9600XT giving problems

[Kev]

Hi

Various FPS games are causing issues. For example, Half Life 2 single
player has wireframe outlines, even at the menu screen. Some games just
crash.

The problems occur straight away or could take a few minutes to appear. The
HL2 menu problems start straight away.

Here's the config :

128MB 9600XT
Windows XP Pro SP 2 (fully patched)
Latest MSI /VIA drivers for motherboard
Latest ATI drivers (and numerous other versions installed after using the
ATI clean-up utility each time)
Latest Direct X

and things that have been tried :

AGP speed tested at none, 4x and 8x.
All settings within HL2 have been turned down to the minimums
The GPU cooler has been removed, clean and re-fitted with new thermal
compound
VPU recover has been enabled and disabled
DXdiag shows no issues
The PSU has been changed and all of the non-essentials have been
disconnected from the PSU

This hardware has worked together ok before. It's not obvious what could
have changed to cause this.

The graphics hardware is not overclocked.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[RWM]

What version 9600XT, private labeled by whom?

 

[Kev]

What version 9600XT, private labeled by whom?

Sapphire

<snip>

 

[RWM]

Sapphire

Same sorts of issues with a Connect 3D 9600XT (RV350 GPU).

 

[Kev]

Same sorts of issues with a Connect 3D 9600XT (RV350 GPU).

Thanks. Do you know what the cause was and if / how they were corrected ?

 

[RWM]

Thanks. Do you know what the cause was and if / how they were corrected ?

No, and they persist.

 

[Kev]

No, and they persist.

Just managed to borrow an old GF II MX 400. This does the same so it
suggests that the cards are ok. It will be easier to rebuild the OS !

 

[RWM]

Just managed to borrow an old GF II MX 400. This does the same so it
suggests that the cards are ok. It will be easier to rebuild the OS !

Reverting to nVidia TNT2 64 eliminates the behavior; no OS issue here.

 

[Kev]

Reverting to nVidia TNT2 64 eliminates the behavior; no OS issue here.

Unless the TNT2 64 ignores certain instructions because it is so antiquated
??

 

[RWM]

Unless the TNT2 64 ignores certain instructions because it is so antiquated
??

Program instructions, perhaps. OS instructions, no.

Still, the 9600XT ought to work out of the box, and does not.

 

[Kev]

Still, the 9600XT ought to work out of the box, and does not.

It _did_ work out of the box but I don't know what has been done to the
machine sicne then.

I didn't so much mean the OS as the entire software part of the
configuration. It would be odd to have two cards with the same fault.
Nothing was changed except for the hardware so I expect that it will indeed
work once the re-build of the OS and associated drivers, etc has been
completed.

 

[RWM]

It _did_ work out of the box but I don't know what has been done to the
machine sicne then.

I didn't so much mean the OS as the entire software part of the
configuration. It would be odd to have two cards with the same fault.
Nothing was changed except for the hardware so I expect that it will indeed
work once the re-build of the OS and associated drivers, etc has been
completed.

To clarify, I refer to my Connect3D 9600XT card.

 

[tod]

Go to http://www.drivercleaner.net/
Get driver cleaner pro, use it to clear off any drivers leftover from non
ATI cards.
Also try reloading the VIA drivers.

 

[Ian]

Reverting to nVidia TNT2 64 eliminates the behavior; no OS issue here.

Well, not entirely, since you're reverting to a 4x AGP card in that test.
So, maybe your BIOS settings for AGP are wrong or there is a problem with
8x on your mobo; voltage, or similar. try defaults?

With VIA AGP filter I have now and then had to manually update the driver
in device manager, by selecting the driver from the Hyperion AGP folder,
as running setup.exe doesn't always seem to force the driver on.
Honestly! Try that too....

Best,

Ian.


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