Picture unstable at refresh rates greater than 60 Hz with Radeon 8500LE 64MB

[OHGiant]

Hello,

I have a Sapphire Radeon 8500LE 64MB video card and a Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 920 CRT monitor (19"). The monitor is supposedly capable of refresh rates up to 85 Hz at a resolution of 1280 x 1024; however, whenever I set the refresh rate greater than 60 Hz, the picture seems to jump around or squiggle. The picture is fine as long as I stay at 60 Hz. I have tried different power sources for the monitor, and there doesn't seem to be anything causing electromagnetic interference, so I am a bit baffled.

I have downloaded the latest Radeon series drivers from the Sapphire website and the latest INF file from the NEC-Mitsubishi website, but this didn't seem to help. I am wondering if you think this is a monitor-related issue or a video card issue. When I get the chance, I am going to try hooking up a different monitor to my computer. If the same problem exists with the new monitor, then wouldn't this suggest that there is some problem with the display adapter? Are there any suggestions you can give me regarding this type of problem?

Any help you could provide me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris Cundy

System information: Windows XP, Athlon XP 2100+, Asus A7V333 mainboard.

[Kuasimodem]

I've got a Radeon 9000 Pro, and I'm running the Catalyst 3.1 drivers for XP. With my Samsung 955DF monitor, I get a sharp picture that is really stable.

It sounds more like the monitor is having problems with the higher refresh rate, since it's stable at the lower refresh rate, but it can't hurt to try the Catalysts.

Here's the link to the download page for Catalyst drivers

Here's the direct download link

[Nighthawk]

It sounds like it's your monitor or its cable. Have you tried unplugging and replugging the video cable going to the monitor (on both sides, if possible)?

Do you have another monitor you can test with?

[OHGiant]

Kuasimodem: I installed the Catalyst 3.1 drivers for XP, but the same problem exists.

Nighthawk: I have tried unplugging and replugging the cable on both sides, but unfortunately it does not help.

Tomorrow I am going to try hooking up a 17" Sony Trinitron monitor. I have a bad feeling that the same problem will occur. If so, I'll be back here asking for more help.

Thanks guys,
OHGiant

[OHGiant]

Well, I hooked up the Sony Trinitron 17" monitor, and the same exact problem occured: picture was fine at 60 Hz, but at any other refresh rate the picture was jumpy/squiggly.

This leads me to believe one of two things.

1) The video card is defective. I contacted tech support at Sapphire, and I got a brief response saying that I should RMA the card, but I wonder how much they really even looked into my problem.

2) Noisy electrical power lines. My thinking is that since electrical noise is typically 60 Hz, a refresh rate of 60 Hz would counteract the effects of the electrical noise. In effect, if the picture is jiggling at 60 Hz, setting the refresh rate at 60 Hz would capture the image at the same location every time, thereby creating a seemingly still picture. I don't know how well I explained it... anyhow, this seems like a stretch to me.

My 30 day RMA period ends on the 13th, so I have to make a decision quickly. Any other thoughts on this issue?

Thanks,
OHGiant

[OHGiant]

I am so frustrated!!! I pulled out the Radeon 8500LE and put in a very old 3D Rage II+ PCI card, and the same problem occurs!!!

So now I have tried multiple monitors and multiple video cards, all with updated drivers, and I still can't set the refresh rate above 60 Hz without a squiggly picture. I really need some advice here.

Can the motherboard be causing this problem? I have an ASUS A7V333-X. Maybe a newer BIOS version or something?

Maybe I have really noisy power lines that are causing this problem? I guess I could try taking my whole system somewhere else and testing it, but this would be a pain. Could there be something else interfering with the video, like another PCI card or the wire supplying power to the case fan?

Any help would be appreciated.

[prometheus]

i have a 9000 mobility can i use the catalyst drivers on this?