = = = = = = = =
and
once XP Pro is up and running they get thinner and paler and you can
actually work the computer through them.

This sounds like a flaky memory module more than the GPU.


I would go along with that idea simply because the card in general seems
to
work ok. No freezes etc and doesn't get much past warm so I don't think it
is a heat problem either. If I set the screen to 1024x768 the artifacts
rearrange themselves into two vertical bars so the desktop is split into
four equal sections. First section is perfect in every way then the next
section is opaque artifacts and the third quarter is perfect and the last
quarter is opaque artifacts. The desktop is perfectly useable as is the
whole computer but the two clear sections only appear at that setting.
Every
other setting gives me a full screen of opaque artifacts and dropping the
card to 16 color makes no difference. No problems. It was worth a try to
see
if it could be salvaged.

"don't look" don't wrote in message
...
Have you tried underclocking the card?


I don't know much about over and underclocking but I did drop the core speed
and the memory speed back a bit but it made no difference that I could see.

"Venom" wrote in message
...

"don't look" don't wrote in message
...
Have you tried underclocking the card?


I don't know much about over and underclocking but I did drop the core
speed
and the memory speed back a bit but it made no difference that I could
see.


I was just wondering, could this card be just for a G4/G5 Powermac and not
work properly in a normal PC?

I was just wondering, could this card be just for a G4/G5 Powermac and not
work properly in a normal PC?

No...it would not boot. The Mac BIOS is 100% incompatible with the PC.
Apart from which ATI only makes one X800 series, X800XT in AGP Pro 8X for
the Mac.

"Venom" wrote in message
...
I was given an ATI X800 Pro card yesterday with no cooler so I fitted a
ThermalTake cooler I had here that would cool it enough to do tests with.
The card seems to work like a dream with the exception that it also
displays
artifacts.
Thinking some kid may have tried to flash it and failed a bit, I flashed
it
to standard but it said that it already had the standard X800 Pro bios.
Nothing changed so I ruled out a bad flash. Generic drivers or the latest
drivers make no difference the same as XP Pro or Vista makes no difference
to the artifacts. I set it to run a screensaver when I went to bed last
night and it was still running the screensaver plus artifacts this morning
when I got up.
Anybody have any ideas or is the cards next resting place the rubbish bin?



artifacts
either overheating
duff ram
or maybe even lack of power
user might have added third party cooler and wanted to keep it and binned
the orignal