ATI Radeon 9700PRo nightmare

[whitegabriel]

I've just bought this vcard and I was expected a lot. Actually I'm expecting right now too - I just couldn't make this thing work.

I have Asus P4G8X Deluxe mobo,
2.66GHz P4 CPU,
1GB Corsair XMS 433MHz DDR,
Chieftec case with the preinstalled Austin PSU.

I've download the latest update for the mobo's BIOS, for the vcard, checked the Intel chipset - so regarding the documentation everything should be OK.

I know there is a lot's of problem with some PSU, in my case the card working fine 'till I don't try to use the 3DBenchMark or any game... (I've tried in the BIOS with 4x and the 8xAGP setting too, just in case the mobo AGP controller is not working well)

When I start the 3D things, the picture is out of sync or just the whole system is hangs up. Sometimes when I restart my system - the system is just turns off or when I start the computer the BIOS yelling I used an unproper CPU speed setting - and I use the CPU with the native speed.

The other very strange thing : in the device manager - there are two adapters - 2 same Radeon 9700 just one of them is secondary.
Regarding the ATI guide I should have only one - I've tried to uninstall one of them but that is all the time coming back no matter what I do.

I only installed the ATI controll panel and the driver - not the Hydravision and the other stuff - I don't think I need them (yet).

I already exchanged the vcard for a other one - same issue.
My ATI 7000 card is working without a glitch.

Everywhere on the reviews the testers used this mobo/vcard combination - they was shocked...... me too but not from the performance unfortunatelly !!!

Any idea guys ????

Please help me out.....,

[musicality]

DId you uninstall the 7000 card completely before installing the 9700? I've read in several places that you've got to not only uninstall the previous drivers but then do a search for ATI residual programs and delete them all. That may explain why you're getting two adapters showing in device manager and would also explain your other troubles.

John.

[whitegabriel]

Yes, I'm uninstalled. I did everything regarding the procedures...,
The problems what I mentioned before just the first signs....

I'm already have : windows protection error - by faulty video device and after my system not starting up.... better and better

the vcard should be good, this is the second one.
the mobos should be good 'cause working whith the other
vcard. There should be imcompatibility problem but I don't know where. I'm suspecting this dual adapter thing in the device manager but I don't know how can I solve the problem unfortunatelly.

How could the tester guys work whith this combination... hmmm
I'd like to keep this card.....

[pam123]

Pull everything you need off the comp and reformat.
Go over your bios carefully. If it's yelling at you something is wrong.
Load and save optimal defaults.
If you're using a sound card you must disable on-board sound.
At no time should the Bios say anything to you. If it does you've made a major configuration error or you have a hardware problem. Do not go foreward untill you know which.
The CPU, memory and what not should be on auto detect. Make sure DMA is enabled and that AGP 8X is enabled.
Check all bios setting against those in the manual, I think Asus uses optimal defaults, and you might want to go over to www.rojakpot.com for the bios set up guide as well as reading the bios section on this web site.
Save bios changes and exit.
Install XP, or what ever OS you're using.
If it's XP wait out the offer to install video drivers so 640-480 is all you get. Install SP1 if it's not on the Windows cd.
If it's not XP install the mobo drivers.
Now, use the CD that came with the 9700. USE THE RECOMMENDED INSTALL. You can do the custom later.
The 9700 supports 2 monitors and it's supposed to show 2 devices in Device manager. It's not an error.
Adjust resolution/color to your liking in settings.
1.Plug and play monitor 9700/9500 is what you want to see in settings.
Click advaced which will get you to smartgart and all the other settings adjustments.
You want to set the refresh rate at whatever level you're monitor can deliver that you're happy with. That's monitor.
Click on display. Everything but the monitor should be Xed out and it should show the resolution and refresh rate for the monitor alone. 1024-768/85Hz, per example.
You may need refresh lock to keep it there but that's for later.
Look over all the other tabs and famaliarize yourself with them but for now leave them alone.
You must have 8.1 for the card to work.
It comes with XP but if you don't have that you must install it.
You can get it off a game cd or a demo cd from PCgamer or MaximumPC.
Your bios should have nothing to say in any of this, unless it just replies " Yes, Master."
Once you've loaded DX 8.1 and drivers for your sound card, if that was necessary, run dxdiag and then run the test in smartgart ( click retest all).
If fast write is enabled in smartgart you may want to turn it off.
If you get hit with any major problems while doing this it's hardware related and you rma the part.
A gaming card that works fine until you try to run a game is a flop.
If you continue to have trouble rma the card to ATI and they will return you another that works with your board.
From reading the post on www.rage3d.com I know that many of the guys did this several times till they got a card that worked.
ATI has been more than fair about this.


edit: I think that's a dual channel ddr board so I hope you have the ram installed properly for it.

