Screen Saver Questions
 

My brother-in-law purchased the bundled Aquarium screen saver. He
has a HP 8756c computer which was recently updated to the Nvidia
graphics 6600 card with 3D. The screen saver freezes within 10 minutes
and locks the computer up. He loves this screen saver and has said
if we can't get it to run, he's going to scrap the PC and buy a new one. That's how much he loves it. We have tried changing the frame time,
we have changed to 16 bit..Nothing seems to work. Downloaded the latest drivers from Nvidia. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
(We have completely reinstalled XP Home Edition doing a clean install)

Thanks

Welcome to the forums and sorry you are having trouble with the Aquarium.

That is indeed an old computer, but I'd like to try some more to get it working.

When you run the Aquarium, can you press the "S" key to bring up a little status display at the upper left corner of the screen?

You should see something like:
62.24 fps (1024x768x16) Direct3D HAL v.2.0.2403

Can you tell me what it says on your screen? The first number will change, I just need an average. Also, confirm that it says "Direct3D HAL" and not "RGB Emulation".

Have you tried running any other 3D applications to see if they last. With that old of a system, I would also question heat or maybe the PS giving problems, or not rated high enough for that video card. Also if you can look and let us know exactly which video driver version you are running.

Also make sure that "Limit Frame Rate" is ON in the Aquarium settings. It's possible that runaway frame rates are overheating the graphics card.

Check your power supply rating.
The 6600 requires a good stable 350W or more depending on the other peripherals that you have. I had to change my power supply to a 450W.

Questions
 

Thanks so much for the great responses!!!

On the status window this is what he is getting -
The average is 21 -
1024x768 Direct 3D Hal.vsynch..ignored, NA06.1.0.2

We had already replaced the power supply and it is a 400 w.
I had downloaded the latest drivers for the NVidia..But after trying
everything, I did a clean install. So the drivers are the original ones
that came with the CD..I also installed the DirectX 9 that was on the CD.

Thanks again for the help.

You are only getting 21 fps on that card? That is pitifully slow performance out of that card and I would be very unhappy with that result.

Press the SPACE bar to bring up Settings and go to the Settings page and set the Limit frame rate to 20fps.

You do NOT need a 350 W PSU in order to run a 6600. Looking at this article at XBitsLabs reports that a 6600GT draws less than 48W and a 6600 GDDR2 gets by with ~28W.

Since the 850 MHz Pentium III in the above mentioned HP uses less than 30W I fail to see what would be consuming the other ~275W. The built-in toaster-oven?

/Tiny Overkill

I would like to know what exact driver version you are using. If it is really that old it could be the problem. Running new hardware with drivers that old is problematic at best, no matter what nVidia says.

Questions
 

This is the driver that I downloaded for the Graphics card...If there is something else I can tell you on this, please let me know.

ForceWare Release 80 graphics driver is the graphics driver for all NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs). ForceWare Release 80 supports 2D graphics, DirectX 9, OpenGL 2.0, nView Desktop Management software version 3.5, NVRotate. NVKeystone, Digital Vibrance Control and includes a new control panel.

Thanks again for all your help on this problem.

The latest driver version is 84.21 WHQL. In the 6600 series video cards these are supported:
GeForce 6600*
GeForce 6600 LE*
GeForce 6600 VE*
GeForce 6600 GT*

If driver version 84.21 is what you have, then it should be fine. Some cards are not supported with different versions, which is what I was checking for. I must have originally misread your post as I thought you had said you were using the new card with the old drivers that came with the system. If you have properly installed DirectX and your drivers then that should not be your problem.

Have you tried any other 3D applications to make sure that they will work fine on your system?

Go to your start button, then click "Run" and type DxDiag in the white box. When the window comes up it will tell you exactly which driver version you are using. You can also run some 3D tests there to make sure everything is working properly.

If you are using the drivers from the cd that came with the video card, you could be developing some problems from those as well. Those are usualy tweaked by the card manufacturer, and not always for the best. It might be just a matter of having you download different drivers from nvidia and installing them.

Tiny,
I had a 350W on my computer with CD, DVD, 2 hard drive, the video card, 1.5GB of memory and the card reported that I did not have enough power.
Of course, in his system he probably has enough power, but probably overheating is the cause.
Try running with the side cover off and a fan pointed to the system to see if it last longer than 10 minutes. If it does, then overheating is the cause.
Also turn off Standby mode if it is enabled to see if that will fix the problem.

Questions
 

Again. you all have a great board here for me to receive so many
helpful suggestions.

