New PC, the desktop is grainy, help

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NathanP2007

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So i consider this gpu related, and there isnt exactly a better place to ask this so il ask here. I just built a new PC for my friend and put in my GTS-250. It has a clean install of Vista on it, fully updated, and the GPU has the newest drivers.

The problem is the desktop and pictures and everything when using windows except gaming, is grainy. What can be some causes of this and how can i fix it? I have told him to try diff resolutions (native is 1980x1050 which its at) and to go into the nvidia settings application and see if theres anything to adjust and he says no. Can anyone help?
 
1980x1050? Really?

Aside from that cracked out res, his sharpness is probably cranked up.
 
The GPU is DVI, i have a DVI-HDMI adapter going to a HDMI cable. I have used it before (cable, adapter etc on previous computers and so i know its not those)

I actually meant 1920x1080. Sorry. I dont think its his display because both he and i had the problem on our own displays. And mine has my PC (in rig) using my display now and theres no grain at all. And he used his old PC on his display for years and there was no grain at all.

I will however try to have him lower his sharpness. Is there a in windows spot to do that? Or do you mean in the Nvidia settings?
 
450 said:
Sharpness settings on his monitor.
Click to expand...
Hmmm he had it on dynamic and he just set it to standard but says it still looks grainy. I just told him to try the manual sharpness slider and adjust it to find improvement and he did and didnt notice any improvement. Is there any windows settings or nvidia settings that can be adjusted for grainyness?
 
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Can you try another video card? Preferably one from AMD (ATi).
 
450 said:
Can you try another video card? Preferably one from AMD (ATi).
Click to expand...

Some info regarding that. I have used the GTS-250 for a long time and never had any issue when it was my primary GPU. Regarding AMD card, no sorry, my first AMD card is my 6950 thats in my rig. I will keep trying to find a windows/nvidia setting, but i will also have him swap out his GTS-250 for one of my 8800GT 's just to see if that does anything.
 
How long ago did you build him this system? Obviously it didn't do this when you first built it so it could be that the card is dying now. Any chance he can try and shut down/ reseat the card in the pcie slot, make sure no bent pins in the monitor cables etc.. If he's not technical enough for that you may have to bake a trip to his house to check it out.
 
Lord_Exodia said:
How long ago did you build him this system? Obviously it didn't do this when you first built it so it could be that the card is dying now. Any chance he can try and shut down/ reseat the card in the pcie slot, make sure no bent pins in the monitor cables etc.. If he's not technical enough for that you may have to bake a trip to his house to check it out.
Click to expand...

Yeah those are all definite options i will try. I think i have had the card for 2 years (never OC'ed) and has been sitting outside a PC for 3-4 months id say in a GPU static free bag. Id be sad if its dieing considering my 3-4 year old 8800GT's are alive and kicking. Is it possible to plug the cable into the second DVI slot on the card to see if maybe its the first DVI slot? I will also try re-seating the GPU, and try the 8800GT.

EDIT: I got the card 6/2009.
 
OP, Are you hooking this up to a monitor or a HDTV? If its an HDTV, make sure you have it set as a PC monitor...Almost all modern HDTVs have settings for PC displays only that vastly improve the look of HDMI connections..On that note, I have an LED backlight Samsung LCD (monitor) that looks wonderful via DVI, but no matter what I do via HDMI it looks fuzzy.
 
ccityinstaller said:
OP, Are you hooking this up to a monitor or a HDTV? If its an HDTV, make sure you have it set as a PC monitor...Almost all modern HDTVs have settings for PC displays only that vastly improve the look of HDMI connections..On that note, I have an LED backlight Samsung LCD (monitor) that looks wonderful via DVI, but no matter what I do via HDMI it looks fuzzy.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I will ask him (he does have a 23" Samsung HDTV). My only issue with that is it was grainy on my setup too. Which also IS a HDTV, BUT im using my HDTV right now as a PC and i have no grain at all. He hadnt used HDMI on his monitor before, his old PC was hooked up through the PC slot...which i assume is VGA.

EDIT: Heres his monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001336
 
NathanP2007 said:
Is it possible to plug the cable into the second DVI slot on the card to see if maybe its the first DVI slot? I will also try re-seating the GPU, and try the 8800GT.
Click to expand...

