When I play computer games (especially UT2004), I often experience a
bit of horizontal tearning and jittery graphics. I thought that it was
my video card, but its benchmarks are in the correct range, so it
might be my CPU. When we purchased it, it had no thermal paste, so we
didn't bother putting any on, and its average temperature is 130.
My config is as follows:
P42.8Ghz
512MB RAM
GeForce4 Ti4200 64MB (yes, I know it isn't the best, but I assume that
it should run UT2004 on the lowest seetings at at LEAST 50-60fps
average)
My question is: if I apply thermal paste to my CPU, will these
disturbances go away, or is it a problem with my video card? I was
planning on upgrading it, but if this is a problem with my CPU, it
could prove to be unnecessary.
If your CPU came with the Intel Retail heatsink, it should've had a
thermal interface applied. That's a one-use substance... that is, once
you run the system it melts, and if you were to remove the heatsink it
should be cleaned off and fresh compound applied.
Perhaps you instead meanaa completely dry, metal spreader on CPU to metal
base of heatsink interface with NOTHING inbetween... if there is
absolutely nothing, then yes, add thermal compound.
However, it's not the CPU overheating that's causing video anomalies, it's
either the video card or the driver (or specific games, to a certain
extent relating to the driver again). Try different video card driver
versions. Your card could have display problems yet still benchmark at
same speed... benchmark scores are not necessarily an indicator of a
properly working card... on the contrary, many overclockers will note
that pushing the memory too far will produce tears or snow but the
benchmarks still finish, of course at higher score due to the (relatively)
extreme memory o'c.
To test the video card itself, try underclocking it. WIth the nVidia
Detonator drivers there's an easy way to adjust clock rate using the
"Coolbits" registry setting (Google search Coolbits). If you underclock
the card a lot and that resolves it, then you have either: 1) Inadequate
power supply 2) Inadequate motherboard AGP power delivery 3)
Defective, damaged or overheating video card 4) Video card made by
unscrupulous vendor who used cheap low-speed memory and overclocked it,
exceeded the memory chips' spec. You'd need to make substitutions when
possible, if you had another power supply or take voltage readings with a
multimeter, and even better if you have the ability and knowledge to take
the board out and measure ripple on the AGP 1.5 & 3.3V supply.
First suggestion is trying the latest nVidia Detonator drivers and playing
with the Display Properties' driver settings. Touch-test the card,
particularly the memory if there's no heatsinks on the memory chips and
your case is poorly ventilated. Verify that the video card's fan is
running, those cheap little fans expire quite easily if they're not lubed
with a drop of heavy oil or very light grease every year or so, more often
if the fan was neglected and has worn to the point of making excess noise
(signaling advanced bearing wear).
There's nothing wrong with using a GF4 TI for modern games, just don't
expect to get decent framerates with all the eye-candy (FSAA & AF) turned
on or using very high resolutions. For some games you'd be as well off to
buy more system memory as upgrading the video card... don't know which
applies to UT2004.
