Graphics Problem

[Adipose]

Various individuals, such as the husband of Adrienne Avenicci, are now represented by a red triangle with a

 

white coffin shaped center piece. There are two in whiterun, and others scattered about Skyrim. The red

 

and white combo forms the center of the body with feet, head and hands sitcking out. It is still possible

 

to interact with these individuals, however, I assume that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that further

 

deterioration will occur. Also, at odd moments, long bits will extend outward from the bodies of various

 

individuals, though this is not a permanent problem, unlike the red and white business. Further, there

 

will occur at various times a shimmering at the bottom of my screen.

 

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the game. I've shut down all the plugins and restarted the game in vanilla.

 

No change in problem. I assume that it's either a failing graphics card, failing cpu, or deterioration in the

 

baisc game program. My guess is that it's the graphics card but my limited knowledge of the inner working

 

of a computer leaves me at pretty much a complete loss. I'd appreciate some advice that enable me to deal

 

with the problem.

 

 

[LeddBate]

Your guess about the GPU is probably spot on. What you've described has most of the hallmarks of a failing Graphics card.

 

However, It might be your PSU. A power supply (especially if it's a cheap no-brand one) can cause all sorts of havoc as it deteriorates (-until it goes "SNAPCRACKLEPOP" -and lets all the magic smoke out. Possibly frying your mobo/CPU, RAM and maybe even your GPU in the process.)

 

Please list your rig's stats for us (OS, Mobo, CPU, RAM type and amount, GPU and PSU brand, wattage and rating) so that we can try more advanced troubleshooting if the basics don't work for you.

 

In the meantime, lets try some basic troubleshooting.

When you open your rig's case. Try to work in a static-free environment. (Static electrical discharges through your mobo or components can be death to your rig.) Work on a wooden or stone floor if possible. Use rubber gloves if you can't (or the atmosphere in your house is really dry.) For ease of access, unplug all your cords from your rig. You will need a Philips screwdriver of average size. A good desk light on a movable arm will be very useful.

 

PSU Troubleshooting:

Why check the PSU first? Because if that's your issue, you don't want to expose a new GPU (or any other new components) to the surges that a bad PSU could be generating as it deteriorates.

 

Open your case. Look inside and determine what wattage the PSU is (if you don't already know.) If it's a cheap PSU that doesn't even have the info printed on it... Ruh, roh, Raggy. That's a bad indicator right there. A GOOD PSU will have the brand name, wattage and whether it has a bronze, silver or gold rating (and what type of rating) prominently displayed on it. If you have at least a 80+ bronze rating, that's good enough.

 

Study the PSU's position in the case and lay the case down in such a way that you can unscrew the PSU's mounting screws without dropping said PSU on your mobo and/or other components. For most rigs, you simply lay the case on it's side (mobo closest to the table) since most PSU's are extracted through the rear of the case. Before you unscrew the PSU from it's mounting bracket, unplug all the leads from your components. This is usually just the mobo, GPU, hard/solid state drives and a disc drive (if you have one.) But you might have some fans plugged in with molex adapters if you didn't have enough fan headers on your mobo and you have lots of fans. Don't worry about what plugs into what. All PSU connectors are "keyed" for their components. You won't accidentally plug your mobo's power connectors into your GPU. They simply don't fit. Once you've unplugged your components from your PSU, unscrew it from your mounting bracket and set it aside for now.

 

Obtain a spare PSU of roughly the same wattage. Until you post your stats, I'm going to say at least 550 watts to make sure we've got you covered. If you don't have one, see if you can cannibalize (err, I mean "borrow") one from another computer. If you don't have any, see if a friend or relative has a spare one they can loan you.

 

Screw back in the new/borrowed PSU and re-connect all your power leads. Do NOT put your case's cover back on yet. Set your case upright and plug all your connections back in. Now power up. Nothing happened? Power down and look inside your case. Did you miss connecting your mobo, GPU or drives to the PSU? Did you forget to turn the PSU's breaker switch on? Once you've resolved the issue, power back up and load up Skyrim. is the game functioning properly? Congratulations. You now know you need to purchase a new PSU. Hopefully none of your components have suffered any damage from the bad PSU.

 

Do the problems still persist? Then it's time to troubleshoot the GPU. However, leave the new/borrowed PSU in for now. Why? Because you want to make sure that you test the GPU with it instead of the old PSU. After all, they might BOTH be bad.

 

GPU Troubleshooting:

Determine what graphics card you have in your PCI-e slot. I presume your system is not so old that you do NOT have a PCI-e slot. If your system is so old that it runs on XP.... Ewwwww.

*ahem* Anyway... -Do you have a spare GPU? If not, do you have a friend or family member that can loan you one temporarily? Once you get your hands on a spare GPU, prepare to open your case again.

 

Lay the case down so that the mobo is closest to the table. Open the side of the case. Remove the power plug(s) from your GPU. Unscrew the retaining screw(s) that hold the card to the back plate. Most PCI-e slots have a small retaining clip that you have to depress to unlock the GPU. Make sure the card is unlocked and then gently pull it out of your PCI-e slot. Do NOT wiggle the card back and forth! This may damage the card and/or the PCI-e slot. Once you have the card out, lay it aside for the time-being. Push the new/borrowed GPU gently into the PCI-e slot. Once it is fully seated, the retaining clip should pop back upright. Screw back in the retaining screw(s) and then plug the power lead(s) into the GPU. Do NOT close your case yet. Instead, turn your case back upright and plug all your cables back in. Power-up your rig. Nothing happens? Power back down and check to make sure that you properly seated the GPU and that you plugged in the required power lead(s). Once you've corrected the issue, power back up. Load up Skyrim and see if the game is working properly. If so, good. Now you absolutely know you need to buy a new GPU. If you still have the new/borrowed PSU from the troubleshooting above still installed, you could put your old PSU back in if you wish. If the problems return, then BOTH the GPU and PSU were bad. You'll have to replace both.