[whitegabriel]

huuuu, that was a lot of information...
basicly I did everything what you wrote exept :

my monitor is shown like samsung syncmaster what should be not just a genereal monitor and I installed not from the CD but the newest drivest from the ATI site.

I have DirectX9 already....

and like I wrote everything is worked fine before this card...without a glitch...(uninstalled the videodriver prior the installation)

what is strange and not necesarry true or proven yet but if - I just noticed (not 100%) - the external USB2.0 Hard drive is not working, the game is working fine, the 3DBenchMark too but when I wanted to restart the computer the system is turned off.

I have to set up the BIOS like you wrote - everything is righ now on the auto option but the processor.

the Rojak site seems to me very usefull too - thank you !!

what do u think about this USB2 thing ? can be ?

[Furius92]

I'd suggest that before you venture even turning your computer on again that you buy a new power supply. You say it came with a pre-installed Austin PSU, which is the same thing as a Deer (or DEER) PSU. These products have been known to literally explode. Although the physical risk of bodily harm is considerably low, it will damage your components. Not only are they dangerous, but horribly inefficient... if that's the word for it.

I'll guess that your PSU is your problem. The card you have, and the card I have (a Radeon 9500 Pro) both require an extra power connector. When a 3D application opens, it needs the extra power to operate. The extra power is probably not being provided to the card, and therefore it won't run the program. Go and buy a new ~350 watt PSU manufactured by Antec or Enermax. There are more good brands out there, but I know for sure that those two are good. Nevermind if your current PSU says it can output 500 watts... in fact, don't even pay attention the watt rating on your PSU. Higher wattage doesn't necessarily translate into more and/or better (cleaner) power.

I'll go through, just to make sure, a quick "lesson" on how to correctly install drivers. I assume you are using Windows XP, because Windows 98/ME may react differently. Once the computer is on (with a new PSU hopefully) go into the Control Panel. From there, go into Add/Remove Programs. Remove ATI Display Driver. That's all you need to uninstall. Then reboot, and run install the drivers you downloaded from ATI (make sure they are the most up to date, Catalyst 3.1 right now). Let it run its course, and restart. You should be fine, driver-wise anyways. Some people might tell you to reboot into safe mode, but I know that I receive error messages when installing ATI drivers in safe mode. I have done exactly what I have described several times, without incident. You might want to try reinstallind DirectX 9.0 after reinstalling the ATI drivers.

On a side note, I too have two video cards listed under Display Adapters, just as you described. That is definitely not what is causing this problem...

Hmm, hope I've helped, this is pretty long.

[ILLPHIL]

when you download a driver should i just put it on desktop or something, or sohuld i put it on a floppy and insert the floppy while rebooting?

[pam123]

Yes put the processor on Auto.
This post is edited:
A USB device is hooked to a computer after it is started and is unhooked before it is turned off.
Treat your 2.0 USB HDD that way and post back what happened.
You may simply be confusing XP.
NORML is right about Austin power supplies being of poor quality.

[pam123]

ILLPHIL,
Please start a new thread with your question and I'll be happy to answer as will many others.
Putting your question here simply creates confusion and will not help either whitegabriel or you.

Pam

[Ryan2318]

just wondering.. why do you have 1 gig of 433 mghz memory when that mobo requires dual ddr of 266.. Now I know you can use faster memory for overclocking, but don't you think that is pushing it? Did you have the memory from another build and moved it over or just buy it for future reasons? if you could put one of those compressors on that cpu like in that "the iceman cometh" you could put the fsb at 216.5 or so for the cpu to match the ram giving you 866 mghz for ram and also for cpu fsb and anyway... a 4330 mghz cpu...

ok pretty off topic, i was just wondering why you had so fast of memory when it wasn't needed.

[HAL9000]

Personally, I would change that power supply first for two reasons.

1) you have a lot of money invested in those parts, those power supplies have been known to blow and take a lot of parts with them including motherboards and video cards (even more dangerous considering the 9700 has a power connector right from the power supply).

