Video Card Issue

[wgnoyes]

Looking at the picture below, this started a few weeks back as just the occasional problem in Minesweeper. (It's really strange that they took such a simple game in XP and before and made it so graphics-intensive with Vista going forward.) It has since degenerated into this. If I change to 16bit color, the problems MOSTLY go away (there are some light visible vertical bands repeated across the screen in 16 bit) but the issues are still there, plus I lose Aero in 16bit. I've changed from the DVI port to the regular vga port and it's no different. I haven't tried a different monitor; I don't see how that could be the issue. So do I just need a new card? I've never had one go bad before. Thanks.

[DyNo!]

I'd say so - if it isn't your monitor, the next stop is more crazy colors after some time and then a black screen.

[BritinUSA]

Does this card have an OVERDRIVE setting in the properties, if so try switching it off.

[wgnoyes]

Does this card have an OVERDRIVE setting in the properties, if so try switching it off.

Where is that in Win7?

[raz-0]

Have you opened up the computer and made sure the vide card heatsink is clean and if it has a fan that it is still working? 

[wgnoyes]

Have you opened up the computer and made sure the vide card heatsink is clean and if it has a fan that it is still working? 

Yep, and reseated it. No luck.

[SLM]

It's been my experience that artifacts like you have are due to the memory on the video card going bad. "Back in the day" the 9800 Pro was a top of the line card and pushed the chip and RAM very hard. Could it be the monitor? Yes, but most of the time when a monitor goes you'll get odd colors in certain areas of the screen, blurriness, or the total loss of a color. Granted that's mostly related to CRT (tube) monitors and not as much with LCD displays.

The quick and easy thing to do is grab another monitor if you have one and give it a try. If you have one, it doesn't cost you anything to try it. You could then swap out the card if you have lying around and try it before you buy a new one.

There is a chance that the main system RAM is going bad or possibly the motherboard but those are slight chances but it does happen. I chased my tail for a week trying to figure out graphic artifacts once and it turned out the system RAM was bad. Swapped it out and didn't have a problem after but...

I'd try a different monitor then video card if you have one. Going to 16 bit color which disables Aero showing reduced artifacts but not a complete elimination really shouts vid card RAM to me.

[Classic_jon]

It's been my experience that artifacts like you have are due to the memory on the video card going bad. "Back in the day" the 9800 Pro was a top of the line card and pushed the chip and RAM very hard. Could it be the monitor? Yes, but most of the time when a monitor goes you'll get odd colors in certain areas of the screen, blurriness, or the total loss of a color. Granted that's mostly related to CRT (tube) monitors and not as much with LCD displays.

The quick and easy thing to do is grab another monitor if you have one and give it a try. If you have one, it doesn't cost you anything to try it. You could then swap out the card if you have lying around and try it before you buy a new one.

There is a chance that the main system RAM is going bad or possibly the motherboard but those are slight chances but it does happen. I chased my tail for a week trying to figure out graphic artifacts once and it turned out the system RAM was bad. Swapped it out and didn't have a problem after but...

I'd try a different monitor then video card if you have one. Going to 16 bit color which disables Aero showing reduced artifacts but not a complete elimination really shouts vid card RAM to me.

You pretty much nail the cause and how to diagnose it in my opinion too.

(Side note, I hate Areo and generally turn it off. to me it serves no useful purpose and slows things down. Everyone I know that has Vista that I have turned Aero off on has commented on how much faster things are....)