Graphics problem with G5 (and 4.5)

[nchippin]

After working properly for several days, G5 has developed a problem in that frequently when I start it the image looks normal for a couple of seconds and then the screen greys-out. After that it cycles through various shades of grey to near white and back to full colour again.

The only thing that seems to fix this behaviour (temporarily) is rebooting the computer. I usually get one or perhaps two sessions of G5 but very soon the problem recurs. It never happens except at start-up and it doesn't fix itself if I leave it running.

I have tried reinstalling the video driver and reinstalling G5, but neither makes any difference. Likewise, I've tried lowering the colour setting and downgrading the vrious RF video settings, all to no avail.

The computer is an Acer running Athlon Phenom 9500 Quad Core 2200MHz with 4 GB of RAM. The operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium (recent upgrade from Vista).

The graphics card is an NVidia GeForce 8600GS with 512MB RAM. The driver is the latest available version for Vista/Win7. I know this is not the hottest card but when it's working, it seems adequate. (I'd welcome suggestions for a moderately priced upgrade.)

I should add that I encountered the same graphics problems when I tried running G4.5.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated, as rebooting gets tiresome.

[jeffpn]

My thought is that you may have a graphics card going south on you, or an inadequate power supply. May not be correct, but that's a strange problem. Is the card seated properly? If you want to buy a new card, check out the Nvidia 9800.

[sniper528]

Hey i understand your problem its your computer acer is the worst company to get a computer there good for surfing the web but not for sims and games i have a quad core from dell and it works great for sims and games.

hope i helped you with your question.

sniper528

[nchippin]

Thanks for pointing me to hardware. I blew out the dust and things seem to be working again! I have since run RF G5 for three sessions and restarted it a couple more times without problems. The 8600GS seems to do a fair job with RF when it does work.

It may simply be that the card was running on the edge and the combination of RF plus dust pushed it over the edge.

As for the Acer computer, its main virtue is that it was relatively cheap for the power and has done well for general purposes for over a year. It's probably not the best machine to bother upgrading, but if I could do something worthwhile by way of a graphics card for say $100 I'd certainly do it. One issue is whether the 300 watt power supply is adequate. I doubt if it's worth upgrading both card and power supply.

[sniper528]

Thanks for pointing me to hardware. I blew out the dust and things seem to be working again! I have since run RF G5 for three sessions and restarted it a couple more times without problems. The 8600GS seems to do a fair job with RF when it does work.

It may simply be that the card was running on the edge and the combination of RF plus dust pushed it over the edge.

As for the Acer computer, its main virtue is that it was relatively cheap for the power and has done well for general purposes for over a year. It's probably not the best machine to bother upgrading, but if I could do something worthwhile by way of a graphics card for say $100 I'd certainly do it. One issue is whether the 300 watt power supply is adequate. I doubt if it's worth upgrading both card and power supply.

Ya you are just better off getting a new computer i got mine for $500 and it is better then a XPS gaming computer from dell

[jeffpn]

Dust bunnies will get you. You've seen that. If you're pleased with your performance now, you're done. If not, look into a 9800, but pay attention to wattage requirements.

[nchippin]

Dust bunnies will get you. You've seen that. If you're pleased with your performance now, you're done. If not, look into a 9800, but pay attention to wattage requirements.Reasonably satisfied is about it. My impression is that the 9800 would be excessive for this computer but maybe I'll think about a new one before too long. Thanks again.

[nchippin]

Ya you are just better off getting a new computer i got mine for $500 and it is better then a XPS gaming computer from dellWhat sort of machine are you running then?

[Kmot]

I'm amazed that dust would degrade anything. Once a card, or any component for that matter, is seated the pins should not be susceptible to dust.

But thinking about it, the only thing I can think of would be dust on the cooling fan blades. That would reduce the amount of cooling, which I suppose could degrade the performance due to heat problems.

[jeffpn]

But thinking about it, the only thing I can think of would be dust on the cooling fan blades. That would reduce the amount of cooling, which I suppose could degrade the performance due to heat problems.Bingo!

[12oclockhigh]

He could have bumped something around while blowing things off... it never hurts to clean the dust out... I would also pull the power cord off and pull any connectors apart and reseat them. Pull the graphics card and any other card and reseat them also. Oxidation can prevent good connections over time.

A new $100 graphics card seems to be a sweet point.. and should do anything you want in real flight. An upgraded power supply is only $40 or so.. Pay attention and make sure you have enough power to run a new graphics card... the graphics card box will tell you the minimums.

[nchippin]

Bingo!There was dust on the video card fan and on the cooling fins. Enough to make a real difference in the cooling efficiency in my estimation.

Moreover, the behaviour was consistent with a heat build-up problem -- after the computer had been running for a while I would start up RF and get the video problem. But rebooting would allow enough time for the card to cool down a bit and it would start correctly, but only once -- after that the problem would come back.

[opjose]

I'm amazed that dust would degrade anything.


I'm not.

A computer effectively filters ALL of the air in a room once every few hours.

Open a computer that has been sitting on a desktop for two years or more, and you'll see quite a number of dust bunnies, any of which can foul a fan.

In exactly the same environment, with the same computer, but on the floor for two years you quadruple or more the dust accumulation.

We stir up dust as we walk around and a computer on the floor more redily sucks it up.

The same machine now has fairly large dust bunnies inside of it after the same period of time.

Now if the owner is a smoker, WHOA PARTNER!

After a couple of years, the dust accumulation coupled with a yellowish brown nicotene/tar mix results in the entire insides of the computer completely coated with what looks like THICK SEA SPONGE!

REALLY disgusting....





Once a card, or any component for that matter, is seated the pins should not be susceptible to dust.


That's right the "pins" are not. But the cooling system is, and when the fans stop or slow down, the computer throttles back to protect itself.

Over time however most contact points will develop a thin patina of sorts that also degrades performance.

The so called "gold" pin connectors ( which are rarely made of gold ) fair marginally better, but still suffer from this.




But thinking about it, the only thing I can think of would be dust on the cooling fan blades. That would reduce the amount of cooling, which I suppose could degrade the performance due to heat problems.

No so much that the dust is getting on the fan blades, but rather that dust accumulates to the point that it stops the fans from spinning.

e.g. it happens VERY quickly in my "smoker's" scenario above, and over time if the machine is situated on a desktop.

Also many fans use bushings instead of bearings. The bushings get full of crud from the dust causing the fan to fail to spin. This is the most common problem.

[jeffpn]

Dust in the heat sink fins can be a problem, too. It restricts the flow of air through the fins.

[Kmot]

I have always made it a habit to open up and vacuum out the dust in my desktop PC about every 6 months. My new PC has a clear lexan side cover so I can see when it needs to be vacuumed out. :D

[opjose]

Yeah, a good practice.

When your in there also check to see if your fans use bushings or bearings.