Second Life Forums Archive - ati problems-graphics accelerator stops responding

Aliena Serpentine

Senior Member

Join date: 13 Sep 2003

Posts: 91

11-14-2003 10:13

I have been experiencing serious ati issues since the implementation of 1.1. It seems that about every 5 minutes my graphics accelerator stops responding and has to reset. This causes my screen to default to 800X600 and sets it to a much larger screen size than my monitor. I was told that I need to upgrade my agp drivers but, alas I am a computer idiot and though I have looked at all of the information, I have no idea how to go about doing this....If anyone out there has an idea of how to go about this process, I would be eternally grateful...I love sl and would like to stay on for more than 5 minutes without crashing....Thank you all in advance for any help

BlackAdder York

Charter Member

Join date: 22 May 2003

Posts: 283

11-14-2003 13:54

Hi Aliena.

The procedure to update AGP drivers is simply a matter of downloading and running the latest version of the drivers for the specific make and model of motherboard in your computer. If you go to the support website for your computer, you can probably find the appropriate file to run (you'll have to reboot to complete the update).

Also, don't be too surprised if this doesn't fix the problem. The 1.1 version has many known problems with ATI video cards, and a few of them cannot be solved until ATI gets around to releasing a fixed version of their Catalyst video driver.

If you read this forum thread, you might find a workaround to tide you over.

/111/d3/6064/1.html

Just don't hold your breath...

_____________________

Avatar Central (Aqua 140, 220) - Come in and Equip yourself. Everything under the sun, plus a few Freebies.

The Black Adder...Lord High Executioner, and Harbinger of the Doomed Rat

Max Mandala

Member

Join date: 31 Oct 2003

Posts: 19

11-14-2003 14:15

From: someone

The 1.1 version has many known problems with ATI video cards, and a few of them cannot be solved until ATI gets around to releasing a fixed version of their Catalyst video driver.

I just have to comment on this

I also e-mailed Linden Labs about problems with my Radeon 9700 Pro. I get a black screen when running with FSAA on. Of course you can blame ATI's drivers for this, but the fact is FSAA works great Call of Duty, which is also an OpenGL game.

As i have at least some experience with OpenGL programming myself, i know for a fact ATI's drivers are just as stable as Nvidia's since a long time now. It's just that ATI adheres more to the standard while Nvidia lets one do things that one really shouldn't be doing.

I think if Linden Labs would develop and test with ATI cards SL would run great on both ATI & Nvidia. Linden Labs pointing fingers at ATI doesn't really help.

BlackAdder York

Charter Member

Join date: 22 May 2003

Posts: 283

11-14-2003 15:18

From: someone

Originally posted by Max Mandala
I think if Linden Labs would develop and test with ATI cards SL would run great on both ATI & Nvidia. Linden Labs pointing fingers at ATI doesn't really help.

Well, at last month's Town Hall meeting I had the following exchange with Cory Linden:

BlackAdder York: Any major help coming soon for ATI Radeon users?
Cory Linden: Can I give you ATI's developer support's phone number?

Seriously. . . .
Cory Linden: they are fixing things as fast as they can . . .
Cory Linden: their drivers have quirks
Cory Linden: that we tend to expose
Kenzington Fairlight: quirks?

But yeah, I tend to agree with you that laying blame on ATI's implementation of OpenGL isn't helpful. I have far more problems running 1.1 on my Radeon than I did with 1.0, or even 0.9 for that matter. And that's unlikely to be totally ATI's fault.

On the other hand, I don't believe the Lindens feel that partnering with Nvidia gives them a free pass to develop and test toward just one company's platform. I'm convinced they're really trying to attain compatibility with ATI. And I'm also sure they could try a bit harder.

Quirks?

_____________________

Avatar Central (Aqua 140, 220) - Come in and Equip yourself. Everything under the sun, plus a few Freebies.

The Black Adder...Lord High Executioner, and Harbinger of the Doomed Rat

Garoad Kuroda

Prophet of Muppetry

Join date: 5 Sep 2003

Posts: 2,989

11-15-2003 01:23

What is FSAA?

