# ATI Radeon HD 4350 Problem



## Serperoth (Apr 19, 2009)

Hi.
My machine is two years old and recently started developing problems with the graphics cards, while still under guarantee. Two nVidia GeForce 7600 cards (the one included when first bought and its replacement) were burned and when the option came up (after the second one died), I opted to replace it with a ATi Radeon at 512MB. At the time I knew nothing more about the card.
The people at the store did as they were asked to, but when they tested the machine, the motherboard burned as well. So they replaced it, kept the new graphics card inside and tested it again. It worked, so I got it back.
But soon, the screen began getting strange phenomena, such as colourful squares sometimes appearing then soon disappearing, a black screen, and many others, which sometimes forced a hard reboot.
The problem got MUCH worse yesterday, Saturday afternoon (April 18), when the screen froze, with the same squares appearing, so I hard reseted it. Even in the BIOS, the letters appeared triple, and Windows failed to load, with a Blue Screen of Death right after startup. In Safe Mode it does work, but there exists a strange effect. I don't know exactly how to describe it, so sorry if it sounds vague. Vertical lines of stripes in teal and red, sometimes 'copying' parts of the active windows (or background even). I tried taking a screenshot, with Print Screen, but it appears clear. Therefore I took a picture of the desktop with my cell phone. I can include both if requested and I can take more, at low resolution, however, due to the phone camera being 2MPx.
When I uninstalled the card to try to reinstall it, Windows started normally, on 1440x900 resolution. The visual effect was there. When Windows reported that it had found and installed the graphics card, it prompted a restart, after which it reverted to its previous condition of Blue-Screening right after startup.
On Safe Mode, when I try to load Catalyst Control Center it reports that "No ATI driver installed or ATI driver malfunctioning." (or something to that effect. Catalyst refuses to open right now), but everything else works alright, except the lines.
I have tried quite many things, which I would be happy to mention, if asked about them. The last thing I have in mind, is purchasing a DVI-I to D-Sub Adapter, to connect the screen through that, instead of the D-Sub port on the card, but the soonest I can do that is on Tuesday, due to the Orthodox Easter being today (Sunday) and Easter Monday being a holiday.
My specs are:
CPU: Intel 6600 2.4GHz Dual Core
RAM: 2GB
Motherboard: Gigabyte 945-GME DS-2
Graphics Card: Gigabyte ATi Radeon 4350HD (GV-R435OC-512I)
Hard Drive: 1 Internal 320GB and 1 External 250GB
OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 1

Thank you in advance for your assistance and feel free to ask about any further information that could be of help.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

What your experiencing is called artifacts. They occur when the video card is overheating , underpowered , or has damaged ram.

Since you mentioned it was the same machine that supposedly burnt two cards and is now having problems with another (despite a new motherboard) it's most likely the power supply. Post the make and model power supply the system is using. It will be on the power supply sticker inside the machine. Ideally for your q6600/4350 setup you would want a decent 400w or higher.


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## Serperoth (Apr 19, 2009)

I am unsure about opening the case, as the machine is still in warranty, but I will see about it. If the card is indeed overheating, would moving the machine to a different location help? The problems with the cards (first the nVidia ones and now the 4350) started after I moved the machine from on the desk, to under it, where the airflow is not ideal.
I also noticed that the PSU fan felt hot, when I checked if the fans were running, unlike the two case fans. Does that have anything to do with the problem?


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

The pc isn't inside of a closed desk cabinet is it?


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## Serperoth (Apr 19, 2009)

No it isn't. It is to the side of a desk, with walls close to the side and rear panels and a bookcase in front of it. The other side (the one with the fan) is mostly clear.
I turned the machine in at the shop where it was bought (the PSU turned out to be 400W), so now it's out of my hands, but the technician confirmed that 400W are too little.
Thank you again for your assistance.


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## vladimirb (Mar 31, 2008)

Yes 400W is too low if it is some no-name weak PSU...
If you can purchase Corsair 450W it would be awesome...
And if you have by any chance to place case somewhere where it could 'breathe'
that would be nice...


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## Serperoth (Apr 19, 2009)

I can probably do bothm as soon as I get back, as I am leaving tomorrow. By the time I return, The tech people will probably have replaced the PSU with a better one and placing the machine someplace else will be easy.
Thank you for the tip


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