ATI display interference

[Handruin]

Ever since I purchased the ATI 9500 pro, I've noticed a bunch of wavy lines in my monitor. It appears to be RF interference and I don't know why it is happening. So tonight I spent since 8:00 PM until now 12:30AM performing trial and error conditions to remove the problem.

I tried just about everything I could think of. I started by isolationg my machine and the monitor into an area where there are no wires or electrical devices to cause interference.

I tried stopping every fan in my machine to determine if it was a fan causing the problem. I even stopped the CPU fan and the northbridge fan along with every case fan. The only fan running was in the power supply.

I also tried another monitor 15" connected to my machine, but I couldn't see the interference. It doesn't surprise me because the monitor is fairly crappy.

I went ito the BIOS and disabled any and all features such as LAN, audio, USB, and firewire. I tried a new cable between my monitor and the PC. I also tried different power connectors that connect to the video card. (yes the ATI 9500 pro requires a 12 volt connection)

I finally tried enabling the DVI on card and connected the converter. Much to my surprise the RF interference is completely gone! To tell you the truth, I think the picture looks better than the other standard connection.

While I had the DVI connected, I decided to play around with dual monitor support, and I'm very tempted to get a second monitor for this...anyway I digress.

Now that I found a solution, I'm very puzzeled as to what is causing the problem. Has anyone experieinced this situation? The intereference was quite noticable and it drove me nuts.

FWI I've loaded the original ATI BIOS back into my card and it is running at it's normal speed. This interference problem was visible even before I began overclocking the card.

 

[Mercutio]

I'd exchange that card for another. ATI cards - video cards in general, even crappy nvidia or SiS ones - aren't supposed to do that, and I can't say I've seen it happen on any newer ATI card.

In fact, the last card I can remember doing something like that, where I couldn't attribute it to EMI, was a Trio64 that died after doing something similar for about 10 days.

Er, not that I'm trying to scare you or anything.

 

[Buck]

Merc has the right idea, RMA time.

 

[Handruin]

I think I'll do that. I'll tell them that it is defective and swap it for a new one. I haven't seen a card do this before, so I thought it was an artifact of having a power connection to the video board. So I take it your 9700 Pro doesn't do this.

I thought it was my monitor for a while, but now that my display is crystal clear using the DVI converter, I'm not believing it to be my monitor any longer.

 

[Handruin]

I just put together all the materials and read over the exchange policy on the receipt. It shouldn't be a problem unless (yes I bought it from...) bestbuy gives me some shit. Maybe I'll trade it in for a 9700 pro if they have them in stock now.

 

[Mercutio]

My 9700AIW is a beautiful, perfect thing. It makes all the old DOS games I play look real real purty.

Wish I could get excited about a game that's less than 2 years old....

 

[Handruin]

Did you ever play wing commander? I had a lot of fun with that game many years back. I remember the coolest thing was adding the voice pack.

Well I recently played the demo called freelancer by microsoft. The player interactions are cheesy, but flying the missions brings back WC memories, not to mention the game play is way better than WC.

To bad you are unable to get broadband, (not rubbing it in) we could probably find some games to play online if you were ever interested.

off track...As I re-read my post, I must say the text quality is so much better on this DVI converter. I'm guess the other connector is FUBAR'ed.

 

[Mercutio]

I've been slowly but surely working my way through FreeSpace2 for the last 18 months or so. I must've gotten with a video or sound card. I found the CD and I'm certain I didn't buy it. FreeSpace 2 is also a lot like Wing Commander, in particular given the scale of the capital ships.

I was always more of an X-Wing or Tie Fighter man, back when those games were new. Tie Fighter especially. That game ruled.

The last couple of games I bought just... haven't done much for me. Neverwinter Nights is cool but I finished the single player game and I don't have the juice to do internet play. Dungeon Siege is a soulless diablo-style click-fest. Very pretty and very boring. Music tracks are good, though.

I get the impression that no one is putting much effort into making decent single-player games any more. It really annoys me.

I've been spending a lot of time on the-underdogs.org trying to track down some of the old games I wanted when I was a kid. I've had a few "finds" from that site. Sometimes stuff I'd never even heard of.

 

[Handruin]

It must have been the card. I traded in my old 9500 pro for a new one and now the problem has been fixed. Thanks for the heads-up on that.

 

[SteveC]

So, Best Buy didn't give you any problems?

 

[Handruin]

Nope. They asked me if it was a compatibiliy problem so I explained that the display was fine using the DVI and also that other people have the same card (white lie) and they don't have this issue.

Turns out it was a problem with the card. The noise was evidant even before I started messing around with overclocking. It's all fixed now, so I'm super happy.