2) You have a power hungry system. The P4 uses plenty of juice and so does the 9700.... a lot more than the 7000. Your power supply may not be stable with the extra demand of the 9700 and with an unstable Austin PS, go back to note #1.

[ILLPHIL]

you you can get an Antec SL 400 for around $60 US at Newegg.

[Sumdumgi]

Originally posted by Furius92
I'd suggest that before you venture even turning your computer on again that you buy a new power supply. You say it came with a pre-installed Austin PSU, which is the same thing as a Deer (or DEER) PSU. These products have been known to literally explode. Although the physical risk of bodily harm is considerably low, it will damage your components. Not only are they dangerous, but horribly inefficient...

Totally agree, nothing dies like a deer. Your components may be drawing to many watts or may be fluctuating so much that the psu cant do a proper job providing nominal or clean power to components. You will be sorry if that psu takes out your components.

[glc]

Ryan - the ram is not an issue unless it's defective. Just because it's PC433 and running at 266 means nothing except it's overkill. It's like putting PC133 sdram into an old Intel LX board that's running at 66 FSB, the ram will simply run at 66.

[Ryan2318]

^i know that... I'm just wondering why he has it in there... I was wondeirng if he had it from another build or if he bought it planning for the future like dual ddr for prescott etc...

[whitegabriel]

I had a bad feeling about this power supply anyway... the whole case was only 89 with s/h....
I did not know this nice piece of crap would kill my system - I've thought it just not that efficient. Thank you guys for this very useful information - unfortunatelly before I bought the case I couldn't find any info about the Austin brand or even any kind of link between the Austin and the Deer /what I didn't know even/.
I've paid the price this time...
Actually I've disconnected my optical drive and the floppy drive too just for the curiosity - thinking about the vcard can suck up more juice - but that didn't change anything.
About the USB2 thing - that was just an idea - regardless the USB2 device - I have the same messages randomly.
I had problem not just when I wan't to use the 3D , even if I just using the system like browsing the net or just using the desktop...
The Windows XP Pro with every updates complains about the video device driver - windows protection error....
About the memory : I've bought that kind of memory keeping open the options - every half year I'm usually sell my 'old stuff' and buy the next - so with minimal expenses I can keep my system up to date. The only backside of this changing is : you have to reinstall a lot. I knew this system is support only the DDR266 but I'm waiting for the next gen. dual channel right now.

Last question : How big PSU do I need at least ???? Real stuff not just the nominal.....

[whitegabriel]

I had a bad feeling about this power supply anyway... the whole case was only 89 with s/h....
I did not know this nice piece of crap would kill my system - I've thought it just not that efficient. Thank you guys for this very useful information - unfortunatelly before I bought the case I couldn't find any info about the Austin brand or even any kind of link between the Austin and the Deer /what I didn't know even/.
I've paid the price this time...
Actually I've disconnected my optical drive and the floppy drive too just for the curiosity - thinking about the vcard can suck up more juice - but that didn't change anything.
About the USB2 thing - that was just an idea - regardless the USB2 device - I have the same messages randomly.
I had problem not just when I wan't to use the 3D , even if I just using the system like browsing the net or just using the desktop...
The Windows XP Pro with every updates complains about the video device driver - windows protection error....
About the memory : I've bought that kind of memory keeping open the options - every half year I'm usually sell my 'old stuff' and buy the next - so with minimal expenses I can keep my system up to date. The only backside of this changing is : you have to reinstall a lot. I knew this system is support only the DDR266 but I'm waiting for the next gen. dual channel right now.

Last question : How big PSU do I need at least ???? Real stuff not just the nominal.....

[pam123]

A nice 350 watt Sparkle should do the job with no trouble and at reasonable cost.
Nothing wrong with Antec, Enermax or Enlight either.

[Sumdumgi]

I second Pam123.

[whitegabriel]

ok, I'm ready to buy a PSU...
I've checked the Enermax and the Antec, just in case the above 400W kind of stuff.

I have a problem here... which one should I buy, If I want to use the sleep mode. This Austin works and the case fans too when I put my system to sleep mode ... Can you tell me an exact one what actually has this feature - I meant , if I put the system in sleep mode, the fans quit. (above real 4ooW)

[pam123]

Sleep mode is decided by the OS and your motherboard not the power supply.
I don't have the manual but sleep or stand by will depend on how you set the bios up.

[whitegabriel]

I've read something else... I think I make a separete new thread about this, just avoiding the confusion...