Did the status line: 1024x768 Direct 3D Hal.vsynch..ignored, NA06.1.0.2
mean anything since it had an "ignored" statement? Just wondering
if something might be wrong here?

Thanks again.

The easiest way to check the heat is start the aquarium and hit the space bar, click the settings tab, then check mark the "Limit Frame Rate" box and set the slider to ~20 or 2-3 frames BELOW your average. This will force the frame rate to that level and cut down on your cpu usage and some of your heat levels. See if this makes a difference.

Vsync being turned off or ignored is no big deal.

The reason we keep suggesting changing the driver is because 21fps average seems VERY low for that 6600 video card. It should do 60fps very easily which looks a lot smoother and more lifelike than 21fps.

The Limit Frame Rate is to protect your computer from what we are guessing is an overheating problem.


Two separate problems. Your computer locking up. Your computer not running the Aquarium to our expectations.

I was going to say the drivers that come with the 6600 are junk. You must up date to the latest driver to get the card to work great. I just got the 6600 AGP w/256mb and with the new drivers it runs great.

Also, did you connect a power cord to the card? I forgot that once and everything ran but it ran bad. :TU:

Excellent suggestion Ed, I didn't think of that one. :TU:

The 6600 is the last gasp of AGP cards. It was designed to give awesome performance to those who have not yet transitioned to PCI Express. The GeForce 6600 GT AGP has an auxiliary power connector. These video card companies dumped AGP so fast it made my head spin. There are millions of people that could still use AGP cards and the cards are basically gone.

Based on some research, the 6600 AGP should be capable of literally HUNDREDS of frames per second of animation when running the Aquarium, although anything above 100 is not discernable unless you have super human vision. I can tell the difference between 60 and 85. If the 6600 AGP can run Doom 3, which has 20x the graphical complexity of the Aquarium, at 85 frames per second, there's really no reason it can't run the Aquarium smoothly.

Even though that Pentium III processor holds you back quite a bit in games, the Aquarium ran acceptably on a Pentium II 450 with a good video card, so again that shouldn't be a factor.

You can get even more cards if you don't want to go PCI. They have the FX6800GS and the FX7800GS.
For me, I won't go back to PCI. I look at it, they started out with PCI. Then they went to SLI. Then they went to AGP. Then to AGP4X then 8X. Now they went back to PCI again. IMO, I'm just waiting for when they go back to AGP again. Which trust me won't be that long. :TU:

Bit off topic here but the local circuit city offers an eVGA 7800GS AGP for $299 which I am considering for the office machine. With a 3.2 P4 my bottle neck is the current 5900 card for maxing things out. I don't think they will offer anything in the 7900 series in AGP, ( I could be wrong on this ) and the 7800 could be the last blast for AGP, who knows.

Ed,
No-one has gone back to PCI. The new standard is PCI-Express which has substantially higher bandwidth than AGP. TRUST ME when I say there will be no return to AGP.

i4laine,
Can you confirm this problem doesn't arise when you're using another 3D application?

Also, Did you connect the designated power connector to the video card?

/TT

I have to agree with Calle on this one. I don't see a future for returning to AGP in any scenario. The bandwidth limitation compared to current PCI-E and even Quad SLI showing up now won't be overcome.

not to go off topic but I just about freaked out. Ed's face just winked at me. I never noticed that before and I then had to stare at it to make sure I wasnt just seeing things.

PCI was a great standard, just not fast enough to handle the best graphics. AGP was a stop-gap measure. It doesn't provide enough power, it conflicted with PCI sound cards, and they kept screwing around with the power requirements. Not to mention having only ONE AGP slot in computers has limited the capability of multiple monitors for years. I think a lot more people would use dual monitors if instead of a dual-head card, they can add as many PCI Express cards as they have room for.

PCI Express is the future. I just wish they'd introduced it sooner. Apple wasted a lot of time implemented a competing (and abandoned) card format PCI-X.

I guess I was one of the lucky ones not to have any trouble. My first multimonitor setup was with "1" agp of course, and 3 pci video cards and a soundblaster pci sound card. I guess if I'm going to have to update my system just for a new video card I'll wait for the new system to come out. It won't be for a while but it will be great. :TU:

Something that might help you
 

Hi i4laine,

Firstly,

1. go "Control Panel"
2. click on the "Power Management" or "Power Configuration" (I'm using Chinese Windows)
3. In the Power Configuration Tab, select "Always On"
( Don't let your computer get into sleep mode or power saving mode )

Secondly,

1. Open the computer case
2. Check if there has a Four Pins Power Connector on your 6600 display card.
3. If Yes, connect this Power Connector from the Power Supply.
( Some display card must connect an external power source to work normally )

Good lucky!

