Graphic issue

[Shiznitobam]

I was wondering if anyone knows what this kind of artifact is called? Also, if anyone has any suggestions for getting it to stop they would be most appreciated.



I'm running two EVGA GeForce 7900 GT/GTO SLI and the problem happens in both single and sli configurations, thought I havent tried switching the cards to see if one of them is broken. I'm running the 163.71 NVidia drivers.

Odd thing is that these don't show up in HL2, Episode 1, or the first Sin episode, only HL2: ep 2.

Thanks.

 

[Saturos]

Man, and I thought I had it bad. Are you overclocking? BTW:Go to the User CP and edit your signature so that your system specs are constantly displayed like mine. This way you don't have to keep repeating yourself to others about system specs in the future.

 

[Shiznitobam]

Nope, no overclocking. To scared to do any of that stuff.

Thanks for the tip on placing my specs in my signature Saturos. I hope you don't mind if I copied your format.

 

[Shiznitobam]

Odd the signature didnt show up.
Here are my specs untill it does show up.

Motherboard: ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Sound: SoundBlaster Live Value Video: DualSLI EVGA Signature Series GeForce 7900 GT Video Driver: ForceWare 163.71 Monitor: 1280x1024 ViewSonic PF790 (CRT) CPU: AMD FX-60 HDD: 750GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 RAM: 1GB (2 matched 512 sticks) Patriot PC3200 PSU: Antec True Power 550w

 

[Saturos]

Nice set of video cards, wish I had those.:dozey: The only thing I can think of is that your GPU's are overheating. Have you checked your GPU temperatures? Both while they are idle, and while they are loaded? Gaming laptops are notorious for overheating, due to the tight space.

 

[Shiznitobam]

I'll check that out and get back to you.

Thanks

 

[Shiznitobam]

I had to use Speedfan to get these readings because the NVidia Performance stuff locks up my system (go figure) so I hope it's accurate. Speedfan did identify an "NVidia Video Card" but only saw one of them so again I have no idea if it's measuring the right thing.

At idle the highest temp I saw was 51C. When (in HL2: EP2) the error/distortion began "manifesting" I checked the temp again and the highest I recorded was 93C, however the graph monitoring temp shows a temp that looks near 98C.

I did notice that the temperature rapidly dropped while HL2 was minimized and when I tabbed back into the game the visual craziness was gone. Additionally I noticed some green "dots" pasted like textures in places and a weird red "sheen" on some objects along with the original issue.

So is 93-100C too high? I want to say yes and have an answer to this problem.

Thanks preemptively.

 

[Saturos]

Yep, those temperatures are a bit hot for a laptop, and green dots/wacky textures are definitely the symptoms of a overheating GPU(s). Have you tried stopping all non-essential services such as anti-virus/spyware under the Control Panel > Administrative tools > Services Dialog Box? Axe some processes under Services to free up some process time and see if that lowers you temperature any because your CPU might be overworked as well. Ctrl + Alt + Delete to go to the task manager to check CPU process loads. Both while idle, and while HL2 is in windowed mode. Just don't forget to turn the anti-virus/spyware services back on before you go online.

 

[Shiznitobam]

I'll give that a shot.
I might even try taking off the side of the case (Mid-Tower) and pointing a fan at it.

I did mention that after the gpu cooled for a minute or so the "artifacts" were gone when I tabbed back into the game. I forgot to mention that they came right back after a few moments as the temp went back up. I'm guessing that's pretty good evidence of heat being an issue too.

Thanks again for the suggestions.