Unplayable 3D performance

kiddragonsoft · 10-15-2003, 11:30 AM

I have a home built 2.4Ghz P4 on ASUS P4PE with 1 GB of PC 2700 RAM. Onboard Sound Card. Creative Labs 56k Modem. 120 GB Maxtor Hard Drive and a 60 GB Western Digital Hdd. Windows XP Pro. Fresh Install of Windows on a NTFS 60 GB Hdd. I had to reinstall a new Hard Drive because my old one crashed. The Graphic card that is the problem is the ATI All in Wonder Radeon 8500DV (64MB). It was the card that had previously been in the system before the Hdd crash. All I did was install a new 60 GB Hdd and installed Win XP on it. Downloaded the latest driver from ATI and installed all the critical updates from Microsoft website (including service pack 1). When I run a 3D game the graphic card is so slow that the game is unplayable. Also when I ran the MadOnion 3D Mark 2001 SE on the first demo where I used to get 120fps now I'm getting 20fps. I had uninstalled the graphic drivers and reinstalled it but I'm still getting the low performance. The Graphic Driver that I'm using is the latest one released on 10/8/03. Oh also I thought it was the graphic driver so I installed the original driver from the CD and it was still slow. If anybody know what could be wrong please reply and help me out.

ShizZits · 10-15-2003, 11:38 AM

what games are you playing? its an old card, so it may be that in the advanced porperties you have all the quality settings set to high. right-click the desktop - properties - settings - advanced (bottom right) depending upon what drivers/card interface with the OS, the quality controls may appear different than i say, but with XP you should be able to just check a circle that says application preference. see if that helps.

kiddragonsoft · 10-15-2003, 11:53 AM

It happened in every game. But to be specific the ones that I'm playing now is Ghost Master and Halo. The properties is set to application preference. I haven't changed anything since the install. It also didn't matter if I turned everything all down at 15-20fps its really not playable. Also I have the latest directx. The important thing is under 3DMark I used to get 120fps in the test now I'm only getting 20fps. Also the card is not that old it should be able to handle anything out currently.

ShizZits · 10-15-2003, 12:02 PM

its 2 generations old. but age isn't the problem. hmmm...
latest drivers, dx... software conflict? i dunno, wait for someone else's opinion i guess.

kiddragonsoft · 10-15-2003, 12:23 PM

Yeah its got me scratching my head. Just updated the Bios to the latest bios but still the sucky 3d performance. Could it be that something is wrong with the card. It's an AGP card btw. Could it be that something is wrong with my AGP slot? When I stick my NVIDIA 64MB card in the PCI slot the graphic card works fine even the games works fine. Could it be something with the ATI drivers? The card works but it feels like its not working to its full potential. Actually it's really unplayable I can't play it. It's like a slide show. Not 10-20% performance degradation but more like 80-90% decrease in performance in 3D. Feels like the AGP bus is maybe clogged up or something. I think this happened to me before with the same card but I forgot how I fixed it. I thought I had fixed it by reinstalling windows after a format but this time it didn't work. And if I email ATI all I ever get is autoresponse emails telling me to do stuff I already did. I was going to buy a new card, I love ATI but this has got me thinking if I should go NVIDIA.

Rbreb13 · 10-15-2003, 12:24 PM

Did you try an older set of drivers?

kiddragonsoft · 10-15-2003, 12:47 PM

Yes I did. I even tried the original set of drivers that were shipped with the card. I also tried the 3 previous sets of drivers but to no avail.

Rbreb13 · 10-15-2003, 02:23 PM

Quote:

When I stick my NVIDIA 64MB card in the PCI slot the graphic card works fine even the games works fine.

AH HA maybe? Did you completely uninstall all the Nvidia drivers? Perhaps a conflict?

Remove Nvidia drivers

bass_machine · 10-15-2003, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rbreb13

AH HA maybe? Did you completely uninstall all the Nvidia drivers? Perhaps a conflict?

Remove Nvidia drivers

That's what it sounds like to me

kiddragonsoft · 10-15-2003, 03:28 PM

Yes, I completely uninstall both the ATI and NVIDIA before the installation of each of the new drivers. And I didn't even have the Nvidia card in the machine while trying to fix my ATI. Also I uninstalled the ATI drivers with the ATI uninstaller.
To recap what i did:
remove nvidia geforce 4 card.
format the hdd.
install win xp pro.
installed ati radeon 8500dv drivers from the original cd.
updated all the critical updates from microsoft.
tested the original drivers with winmark 2001 se.
3D frame rate 14-20fps in the first demo. (didn't do the whole test. didn't have to i know that the first demo i need to get 100-120fps for the card to be working right)
uninstalled the ati driver. (before installing any new drivers you have to uninstall the previous versions)
installed the newest driver (released 10/8/03)
tested it in winmark 2001 se. still 14-20fps.
uninstalled that and reinstall the version before it. tested it. rinse repeat.
did that for 3 previous versions. still no dice. tomorrow i'm going to best buy and get a brand new card (8500dv) and test it out and see if its the card or the mobo or windoze.
if anybody else have any ideas all you thoughts are welcome.

ps. bassmaster: your computer is very close to mine.
i have the same mobo as you. 1gb of ram and 2.4 ghz p4. also my gfx card is the 8500dv with 64mb ram instead of the 9800 pro. im thinking its a bad vid card.