You can try the other dvi port but make sure he shuts down, plugs into the other dvi, and then powers on his system after it's plugged in. You can't hot swap as it doesn't work that way.
 
DVI and HDMI are identical minus sound. A DVI cable will make no difference unless your HDMI cable is bad.
 
bigddybn said:
DVI and HDMI are identical minus sound. A DVI cable will make no difference unless your HDMI cable is bad.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure thats the case. Timings seem to be different. The graphics card treats a television a lot differently than a monitor.
 
Have you messed around with ClearType? Make sure ClearType is turned off. It's subjective, but I find text to be blurry with ClearType turned on. Text is much sharper with ClearType turned off. Also, try changing the font sizes. I find that text looks better at certain font sizes than others - yeah, this is crazy, but that's how I feel, at least on my monitor.
 
new monitor?? Try it on another computer and see if it it still looks grainy. If it is then replace the monitor or live with it. Also check for any kind of protective peel-off film on the screen, sometimes they ship with one and they're not always obvious.
 
If DVI-DVI works (clear picture), what DVI cable type should i buy? There are like "DVI-D, DVI-I, etc"

I would assume this, but can anyone confirm? http://www.pchcables.com/2medvdidulim.html

I think he used VGA (It was called "PC port on his tv) with his old computer , does VGA carry audio? I noticed the DVI-D i linked doesnt. Im just not sure if he needs it to carry audio or not yet.
 
Ok so i gave him my DVI-DVI cable from my 22 inch monitor, and he says the grainyness is like gone on the desktop and pictures and etc. However he says picture quality when gaming has gone down. Is that possible or is it just because hes looking for differences that he thinks hes seeing less quality when gaming?
UPDATE: His explanation which makes logical sense to me but could be wrong, is that there was grain everywhere, but the grain actually helped when gaming, and now with a clear quality (no grain), the desktop looks great, but gaming looks less sharp. But he thinks the grain actually helped it look sharper, now without the grain the game looks how it should though. Opinions on that?
 
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I just went through this eyeball shredding experience with a 8800GTS and a Samsung B2430HD, and the solution couldn't be any less intuitive from the PC troubleshooting side.

Rename the source on the HDTV. :eek:

Seriously.

The Samsung HDTVs recalibrate the input based on what the source "name" is changed to. In my instance, the cabling from the PC to the HDTV is a DVI-HDMI. With the TV in factory default, there was nothing I could do with NTune, the picture resize function on the TV, overscan compensation, nada.

On the TV, go to Menu - Source List - Edit Name - find your source, in my case it was HDMI1 - scroll through the list and select PC or DVI PC. As soon as you scroll into one of those two options, the text goes razor sharp.
 
Strikemaster said:
I just went through this eyeball shredding experience with a 8800GTS and a Samsung B2430HD, and the solution couldn't be any less intuitive from the PC troubleshooting side.

Rename the source on the HDTV. :eek:

Seriously.

The Samsung HDTVs recalibrate the input based on what the source "name" is changed to. In my instance, the cabling from the PC to the HDTV is a DVI-HDMI. With the TV in factory default, there was nothing I could do with NTune, the picture resize function on the TV, overscan compensation, nada.

On the TV, go to Menu - Source List - Edit Name - find your source, in my case it was HDMI1 - scroll through the list and select PC or DVI PC. As soon as you scroll into one of those two options, the text goes razor sharp.
Click to expand...

As was mentioned previously in this thread, I had a similar problem with my Samsung HDTV the first time I tried to hook up a PC to it via a digital connection. It had a really awkward mega-sharp filter look going on, and I couldn't figure out why.

Turns out there's a setting in the TV's configuration menu to tell it that the source is a PC (and not a cable box or dvd player or something), and changing that fixed the problem, for me.
 
Wow thanks guys, i will have to tell my friend who was having the problem this thread is about, everything you've said. :)

One thing i just thought of however is i think that it was grainy on my TV as well. Then he went home and hooked it up and it was grainy on his tv as well. Which doesnt make sense if it was the TV settings, because my PC is hooked up to my TV right now in the exact same way (HDMI) and there is no grain issues. Then you hook up his PC and his Vista is all grainy. I'll update if anything changes because i just got a new GPU that i'll be lending him so maybe changing GPU's will remove the problem.
 
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