Computer Techies I need teh halp!

[Ablate]

I just recently reinstalled my OS (went to a dual-boot ubuntu and XP config). My problem is this, prior to the reinstall I had no video issues whatsoever, now since the reinstall i've got these blue pixels (I assume this is artifacts) intermittently all over my screen.

This happens, when playing WoW, and also when doing things like typing this message. It happens in Linux as well, though I don't play games. Just wondering if it's a driver issue, or something worthy of an RMA. Here's a photo of my monitor showiing the issue:

[Mutt]

Artifacting is sometimes a result of an overheating video card. Is it getting good air flow? Is the fan still working?

As well is it just during 3D use or other times as well?

[Zorat]

Download GPU-Z and check the video card temp.

If it looks OK, upgrade to latest drivers.

[Ablate]

It runs at 50C idle, there's good airflow in the case. I didn't do any hardware changes, but I hadn't played WoW or any game, in a good 2 months prior to the reinstall of the OSes.
It's factory OC'd, it's a BFG 8800GT OC, it's not only during 3d use that I see the artifacts, I've had this forum look all screwy electric blue where it should be grey as well, and as I said it seems to be intermittent in nature

It also doesn't occur on the screen during the boot sequence, only once the resolution is bumped up to 1920x1200 when the OS finally comes up does it seem to show itself.

Edit for Zorat: It is the latest drivers, it's a fresh install of both XP and Ubuntu 9.04, with only the latest drivers for everything.

GPU-Z Reads:

Core: 625
Mem: 900
GPU Temp: 68C (playing WoW)
PCB Temp: 48C
Fan: 30%
RPM: 3500

[Zorat]

Weird.

Do you remember which driver you were using before? Try going back a few drivers.

If the problem persists after that it's probably RMA time. :(

[Gnioss]

If its happening on two entirely different operating systems I think you have successfully eliminated software as the problem. Sounds like a hardware issue to me. Did you open the case at all for this reinstall? Maybe you zapped your card or something.

[Ablate]

Nah like I said, didn't touch any hardware, I simply wiped my 500gb drive, parted it into 2x 50gb parts, a 10gb swap for linux, and 390gb for storage. Put ubuntu on one, xp on the other.

As we speak, the problem seems to have cleared up, it almost seems to happen more when the card is at the lower end of the temp scale? Now that the gpu is sitting around 70c, there's no artifacts, it was pretty bad for 5 or 6 minutes when i first booted up WoW though.

I used the 1.85.85 drivers at first, then I figured it was driver related, and went down to 1.82's, I would assume I was using drivers from December prior to the reinstall, as that was when I did my previous wipe/reinstall

[Diraker]

impending hardware failure

[Ablate]

Yea, I figured as much, whole thing took a shit today, and now my brand new 1tb Hitachi is giving the BIOS a SMART alert that it's about to fail. If it aint my car it's my PC.

[Ablate]

Ok, so I put in my old 7800Gt and now it's doing the same artifacting and shit? perhaps there's something deeper to this problem? Could my PSU be going? or maybe the PCI-E slot on the mobo?

[Mutt]

Could be the PCI-E Slot, had a guy at work blow his slot recently but the card is fine.

Either way, if its the slot or mobo the mobo is what needs to be RMA'd

[Ablate]

Well if it's the slot, then I need to pretty much replace the whole system, the mobo is well out of warranty, and I sincerely doubt I can find any Socket 939 boards around for the CPU or the DDR1.

Is there any chance it could be the PSU, I can swap in a PSU I know is good if that's even a remote possibility.

[Mutt]

Dirty power leads to alot of weird effects, including mobo errors. If you have one on hand you can hook it up as a test fairly easily and you shouldnt even need to mount it in the case, just plug it in to the mobo/card/HD

[Ablate]

So testing with a known good PSU, still yielding the same artifacting.

Can it possibly be my monitor (24" Samsung LCD), seems easy enough to test the monitor, hook it up to a diff comp and see if it glitches right?

[Mutt]

Probably better to hook up another monitor to this computer

[Ablate]

Yea, I did both, I put my monitor on the other system (they both have 24" Samsungs) and my monitor isn't glitching running off the other system. The graphic glitches remain on my system using a diff monitor however.

So I guess that means it's the motherboard, whether it's the PCI-E slot or not doesn't make a diff, because it's out of warranty, and just not worth the money to repair. So the most fun in the world is going to be completely disassembling this system, to swap in an Asus S939 mobo I have kickin' around. I dunno whether graphic glitches is preferable to wholesale instability like this asus board has lol. It's either that, or shell out 450 for a new CPU/Mobo/RAM

[Ablate]

I just spent 2 hours stripping down my DFI NF4 mobo, and moving everything to my Asus A8N, taking off the mounting brackets for my CPU cooler, attaching them, etc. I put it all back together, the X2 3800+, with a new set of 2gb ram that I know works in the Asus mobo.

8800gt blank screen, no post, no beeps, nothing.
7800gt, same, blank screen, no post.
8600gt (no aux power conn needed) same, blank screen, no post.

So I checked everything, unplugged anything that wasnt essential, swapped ram, etc. Still no post, no beeps, just blank screen on the new motherboard, with the X2 3800 installed. So I ripped it all apart again, installed an Athlon64 3500+ Single core, put it all back together again, same case, same psu, installed the 8600gt, and poof it boots.


So where exactly am I? Did a dying mobo kill my CPU? Did I fuck something up on the install and maybe the 3800+ is still good?

[Ablate]

Well it seems like the mobo and cpu are dead and buried, and my brand new 1tb Hitachi HDD tanked too. This is way too much coincidence, so the PSU is hitting the trash heap, and I'm going the cheapest replacement route available, which is a cheap dual core AMD, cheap Am2+ mobo (gigabyte) and some decent(cheap) ram, and a new PSU, just because I got a feeling the PSU isn't blameless in this endeavour.