9600xt woes...Boot to XP loading screen then nothing!

[TrH]

Thanks a lot captain, the problem is that i didn't change anything before it started to go blank on me. I have all the latest mobo chipset mous Lan and sound drivers, I don't know how it is in england. but with most hardware shops in the NL i go back and get a new one if my warranty hasn't expired or the card broke in 2 or has any real visible damage on it...

I think i'll do that and see how that works out, It would be a real shame to not be able to game online with my upcoming DSL connection

With thanks and Greetings

TrH aka Addict86

[MuFu]

Welcome to HWC, TrH.

Yes, it definitely does sound as if your card might be faulty. After the Windows splash screen, the operating system tries to initialise the device driver and enable the full capabilities of the graphics hardware. If there is a hardware problem or driver/device incompatibility, there is no initialisation and the system reverts to VGA mode. Hence safe mode etc still being useable. The brown screen you got didn't sound to healthy!

MuFu.

[TrH]

I am the happiest man alive right now...
I will go back with that card to the dealer and get a new one if he has one

If he doesn't i 'll get a newer better one @ least that's ahat i'm hoping..

Thank you all for helping me and i'll see you around here again

A very happy man (how weird is that Card broke TrH is happy)

[MuFu]

Yep, that's pretty odd.

MuFu.

[ThreeOnTheTree]

Call the smile police!

[Captain Amazing]

Well, I am bit happier than I was too.



I am still waiting for my mate to finish testing my card. But at least SapphireTech have got back to me. They reckon it is a card BIOS issue and are going to send me new BIOS in the next day or so.

[MuFu]

Heh, that's cool. Hopefully you'll be the first HWC member to 600MHz+ GPU clock pretty soon.

Sapphiretech seem to do quite a good job of tech support. When ATi pulled out of Europe they must have given them a kick in the ***.

MuFu.

[Captain Amazing]

Aarrrghh!!......

Well. Now I got that out of my system....

After a week of shatting about with my new 9600XT card, I have come to a firm conclusion. It is ****e. So I guess I'll be waiting a little longer for that 600Mhz+ GPU speed.

Apparently, the card will work in my computer, but only with a CRT attached and only at resolutions below 800x600. If you try it at any higher resolution, its garbled picture time. It recovers back to 800x600 or 640x480 no problems though. Any TFT we have tried it with throws a wobbly, on any machine. It's just stand-by city every time. Drivers aren't the issue - it won't even run with the standard VGA driver in safe mode with a TFT.

I'm well knarked off with Sapphire though. Where's that BIOS they promised?



Now I have read so many Sapphire-related problems in forums I am wishing I had waited for the Hercules or Connect3D versions of the card. I am getting an RMA number from OcUK and sending the thing back where it came from.

[MuFu]

Doh.

Originally posted by Captain Amazing
Apparently, the card will work in my computer, but only with a CRT attached and only at resolutions below 800x600. If you try it at any higher resolution, its garbled picture time. It recovers back to 800x600 or 640x480 no problems though. Any TFT we have tried it with throws a wobbly, on any machine. It's just stand-by city every time. Drivers aren't the issue - it won't even run with the standard VGA driver in safe mode with a TFT.

I'm well knarked off with Sapphire though. Where's that BIOS they promised?

I haven't come across many 9600XT problems at all. Never this one - have you found anything similar reported on a forum?

Now I have read so many Sapphire-related problems in forums I am wishing I had waited for the Hercules or Connect3D versions of the card.

I wouldn't get too hung up on that, they just sell a lot more cards than Hercules or Connect3D.

MuFu.

[Captain Amazing]

Originally posted by MuFu

I haven't come across many 9600XT problems at all. Never this one - have you found anything similar reported on a forum?

I seen a few probs involving video output with 9600Pros but not 9600XTs. In general, they have mainly been due to drivers or hardware failure. I must admit that I think I'm the only person out there with a 9600XT with these types of issues - I guess its luck of the draw. It also makes it easier to judge that the card is duff - as most others are running trouble free.

[nonedrinkwater]

is Saphire a crappy brand?

[Captain Amazing]

Sapphire is one of the better ATi brands...

They are the one of the biggest manufacturers of OEM ATi cards and they also build some of the ATi BBA cards too. Their own cards normally have a reasonably good build quality.

I have been a bit unlucky...

One critism though - what prompted me to have a go at them in this thread. Going from personal experience - their technical support sucks.

[nonedrinkwater]

......... hmm.. so you mean you were just circumstantially burdened with one of their defective cards.

they're going to fix it or refund it for you right?

you see, i like ATi coz they ship you your new card, then you just send them your old one and give them a credit card#. as long as you ship your old one by the deadline, you wont get charged for it.

Western Digital does this too.

does Saphire has an exchange program?

[Captain Amazing]

Sapphire do have an ok exchange policy from what I have heard. But I actually chose to return the card to the reseller to save time. I am just awaiting an RMA number and my card will be back on its way to them. I don't have any kind of problem with Sapphire as a brand - although their tech support is quite slow. I'm sure the replacement card will be fine. I have just been unlucky.

I tend to give companies TWO chances. I once had a duff ASUS motherboard. The IDE channels were whacked and I had to take it straight back to the reseller for testing and RMA. That didn't stop me buying ASUS again. Sometime faults happen...

The time to worry is when you here a company getting dissed everywhere on the web...brands like 'PCChips' or when a particular product model get a bad rep...like a certain model of IBM's deskstar hard drive a few years ago. Loads of people got duff drives in a certain model (can't remeber which one) and they all had to be RMAed - many of the replacments failed too.

[nonedrinkwater]

what about the ther brain of ATI cards ?

see...... this is why im thinking i should just buy an ATI brand card instead of a 3rd party one.