My networking is also so much better now. I was able to transfer a 170MB in less than a minute where as it was going to take 90 minutes with the previous setup.

Now I have to build a desk and I'm almost all set. For the time being I'm using the nifty remote desktop tool to connect to my other machine this way I can keep them both folding.

I seriously enjoyed playing with the dual monitor capabilities of this ATI card. I'm really considering the purchase of a second monitor for it. I have a crappy 15" monitor that I will use for now until I can get a good deal on a decent monitor.

 

[CougTek]

I seriously enjoyed playing with the dual monitor capabilities of this ATI card. I'm really considering the purchase of a second monitor for it.

May I suggest getting a LCD for Net browsing and any text-based applications? A CRT for gaming and image editing and a LCD for everything else. Best of both worlds and your eyes will be grateful.

 

[Handruin]

You're on to something there Coug. If I get an LCD, I can connect it to the DVI for an even cleaner picture...(If I get one that has DVI)

There is a Dell deal going on for a Dell UltraSharp 1800FP 18" LCD $449. I don't know if it's any good.

 

[CougTek]

From Dell's spec sheet for the 1800FP :

Image Brightness: 250 cd/m2 (typical), 200 cd/m2 (minimum)

Image Contrast Ratio: 350:1 (typical), 200:1 (minimum)

The above are quite poor.


You could get a NEC LCD1760NX with a fast response time for 499$ shipped from Newegg.com. It's a 17", but it has the same native definition as the 18" Dell and it also has modern specifications. There's also the 1760V, that is the same monitor as the 1760NX minus the DVI input, which sells for only 435$ shipped. There's a rebate going on from NEC for the latter if you buy it at certain stores (not Newegg though). More info on their web site.

 

[Handruin]

I know I'm resurrecting an old topic, but I'm having the same exact issue again with my video card. At random times I'll see RF noise in my monitor and I can't get it to go away by doing anything. I've swapped video cables and it has made no difference. The lines come and go…it makes no difference what I try.

Could my (retail) 9500 Pro have gone bad again? This only started happening in the last few days. Last time this happened it was fixed when I swapped out the video card for a new one. Now I'd probably have to RMA it to ATI.

I have not overclocked this card one bit, and the last time this machine was opened for any reason was for its own replacement...

 

[Mercutio]

Does your video cable have a little Ferrite donut on it?

 

[Handruin]

Both cables I tried have two, one on each end.

I found a link after seaching like mad in google. This person has the same issue:

 

[Handruin]

More seaching. Looks like I'm not the only one.

Their fix (so far from reading) is the same as I found earlier in this thread. The DVI port with converter fixed my problem.

 

[Adcadet]

Doug - dual monitors is really addictive. Way back when I went to dual 19" monitors, and I've never looked back. The lack of dual monitor support is the only reason my main machine runs Winbloze and not Linux as it's main OS.

And after playing around with a 22" flatpanel, and after using my laptops' for a while, I do appreciate LCDs for many things. I often find myself using on of my laptops for reading text as I find it easier on the eyes. So if you can swing the money for a decent LCD, I would highly recommend that. Think of it this way: what other computer part will last you as many years as a good monitor? And what other part has such an impact on what you do?

 

[Handruin]

I did swing the money for a decent LCD and even a decent 19" monitor several years ago. The monitor isn't the issue here, it's a faulty ATI card and it seems the problem isn't just with my card, but rather the series of 9500/9700 cards.

 

[Brick_top]

Hi. I have the same problem it doesn't happend much. But while i use the bios or the scandisk it gets a lot worser.

It happens with a 3dclub 9500pro

 

[Handruin]

Did you try switching your display over to the DVI output? I use that one with the DVI converter and my picture quality has been fixed.

 

[Brick_top]

I'll try to do that. but the problem is that i wanted it to work correctly just like it should.
The Bigger problem is that i can't return it because they no longer sell those cards.

Thanks.

 

[blakerwry]

? what kind of policy is that? If you bought the card and it doesnt work, the retailer usually provides some sort of short-term warranty against a defective product. If it's been more than that term, then the manufacturer should take over until the term of the warranty expires(usually between 1 and 3 years on gfx cards).

I see it as:
1) you paid for a working card
2) your card doesn't work
3) You get a refund or an exchange (exchanged product must be comparable or better)



"we dont sell that card anymore, so we cant help you" is not an excuse I would accept.

 

[Handruin]

I'll try to do that. but the problem is that i wanted it to work correctly just like it should.
The Bigger problem is that i can't return it because they no longer sell those cards.