Questions
 

Hi everyone...This graphics card is PCI. This computer does not have
an AGP slot. I don't belive there is a power hook up to this card...am
I correct? It is not the PCI express.

When he tries to run another screen saver (the ones that come with
XP) all of them will run. Not sure if any of these are 3D..We are going
back over there tomorrow and flash the BIOS to the latest..I am going
to install the latest drivers for the Nvidia card. The only other thing
is that he installed a new Soundblaster Legacy card, but I wouldn't think
that would interfere with it?

You guys are great for all the suggestions...

We're fairly certain that the 6600 was never made available in a PCI version. Only AGP (1997-2005) and PCI Express (2005+).

I'm starting to believe this card isn't an nVidia 6600 card at all, but rather something else with a 6600 designation. i4laine, could you provide us with a bit more info on the card (i.e. brand, model and amount of memory)? The closest I've gotten is the PNY Quadro FX600, which is a ridiculously expensive card to put in that box (costs like a new lower-midrange computer).

Morgan,
PCI cards has been made all along AGP and PCI-Express and are still available today. (I just can't find one with a 6600 chip).

/Tiny Googlist

As usual, you're right.

http://www.directron.com/video---cam...deo-cards.html

The only thing I can find in the 6600 iteration is either an AGP card or PCI-Express. I haven't found one in PCI-Standard either. My first thought would be either that it is an AGP card, or like Tiny says it has a "6600" name for some other reason. I would also agree with ED, that if it is a true 6600 series it very well could require another power source plugged into the end of the card. So if you are sure it doesn't require that, then it would lend itself to the fact it might not be a true 6600 series.

Questions
 

:loco:
Okay..Here is the right card...sorry, I thought that was the wrong Model.
BFG GeForce 6200 OC 256MB DDR PCI Graphics Card
Model: BFGR62256OCP
wS('1','15')http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US...isc/spacer.gif
This graphics card supports your Shader Model 3.0-compatible games, displaying them in remarkable 3D realism or an awesome gaming experience.

• Powered by the GeForce 6200 OC graphics processing unit (GPU)
• 256MB DDR memory
• PCI interface

OK here we go, this should be the card then. http://www.bfgtech.com/6200_256_PCI.html Which at least should alleviate the thoughts of another power source as I don't see one on the card.

Bascally the "drivers" link shown on their site takes you to nVidia where you can download the latest drivers, which are 84.21. Is this what you used?

For arguments sake I just updated to 84.25, which is available from ftp only, and with a "5900XT/unclamped/limit frame rate not checked" I get ~210 fps with those drivers. Your card is a later one than mine, you should at least see similar fps if not slightly more.

His CPU is going to be the bottleneck whatever he does. 6600 and a P3 850 is an insane combination, IMO. I also would be surprised if the older AGP slot on the board, while technically supported by newer cards, wouldn't cause problems anyway. I had nightmares trying to run a 8x card at 4x in an older 4x board, I had to switch to 2x for it to work.

He should try to look around for a second hand P4 or Celeron based socket 478 with AGP8x board and switch to that, keeping his card.

Morgan,
Thank you for those kind words... :)

Mike,
Higher model numbers don't automatically mean faster card. an AGP 6200 card can be had for less than $50 - I'm guessing your 5900XT packs more punch than that.

Falz,
It turned out to be a 6200 - not a 6600. You might've been on to something about AGP8x there, but this card is a PCI one as the rig lacks an AGP port.

/Tiny

More Questions
 

Still having the problem with the screen saver freezing up the computer.
I deleted all the drivers to the Nvidia..Reinstalled the latest drivers.
Installed the latest DirectX. Checked other 3D applications.
The Aquarium screen saver is averaging 90 fps. It will run for approximately 20 minutes before it freezes. The shark screen saver
is averaging 20 fps. I have limited the fps to below the 20, nothing seems to work. I have disabled live updates. I have disabled Nortons Anti Virus.
Nothing seems to work..The graphics card is not overheating. Any
other things it could possibly be?

Thanks once again.

[quote=i4laine]Any
other things it could possibly be?

Install the oldest driver that was come with your display
card. ( The manufactory default driver always works with
the special PCI-Non standard card like yours. )
Don't use the lastest Nvidia Geforce drivers!

How is about the the shark and golden fish screen saver running???
Did they freeze also ??