Hi,

I've got an Asus Radeon 9800 XT 256 MB for a few days and i can't get it to work properly :'(
As soon as I play any game (Soldier of Fortune 2, Call of Duty) for about 3 to 5 mins, my screen suddenly freezes, i crash and then my systeem reboots.

I've tried installing the drivers delivered with the package on CD, and also tried the lastest ATI drivers (3.9) (both after a complete windows reinstall), nothing fixed it.

Here's my system specs:

Gfx card: Asus Radeon 9800 XT 256 Mb
Motherboard: Giga-byte GA-8IHXP
Memory: 512 MB Rambus PC1066
Proc. Pentium 4 2,26 Ghz
DirectX 9.0b (4.09.0000.0902)
Os: Windows XP Pro SP1

I also installed the latest Intell Chipset drivers (i think 5.02) for the 850 series and the latest windows updates.

Any help in how to try and solve it would be greatly appreciated...

what have you got your graphic aperture size set 2 in your bios ?

The graphic aperture size is set to 64 Mb

IF your aperture size is set to 64mb memory in mobo bios .
That is your problem. just think if u have 64 lites of water running thruogh 256 litre hose
all youd get is a Trickle. Now put 256 through 256 and youll be p**sin evey where.
Yah turn your bios apertue size to at least 128 (256 recommended).`
If u dont have that option in your Bios its time for and up grade, update or a new MOBO

set it to 256, still no luck...

I have the exact same problem currently with the Ati 9800 XT 256 (non-Asus made) I picked up this weekend. Any game I play will freeze then the sound will loop like a broken record before it screeches and restarts. I'm also running the Catalyst 3.9 drivers.

SPECS:

Motherboard: Asus P4S8X
1024 megs of PC2700 Crucial
Ati 9800 XT 256
Intel P4 2.53 Ghz socket 478

I'm going to try a Windows reinstall today, but if that doesn't work I think I've narrowed it down to it being a power issue. Out of curiousity Al, how large of a power supply are you running in your system? I currently have and Antec 400 W, but I'm think that might not be enough juice.

Hi Frank,

yep thats the same problem as me, same with the sound also... also sometimes the Ati VPU recover thingy comes up and wants to email the crash to Ati btw.

About the reinstall, that won't work for me. I've reinstalled windows and then made a clean image with ghost.
Then i installed the ati drivers and Chipset drivers. That didnt work, so i cloned back the clean image and installed the asus drivers. That didnt work either. I also tried Direct 8 and 9... and so on..

I've got an Antec power supply aswell, it says: ANTEC Mode nr: PP-412XF 400 W switching power supply.
You think the power supply is the cause of the problems ?

I also tried disconnecting other devices like the dvd-burner/cd-rom, didnt work either

Check this: http://www.ati.com/support/products/pc/radeon9800/Getting_Started.pdf

"The Radeon 9800 series requires a connection to your PC's internal power supply for operation.
Consult your system builder or OEM to ensure your system has an adequate power supply. Otherwise ATI recommends a 300 Watt power supply or greater to ensure normal system operation where a number of other internal devices are installed."

...

I have had similar problems with my Asus 9800XT card. I have narrowed down all my lock-ups to Smart Doctor. If it is minimized, I am guaranteed to lock within an app or game. If I close it after boot, I no longer have any problems.

Another problem I had with SmartDoctor was that it did not properly monitor the AGP voltage. Although I am running in an AGP 4x, it was still wanting 3.3v. After I installed Cat 3.9, made sure it was set to 4x in SmartGART, and rebooted, SmartDoctor was set to monitor 1.6v.

I don't think your power supply is a problem. If you were hitting low voltage and locked, when you rebooted, SmartDoctor would tell you there was an error with the card instead of 'Your video card is OK'. At least, that is what it did for me until I got the voltage monitoring / SmartGART squared away.

All this changing aperture talk is just crazy, though. You're fine with just 64MB. In fact, on my Asus board the Aperture value and AGP mode values were disabled after installing the 9800XT card. They became hard fixed to 128MB and 4x, respectively. Though, I still have full control over the rest of the AGP options in BIOS.

Let us know if you ever solve your problem.

-Riceman

I didn't install Smart Doctor at the moment so that's not causing the problem either.
I also run AGP 4x, and smartdoc also checked for the wrong voltage indeed... other than that it said 'Your graphic card is OK'....

:/

I'll let you know this weekend if the power supply fixes my problem. I have the exact same Antec 400 W unit and I'm taking it in to Best Buy for an exchange up to Antec's 550 W version. If you purchased your current power supply at a retail chain like Best Buy they should allow you to exchange it for another Antec unit if you say it's defective. Anyways, best of luck getting that fixed!

yup, i am having the same probs. it is very annoying.
i have an antec 430w psu.
i have a sapphire 9800xt.

did any of you manage to fix your problems?

Well, I tried the card in another computer (with a differnt power supply) and it didnt work in there either.
I send the card back to the shop, i'm waiting for them to test it and send me back a new one.

I suggest you test you card in a different computer, thats the best way to find out what the problem is...

yeah i have done. but only briefly. nothing over an hours worth of gaming.
ive currently got my 9600 pro in. having no problems with that.
gonna wait till the new cats come out before i panic.

its funny, i also have an antec psu. dont see how it could be causing the problem tho.

just out of curiosity, how hot did your card run?
for just windows, my card runs at about 45c.
thought that was quite hot as i have plenty of case cooling.

yea about 45 degrees for me aswell, and i've got plenty cooling in my case.

I just send a mail to the shop, i hope to get a new card this week, i'll let you know if it works.

if not...@#$@#

I am having the same lockup\crash\reboot problems with my 9800 Pro, with a fresh install of XP Pro.
I also have a Antec 412x PS, is there a pattern forming here? If anyone replaces the PS with a different one please report what you find.

Thx
ScarFace

I threw a 550W Antec in my system and the problem still persisted. Even when I switched over to Omega drivers. Finally, I just gave up on the card and took it back to Best Buy and exchanged it under warranty for the exact same piece of hardware. The new card works perfectly and I haven't had a crash yet. I recommend you send you 9800 back to where you purchased it before it does damage to your system.

hi chaps, just join'd and think its great in here.
iv got an ati 9000pro, it runs fast and no probs so far.
i was hopeing to save anough money to buy the 9800 256mb
but reading all your probs is starting to make me think twice..?
is it a good card or just to much trouble & money to bother with...

barton 2500
1 gig ddr400
ati 900 pro
550 power sply

It's weird that "BEST" graphics card available is problem product?
How can it have problems its the BEST! LOL

yeah im quite dissapointed with my card so far. had far too much trouble with it.

im gonna swap my antec psu with a 450w enermax i have this evening. will let you know if it fixes anything.

Frank B, does your new card run any different? is it any cooler?

:/

I'm getting a new 9800 XT aswell, i send it back, they tested it and it was broken....