Luk07

I recently brought a 7600GT after my 6600GT conked out, and previously i've had artifact issues on the 6600gt, but they kind of faded a bit and weren't so bad so i chose to ignore them (that and i couldnt solve it, +temps were fine). But now running my new card, im getting them again, since its similar to the old problem i am pretty sure its not the new card! (maybe you could clear that up anyway?). It's not that games are unplayable, they're fine, but the artifacting does ruin the overall experience as you can expect. I also checked the no-load/load temps with Riva, and it seems to run ~50C at no-load, i dont think its worth testing load temps to alot of extent also, since the artifacting occurs straight away. I did test for 5mins though, and it got to 62C before i closed it, still, it happens as i open the game and from then on, not after a short play or so. Thanks in advance for helps :)

Aus_Karlos

What is your Power Supply rated at. Wattage and the 12v Amp rating.

Luk07

Edit:

Go Here

Full specs on my PSU

Luk07

*bump*

And new problem

My monitor is now cutting out when my comp boots, it gets to the desktop then the screen goes black. It doesn't say No signal nor does the light on the monitor go orange, the only way im on here right now is by booting in VGA mode. What's going on?

Luk07

Reinstalled the graphics drivers and now its working, yet to test if i still get artifacts!

Aus_Karlos

Well your PSU seems fit for the job so thats not the problem. Sometimes a weak PSU can cause all sorts of problems.
However Artifacts is somewhat common among the 6 and 7 Series of Geforce cards. Most people are still sticking with the 90' Driver series as they are causing the least problems. Maybe you should check them out.

Try this driver out. http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_94.24_2.html

Luk07

Thanks, i will install that and do some more tests, when i reinstalled my driver (175.19) earlier i got less artifacting than before, but still a noticeable amount. I hope 9x series can solve my problem!

Edit/Update: Okay, test results (for artifacting):

Guild Wars: Almost nothing, although noticeable.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted: VERY bad, still playable, but distracting.
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Once again, not much at all.
World of Warcraft: Almost none at all.

By the looks of it, my only real problem is NFSMW! Although its still annoying and im not sure what i can do, it can't be a heat issue with 7600gt right? (based on the facts disclosed in my first post)

I'm kinda stuck here.

Luk07

Woohoo! I managed to capture some artifacting while playing NFSMW, I have to say this isnt the worst, and also that this kind of black "patching" flickers on and off (on for 1/4 sec, off for a few seconds, repeat). I hope this may help in identifying my problem, thank you.

edit: Added a far more severe case of artifacting, thats it basically at its worst!

edit2: I was playing around with detail settings, trying to see if it might reduce the artifacting and/or get rid of it altogether. And it went away when i dropped a load of settings, so i went through messing around and maxing everything until it started again. It seems with Anti-aliasing OFF it doesn't happen at all; All other levels of anti-aliasing (there are 3 settings) do it, except OFF. So it's something to do with Anti-aliasing? what?

Attached Images

	Artifacting Captured.JPG (175.0 KB, 7 views)
	Artifacting Captured2.JPG (172.0 KB, 10 views)

Mcninjaguy

I would keep your specs at minimal for that card. except for the resolution

wow I don't know how you put up with those graphics?!!!

do you have another PCI-E slot you can put you video card in?

Luk07

It's an AGP, and minimal specs for 7600gt? I get perfect frame rates with everything maxed out! And yeah, only one AGP slot to put it in.

Luk07

*bump* I wish i could click my fingers and this problem would go away.

Aus_Karlos

Hmm. I was thinking of different artifacting thats related to drivers. However this seems more related to a faulty AGP slot or Graphics card.
To rule out a faulty Graphics card take the card out and use it in a different machine. If artifacts are present then its most possible the Card.
To check a faulty AGP slot get a Graphics card you know that works. If the same artifacting or similar is present then you may have a faulty Motherboard.

Note for each of these steps each machine will need to have the Graphics Card drivers un-installed and install drivers for that card.

Luk07

My friend runs a 6600GT, if i put my 7600GT in his will the drivers automatically work? And the most severe artifacts only occur in NFSMW, so im not sure how i could test it properly. Worth noting if the fact that this exact same artifacting happened with the 6600GT although it went away (probs because i turned off AA in NFSMW to increase frames) so i don't know, doesnt that mean it has to be the motherboard? Or am i so unlucky that i get 2 cards that are dodgy at some point?

edit: The motherboard IS still under Warranty so i should be able to get a replacement should that be the case. I'll try my friends fully working 6600GT in my AGP slot and see how it goes. Thanks.

Aus_Karlos

Note for each of these steps each machine will need to have the Graphics Card drivers un-installed and install drivers for that card.

Just try what i suggested before rushing to conclusions if you send your motherboard off for a replacement you wont see a new one for 2-4 weeks. And they test the board to see if there is a fault, if they find nothing then they send the same one back.

Luk07

Yeah you're right, i've asked my friend anyway so sometime soon when hes not busy working i can borrow it and see how it goes. I'll report back either way.