I have a problem where my video card stops sending a signal to my monitor, and I'm pretty sure the computer totally locks up too. It's been getting really annoying lately because it only happens when I'm BUILDING. How annoying is that....

Max Mandala

Member

Join date: 31 Oct 2003

Posts: 19

11-15-2003 02:08

FSAA is full-screen anti-aliasing. In short it enhances the image quality of your favorite game because it filters sharp edges making them smooth.

I've had a similar problem like you Garoad. I turned off power management for the monitor and it works fine know. I'm running an ATI under Win 2000.

Garoad Kuroda

Prophet of Muppetry

Join date: 5 Sep 2003

Posts: 2,989

11-15-2003 09:07

Thanks for the idea I'll give it a shot (XP here though)

Oh and FSAA....hahaha..yea right I'm a performance kinda guy who needs that?

Aliena Serpentine

Senior Member

Join date: 13 Sep 2003

Posts: 91

thanks

11-15-2003 11:46

Thank you all for all the information! I think I may have it undercontrol for the time....hehe....Luv you all!

Louis Michelson

Junior Member

Join date: 16 Nov 2003

Posts: 15

11-18-2003 06:20

hi everyone..
i got an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro running smoothly everywhere but with secondlife..
i could play or run any 3D intensive game/application for hours, with all the rendering options bumped all the way up, without a single crash..
of course, i've had my share of problems in the past, but now with a set of up to date drivers, bios, and a heatsink/fan combo for the GPU, i rarely crash anymore
there's a quick hack (dirty i may say) for those crashing frequently,
check ATI Smartgear options. and reduce the speed of the AGP bus..
this is useful for those with an ATI Radeon crashing all the time ( not only with SL )

others like me, who have a Radeon working fine, but experiecing problems in SL.. check your SL preferences.. do whatever you like but leave AGP Graphics Accelleration turned off

that may (or may not) solve the frequent issues..
i know it did for some..
your milage may vary

