Problem with my new Geforce 4!! Need Help Please! (1 Viewer)

[James St]

I'm having some video problems with my new Gainward Ti4600 Ultra/750XP. I bought it at Newegg and have had nothing but good experiences with them until now. First I'm afraid that it may have been opened and played with before I got it. There was no shrink wrap on the box, the static bag with the card in it had the seal broken and the card has hanging half way out when I first opened the box. After inspecting the card I couldn't find any visible damage. Also the sleeve containing the driver cd was somewhat crinkled and there was no manual or warranty card. I am seriously considering sending it back for a replacement for these reasons alone.

The problem I'm having is kind of hard to describe. Whenever I run a graphic intensive program or game I get these video glitches which only show up a few frames per second. They seem like polygons that are out of place. When running 3DMark 2001 SE it is most noticable on the nature test. It's apparent on the some of the other tests and quite bothersome when playing games like Wolfenstein or MOHAA.

I've tried 5 different sets of drivers and none of them fixed the problem. Any ideas? If I can't figure this out then I'll be exchanging it for another one.

System:

Athlon XP1800

Asus A7M266 mobo

512mb Crucial PC2100

Audigy Platinum EX

Windows XP Pro

Thanks,

James

 

[Gary King]

Probably a faulty chip (or perhaps a loose AGP connector on the card). Either way, you'll want to return it. It sounds like someone may have returned it already, and NewEgg consequently put it back on the shelf. Fry's Electronics is known to put items that were returned as DOA back on the store floor.

 

[Jon_R]

Could it be heat? Sometimes heat can do strange things, although ususally strange things are then accompanied by a total system lockup, but you never know.

 

[James St]

Thanks for the help. Since I installed the card I left the side case panel open to relieve any excess heat. I underclocked the card to see if it helped but I still get the same problems. These cards seem too new to be returned but I'm sure somebody tampered with it.I'm sending it back for a new card first thing Monday.
Thanks,
James

 

[Rob Varto]

James,
go to www.amdmb.com and check out the forums there. You can find two different areas. One is for your mobo base (Asus) and the other is for video cards. Check out both sections. There seem to be a few people experienceing the problems you describe. It could be a certain set of drivers, it could be tampered with. Not sure, but good luck!

 

[James St]

Yeah I posted this problem in several forums to get as many answers as I could. I just sent in the RMA but its going to be 2 days before I hear anything. With these cards selling like hot cakes it may take 2+ weeks before I get a replacement. :frowning:

 

[James St]

Well this sucks. Newegg just sent me this e-mail.

There is a problem with your RMA from Newegg.com

VGA CARDEXPERT|GF4 4600 128MB TVGS (Quantity: 1 )

The above items are not longer avaliable.

We have therefore credited you full on this item to your credit card. You can use it to purchase any replacement as needed.

Thanks again for your patience,

Sincerely,

Customer Service,

Newegg.com

Well I don't know if Gainward is having problems making these or what. Since I now have Geforce3 Ti200 I'm going to wait.

 

[Rob Varto]

James, If you already have a GeForce3, I'd probably wait for the next iteration of Nvidia cards. I mean, how much will you really gain visually by upgrading? I know alot of people are into benchmark scores but is it worth the $$?

To each his own but you might be better off with the GeForce3 right now anyways.

 

[James St]

Rob,

Thats what I'm planning on doing now. I originally had a 32mb(sdr) Geforce2 MX which I was upgrading to a Ti4600. After the problems with the Ti4600 I removed it and sent it back. My G2MX no would no longer work for some strange reason. I reseated it five times and returned all settings back to normal but it seemed dead. Without a video card I used my leftover gift cards from BB and picked up a Visiontek Geforce3 Ti200. So far this card performs pretty good. If the Ti200 really struggles with some of the upcoming games then I may reconsider, but otherwise I'll be waiting for the NV30 based cards.