video card dying?

[a dreams forever]

hmm I have this problem. some things on my monitor in certain places are distorted a little. it is hard to explain. it is either my monitor dying or my video card dying. the question is. is there any programs out there to test if my video card is dying or not? i dont have another monitor i could hook up to see if it does the same thing. you can notice it alot better on words. it makes it look like the words are flickering. weird. any help? i have the latest drivers. that isnt anything. i posted this on another forum and the idiots kept giving me links for benchmarks. that isnt the problem. i mean a program that tells me if my card is dying or not. hmm wonder if that program is out there!!?? also its weird.. i dont notice it when videos are playing.. bleh...

 

[bravotsx]

there's a program out there called ATI Tool that renders a small 3D area and can scan it for artifacts...you generally need to give it a few hours to run before it will detect minor errors. ATI tool is generally an overclocker's tool, but it can tell you if the graphics card is making mistakes in 3D mode.

Other than that, there is no program out there that can definitely tell you if your hardware is 'dying'

some questions:
1) what kind of card? make/model
2) how long does it take for this to happen? right at system start up? after a few minutes?
3) when did did this start to happen?
4) did you try to change screen resolutions and refresh rates?

 

[a dreams forever]

nvidia 5200 FX

it starts when the computer is turned on. or the monitor is turned on.

it started like 2 weeks ago.

when i change resolutions it doesnt happen. atleast not anything i could tell. it goes on and off.. sometimes it does it.. sometimes it doesnt do it. like when i first posted this message it was doing it.. now it isnt.. i use 1280x960 res at 60 refresh rate.

 

[Admiral Michael]

I had a problem of somewhat fuzzy areas on my LCD screen (BenQ FP937s) and the resolution was to remove my KVM and replace the crappy Radio Shack VGA extension cord with a triple shielded cord (new cord is twice the thickness of the extension).

So it could be interference. I would also like to note that the extension cord goes from the back of my OC to the hole in my desk and the monitor cable only goes like a half a foot from the monitor to the extension. I mention this because the monitor cable itself isnt too large and probably not shielded enough, especially if it goes near a few power cables.

 

[Mastershakes]

Turn up the refresh rate on the monitor. Flickering disappears.

 

[Admiral Michael]

Turn up the refresh rate on the monitor. Flickering disappears.

As far as I know, if it's an LCD that wont do anything.

 

[a dreams forever]

not an LCD.. an old 10 year monitor heh. refresh rate doesnt go higher than damn 60.

 

[Mastershakes]

As far as I know, if it's an LCD that wont do anything.

Right, LCDs do not have a refresh rate. Each pixel is redrawn independently every 4-20 milliseconds.

 

[Mastershakes]

not an LCD.. an old 10 year monitor heh. refresh rate doesnt go higher than damn 60.

All your symptoms suggest a slowly dying monitor.

The analogy here is this:

You have an old lightbulb in the cellar. You notice after several years that the bulb is flickering. As it ages, it no longer cycles above 60Hz (turns on, off 60 times a second).

Your eyes cannot pick up a flicker over 60Hz. It just looks like it is always on, when the lightbulb is new. Once the flicker slows your eyes pick it up as soon as it drops below 60.

Your monitor is older, and not cycling as quickly anymore. Your eyes are beginning to see the flicker as a result.

 

[LeeJend]

The high voltage power supply is probably going out on the monitor. Most common failure mechanism. Not worth fixing.

Video card problems usually show up as artifacts in the image (dots, lines, weird shapes).

Start shopping for a new monitor.

 

[a dreams forever]

k thank you all

 

[Son Goku]

not an LCD.. an old 10 year monitor heh. refresh rate doesnt go higher than damn 60.

If the monitor is 10 years old, your monitor could well be dieing. Can I say this for certain without plugging it into another box? No... But that said, that's a really long time for a monitor to keep running, trouble free. I've had TVs (which in my experience have tended to outlive my monitor) die somewhere around 9-12 years before...

 

[zeke_mo]

Did you try degauss? I love doing that =)

 

[Mastershakes]

Did you try degauss? I love doing that =)

Seconded. I especially enjoy doing it in front of people who have never seen it before. They think you are trying to break it, and get quite upset. Then they see the result.

 

[LeeJend]

that's a really long time for a monitor to keep running, trouble free.

I have an original NEC Multisync I that is still working fine. Bought it 1987. I keep it around to troubleshoot problems.

Only monitor I ever had die was from over driving the vertical frequency/resolution settings (bad ATI driver).

Monitors should last as long as a TV. If they don't it is usually from setting the resolution and vertical refresh higher than the monitor ratings. It is very easy to overdrive older monitors now with the new ones doing 1600 resolution at 85Hz.