Video issues with new comp

Z

Zidayn

Geek Trainee
Alright... Needed to format the other day and decided to buy a new video card, motherboard and monitor :good:. (I am a multi certified computer tech so the frustration form not being able to see what is causing these problems is getting to me) So, basically things are new so i formatted, partitioned, installed XP pro, updated xp fully (I like sp2 :swt:) then started with drivers.

Asus K8N-E Deluxe motherboard, Radeon 9600xt 128MB, Samsung SyncMaster 793MB monitor. Nothing special.... or so I thought.

First problem, I had no AGP settings to configure.... updated motherboard BIOS and I now have wrorking video card...... No AGP speed! Really a problem so I checked forums for this with no luck from anyone. Updated nforce3 drivers (never owned an nforce board before so maybe I'm overlooking something here) and now SmartGart is x8. So now with things looking proper I updated ATI drivers and catalyst. So I think to myself let's run 3dmark 01se. 1200 (rounded up) 3dmarks.... :confused:.

Now I'm confused and finding every driver for every piece of hardware I have... I find what seems to make things work better so I format (to get rid of all the useless drivers I installed in my rage). Things set up with no problems.

Next large problem I just noticed is my max resolution and refresh rate is 1280X1024 @60Hrz!!! :mad:. Great, video card seems to be fine and monitor is new! I got monitor drivers and even reinstalled video drivers... No luck.

In short, I am SURE my video card is not working properly but I've tried everything i can think of until I can no longer think so maybe someone will look where I didn't. Maybe Nforce3 chip drivers have video drivers built in that don't like my ATI... I'm doing 12000-140003d marks atm but they dont matter just shows it is mostly working for gaming anyway.. But I do a lot of graphic editing and photoshop and I NEED MUCH larger resolution. I have another monitor currently in use at office which is 21" Philips that I would like to switch out and take home but I still need larger resolution than 1024X768 at home if it is hardware problem. Nvidia's Gforce 6800 is looking nice and affordable if it is ATI causing problems. Please help me and feel free to call me an idiot if I am overlooking something very simple.

Amd Athlon 64 3400+, 3gig (max for motherboard @ 3 sticks of 1gig) OCZ dual channel pc 3200 RAM, SATA 160Gig HD seagate, ATI 9600xt, LG multi burner, LG multi reader, 440W power supply, ASUS K8N-E Deluxe nvidia Nforce3 250
 
Let me start with a side note: your memory isn'T running in dual channel as Socket 754 cpus do not have that capability.

On to the problem. I'm affraid to tell you that the maximum resolution of that monitor is 1280x1024 @85hz, NOT 60hz though. I suggest you use Windows drivers for your monitor. It should be detected as Plug And Play Monitor.
In fact, I believe no 17'' can go higher than 1280x1024.
If you need a new monitor, I suggest you go with a NEC FE991SB, or a Mitsubishi DP930SB, which is the exact same monitor but with better refresh rates.
I have the 991SB and have it @ 1520x1140@75hz and the image is crystal clear. Go on www.necmitsubishi.com for full specs. NEC makes the most reliable monitors, next to Sony of course. I have a 25 year old 14'' NEC Multisync 2A which still works !

As for the drivers, I personnally use Omega drivers (www.omegadrivers.net). They are tweaked versions of official Catalyst drivers. They are more stable.

Also, the order in which you've installed your drivers might have something to do with your video card issues. Here's what I do: DX9, latest nforce drivers, ati drivers.
Also, you should disable AGP FastWrite in the BIOS. If you install the omega drivers, you will be prompted to choose between ON/OFF for FastWrite, select off. You should also run in AGP4x. So disable AGP8x in the BIOS, and smartgart will automatically set it up at 4x.

If you really want a new card, I suggest the Nvidia 6800GT. Same price as the X800 Pro but significantly faster, with more features(that aren'T used right now, mind you).
 