--LM

ati problems-graphics accelerator stops responding
Aliena Serpentine Senior Member Join date: 13 Sep 2003 Posts: 91	11-14-2003 10:13 I have been experiencing serious ati issues since the implementation of 1.1. It seems that about every 5 minutes my graphics accelerator stops responding and has to reset. This causes my screen to default to 800X600 and sets it to a much larger screen size than my monitor. I was told that I need to upgrade my agp drivers but, alas I am a computer idiot and though I have looked at all of the information, I have no idea how to go about doing this....If anyone out there has an idea of how to go about this process, I would be eternally grateful...I love sl and would like to stay on for more than 5 minutes without crashing....Thank you all in advance for any help
BlackAdder York Charter Member Join date: 22 May 2003 Posts: 283	11-14-2003 13:54 Hi Aliena. The procedure to update AGP drivers is simply a matter of downloading and running the latest version of the drivers for the specific make and model of motherboard in your computer. If you go to the support website for your computer, you can probably find the appropriate file to run (you'll have to reboot to complete the update). Also, don't be too surprised if this doesn't fix the problem. The 1.1 version has many known problems with ATI video cards, and a few of them cannot be solved until ATI gets around to releasing a fixed version of their Catalyst video driver. If you read this forum thread, you might find a workaround to tide you over. /111/d3/6064/1.html Just don't hold your breath... _____________________ Avatar Central (Aqua 140, 220) - Come in and Equip yourself. Everything under the sun, plus a few Freebies. The Black Adder...Lord High Executioner, and Harbinger of the Doomed Rat
Max Mandala Member Join date: 31 Oct 2003 Posts: 19	11-14-2003 14:15 From: someone The 1.1 version has many known problems with ATI video cards, and a few of them cannot be solved until ATI gets around to releasing a fixed version of their Catalyst video driver. I just have to comment on this I also e-mailed Linden Labs about problems with my Radeon 9700 Pro. I get a black screen when running with FSAA on. Of course you can blame ATI's drivers for this, but the fact is FSAA works great Call of Duty, which is also an OpenGL game. As i have at least some experience with OpenGL programming myself, i know for a fact ATI's drivers are just as stable as Nvidia's since a long time now. It's just that ATI adheres more to the standard while Nvidia lets one do things that one really shouldn't be doing. I think if Linden Labs would develop and test with ATI cards SL would run great on both ATI & Nvidia. Linden Labs pointing fingers at ATI doesn't really help.
BlackAdder York Charter Member Join date: 22 May 2003 Posts: 283	11-14-2003 15:18 From: someone Originally posted by Max Mandala I think if Linden Labs would develop and test with ATI cards SL would run great on both ATI & Nvidia. Linden Labs pointing fingers at ATI doesn't really help. Well, at last month's Town Hall meeting I had the following exchange with Cory Linden: BlackAdder York: Any major help coming soon for ATI Radeon users? Cory Linden: Can I give you ATI's developer support's phone number? Seriously. . . . Cory Linden: they are fixing things as fast as they can . . . Cory Linden: their drivers have quirks Cory Linden: that we tend to expose Kenzington Fairlight: quirks? But yeah, I tend to agree with you that laying blame on ATI's implementation of OpenGL isn't helpful. I have far more problems running 1.1 on my Radeon than I did with 1.0, or even 0.9 for that matter. And that's unlikely to be totally ATI's fault. On the other hand, I don't believe the Lindens feel that partnering with Nvidia gives them a free pass to develop and test toward just one company's platform. I'm convinced they're really trying to attain compatibility with ATI. And I'm also sure they could try a bit harder. Quirks? _____________________ Avatar Central (Aqua 140, 220) - Come in and Equip yourself. Everything under the sun, plus a few Freebies. The Black Adder...Lord High Executioner, and Harbinger of the Doomed Rat
Garoad Kuroda Prophet of Muppetry Join date: 5 Sep 2003 Posts: 2,989	11-15-2003 01:23 What is FSAA? I have a problem where my video card stops sending a signal to my monitor, and I'm pretty sure the computer totally locks up too. It's been getting really annoying lately because it only happens when I'm BUILDING. How annoying is that....
Max Mandala Member Join date: 31 Oct 2003 Posts: 19	11-15-2003 02:08 FSAA is full-screen anti-aliasing. In short it enhances the image quality of your favorite game because it filters sharp edges making them smooth. I've had a similar problem like you Garoad. I turned off power management for the monitor and it works fine know. I'm running an ATI under Win 2000.
Garoad Kuroda Prophet of Muppetry Join date: 5 Sep 2003 Posts: 2,989	11-15-2003 09:07 Thanks for the idea I'll give it a shot (XP here though) Oh and FSAA....hahaha..yea right I'm a performance kinda guy who needs that?
Aliena Serpentine Senior Member Join date: 13 Sep 2003 Posts: 91	thanks 11-15-2003 11:46 Thank you all for all the information! I think I may have it undercontrol for the time....hehe....Luv you all!
Louis Michelson Junior Member Join date: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 15	11-18-2003 06:20 hi everyone.. i got an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro running smoothly everywhere but with secondlife.. i could play or run any 3D intensive game/application for hours, with all the rendering options bumped all the way up, without a single crash.. of course, i've had my share of problems in the past, but now with a set of up to date drivers, bios, and a heatsink/fan combo for the GPU, i rarely crash anymore there's a quick hack (dirty i may say) for those crashing frequently, check ATI Smartgear options. and reduce the speed of the AGP bus.. this is useful for those with an ATI Radeon crashing all the time ( not only with SL ) others like me, who have a Radeon working fine, but experiecing problems in SL.. check your SL preferences.. do whatever you like but leave AGP Graphics Accelleration turned off that may (or may not) solve the frequent issues.. i know it did for some.. your milage may vary --LM

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ati problems-graphics accelerator stops responding