leere
06-13-2008, 05:36 AM
Hi,
I am trying to fix a friends pc. The pc in question this time is an old Dell 8300.
The problem is artifacts all across the screen, usually in vertical lines.
These artifacts appear even in POST and the BIOS before the windows logo appears, and also during HD reformating.The artifacting began with a 'kaleidoscope' effect springing up in the middle of a Sims 2 game. It is not always present, sometimes disappearing but never for more than a few minutes. It appears as vertical lines across the desktop and can be made disappear by refreshing the desktop upon which it clears for a few seconds.
System Specs: I'm not 100% sure of the exact specs regarding the motherboard, but it's based on the 875 chipset. (unfortunately it's almost impossible to make out what else the diagnostic software is saying about the motherboard due to the artifacts) The remainder of the specs are Pentium 4 @ 3ghz, 1GB dell brand memory (whatever they use), 240 watt PSU.
The one thing i do know for sure is that it's running a 9800 PRO and that there are a host of other people with the same problem, usually sparked by the card overheating. However, i don't have another compatible card to swap in to double check and since any money spent buying a new card to do this check with comes out of my own (empty) pocket i'd like to be sure that's what's needed.
Tests i've run so far include: cleaning the case thoroughly, checking the fans, opening the case and running it with a desktop fan pointed at it (connected to a different mains socket from the PC).Drivers and BIOS are all at latest editions, and have been tried at a combination of levels.
It occured to me that it could be a faulty cable from GPU to Monitor but again i don't have a spare one to check. It also could be that my PSU no longer can run the rig?
So my question basically is:
Do you think the card is fried and needs replacement?
and
Is there anyway i can make sure of this without trying a new one in the PC?
Thanks for any help or advice you can give.
I am trying to fix a friends pc. The pc in question this time is an old Dell 8300.
The problem is artifacts all across the screen, usually in vertical lines.
These artifacts appear even in POST and the BIOS before the windows logo appears, and also during HD reformating.The artifacting began with a 'kaleidoscope' effect springing up in the middle of a Sims 2 game. It is not always present, sometimes disappearing but never for more than a few minutes. It appears as vertical lines across the desktop and can be made disappear by refreshing the desktop upon which it clears for a few seconds.
System Specs: I'm not 100% sure of the exact specs regarding the motherboard, but it's based on the 875 chipset. (unfortunately it's almost impossible to make out what else the diagnostic software is saying about the motherboard due to the artifacts) The remainder of the specs are Pentium 4 @ 3ghz, 1GB dell brand memory (whatever they use), 240 watt PSU.
The one thing i do know for sure is that it's running a 9800 PRO and that there are a host of other people with the same problem, usually sparked by the card overheating. However, i don't have another compatible card to swap in to double check and since any money spent buying a new card to do this check with comes out of my own (empty) pocket i'd like to be sure that's what's needed.
Tests i've run so far include: cleaning the case thoroughly, checking the fans, opening the case and running it with a desktop fan pointed at it (connected to a different mains socket from the PC).Drivers and BIOS are all at latest editions, and have been tried at a combination of levels.
It occured to me that it could be a faulty cable from GPU to Monitor but again i don't have a spare one to check. It also could be that my PSU no longer can run the rig?
So my question basically is:
Do you think the card is fried and needs replacement?
and
Is there anyway i can make sure of this without trying a new one in the PC?
Thanks for any help or advice you can give.