vid card testing software? Radeon 8500DV trouble

Hey, I recently formatted and my computer crashes a lot. I suspect there's something wrong with my video card because of the way it crashes (screen just displays multi-colored vertical lines and computer turns to sleep mode shortly after) and the apps that seem to crash it (so far, Rise of nations and Windows media player when switched to full screen mode)

I was just wondering if there's a tried and true video card testing software similar to memtest86 for ram. What does rise of nations and WMP9 have in common? directx...vid card drivers? My video card is ATI Radeon 8500DV.

Things I've tried already:
Tested RAM (Memtest86)
Formatted & reformmated
Tried the last 3 driver versions
sisoft sandra burn-in test (just for kicks)

It's not really a big problem now but if it truly is a video card problem I'd like to know before my warranty expires.

 

A couple of things to try.
Download the latest drivers for the card.
Try reducing the refresh rate. 85Hz is ideal but older monitors may need to be set somewhere between 60-75Hz. Adjust to the highest flicker free setting allowed. Reducing the colour if set to 32bit to 16bit may also be necessary.

 

Hi Tick,

Did you install motherboard/chipset drivers after you installed Windows?

You could run dxdiag. Start > Run > type dxdiag and hit enter. It might tell you if the drivers are faulty (and give tips as to what to do).

Did you get the video drivers from the card manufacturer or the chipset manufacturer?

Matt

 

I've had a viewsonic PS790 for years running comfortably 1024x768@85hz so i don't think it's that.
8kha+ mb windows automatically detects everything on the board.

My rig has been running fine for years now and I've been through countless formats and reinstalls so I know what settings she can handle. The only thing I've recently changed was a new HD for C: (I realized my old drive was horribly out of date). That has been chkdsk'd to hell w/ multiple proggies...you can never be to careful

well it just crashed again and I was running TV off ATI multimedia (along w/ the usual background proggies) full screen i might add.

I'm pretty sure it's the vid card or maybe the agp slot...etc.. I just need to confirm my suspicions...just wondering if there's a proggie that'll let me test it out before I start hardware swapping and bothering ppl for favors...

 

yes I tried dxdiag earlier today every test checked out. Got my drivers off ati.com.

 

still can't seem to find the problem. I'm prety certain it's a hardware problem but I don't know if it's the MB or vid card. I did a little more digging and my problem is very similar to the gainward Ti4200 prob. It seems like I'm also getting PSOD-like crash.

 

nm...seems like prob solved. The new HD seems to have pushed my crappy psu to the limit.

 

It almost sounds like the video card or it's memory is overheating. I have seen similar problems on an 8500 (non-DV) when overclocking it. If pushed just a bit too far, it runs fine for day-to-day use (browsing, email) but crashes as described when heavy GPU activity is required (watching a video clip or listening to an MP3 with video effects in Media Player).

Try the basics:

Reseat the card (card creep)
Clean the cooling fan on the card
Open the case (maybe blow a fan across the card)

If the last one does it, the card isn't stable and should be replaced. You can try calling ATI tech support if it's under warrantee.

Another oddball problem may be your power supply. If it's getting weak, it won't deliver enough current to the GPU and it's memory, causing a crash.

[EDIT] Good heavens, we both posted at the same time. 10:02, we should find a way to play that in the lottery

 

lol

great minds...umm...something something
thx bro