Alright bud, it is dual channel memory, but I didn't check to see if it was working as it should and reading over the motherboard you're right :eek: Explaining a few things.

The monitor - I did use windows drivers initially, didn't solve anything. The monitor right on the web page states 1280x1024 @85hrz 3 times once in bold. I don't need it to go higher for that is what I run at work and when it works properly I'm bringing the larger one I own home.

Installation - I did Dx9, nforce then Ms frameworks 1.1 since ati requires it and followed by ati. The 4.9 Cat Runs better than the Omega for my games so I'm not going that road. My friends with same video card get better frames with Cat... I'll try if I have nothing left to pull my hair out over.

Video card - I can't afford the 6800GT. Though I wish I could for the GT. :( I'll Try the AGP @ 4x with my fingers crossed.... Or throw my Ti 4200 back into comp and hope the store let's me bring the 9600xt back.

Thanks mate, the AGP speed may very well be the problem though why would Ati make an 8x/4x card if 8x doesn't like working.... I bought it for the 8x.
 
Omega Drivers: They are tweaked for image quality and stability, so it's normal that you get some very small drops compared to offical CATs

AGP Speed: There isn't much difference between 4x and 8x. It's not noticeable while playing, but only in benchmarks, so don't worry about that.
 
Things are fixed... Supposidly monitor is running at 85hrz, had a friend uncheck the box to "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" and he says doing that and selecting 85hertz works :P im not a believer :P since i can see flicker at this "85hz" same as setting it to 60hz.

Video card problem was solved. Though im exchanging it for either BFG 6800GT or ati x800 xt. not sure which though the nvidia is a power hog requiring 500W psu for minimal where ati doesnt and ati only takes up 1 slot of space. So does that mean nvidia just supercharged an older chip to PERFORM and ati took the realistic road and redesigned to use minimal power? The 256 GDDR3 is a nice feature which either GT or ULTRA have, ULTRA is toooo expensive and x800 xt is same price for me as BFG 6800GT ($30 difference). I want HL2 to run how it is being designed, freakin wicked. Maybe it is more worth my money for just the x800 not the xt model?

As far as my dual channel memory..... It has to be running properly though in bios it only says 200mhz so if you know a way I can prove it to the store that it isnt please tell me.

Also, thanks for the help. I fall into the network administrator catagory not hardware fenatic so some of these things are unknown areas for me.
 
Get the ATI card, the XTs (both AGP and PCI-e) are more powerful than the 6800GT. They are what competes with the 6800 Ultra.

As for the design, it's actually the other way around. ATI pretty much only bumped the speed twice as much as it was before, while nvidia added some features like sm3.0 which isn't really used in todays's games except a few, like Far Cry, providing you have the right patch.

About your memory. When memory is labeled as "Dual channel memory", it means that those two sticks you're buying have been tested together, in dual channel mode, at supported speed without any problems at all.

Now, to get dual channel working, you need a dual channel capable memory controller. Since you have an Athlon64 (socket 754 - like yours), your memory controller resides inside the cpu itself. That means that companies like Nvidia, who first implemented dual channel, cannot do it anymore since it is not a component of the motherboard anymore, therefore it cannot be controlled by the chipset.
So yes, your memory is working fun, but NOT in dual channel, that is an absolute certainty.

You need to get a socket 939 setup to have dual channel capabilities. The only "affordable" S939 cpus are the 3500+ and they're $340 a piece.
 
Alright bud, people at store should have told me this. Bloody pirates. If I realised about all of this at the start I could have easilly afforded the x800 xt, 64 3500+ and 939 mobo unfortunatly now I can't. I'll do video card first then worry about my memory bottle neck. That is "If" the store takes their video card back...

I have to just find a friend now to buy my cpu and motherboard.
 
In my previous post, what I meant is the Socket 754 cpus do not have dual channel implemented in them (the way I said it might have been confusing). Fortunately, you understood.
 
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