I think my graphics card is on its last legs :(

[new_rez]

Hey guys,

Just got my main computer back from uni and it looks like im going to have to spend money on new parts for it. Its been sat, unused, with the occasional power up for the past 5ish months :S
Just got it back to the house yesterday and fired it up properly for the first time. At first it wouldn't post, so i had to reset all the settings in the bois also got the occasional beep from the mobo (looked it up, gc problem, apparently). After about an hour of faffing about I got it running.

Boot into windows, which loads incredibly slowly and just have a muck about. Played a bit of cod4, cod5 and bf2142. After a few hours the stupid thing crashed! I managed to get it running again, but i randomly get error messages when trying to run games, although they still run. They are to do with some unrecoverable problem with directx and some direct3d thingy problem.

As I got those beeps from the mobo and now the error messages, im assuming my gc is on the way out. Its a HIS x1950pro 256mb :/, factory overclocked. So, im wondering, what kind of card can I get that will perform better than my current one? Preferably one that is cheapish I've been out of the loop for a while, so im waaaay behind on current cards!

Also, the system takes a while to post. The drive check takes ages. I cant tell what would be causing this :S Could it be the ram, mobo or bios? heh

Cheers
Harry

 

[mlee49]

Sounds like you need to reformat your computer man. Back up the personal data and do a system reformat.

Also try stress testing your card to see if it is artifacting or overheating. Generally a gpu wouldnt be causing your system to run slow, a bloated OS and bad hard drive on the other hand would.

Try stressing the card for a few minutes and see if it is giving you problems. Maybe even Memtest your ram with a few passes to see if you've got a bad stick or something. All else fails, Time for an upgrade!

 

[BrooksyX]

If you want a cheap card thats gonna perform well I would look into a Ati 4830/4850. Also the Ati 4770 is supposed to come out soon is supposed to be about $100 usd, not sure how much for you guys across the pond though. Looks to be a pretty promising card.

I wouldn't blame it on the video card just yet, could be the psu or the ram. even the motherboard. However once you figure out what it is I would recomend upgrading your vid card anyways as it is getting pretty old and 256mb just doesn't cut it for gaming these days.

 

[new_rez]

I did a stress test on the memory, about 800% coverage with memtest, didnt throw up any errors, so im happy with that The PSU is pretty new, well 5months ago new its a hiper 580w and its hardly been used.
Ill back up all my stuff and reformat. PC is due for a proper clean anyways I look forward to sitting about twidling my thumbs!

I have been tempted by the 4850. I reckon is would give me a good boost compared to the x1950?

Ill check out the mobo tomorrow to see if its ok. It is a flash light job to see if anything has burnt out? To tell the truth i have no idea how to troubleshoot a mobo :S

Thanks for the quick replies

Harry

 

[Error 404]

Definately look at the 4770, looks like its going to be a good card. However, if you want a budget card, the 9600 GT will play any gave I've thrown at it and do so at playable frame rates. Pretty much anything will be a significant boost from your X1950. And if its your motherboard then look for blown capacitors; those would be the main cause of motherboard failure.

 

[mlee49]

If your interested in a new card any of the 4k series from ATi are really great. The 4650 is the cheapest and I personally wouldn't go any lower than the 4770/4830. I've heard decent things about the 4670 being a power efficient card that can handle some games. Here's a review of a 4670 vs 4670 in XF vs 4850 vs a 9800 GT:
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=15422&page=6

Not bad for a sub $150 crossfire setup.

 

[BrooksyX]

The 4670 is very cost effective right now considering that you can buy a 4830 for the same price (at least over here in the states). And the extra shaders and the 256bit ram bus on the 4830 will blow the 4670 out of the water. With the way current prices are I wouldn't look at anything less than a 4830/4770.