ATI Radeon 9600xt problem

[justinone]

Hey, i need help with my radeon 9600xt. I got this card a while back but i only had 256mb ram, so i couldn't realy use it. But lately i got a 1GB memory stick and installed it and my games still pretty much lag the same as they did when i had 256mb. my card is the fast 256mb XT version, so im pretty sure it shouldn't be lagging. Call of duty and battlefield 2 are some of the games that lag, BF2 lags immensly and is unplayable. And also, my PC is now "freezing" more than before, i cant load a map on BF2 and installations sometimes stop half way. I have all he AGP features on and it is on 8X AGP speed. Also, not sure if this helps but when i disable the PCI settings in the catalyst, my games get the program needs to close error.

1280MB Ram
1.8 Ghz
ATI Radeon 9600xt 256ddr graphics card
windows xp SP2
VIA Chipset P4VM800

 

[justinone]

if anybody knows of a solution, i am begging you please i need this fixed ASAP

 

[Mr Papschmere]

What resolution are you running the games at? Try turning down the eye candy - try setting all that fluff at medium and see how it goes.

Is the PC sluggish all the time, or just when U play games?
Try runiing a Spyware and Virus scan? They can sap a lot of performance, and it certainly won't hurt. AdAware & Spybot are 2 free adware progs.

The 9600XT isn't a bad card & should run those games OK

 

[paranoid guy]

1.8 Ghz

Is that your processor?
And can you tell us what kind of power you're working with? Are you running the 1gb of RAM with the 256mb? 'Cause I've heard/read here that if the RAM types are not the same it can cause problems, but RAM types are not my strong point(do I have one?)

 

[justinone]

OK, it only seems to lag in game. On desktop i am fine, no problems, all very smooth and yes i have 1GB+ Ram and the ATI 9600XT 256mb ddr graphics card.
I am running my 1GB Stick with my 256MB stick. You think this is my problem?

1.8Ghz processor, intel celeron

 

[Sharkfood]

I am running my 1GB Stick with my 256MB stick. You think this is my problem?

It may or may not be.

What kind of memory did you add and does your system have?

Was it PC-100/PC-133 memory or DDR? If it's PC-100/PC-133 memory, you should be okay with the mixed memory. If it's DDR, you may need to arrange memory (or buy more) to enable dual-channel... as dual-channel memory needs memory in same-size pairs for correct performance.

As it's a Celeron 1.8 ghz though, I have a feeling this is just a plain PC-133 memory system and you should be fine with the added memory. We may just have to adjust your BIOS or ensure the new memory is configured correctly.

 

[justinone]

ok well this is how it is...

1GB = PC2700 - 166 MHz
256mb = PC2100 -133 MHz

Both are DDR SDRAM. I was going to buy the same 1GB Stick as i have now, you think that would fix it? I also just read that mixing speeds isn't good, so i might remove my 256mb and see what happends.

 

[justinone]

Removed the 256mb stick and it works better, but still some lag accouring and also, my PC keeps restarting or returning to desktop after about 30 minutes of me playing a game. anybody know whats going on?!

 

[Sharkfood]

Hi justinone,

If your system is resetting or crashing to desktop, it's quite possible you have a bad or incompatible stick of memory from that 1 gig.

If you have a floppy drive or cdrom burner, you should download and create a boot floppy or cdrom (iso) of memtest86 and let it run over night.
http://www.memtest86.com/

It has instructions there for how to make either a boot floppy or boot cdrom that will run the memory tester. This is a very comprehensive test but can take several hours to complete multiple passes. Overnight should be ideal to ensure you have solid memory.

Also, power supply issues or temperature can cause similar issues to what you are experiencing. You should have a look at your power supply inside the case to see what wattage the sticker says it's rated at. Brand name can be helpful too. Temp problems can also cause this so perhaps opening the case and blowing a floor fan at the inner components for a test might yield insight. If your case has poor ventilation, heat can build up and having more memory can definately make your system run hotter.

Id start with memtest though. That will at least hopefully rule out bad memory.

Good luck!

 

[The_Jargon]

You're using an ATI card, and as everyone should know, ATI cards aren't all that stable. I'm running an ATI Radeon x700 Pro PCI-E, and up until Catalyst Drivers 6.4, my computer would either restart or crash to the desktop, depending on the game. My guess is that you haven't updated your drivers, or there's a bad installation problem. Make sure you have the latest drivers for everything, and you could try defragging your computer and checking for spyware/adware.

Do you run an LCD or CRT monitor?

 

[justinone]

I run a CRT monitor, and i have the latest catalyst 6.4 driver. My Call of Duty: United Offensive plays very strange also. It just freezes for a second, and then the screen goes blank but i can still hear myself playing (shooting, running ect).
Call of Duty 1 does not have this issue.
And how the hell do you use that memory program lol? sorry i am a bit of a n00b when it comes to this.