Attention those having trouble with nVidia graphics

[QuadraQ]

Hello all,

I've been having trouble with Civ IV and Pirates! using the new GeForce 9600 GT I installed in my HP Pavilion m9040n. It's worst in Pirates! where I get horrible 'stuttering' when at sea that makes the game unplayable. For Civ IV it's not a deal breaker, but I get similar 'stuttering' when scrolling around particularly an area that isn't 'cached' from recent viewing.

In doing searches I've noticed others complaining about similar problems, often they seem to be using recent nVidia cards. I've actually created a thread complaining about the problem at the nVidia forums. If anyone else has experienced these issues please post there. I'm hoping to get their attention to get this fixed (pretty sure the fault lies with the nVidia drivers).

Has anyone had better luck with ATI cards? I'd hate to switch, but I want to play Pirates!, and Civ IV is my favorite game, so I want something that will work well with all the Firaxis games.

[MilesGregarius]

I'm running a 9600GT and have had notrouble with CIV; can't say about Pirates!.

[QuadraQ]

Are you running XP or Vista?

I'm running Vista Home Premium 32-bit. Since the drivers are different, it may only be a Vista issue problem.

[Blaupanzer]

I'm running roughly the same setup on XP. No graphics problems even at huge marathon 18 civs. (I don't play at that scale regularly.) Haven't tried Pirates!

[QuadraQ]

Hmmmm.... OK that's helpful. Looks like the Vista drivers are not working as well as the XP drivers. I guess I'm not surprised.

Just to be specific which version of the nVidia driver are you using?

[CivilGribble]

Hi QuadraQ.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...ia-g84-g86-bad

The above link is an article from the Inquirer, regarding faulty Nvidia hardware. Have a read. It basically outlines how ALL Nvidia graphics chips ranging from G84 - G86 are faulty, and have a very limited lifespan.

I too have recently had the exact problems you have described with Civilization IV. I run it on a 32-bit HP Pavilion DV9700 notebook with Windows Vista Home Premium. My display adapter is the Nvidia GeForce 8600m GS.

When I encountered the problems you too are having, I put my laptop into a workshop for a diagnostic check and repair. They came back stating that all of my hardware was in great condition and the system was healthy and virus-free. HOWEVER they drew my attention to the link I just gave you. Allegedly, the Nvidia cards all suffer from over-heating. The official advice from Nvidia AND HP is to use a cooling fan to prevent over-heating of the chip. This is all well and good, but apparently, this measure acts as a temporary solution, and effectively prolongs the life of the chip by a year at the most. Therefore, they will ALL fail at some point. And the official advice seems to conveniently prolong their lives just long enough to see out the warranty period.

I have been told that there is no solution. My laptop is now out of warranty and I am fighting to get some sort of compensation or replacement. Realistically, I probably wont get either. I've spent £900 for 18 months of laptop. Sigh.

Read the article and speak to an expert. I hope your warranty is still in date, if it is, I suggest you go and 'accidentally' drop your laptop down the stairs ASAP.

Pardon my negativity! Hope this helps!