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Attention ATI Video Card Users.. We Have Some ATI Fixes to Try on Your Card
ATI and nVidia own the video chip market.
Two AGP card chips dominate the computer industry;
ATI Radeon Series and nVIDIA GeForce Series[which gobbled up 3dfx]. Everyone
knows that ATI offers the juice, but falls off of nVIDIA when it comes to
proper driver development. I myself own a Radeon 9700 PRO 128MB and love
it... when it works. However, when I first purchased the card I had so many
problems and shut downs I almost turned it back in for a stable nVIDIA.
It turned out that I was not the only one experiencing these problems and
that there is a whole community out there trying to figure out how to get
their ATI powered cards to work. Well, after toying around and searching
the net for some ATI support, we offer a few suggestions for ATI users that
should fix most their problems.
Installing Drivers, Uninstall Old Drivers
One of the first problems users encounter [especially since ATI comes out
with new drivers all the time] is performance issues from installing new
ATI drivers over older drivers. To have a clean installation of your video
drivers, you must first go to START > SETTINGS > CONTROL PANEL >
ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. Then remove ATI related software including the control
panel [as you will probably download the entire driver installer which includes
a new control panel].
ATI now has a simple utility for completely uninstalling your ATI drivers.
For the newer drivers, you may encounter an option in the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS
that says something such as 'ATI Uninstall Utility.' If you choose to run
the uninstaller on that option you will completely remove the ATI drivers
from your system.
Now that you have all your ATI drivers removed, restart your computer and
run the installation file for the new drivers after startup.
Install Directx and .Net Update BEFORE ATI Drivers
Windows has a .Net update that may improve, or fix, your ATI powered video
card's performance. Also, if you have not installed Directx 9.0c yet, you
should since most releases are counting on you using it. To better ensure
that these two updates mesh properly with your video drivers, it is best
to uninstall your drivers, perform the two Windows updates, and then re-install
your drivers.
8X AGP May be the Rage, But it also May be the Problem
If you have completed the two suggestions above and still see no solution
in site [as in your computer still locks, crashes, etc.], here as an easy
one to try. Take your MOUSE and right-click it on your computer DESKTOP
and choose PROPERTIES. Click the SETTINGS tab and click on the ADVANCED
button. Depending on your driver, you may see a tab that says CATALYST CONTROL
CENTER. Click this tab and the following button option. One of the first
things you should see is your AGP controller set at 8X AGP. Change this
setting to 4X. Restart your computer and test out your favorite games.
First, this solution may solve all of your problems. Second, even with the
change in AGP settings, you should not notice any drop in performance from
your ATI video card... and it now works! If your card still does not work,
you may have to also change your Motherboard bios AGP settings as well.
*If you cannot find this AGP option in your settings, look under SMARTGART.
More Software Changes to get Your ATI Card Working
Still having problems? Be sure to uncheck WRITE COMBINING, an option that
can be found in your video settings which can be accessed under the TROUBLESHOOT
tab in your video settings. To access these settings, refer to the steps
above on accessing settings through your desktop.
If you are having a performance issue such as a stutter, try playing around with your refresh rates, which
can also be found under your video settings under the MONITOR tab.
For other performance or lock-up issues, you should also disable your v-sync
and AGP fast-write option in your video settings.
Time to Touch the Hardware
A lot of times your problems can come from disagreements between your Motherboard
and your ATI card. Please check to see if you have your latest BIOS installed
on your motherboard. To do this, go to your MOBO's homepage and look up
latest BIOS. The site should state how to update your BIOS.
The next step involves getting into your BIOS before your computer boots
up. The best way to do this is to HOLD DOWN the DEL key while the computer
is starting up [it is possible to have other ways to get to your BIOS options
if the DEL key does not work, refer to manufacturer site for option]. If
DEL key does not work, try hitting the TAB button and then follow the options
provided. Once in your BIOS, you must search for options that allow you
to change your AGP settings to 4X and your AGP Voltage to 1.7V [1.8 if 1.7
does not exist/work]. You can also play around with your AGP aperture size
which should be around half the total amount of RAM you have in your computer
or less.
Now that you have played with your BIOS, it is time to open up you computer
[Warning: this is for professionals as there is a risk of shock to your
computer hardware through touch]. First, make sure that your video card
is NOT sharing its power with other devices. I found that my card was sharing
power with the floppy drive which I immediately unhooked. Second, make sure
that the PCI slot next to your video card is empty. Not only does this spot
crowd your video card causing issues such as overheating, but the PCI slot
can be using a shared pathway with your AGP card.
While looking in your computer, make sure that your have a power supply
efficient enough to power your card. If you have anything less than 300W,
go out and get a new power supply [350W+].
Anti-Virus Issues
As stated in a previous article [can be found HERE], anti-virus causes a ton of issues on your computer,
including a halt in performance. Therefore, before playing graphic intensive games, be sure to disable or
shutoff your anti-virus software.
Hope this helps!!
*We hold no responsibility for issues encountered from attempting to perform any of the
discussed 'fixes' listed above.
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