ATI Radeon 9800 Pro & PSU issues

KraYzeKraYze
edited August 2005 in Hardware
Ok, here's the problem.. I recently (Yesterday) installed an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, with a VGA Cooler. First I tried to just turn my PC on after installing it, but obviously my PSU couldn't handle it (400w). I unplugged a few of my fans (Had 3 case fans) and then tried again, and it worked. But now, in windows, things run jerky. Every other second or so, my computer does a little jump, and if I try and play music it's scratchy and jumpy. Its the same in games. I was wondering if the problem was identifiable as a PSU problem, and if getting a 450-550 PSU would solve this problem? If not, has anyone encountered this before or does ANYONE know why this is happening?

Computer specs are below:

Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2
System Manufacturer: NVIDIA
System Model: AWRDACPI
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) prosussor, MMX, 3DNow, ~1.8GHz (AMD XP2500+ Barton)
Memory: 768MB RAM
Page File: 266MB used, 1610MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

Card name: RADEON 9800 PRO (Omega 2.5.90)
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc. (Omega 2.5.90)
Chip type: RADEON 9800 AGP (0x4E48)

Sound: NVIDIA(R) nForce(TM) Audio

Comments

  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2004
    Sounds like a software problem, but any decent 400w PSU will handle that load. Which would mean that yours is probably a cheap "400w" PSU. :-/ All power supplies are not created equal, and I've seen "550w" PSUs die at 300w. And when a PSU dies, it can take EVERYTHING in your system with it. Don't risk several hundred $$ worth of hardware on a cheap PSU- Get an Antec, Enermax, PC Power & Cooling, Fortron Source (FSP) or Sparkle Power (check an image of the sticker on the PS; if the part number reads FSP-something, it's a rebadged Fortron unit) PS, and yeah, upgrading to a 450-550w wouldn't hurt.
  • KraYzeKraYze
    edited October 2004
    If it IS a software, rather than a hardware problem.. any suggestions as to what it could be, and how to fix it? It's fairly annoying :P
  • rykoryko new york
    edited October 2004
    First of all, you should update all of your drivers if you haven't already done so. Chipset and video card drivers definetly. You could also try updating your mobo's BIOS.

    Wattgae doesn't matter that much on psu's. It's more of a marketing tool than a real-world performance rating. I have seen 500w psu that were pieces of crap compared to a solid 350w. Good psu brands are antec, enermax, thermaltake....and a few others. Some one else will jump in and give you the rest of the list as I can't remember all of them right now. What brand are you using?

    I would check the voltage rails inside your BIOS. the +12v, +5v, and +3.3v should all be stable and close to 12, 5 and 3.3. If any one of these is really low, i would guess it's a psu issue.

    However, it sounds to me like maybe your AC VGA Silencer isn't seated properly which is causing your video card to overheat and is making the system behave strangely. Remove your 9800pro and remount the VGA Silencer using a fresh coat of artic silver 5. Make sure to check the bottom side of the hs first to see if proper contact was being made. You might need to tighten up the back screws to have a good mount between the hs and the vpu. Don't tighten too much b/c you could snap your video card in half...but the card will bend first. So if you tighten the back screws and your card is now bending or bowing, you have tightened the screws too much.

    Good luck! :thumbsup:
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2004
    None; I have one solution for software problems: backup, format, reinstall. :D

    It sounds like it probably has something to do with a conflict between your video card and sound drivers, so you could try reinstalling the latest version of each, but other than that, I have no idea.
  • FlintstoneFlintstone SE Florida
    edited October 2004
    Was the video card a replacement for an nVidia card? Did you completely remove the nVidia drivers before installing the Radeon? If not, there could be your software issue right there. Geeky's right if this is the case.
    All Together Now:

    Backup-Format-Reinstall


    Flint :cool:
  • KraYzeKraYze
    edited October 2004
    Yes, it was an update of an nVidia card, so I reformatted and reinstalled Windows. Now, I'm running with just about no programs installed (not a big loss, I assure you), but I did upgrade service packs and drivers. Still running the same. =/.
  • rykoryko new york
    edited October 2004
    did you try what i said? re-seat the hsf on your video card... and tell us the brand of psu you are using as well as the rails.....
  • KraYzeKraYze
    edited October 2004
    I have a Jeantech PSU, 400w, and the v's from the PSU are as follows (I have a program that lets me view them in Windows, came with the mobo..)...

    vdd : 1.552v
    vcore : 1.664v
    vdimm : 2.592v
    +5 : 4.892v
    +12 : 12.342v
    -12 : -11.952v
    -5 : -5.099v
    vbat : 3.136v
    5vsb : 4.945v

    They vary SLIGHTLY on occasion, but not by enough to take note.

    I tried reseating the VGA cooler but nothing changed. =/
  • rykoryko new york
    edited October 2004
    the +5v looks pretty low to me, but not that low....

    you should really check in the BIOS b/c software monitoring apps can often give inaccurate values, and it is good to compare both hardware and software results to get a good idea of what your actual values are.

    Either way, i am guessing it is just a cheapo psu and that your best bet would be to get a quality one.

    Here are a few good ones, but i don't know how much you want to spend...

    http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-006&depa=0

    http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-912&depa=0

    http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=273002
  • rykoryko new york
    edited October 2004
    i forgot to ask if you have you tried memtest+ yet...you should rule out your memory before you go purchasing new psu...
  • KraYzeKraYze
    edited October 2004
    ryko wrote:
    i forgot to ask if you have you tried memtest+ yet...you should rule out your memory before you go purchasing new psu...

    I've not, no. Where do I get memtest+?

    EDIT: Also, do you know where I can get a driver cleaner? I'm trying a few things, but I'd rather start from scratch with the Graphics drivers.
  • JimboraeJimborae Newbury, Berks, UK New
    edited October 2004
    Jeantech make fairly cheap cases, I doubt there psu's are high quality units, so I'd upgrade it anyway.
  • jimmjamesjimmjames
    edited August 2005
    Greetings all,
    Forgive my newness but I am having trouble with a new 9800 pro install. I have an Intel 850GB with a P4 1.6Ghz CPU, 512MB and a 350Watt PTI powersupply. I have two IDE hard drives and two optical drives. I have a NIC installed, an Audigy platinum and now the 9800 pro. The 9800 is replacing an original Radeon AIW 32MB. The AIW was working fine and was stable but I am getting into some vid editing and a little gaming so I wanted some more power. I did a full removal of the catalyst drivers and ran regsupreme to remove all ATI traces. I did a clean install of the card and then installed the latest drivers from scratch. This "upgrade" card will now only give me stable picture at 1024x768....the native res on my BenQ767 LCD is 1280x1024. The old card did that res no problem but the 9800pro gives me a shakey picture and the old crawling ants syndrome all over the place. Could this be a power supply issue? Does anyone know of any issues with the intel mother board and this card? Forgive the length of my first post here but I wanted to give as much info as possible. Thanks in advance for any advice.
    Jimmy

    PS I have no idea how to update the BIOS on the card or my Chipset but would love to give that a go. Is there a site where I can learn how to do this?
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