 

Do the problems still persist after the GPU changeout while still using the new/borrowed PSU? Well, we've changed out the PSU and the GPU. So it'll be time for more advanced troubleshooting. If you have a local computer store that you trust, might be best to take the rig in at that point. Be sure to describe the troubleshooting you've already done to them.

Edited January 10, 2017 by LeddBate

[Adipose]

The power supply is a Cougar RS 650, with an 80+ rating(might be a silver if the color of the rating shield is an indicator), and, obviously, a total wattage of 650. The data as to various amperage, wattage, etc is

 

also listed. I have a used powder supply that I can use, but it's a honker, being an ET850 from Etasis electronics. There's no rating indicator in the ET unit, however, it does have a lot of other data available.

 

Apparently it's nvidia SLI ready (whatever that means), and has a number of other symbols on the sticker: smiley face with ROHS at the top, C E CB, an octagon with TUV inside it, plus a number of other letters, etc.

 

This ET unit is quite possibly too big to fit comfortably in my current mid size case...lots of cords that my current unit doesn't have.

 

My OS is Win 7 Home Premium 64 Bit, MOBO is an ASUS (can't determine the data for it), CPU is an AMD FX 4100 quad, GPU is a AMD R7-360. Have looked over the MOBO as much as possible and so far haven't

 

noticed anything swollen or leaking. Also have a spare GPU, but it's way too long for my current mid-size. I've been saving these large components for a new comp that I'm planning.

 

BTW, do I still need to uninstall the GPU before I take it out. Back in the 95-XP days that was required.

[LeddBate]

According to Cougar's listed stats, it is an 80+ bronze rating. Plenty good enough. The ET850 is a very good PSU. Ironically, it does NOT have a 80+ rating, but has solid reviews from all over. Go ahead and test using the ET850 if it will fit in your case. See if you can tuck extra cords in your unused drive bay area.

 

BTW, "Nvidia SLI ready" means that the PSU can supply power to multiple Nvidia-brand GPUs on your mobo hooked together via Scaleable Link Interface. A fancy way of saying that the GPUs share the processing load for your graphics, -meaning faster render times and higher resolutions. Of course you must have a 2nd PCI-e slot on your mobo to take advantage of this. Oh, and your GPUs must be identical.

 

Your CPU and GPU are a bit dated (but you knew that.) But they were good "middle-of-the-road" components in their day. Plenty enough oomph for Skyrim. Your GPU is roughly equivalent to a Nvidia GTX 750.

 

If you test with the other PSU and the problem persists, see if you can find another GPU to test with since you've stated that your current extra GPU is way too big to fit in your case.

 

"Uninstall the GPU before you take it out"? I'm going to assume you are referring to uninstalling the drivers for the GPU, -in which case the answer is no. Simply pull the old GPU out and put the new (test) one in. Win 7 should automatically search for any additional drivers you need.

 

So, you're collecting parts to build a new rig? That's cool. You might want to start a new thread listing the parts you've already purchased and asking for advice on what you need to complete it. Be sure to list the remaining budget you have for components.

[Adipose]

Many thanks for the solid advice and info. Updated drivers all across the board and cut out certain memory hungry mods and finally cleared up the problem...at least for the time being. My daughter thinks that I exceeded my vram

 

capabilities. I'm running close to max mods and some were real hungry. I've eliminated ETAC, Japan Lodge, and a few others that worked in the background. Frankly, to run some of the really big mods I'm reasonably sure that

 

my mid level system just can't handle them...at least not more than one or two. Getting rid of ETAC and several charmods helped performance quite a bit, as did deactivating Japan Lodge. All that is just too bad. Those are great

 

immersion mods. Japan Lodge in particular is pretty amazing if one wants to run a Samurai character. If I had built that mod, I'd have tried to create Tatami's for use as bedding and gone without western style beds. Failing

 

Tatami's I'd have substituted bedrolls. The mod is huge, brilliant, and no load all the way through. Don't know if no load is good or bad, but it's nice. Anyway, as soon as I can, I'm gonna upgrade the GPU and the CPU just to be

 

on the safe side.

[LeddBate]

I'm glad things have worked out for you.

 

My friend has taken me to task as, after reading your original post, told me I was an idiot for not thinking about VRAM limits when your AMD R7-360 only has 2GB. And that I shouldn't go scaring people into thinking their rig needs work when it might be something far simpler (as it turned out to be.) Had it actually been your GPU failing, my friend says, you would have been experiencing flickering, jagged interference lines onscreen, color destabilization, loss of higher resolutions and CTDs. Weird symbols and missing textures are signs of running out of memory (as you just experienced.)

 

So, my apologies on that. I really should have known better.

 

On the bright side, if you ever DO experience technical issues with your GPU and/or PSU, -at least you now know how to troubleshoot.

 

Start a new thread when you're reading to upgrade if you want advice. Lots of people here are knowledgeable about which CPUs and GPUs work best with different mobos. Either of your current PSUs are plenty powerful enough to run any single GPU you upgrade to. So you don't need to worry about that.

[Adipose]

Hey, it's all good. All of life is a learning experience and I now know a LOT more than I did about comp behavior. Again, thanks much. "Live Long and Prosper", Adipose