Artifacts Problem

[abu_has_the_power]

Originally posted by Storm@15 July 2004 - 10:54
put your 9800 in another comp......... just try it......

do you still have warranty on it?

if so, go to the store and make them test it........

got an oem.

[Spicker]

Originally posted by abu_has_the_power@15 July 2004 - 17:53
got an oem.

0W3ND

[abu_has_the_power]

i no. sucks. i just tried it on my friends pc. card works fine. cards perfectly fine.

so the psu must the the only reason left rite?

[lynx]

Have you checked your voltages when this is happening? And I mean with a multimeter, not using the onboard sensors. If they are ok then it is unlikely to be your psu.

Why can't you trust the onboard sensors? They are supposed to be comparisons to a known reference voltage. But if your psu is overloaded it may not be able to supply this reference voltage, so the reported readings will be higher than reality.

If your psu is ok, I think it is time to bite the bullet and try reformatting and re-installing your complete system, assuming you haven't already done so (and I can't be bothered to go back and read the whole of this thread to find out).

[abu_has_the_power]

Originally posted by lynx@15 July 2004 - 13:13
Have you checked your voltages when this is happening? And I mean with a multimeter, not using the onboard sensors. If they are ok then it is unlikely to be your psu.

Why can't you trust the onboard sensors? They are supposed to be comparisons to a known reference voltage. But if your psu is overloaded it may not be able to supply this reference voltage, so the reported readings will be higher than reality.

If your psu is ok, I think it is time to bite the bullet and try reformatting and re-installing your complete system, assuming you haven't already done so (and I can't be bothered to go back and read the whole of this thread to find out).

i have formated my whole hdd. the reason i'm suspecting my psu is its a really shitty one make by some 500W Powertek (basically no brand piece of shit) for $20. 500w arn't meant to be $20. so it has be a shitting psu.

[lynx]

That's true, but artefacting (for power reasons) only happens if the psu can't give enough amps. And if it can't give enough current through a given resistance then by the laws of physics the voltage has to drop.

So if the voltage is ok then the current must be ok. Check the voltages before the system starts windows (eg in bios setup) then check them again as windows loads and finally when you see the artefacting. If there is no significant change then although your psu may be crap it is unlikely to be the source of the problem.

If you've got a good meter you should be able to measure max and min voltages. This should give you an idea of the amount of ripple from the psu (using it in a steady situation). It should be less than 1% (ie max to min no more than 0.12v on the 12v line). That is measuring in windows over a period of a few minutes though, not comparing windows to bios setup mode.

Just don't want you going out and getting a new psu, then finding it doesn't help.

[abu_has_the_power]

Originally posted by lynx@15 July 2004 - 13:55
That's true, but artefacting (for power reasons) only happens if the psu can't give enough amps. And if it can't give enough current through a given resistance then by the laws of physics the voltage has to drop.

So if the voltage is ok then the current must be ok. Check the voltages before the system starts windows (eg in bios setup) then check them again as windows loads and finally when you see the artefacting. If there is no significant change then although your psu may be crap it is unlikely to be the source of the problem.

If you've got a good meter you should be able to measure max and min voltages. This should give you an idea of the amount of ripple from the psu (using it in a steady situation). It should be less than 1% (ie max to min no more than 0.12v on the 12v line). That is measuring in windows over a period of a few minutes though, not comparing windows to bios setup mode.

Just don't want you going out and getting a new psu, then finding it doesn't help.

good point. i'll do that. btw, if i were to hook up fans and other junk to one parallel line out of the psu (say with 3 molexes). one of the molexes goes to the radeon, and the other 2 go to a bunch of fans and a fan controller. does it help if i have nothing connected to the other 2 molexes? i know that in a parallel, the voltages stay the same for all the resistors (fans, radeon, other crap) but the current gets lower for each resistor. so if i were to un hook all my other shit sharing the amps, would that help the card? cuz i did that, and it doesn't do shit!

[lynx]

They all come from the same point in the psu. Unless you were seriously overloading the capacity of the physical wiring you wouldn't see any difference, especially since fans take only a tiny current.

However, in the case of the 6800 's with two molex connectors I assume it was thought that the wiring could indeed be overloaded.

[abu_has_the_power]

update for y'all. my psu is officially fucked. i push the power button, my led goes on for 1 sec, then turns off. so now, it's sure that this whole problem is caused by a fucked up psu. recommend me a good psu. antec? thermaltake? i'm burning this powertek piece of monkey poo!

[tesco]

I have no problems with my enermax 450watt.

but ya the others you mentioned are good brands too.