Radeon 8500/Windows XP Problems

[Cuchulainn]

Hi.

Just got a wizzbang new XP computer, which included a Radeon 8500 graphics card.

However it HATES CM! It siezes up after 2-5 minutes without fail. I believe I have all the latest drivers.

Any suggestions please....

Cuchulainn

[Schrullenhaft]

I've run both the official 3286 and the recent 6011 beta and I haven't had a problem with CM and the Radeon 8500 (other than the lack of fog). My setup is a Gigabyte board based on the VIA 694X.

You can get the 6011's from here. They are beta, so there could be problems, but I've been able to play a full game of CM without a lockup.

What version of the drivers do you have loaded and what motherboard/chipset do you have ? Do you have certain DirectX settings set (my test with the betas was with the default settings).

[Cuchulainn]

Hi.

Thanks for the advice but no joy so far.

I have tried updating the Radeon Drivers but I still get a guaranteed hang/freeze 3-10 minutes into any 3D game, requiring a hard reboot.

I'm not really technical enough to answer your other questions.

I'm running a new gateway 700X LTD with a 1.8GHz card and 512Mb of ram, (64Mb set for AGP aperture size on CMOS)

It's wonderful for about everything but on 3D games it ends up with a hard reboot which can't be good for the computer.

Any thoughts? (Explained in small words for a bear of very little brain please.)

CuChulainn

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Schrullenhaft:

I've run both the official 3286 and the recent 6011 beta and I haven't had a problem with CM and the Radeon 8500 (other than the lack of fog). My setup is a Gigabyte board based on the VIA 694X.

You can get the 6011's from here. They are beta, so there could be problems, but I've been able to play a full game of CM without a lockup.

What version of the drivers do you have loaded and what motherboard/chipset do you have ? Do you have certain DirectX settings set (my test with the betas was with the default settings).<hr></blockquote>

[ 01-24-2002: Message edited by: Cuchulainn ]</p>

[Schrullenhaft]

Since you got this computer from Gateway, maybe you should contact them about this problem. The Radeon 8500 should be able to handle CM without lockup. Perhaps there is something wrong with the heatsink/fan on your video card. Sometimes a video card will only get 'stressed' by playing a game with a lot of 3D, since this 'exercises' a lot of additional circuitry in most modern video chips (that a standard 2D app like a word processor wouldn't do).

If Gateway has heard enough problems, maybe they found a bad batch of video cards or something else. What other 3D games do you play that run into the same problem ?

On thing to be wary of when dealing with the tech support for large PC companies - they tend to suggest that you perform a 'restore' from their CD to get the computer to the state it was at when you purchased it. This is a big problem since it will wipe out anything you've installed or created since you purchased the computer.

[Cuchulainn]

Thanks for looking at this for me.

Gateway are as much use as a chocolate fireguard!

Their best suggestion was that the hard drive had gotr knocked en-route to me and that the pre-installed windows was somehow damaged and that I should reinstall windows.

Well, I did, after backing up, and the problem remains.

All drivers are fully up-to-date as far as I can tell.

Everything else does seem to work on the card.

Perhaps i should speak to Gateway about the possible heatsink/fan problem and ask if they will swap it.

Is there any definitive way to test this without swapping cards?

Thanks again,

CuChulainn

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Schrullenhaft:

Since you got this computer from Gateway, maybe you should contact them about this problem. The Radeon 8500 should be able to handle CM without lockup. Perhaps there is something wrong with the heatsink/fan on your video card. Sometimes a video card will only get 'stressed' by playing a game with a lot of 3D, since this 'exercises' a lot of additional circuitry in most modern video chips (that a standard 2D app like a word processor wouldn't do).

If Gateway has heard enough problems, maybe they found a bad batch of video cards or something else. What other 3D games do you play that run into the same problem ?

On thing to be wary of when dealing with the tech support for large PC companies - they tend to suggest that you perform a 'restore' from their CD to get the computer to the state it was at when you purchased it. This is a big problem since it will wipe out anything you've installed or created since you purchased the computer.<hr></blockquote>

[Schrullenhaft]

You have to open the case and observe the fan (most likely with a flashlight). The fan (and possibly other fans in the case and on the CPU) needs to move at a consistent speed. If the speed appears to be oscillating (slowing down and then speeding back up), there is a problem with the fan. Most of the time this will only occur with a fan that has seen a lot of use (constantly on) or works in a dusty environment (which quite a few homes and offices can be).

You can download a benchmark like Mad Onion's 3DMark 2000/2001 (downloads under the 'Benchmark' section). There are some looping/continuous testing options (I think they're in the freeware version) that should stress you're video card and hopefully duplicate the problem that you're seeing with CM. If you do, then you can call Gateway back and tell them about it. With a piece of industry-recognized software like this they should be able to duplicate the problem or confirm that it shouldn't be a problem. A decent tech should be able to direct you from there on your settings or with an RMA for the video card or whatever hardware may be at fault.

[ 01-26-2002: Message edited by: Schrullenhaft ]</p>