10-15-2003, 11:30 AM	#1
kiddragonsoft softcore Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 7	Unplayable 3D performance I have a home built 2.4Ghz P4 on ASUS P4PE with 1 GB of PC 2700 RAM. Onboard Sound Card. Creative Labs 56k Modem. 120 GB Maxtor Hard Drive and a 60 GB Western Digital Hdd. Windows XP Pro. Fresh Install of Windows on a NTFS 60 GB Hdd. I had to reinstall a new Hard Drive because my old one crashed. The Graphic card that is the problem is the ATI All in Wonder Radeon 8500DV (64MB). It was the card that had previously been in the system before the Hdd crash. All I did was install a new 60 GB Hdd and installed Win XP on it. Downloaded the latest driver from ATI and installed all the critical updates from Microsoft website (including service pack 1). When I run a 3D game the graphic card is so slow that the game is unplayable. Also when I ran the MadOnion 3D Mark 2001 SE on the first demo where I used to get 120fps now I'm getting 20fps. I had uninstalled the graphic drivers and reinstalled it but I'm still getting the low performance. The Graphic Driver that I'm using is the latest one released on 10/8/03. Oh also I thought it was the graphic driver so I installed the original driver from the CD and it was still slow. If anybody know what could be wrong please reply and help me out.

10-15-2003, 11:38 AM	#2
ShizZits FWD Rally Time! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: NORTHERN Virginia (NoVA) Posts: 2,278	Re: Unplayable 3D performance what games are you playing? its an old card, so it may be that in the advanced porperties you have all the quality settings set to high. right-click the desktop - properties - settings - advanced (bottom right) depending upon what drivers/card interface with the OS, the quality controls may appear different than i say, but with XP you should be able to just check a circle that says application preference. see if that helps. __________________ ADHD For LIFE (Proper grammar is the road to success). Just saying what everyone else is thinking.

10-15-2003, 11:53 AM	#3
kiddragonsoft softcore Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 7	Re: Unplayable 3D performance It happened in every game. But to be specific the ones that I'm playing now is Ghost Master and Halo. The properties is set to application preference. I haven't changed anything since the install. It also didn't matter if I turned everything all down at 15-20fps its really not playable. Also I have the latest directx. The important thing is under 3DMark I used to get 120fps in the test now I'm only getting 20fps. Also the card is not that old it should be able to handle anything out currently.

10-15-2003, 12:02 PM	#4
ShizZits FWD Rally Time! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: NORTHERN Virginia (NoVA) Posts: 2,278	Re: Unplayable 3D performance its 2 generations old. but age isn't the problem. hmmm... latest drivers, dx... software conflict? i dunno, wait for someone else's opinion i guess. __________________ ADHD For LIFE (Proper grammar is the road to success). Just saying what everyone else is thinking.

10-15-2003, 12:23 PM	#5
kiddragonsoft softcore Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 7	Re: Unplayable 3D performance Yeah its got me scratching my head. Just updated the Bios to the latest bios but still the sucky 3d performance. Could it be that something is wrong with the card. It's an AGP card btw. Could it be that something is wrong with my AGP slot? When I stick my NVIDIA 64MB card in the PCI slot the graphic card works fine even the games works fine. Could it be something with the ATI drivers? The card works but it feels like its not working to its full potential. Actually it's really unplayable I can't play it. It's like a slide show. Not 10-20% performance degradation but more like 80-90% decrease in performance in 3D. Feels like the AGP bus is maybe clogged up or something. I think this happened to me before with the same card but I forgot how I fixed it. I thought I had fixed it by reinstalling windows after a format but this time it didn't work. And if I email ATI all I ever get is autoresponse emails telling me to do stuff I already did. I was going to buy a new card, I love ATI but this has got me thinking if I should go NVIDIA.

10-15-2003, 12:24 PM	#6
Rbreb13 Over Hill, pickin up Speed Join Date: May 2002 Location: Carbondale, Colorado Posts: 10,107	Re: Unplayable 3D performance Did you try an older set of drivers? __________________ Some of my PC's

10-15-2003, 12:47 PM	#7
kiddragonsoft softcore Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 7	Re: Unplayable 3D performance Yes I did. I even tried the original set of drivers that were shipped with the card. I also tried the 3 previous sets of drivers but to no avail.

10-15-2003, 03:28 PM	#10
kiddragonsoft softcore Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 7	Re: Unplayable 3D performance Yes, I completely uninstall both the ATI and NVIDIA before the installation of each of the new drivers. And I didn't even have the Nvidia card in the machine while trying to fix my ATI. Also I uninstalled the ATI drivers with the ATI uninstaller. To recap what i did: remove nvidia geforce 4 card. format the hdd. install win xp pro. installed ati radeon 8500dv drivers from the original cd. updated all the critical updates from microsoft. tested the original drivers with winmark 2001 se. 3D frame rate 14-20fps in the first demo. (didn't do the whole test. didn't have to i know that the first demo i need to get 100-120fps for the card to be working right) uninstalled the ati driver. (before installing any new drivers you have to uninstall the previous versions) installed the newest driver (released 10/8/03) tested it in winmark 2001 se. still 14-20fps. uninstalled that and reinstall the version before it. tested it. rinse repeat. did that for 3 previous versions. still no dice. tomorrow i'm going to best buy and get a brand new card (8500dv) and test it out and see if its the card or the mobo or windoze. if anybody else have any ideas all you thoughts are welcome. ps. bassmaster: your computer is very close to mine. i have the same mobo as you. 1gb of ram and 2.4 ghz p4. also my gfx card is the 8500dv with 64mb ram instead of the 9800 pro. im thinking its a bad vid card. Last edited by kiddragonsoft; 10-15-2003 at 03:33 PM.