[help] lcd monitor pains

I have a 17" Samsung SyncMaster 730B backed w/ a Nvidia Geforce 5700LE (newest drivers) on winxp sp2...

Very often I get this flickering or diagonal ghosting effect over my whole screen. Its very hard to describe.... the windows and such dont move, but i get this almost transparent array of lines which move all over the screen. The only fix I have found for it comes in two variaties: change the refresh rate (60, 70, or 72 only) or disable directx accelerations and enable again. Its very distracting and leads to headaches...

Secondly, I get teh green screen in quicktime ALOT and also very often get shuttering and slowdowns in video w/ wmp. The only fix for this I have found is to again disable directx accelerations and enable again. Pisses me off entirely too much. This problem has led me to update directx to 9.0c and search for solutions, leading to where I am now.

ANYONE have any idea of a lasting solution? Would DVI solve the problem? Would buying a new card (def not a nvidia chipset) resolve it?

Hopefully the problem will lie in something simple like dusting the fan or something, but i highly doubt it....

#341087

If you're using VGA right now, try using one of those DVI-VGA adaptor plugs.

I don't think that's the source of the problem, but it can't hurt right?

Get a system monitoring program and check your case temperature.

If the problem usually occurs after the computer has been on for a while, you may be getting visual corruption as a result of overheating.

So, if you're overclocking anything at all, drop back down to stock speeds.

Make sure all fans are working, make sure heatsinks are sitting flush.

#341184

That doesnt sound like moniter problem... it sounds like your videocard is croaking.

#341208

@ gtn: thanks... im at work right now and can definitely look at that when i get home. i was about to open up the case last night and look at the fans and such, but its in such an inconvenient spot. do you know of an open source monitoring program with minimal setup? i have an asus board which came w/ their temp monitor but its pretty minimal

@ astyanax: im definitely w/ you on this one... especially because ive had other problems w/ the video card, especially drivers. I will never again buy a nvidia.

#341225

I've always used Aida32 for all my basic diagnostics.

...but it then got discontinued and became "Lavalys Everest Home Edition"

...which has now been discontinued and become nothing

Do a google search and dig up an old version of Aida32.

It's free and produces fairly detailed hardware reports.

#341348

i will try that out...

further info.... I was talking w/ a coworker and he suggested updating my bios and hopefully the driver for the chipset (asus k8n-x mobo) to hopefully correct the timing b/w agp port and video card?.... does any of this sounds plausible?

#341462

Update:

Okay, so i went about trying to find an agp driver update from VIA (k8t800 chipset on my asus k8n-x). Found the latest kit of drivers along with the latest BIOS. Flashed the BIOS and immediately got a CMOS Checksum Error. Not believing my battery is dying (age) I simply continued to reload default values. Then I installed the drivers from VIA. SO far so good, however I still see the ghosting while i'm booting up.

Right now I have a DVI to VGA converter, plugged into the DVI out from my POS 5700 LE and that feeds the VGA on my lcd... the refresh rate is 72 Hz... everything looks good, so if the flickering/ghosting appears again, ill update...

#341783

If it appears, buy a new DVI to VGA converter, sometimes they go bad.

#341806

go bad?!! its a cable adapter... theres nothing to go bad... pins and copper...?!

also i just pulled it out of the vid card box today

#341836

DVI to VGA cables can go bad like anything else in a computer. It happens.

#341930

DVI to VGA cables can go bad like anything else in a computer. It happens.

They're either bad or they're not... they will not "go bad" unless you're plugging and unplugging them all the time. Then you run into things like bent pins. There's nothing inside the adapter to "go bad" unless you crush it and cause one of the internal connectors to break.

As for the ghosting problem, it's either the video driver or the card.

I would personaly suspect the card.

#343924

can anyone suggest a card thats not nvidia based and less than 200 bucks. Needs to be agp and hopefully have dvi (even tho im still not really using it). 128 or 256 MHz and better than the current geforce 5700 LE i have (POS)

Thanks

#344238

Sure .. the ATI Radeon 9550 is not a bad card at all.

Comes with 256MB, 8x AGP, DVI and VGA connectors (no adapter needed) and it's really an under clocked 9600. Nice card and they run for about $99 last time I checked.

#344261

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814143027

has a lifetime warrenty.

#344291

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814143027

has a lifetime warrenty.

Nice card, but read the limitations on that warranty. Pure marketing propaganda.

Basicaly, if it's DOA. they will replace it.

http://www.bfgtech.com/tech_redux.html

#344306

Yeah, usually when I return a card its dead, otherwise I dont..

#344356

i didnt even think about the fact that i may have warranty claim on my card now... prolly dont but its worth a shot... have the receipt around here somewhere...

im sure the BFG is decent but again, im not buying another nvidia card... i have had nothing but problems with the geforce 3 and now 4 (one was on my laptop)... their drivers are always buggy, i dont get the performance i expect in gaming and over all i just havent been happy. then again its all i know so i have little to compare to...

ati has always been the competitor and seems like theyve got their act together, from what others have said... i wouldnt mind droppin 200 bucks if i found something that will work... wish i could borrow one to try out first lol

#344400

The videocard you where using was an FX right? Known to be nvidia's low quality card.....

#344487

oh yea... it is a FX... i actually got it for a really good price at compusa... cheaper then what they are still charging for it... maybe i just bought into a POS... oh well, when it works, it works well and it suits my minimal gaming needs...however when its not working its really really aggravating...

anyhow... thanks for yalls advice....

#344507

that was the same problem with my 6600.

like ther was colors behind some text (rainbow) and then all of a sudden kapoof.... "No Signal" on my monitor. at first i thought it was my mobo that was the problem but i found out it was my 6600....

now im getting a pci-e replacment and im going to upgarde the mobo,cpu and power supply.

#354196

whoa, my probs arent that severe... im venturing into the world of dvi soon... lately things have been okay...

im convinced that nvidia is complete crap and i will never buy another...

#354210

nvidia are good but some of the companyies that use their chips are bad....dont get confused!....anyways get a his x800xl 256mb card....they have these huge great big fans on them which makes overclocking a doddle....also when clocks rivals the 6800ultra in the right hands....

#354415

yeah he has a point... i got a leadtek a340t (geforce fx 5200) and it runs slower then my friends MSI built fx 5200

#354439