Irritating ripple

[Lacker]

I am wondering if some person ,more knowledgeable than me,could give me some ideas on what might be causing an irritating effect on my PC.

Problem
I am experiencing a light ripple effect on the Monitor.It is only obvious with darker colours,and does not happen all the time.

Action taken so far
Have tried the monitor,and it's lead,on another PC---no sign of the problem.
Have tried another graphics card----problem still there.
Have tried the original Nvidia driver,and the latest one---problem still there.

Computer Specs
Abit AB9 mo-bo
Intel core2 Duo 6600 CPU-2.64Ghz
650w PSU
Elite GeForce 8500GT SLi graphics card (factory overclocked version)
3.00Gb DDR Ram
2X Seagate Barracuda 500Gb Sata HDDs
Creative Fatal1ty Champion Sound Card
Hannstar 19ins LCD Monitor

I think that's about it,and as usual,any help and guidance would be gratefully received.

Regards Bruce

 

[eldavo]

What refresh rate do you have set? Right click on the desktop, properties, settings tab, Advanced button, Monitor tab. Higher refresh = lower flicker.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Lacker]

Hi Dave,
Sorry, should have said,refresh rate is currently set to 75 hertz.I have tried them all from the monitor minimum of 59 hertz to maximum 75hertz.Makes no difference,and amazingly is no worse at 59hertz.
One further point,it is not evident when booting up. Only evident when in XP.It has only been happening for the past couple of weeks,and it happens in all my partitions.I was thinking perhaps one of Microsoft's updates might be causing it.
Regards Bruce.

 

[elgato]

Irritating Ripple

Hi Dave,
You mention your monitor is 19 inches LCD.
Is it 19 inches regular (4/3) or widescreen?
If it is 19 inches (4/3), it operates optimally at its native resollution which is normally 1280 x 1024 and at a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Using other resolutions sometimes creates undesirable artifacts. Also, increasing the refresh rate is not recommended as this is a LCD monitor and not a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) like in the old days. At 75 Hz, you do not get less flicker than at 60 Hz, the operating principle is not the same as for a CRT.
Good luck
Gilles

 

[Lacker]

Hi Gilles,
I am not very 'au fait' with the whys and wherefores of monitors.Mine is a widescreen and up to couple of weeks ago,was running with no problems at 1440x900 and 75hertz.Also on my other PC,shows no ill effects at all on these settings.Have just tried the settings you suggested,but rippling is still there,just the writing is blurrier.Have now reduced the refresh rate to 60
Herz,in view of your comments.
Thank you for your input,at least you have taught me something

Regards Bruce

 

[DeRiCo]

Hi Lacker.

Have you got any electrical items near the monitor?

My wife has a small desk fan next to hers as she has bad hot flashes.
Every time she turns the fan on it does affect the screen, causes it to ripple badly.

Dennis

 

[Gandalf0444]

Could also be the screen saying that its about to die,as well

 

[Lacker]

Hi DeRico,
That had crossed my mind,so I moved anything electrical and my centre speaker away from the monitor,to no avail.The only electrical item anywhere near (2ft 6ins away) is my surge protector block with all the plugs.It never gave a problem before,and when I connected to my old PC everything was in the same position and no trace of any flicker,even after a couple of hours.Didn't realise how slow the old machine was,though!!!


Hi also Gandalf0444
Thanks mate,that has really cheered me up,it will be a warranty claim though,it's only 6 months old,as is the rest of the PC.

Thanks anyway both of you.

Regards Bruce

 

[sethmcs]

Another unhelpful comment......

I understand that this is an unhelpful comment but.....I absolutely hate LCD monitors. I work constantantly on computers and my eyes hate LCD monitors. I got a old 19" CRT monitor and love it to death...

This ends this unhelpful comment......:hehe:

 

[Gandalf0444]

Your welcome At least its covered by a warranty so you don't have to shovel out more money to get another one....
BTW what computer company did you buy from out of curiosity?

 

[Lacker]

The monitor came from Ebuyer if I remember correctly,I will have to look up the receipt.Bought the PC in parts from different suppliers,from whoever was selling an item cheapest.So it is a Hybrid.
By the way good luck with your Princeton video venture.
Bruce

 

[Gandalf0444]

The monitor came from Ebuyer if I remember correctly,I will have to look up the receipt.Bought the PC in parts from different suppliers,from whoever was selling an item cheapest.So it is a Hybrid.
By the way good luck with your Princeton video venture.
Bruce

Cool so you built your computer,thats cool gotta do that one of these days:hehe:
And thank you very much! I hope it goes smooth,since it is being used for a great show etc....With a very great U.K. actor might I add

 

[elgato]

Hi Bruce
I just went to the manufacturer"s site and looked at the Support section. Not much information there, however
a) they suggest as much as possible to use the DVI-D cables instead of the analog cables and connectors for better image quality
b)they suggest "a factory reset", please consult your monitor"s manual on how to do this.
It might be worth trying, costs nothing and can't do any damage
Good luck again
Gilles

 

[frankovitch]

i had a monitor doin similar
found it was a dodgy pin in the plug which only showed up on one pc
perhaps physical check of the plug see if any pins are loose indicating a break

 

[SuperFudd]

But you keyed that you moved the monitor to another computer and had no problem. Why would it be the monitor?

 

[Lacker]

I don't think it is the monitor either,have now tried it with my laptop and it is as clear,as could be.
For the sake of about £7.00,I might invest in another DVI-D cable,it came with one,but as frankovitch points out,it may have a faulty pin or two.Wouldn't do any harm to have a spare anyway.However as it is now 0215hrs,in the UK,I am off to my bed.I will consult with Ebay in the morning.
Many thanks for your suggestions all of you,much appreciated.

Regards Bruce

 

[big_b]

I had to replace the DVI cable that came with my monitor kept loosing signal now & again replaced the cable & haven't had a problem since.

Have also had problems with DVI - analog adaptors at times to my TV connection

My beat res on 19" is 1440x900 @ 60 htz

Dave

 

[collinsl]

Sounds like a Graphics card problem. Perhaps a test with a different one...

 

[Lacker]

Well,I've been and gorn and dunnit,ordered a new cable.Will let you all know if it cures the problem.

With regard to the graphics card Mr.collinsl, Sir,As I mentioned in my initial post,I tried another one and the ripples remained Appreciate your input though.

Regards Bruce

 

[collinsl]

Well,I've been and gorn and dunnit,ordered a new cable.Will let you all know if it cures the problem.

With regard to the graphics card Mr.collinsl, Sir,As I mentioned in my initial post,I tried another one and the ripples remained Appreciate your input though.

Regards Bruce

Sorry, forgot to read that bit!

P.S. Please read the sig, it is now Captain Collins (no sirs needed!)