Well I've done with updating to 1005_003b.Nothing new in Bios I can't find...Only ASUS Logo displaying now

Hi, I have just purchased a CyberPower P4 and it came with a ATI Radeon 9700 made by Saphire.

It is excellent, runs U2 without much problems, a game that previously would be literally impossible for me to run on my old computer. But for some reason it lags alot on UT2003 which I thought should have been easier to handle than U2. It also runs Morrowind, Dungeon Siege easily. But it doesn't even run most of my other games Age of Mythology, WarCraft 3, Praetorians, Diablo or Black and White.

What happens is that the screen goes black with a sort of click sound like it's starting the game but then all of the sudden it brings me back to windows. The game is running, in a few rare cases I can still hear the sound of the game, but if I click on it on the taskbar it will just do the previous and bring me back to windows. I end up having to Crtl+Alt+Delete the game in order for it to stop.

Now, when I tried to test my 3Ddirect and DirectDraw features, DirectDraw works fine but the test keeps getting interrupted by pressing a key during the test when I try 3Ddirect and I can promise you I'm pressing no keys.

Oh, just now I tried lowering my AGP and now I can actually play the games, but it still brings me back to windows and then I have to double-click the minimized game and right-click right away to be put in the game. I want to know how I can fix this thing so that it runs the game smoothly.

If you need information I'll be willing to look for it, but I'm just tired... tech support says that it's either a problem with windows and I should uninstall it or the card and I gotta get my money back... I want a less drastic solution if there is one.

Just trying to see if Asus has done any bug fixing, I downloaded and installed the latest Beta Bios release for the P4G8X ver. 1005.003.
I am going to re-enable Fastwrite and put AGP mode back to 8X in the bios and the ATI Control Panel and just see what happens.

One question tho... as I was scrolling around in the BIOS settings to see if anything had changed, I ran across this setting:
>Advanced-
>>PCI Configuration-
>>> Primary VGA Bios

This setting was evidently defaulted to "PCI VGA Card". I changed it to "AGP VGA Card", since of course I am running an AGP Card.

My question is, can anyone tell me if this setting was there in previous versions of the Bios? It may have been and I just overlooked it, but I just wanted to know if this was something new with 1005.003.

I will report my findings with these settings in a week or so.

Thanks and good luck all.

That setting also exists in earlier BIOS Versions and is always defaulted to VGA.

meant of course PCI

Yep, he is right. I had it defaulted to PCI, even if using AGP card, but I don't know if it really makes a difference.

Please let us know what your finding are, De Laminack.
Thx

HST

Where can I download the latest BIOS or AGP upgrade for free?

Here is it dude http://www.asus.com.tw/support/download/item.aspx?ModelName=P4G8X%20Deluxe

Click on BIOS and then click BETA...

New catalyst drivers posted today 3.4
Get them now and test away.

plz tell me where!

Hello all ppl there
So how it works new BIOS with Catalyst 3.4 and FastWrite ON? I set FW to ON so we'll see how it works

New Catalysts working nicely here.
Fastwrites = ON
8X AGP = ON

3DMark'03=6000
3dMark2001 = 18590
(i'm overclocked at 3.724 ghz and 395/339 9700 pro)

Gotta say I don't have much to complain about (except the trouble I had with my serial-to-IDE hdd converters).
Unreal 2 Runs Awesome, so does
Unreal Tourney '03.

Kudos to the new Catalyst drivers, it freakin' took them long enough!!! I just might hold off on the new Mobo and invest in 2 SATA drives instead.

Hi again ppl...

Well I guess Fast Write problem is gone for me with new bios and catalyst 3.4

I will test more of course but in the past then I turn FW on hangs come with just surfing in windows menus etc...Now I playing,surfing etc... for all night and no PROBLEM I can see.... Hooooahhhh

Plz post your results about fw prob...

Well, whatever you do, don't give any credit to Asus and their new Beta Bios. I loaded it and started testing. I had multiple lockups no matter what settings I used.. ie Fastwrite On/Off, AGP 4X/8X.. etc.. I tried them all. No luck.. I just loaded the 1004g bios back in. I will try the new ATI Drivers and if they work well, I might give a new Asus bios a try.. maybe.

Good luck all.

SYSTEM SPECS:

Operating System - Windows XP Pro SP1
Motherboard - P4G8X Deluxe
Processor - P4 2.53ghz
Memory - 2 x 256mb Crucial PC 2100
Video Card - ATI Radeon 9500 pro 128mb AGP 8x
Sound Card - Sound Blaster Audigy 2 PCI
Power Supply - Antec 350w

Bios settings - USCW on, 8x AGP, 128mb G Aperture size
SmartGart - 8x AGP, Fast Writes On

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have Catalyst 3.4 w/ control panel installed and I just had my first crash to 640x480 4bit mode w/ device driver error message.
I assumed ATI did not correct this in their drivers as they did not have it listed as one of the issues resolved.
Ok people, what we need to be finding out is how much of a difference fast write being on is actually making. If turning fast writes to OFF solves your problems, as it does mine completely, then we need to research this feature more.
I've read in a couple of misc. websites that turning fast writes on and off is more of a compatiblity/ stability issue rather than a performance increase.
Everyone who has their problem resolved with setting fast writes to OFF, post in detail and let us know!

Thanks!

P.S. This is the letter I wrote to ATI. It has now been over a month and still no reply.

SYSTEM SPECS:

Operating System - Windows XP
Motherboard - P4G8X Deluxe
Processor - P4 2.53ghz
Memory - 2 x 256mb Crucial PC 2100
Video Card - ATI Radeon 9500 pro 128mb AGP 8x
Sound Card - Sound Blaster Audigy 2 PCI
Power Supply - Antec 350w


Problem:

Screen resolution and color depth drop to the lowest posible settings at random.

This is the link to the forum where the posts
regarding this problem are ongoing daily.

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5402/

It seems the Radeon 9500 and 9700 are primarily affected by this problem.

I have previously sent a letter to your company regarding this matter over 2 weeks ago and have yet to receive a response.

My warranty for this card with New Egg has now ended. I spent $200.00 for this graphics card. I know you guys make great video cards, thats why I purchased one from you. I just hope your Customer Service Department reserves those same high standards.


Sincerely,

Adam W

Fast writes? Maybe one percent difference. Really it's pretty small.
On another note, the matrix's graphics SUCK REALLY BAD! Maybe it's my 9500 PRO, but boy do that game's graphics SUCK.
I ain't kidding.

Listen, this has been said quite a few timesnow, the low res. and colour -settings are due to the radeon's lack of power supply. So all of you people with 350W PSU's (and maybe higher even higher; depending on number of HDrives etc.) should try to solve this by disc. some system devices, and then it works, get a new PSU.