Thanks.

I want my ATI to work like it should also...but I have low hopes. I've returned one so far, and my second 9500 pro has the same problem. I could RMA the card directly with ATI, but there is a good chance the replacement card would have the same issue.

I agree that what I've purposed is not a fix, but a workaround to a frustrating problem. I've convinced myself that running my card this way is no big deal and to suck it up and move on... You don't have to follow my unwillingness to fix the issue.

If they can't provide you with an exact replacement, they should give you a 9600 as a comparable swap.

 

[Brick_top]

I'll try to do that. but the problem is that i wanted it to work correctly just like it should.
The Bigger problem is that i can't return it because they no longer sell those cards.

Thanks.

I want my ATI to work like it should also...but I have low hopes. I've returned one so far, and my second 9500 pro has the same problem. I could RMA the card directly with ATI, but there is a good chance the replacement card would have the same issue.

I agree that what I've purposed is not a fix, but a workaround to a frustrating problem. I've convinced myself that running my card this way is no big deal and to suck it up and move on... You don't have to follow my unwillingness to fix the issue.

If they can't provide you with an exact replacement, they should give you a 9600 as a comparable swap.

I guess i will have to live with the workaround. i don't want a 9600pro. If they gave me a 9600XT i would probably want it.

 

[Brick_top]

? what kind of policy is that? If you bought the card and it doesnt work, the retailer usually provides some sort of short-term warranty against a defective product. If it's been more than that term, then the manufacturer should take over until the term of the warranty expires(usually between 1 and 3 years on gfx cards).

I see it as:
1) you paid for a working card
2) your card doesn't work
3) You get a refund or an exchange (exchanged product must be comparable or better)



"we dont sell that card anymore, so we cant help you" is not an excuse I would accept.

Sorry for not being clear. My english is not very good.

The problem is that i made a special deal with them. i bougth the card through a company owned by my brother which has a deal with this store from which i bought my computer. The deal is that they don't have to pay taxes if they buy all the material from them.
So i bougth a 9500 pro with 19% less than what i should and this store no longer sells 9500 pro they only have a 9600proEZ wich is a 9600pro with much slower memory and it is much worse than my 9500pro. They would probably want to change my 9500pro for one of those.

I hope i was clear enough.

 

[IhateATI]

I have the same exact problem with my 9600XT. I tried using the DVI port and the wavy crap is still there. I'm startin to get really pissed off now that im on my second 9600XT card with the same problem. I was playing Call of Duty and some message popped up saying that "the VPU has stopped responding to driver commands." That message came up with my first card. But i just took that one back and exchanged it for another about a half hour ago. I'm about to try call of duty right now and see if it screws up again.

 

[CougTek]

They would probably want to change my 9500pro for one of those.

They can't replaced a defective card by a slower one. Ask for a 9600XT instead, or else, threaten to sue the Hell out of them. Call the local newspaper. Find out who's the manager's mother and tell her what his son did to you. Put a banana in the exhaust pipe of his car. Put thermal paste on the door handle of his office. Call the most listened local radio channel to ask them to wish him a happy birthday (especially if it's not his birthday).

Use your imagination, but get a working card of equal or superior value to the defective one you paid.

 

[IhateATI]

well, after the second card did the same thing as the first, i went back to best buy for a third time and got a 9800PRO. My problem was fixed last night. Then i turn on my comp this morning and try to play call of duty and i get sum queer message saying "CoDMP.exe has encountered an error and needs to close." so now im screwed again. when i restarted my computer and logged in it said "the system has recovered from a serious error" and told me to send an error report. anyone know what i should do? i think maybe my comp has a virus

 

[Handruin]

If you want to scan for viruses, you can do a series of tests. First, you can try http://housecall.trendmicro.com for a free online virus scan. It works well, but it can't always clean every virus.

If that doesn't work, download the trial version of NOD32 from here. Many folks here (self included) give high praise to this application.

As for the ATI issue, try downloading the Omega drivers that Mercutio recommended in the other thread you started. Hopefully that will fix your issue with call of duty.

 

[Brick_top]

They would probably want to change my 9500pro for one of those.

They can't replaced a defective card by a slower one. Ask for a 9600XT instead, or else, threaten to sue the Hell out of them. Call the local newspaper. Find out who's the manager's mother and tell her what his son did to you. Put a banana in the exhaust pipe of his car. Put thermal paste on the door handle of his office. Call the most listened local radio channel to ask them to wish him a happy birthday (especially if it's not his birthday).

Use your imagination, but get a working card of equal or superior value to the defective one you paid.

Yeah i know. you're right. i'll see what i can do.