View Full Version : Dying gfc card?
Mr Jason B
19-10-2006, 3:19 PM
I have recently noticed that whilst playing some games Im getting a lot of errr sparkly specs on certain textures,sort of loads of little dots flashing.I suspect this is the sign that my gfx card may have developed some sort of terminal illness and I may need to finally upgrade my trusty 9800 pro :(
Is it worth waiting till next year(if the card survives and doesnt deteriorate any further) or should I just bite the bullet now and upgrade?If upgrade is the answer ,any reccomendations?Obviously it would need to be AGP,and preferably under £120:lease:
edit:Im not quite sure what a gfc card is but I think you know what I mean!
Tigerblade
19-10-2006, 3:39 PM
Doesn't sound good maybe try putting a fan next to it whilst it is under load and if that cures it then it is a heat problem and the fan could on it's way out. In that case an ATi silencer or similar to cool it better would be ideal.
If it is the card then you can get x800xt's on ebay for just over £100 bin inc delivery which would double your current poerformance pretty much.
Mr Jason B
19-10-2006, 4:41 PM
It doesnt sound good does it,Im sure the same thing started happening to an old gfx card a few years ago just before it died:(
Its weird cos it only seems to happen to certain textures and sometimes is not visible at all,saying that I loaded up Prey and the dam sparkly's were everywhere:thumbsdow
So it looks like it may be upgrade time,I could cope with about 100 quid as Im obviously gonna have to upgrade again next year once PCI express becomes almost compulsory,so this would just be a stop gap till then.
Tigerblade
20-10-2006, 8:11 AM
Its weird cos it only seems to happen to certain textures and sometimes is not visible at all,saying that I loaded up Prey and the dam sparkly's were everywhere:thumbsdow
That is a damn intensive game so it maybe the stock cooler is just starting to die and not cooling the chipset enough. Seriously if you can get hold of a fan of any kind just point it at the card whilst prey is running and if the artifacts go then all you'll need is a new gfx card cooler :thumbsup: