# Love the GPU-Z



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Hi everyone. I saw the TechPowerUp GPU-Z on a graphic card review page and thought it was pretty cool so I did a Google search for it and it brought me here. I am just trying the utility out tonight and took a snapshot of it....







I am not sure what the release date is for my card, but I did notice that for Shaders it only shows 12/5 when I know the card is 12/8. Perhaps its one of those things I have to "unlock" on the card. I am a complete n00b when it comes to these type of things so forgive my ignorance in these areas.

I picked up my card last summer from Buy.com when I built this computer. It was a sweet deal at $25 (with free shipping to boot) so I'm not complaining. I just wanted to say "thank you" to whoever made this nifty utility and perhaps I can learn more about my card from you knowledgeable folks here.


----------



## Castiel (Feb 27, 2009)

Welcome to the Forum!


----------



## Mussels (Feb 27, 2009)

welcome.

and you might be surprised at how often some manufacturers rip people off with less shaders/ram bandwidth on budget models - if GPU-z says you're at 12/5, i'd be checking if your ATI drivers report the same thing.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Thanks for the welcome  I dont know how to check the drivers, but Everest reports 12/5 as well.


----------



## MohawkAngel (Feb 27, 2009)

It sucks that GPU-Z dont shows the fillrate for onboard videocards


----------



## W1zzard (Feb 27, 2009)

why do you think x1650 has 8 vertex shaders?


----------



## InnocentCriminal (Feb 27, 2009)

Welcome to the forums!

\m/


----------



## MohawkAngel (Feb 27, 2009)

Are you talking to me 



W1zzard said:


> why do you think x1650 has 8 vertex shaders?


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

Welcome to techpowerup 

X1650 only has 5 vertex according to amd
http://ati.amd.com/products/RadeonX1650/specs.html


----------



## crtecha (Feb 27, 2009)

Welcome to TPU you should join the michigan club.

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=70704&highlight=michigan


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> Welcome to techpowerup
> 
> X1650 only has 5 vertex according to amd
> http://ati.amd.com/products/RadeonX1650/specs.html



Thanks. I was checking the wrong specs then on another site.


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Thanks. I was checking the wrong specs then on another site.



It is very possible that one of AMD's partners released the card with increased specifications.


----------



## W1zzard (Feb 27, 2009)

as far as i remember there are 5 vs units in the gpu, not more, so nothing partners could enable.


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

W1zzard said:


> as far as i remember there are 5 vs units in the gpu, not more, so nothing partners could enable.



Maybe the cut some off from another core ? I'm not sure about how they go about doing these things.


----------



## KainXS (Feb 27, 2009)

yea, only the X1650XT and GT have 8 vertex shaders and have different cores


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Thanks for the info everyone - and the welcomes. I love learning about these things. Considering the card was only $25 I'm not complaining. It works great and does an awesome job with my 22" widescreen LG panel.


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

I remember that was going to be my second graphics card then I got a great deal on an x850 pro.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

I used to be a huge Nvidia fan until the day I bought an ATI card (it was one that snapped into the PC slot - if that's what its called) for $25 which is still going strong in my old computer, which I gave to my mom. It was after that I thought perhaps I'll give ATI a go for my new computer and I got the Diamond card.

Now I'm not bashing Nvidia, so don't get me wrong, but I always held back on the Radeons because their video card utility was always wiggy. And then when I was putting together my new rig I came across an article that said "Do not install the CD software that comes with your card, instead visit the ATI website and get it from there."

I did this and viola! - video utility tool that works. I must say that now after using it since last summer I am indeed impressed. Never a hiccup with this card or the cheapie one I put in my old computer. Has to say something about ATI, ya know.


----------



## InnocentCriminal (Feb 27, 2009)

It's advised to fill out your system specification dcloud, plus I think it's fun to do.

^^


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Thanks, I just added it. I dont know how to do a benchmark so i left that blank.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

I just found out that my card has Crossfire, and i was reading about my mobo and it says it supports Crossfire. From the Gigabyte site....



> With support for ATI CrossFireX, GIGABYTE pushes the envelope once again by delivering highly optimized performance and flexibility demanded by power users and extreme gaming enthusiasts. Designed to provide unmatched multi-GPU support with dual PCI Express connectivity, the GA-P35-DS4 REV.2.1 allows users to take advantage of the ultra smooth 3D rendering, blazing-fast frame rates and enhanced visual quality possible with a dual graphics card solution.



Is this something I need to turn on? Or should I leave it be?


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> I just found out that my card has Crossfire, and i was reading about my mobo and it says it supports Crossfire. From the Gigabyte site....
> 
> 
> 
> Is this something I need to turn on? Or should I leave it be?



Crossfire is when there is two graphics cards, that are connected to the same motherboard and run syncronised. It is only possible on crossfire motherboards, E.g a motherboard with two pci-e slots. Your motherboard has two pci-e slots but it wouldn't be worth the cost for you to get another card. You would be better off getting a new card which perform much better than two X1650's.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Thanks. Just out of curiosity what ATI card would you recommend?


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Thanks. Just out of curiosity what ATI card would you recommend?



For gaming - 4830 or 4850 or 4870. 
If you don't game at all then - 4350.

Either one of these will be 5x more powerful than 2 X1650's. Pick one of them depending on your budget.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

I just downloaded and installed the latest ATI update to my card (ver 8.582.0.0) and now I'm starting to get this little screen that pops up and says, "VPU Recover has reset your graphics accelerator as it was no longer responding to graphics driver commands." There is an option to send the error report to ATI. The last time this happened (about ten minutes ago) my screen went black for a couple seconds.

Anyone know what this is about?


----------



## ste2425 (Feb 27, 2009)

i would most deffinitally recomend the ati 4850 beautifull card i have one currently and with your cpu you would get even better performance out of it then i do, If you have a bit more cash get the 4870 or if you have less cash the 4830 i think it is wont dissapoint you but it depends what you do if your a hardcore gamer then youl need a bit of a beefier card but if not then you wont 

edit : Drpepper you beat me to it


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> I just downloaded and installed the latest ATI update to my card (ver 8.582.0.0) and now I'm starting to get this little screen that pops up and says, "VPU Recover has reset your graphics accelerator as it was no longer responding to graphics driver commands." There is an option to send the error report to ATI. The last time this happened (about ten minutes ago) my screen went black for a couple seconds.
> 
> Anyone know what this is about?



You might want to un-install that driver and go back to the one you were using before it or use 8.4.


----------



## ghost101 (Feb 27, 2009)

http://www.gpureview.com/Radeon-X1650-PCI-E-card-504.html

12/5 according to that.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

How would I uninstall the driver? And where would I find the older 8.4 update?

Doh! nevermind, i found it - Google.


----------



## ghost101 (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> How would I uninstall the driver? And where would I find the older 8.4 update?



http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownlo...px?type=2.4.1&product=2.4.1.3.10&lang=English

9.2 should work fine on an x1650.

here are older drivers

http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/previous/Pages/radeonaiw_xp.aspx


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

ghost101 said:


> http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownlo...px?type=2.4.1&product=2.4.1.3.10&lang=English
> 
> 9.2 should work fine on an x1650.
> 
> ...



Yeah they should work I just checked.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Well I started getting that error report from VPU Recover so I should probably go back to the last stable update, as DrPepper suggested.


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Well I started getting that error report from VPU Recover so I should probably go back to the last stable update, as DrPepper suggested.



Going to 9.2 could also help so I'd try that first and if that doesn't work then go back to 8.4.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

I have the 9.2 already, but you said to go back to the last one because of this VPU Recover error I'm getting.


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

I thought you said you updated to 8.5 in a previous post.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Oops, my bad - sorry. I'm pretty sure I have the 9.2. Catalyst says version 2009.0203.2228.40314


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Oops, my bad - sorry. I'm pretty sure I have the 9.2. Catalyst says version 2009.0203.2228.40314



Ok you should be able to uninstall it in remove/change programs thats in xp then install the old drivers.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Ok, now you guys are confusing me, lol. You were just saying that the 9.2 should work fine, now you say uninstall it. Maybe I'll wait a bit and see if it keeps happening. What does it mean when it says, "has reset your graphics accelerator as it was no longer responding to graphics driver commands" ?

Is that something I should look into?

Oh and one more thing, I was wondering if you guys could link me to some of those video cards you mentioned? I tried checking those ones out on Newegg and I can't seem to figure out which ones you are talking about.

Thank you for your help.


----------



## ghost101 (Feb 27, 2009)

What games do you play? Do you really want a $150 graphics card?

HD 4850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0048 106792627 1067940677&name=Radeon HD 4850

HD 4830 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0048 106792627 1067944946&name=Radeon HD 4830


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

I don't play games on my PC. I was just curious what the next card up would be if I wanted to upgrade.


----------



## DrPepper (Feb 27, 2009)

For gaming 

4870 -> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150338
4850 -> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770
4830 -> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121289

There would be no point upgrading your current card if you don't game.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Ok, thanks everyone. Very kind of you to help me out. I appreciate it 

Now, one last question ... what is the error referring to from VPU Recover? Is this something I should be concerned about, or just a glitch in this update?


----------



## ghost101 (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Ok, thanks everyone. Very kind of you to help me out. I appreciate it
> 
> Now, one last question ... what is the error referring to from VPU Recover? Is this something I should be concerned about, or just a glitch in this update?



It happens usually when an overclock is too high. Instead of letting the computer crash, it simply resets the driver and clocks. But some drivers have random issues even on stock systems.


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Thanks, ghost


----------



## jedirock (Feb 27, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Ok, thanks everyone. Very kind of you to help me out. I appreciate it
> 
> Now, one last question ... what is the error referring to from VPU Recover? Is this something I should be concerned about, or just a glitch in this update?



Read a couple days ago that it's triggered when the OS doesn't get a reply from the video card for a certain amount of time. It's then assumed to have frozen, or the the drivers have frozen, and they're then restarted. Neat little tool.


----------



## W1zzard (Feb 27, 2009)

vpu recover is exactly that. a timer inside the driver that checks if the gpu is responding .. if the gpu hasn't checked in for a while, the driver will reset the gpu which may or may not work


----------



## dcloud (Feb 27, 2009)

Ok then the answer to my previous question about the error message is "its a good thing". Thanks for the info jedirock.


----------



## dcloud (Mar 2, 2009)

Just noticed something today. Every once in a while I will see some jagged lines on the screen. It's hard to explain. Once I saw a couple jagged little squares on my desktop and I thought I had some dead pixels on my monitor until I refreshed the desktop and they disappeared. I'm seeing more them today. If I open a browser or windows explorer I'll see these lines, which disappear if I refresh or close one window and open another. I have no idea what is causing this.

Obviously it's a display issue, which I didn't have before. Any suggestions?

Thanks.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 2, 2009)

a slightly too high overclock, or slight overheating could cause that.


----------



## dcloud (Mar 2, 2009)

Thanks, Mussels. How do I fix that?


----------



## Mussels (Mar 2, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Thanks, Mussels. How do I fix that?



well if its overclocked, restore the stock clocks.


if its overheating, just check the temps with some software. if its 80C or higher, that'd be too hot.


----------



## dcloud (Mar 2, 2009)

I dont overclock anything. Can you recommend a utility to check the temp of the card?


----------



## Mussels (Mar 2, 2009)

dcloud said:


> I dont overclock anything. Can you recommend a utility to check the temp of the card?



well, you could try GPU-z 

if GPU-Z doesnt show temps, your card might not have a temp sensor, in which case you'll just have to touch the heatsink with your finger (carefully) and see if its too hot. If its too hot for you to hold your finger against, its definately overheating.


----------



## RevengE (Mar 2, 2009)

welcome to TPU!


----------



## dcloud (Mar 2, 2009)

Where are the temps monitored in GPU-Z? There's a sensor tab, but it just has these red graphs. I don't see any temp readings.

Thanks for the welcome, xRevengEx


----------



## jedirock (Mar 2, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Where are the temps monitored in GPU-Z? There's a sensor tab, but it just has these red graphs. I don't see any temp readings.
> 
> Thanks for the welcome, xRevengEx



Those are the readings. Look for one called GPU Temperature or GPU Temp.


----------



## dcloud (Mar 2, 2009)

All I have is GPU Core Clock and GPU Memory Clock in the Sensor tab screen.


----------



## jedirock (Mar 2, 2009)

dcloud said:


> All I have is GPU Core Clock and GPU Memory Clock in the Sensor tab screen.



Then it probably doesn't have a temperature sensor on it. You can try the other method that Mussels suggested, touching the heatsink.


----------



## Hayder_Master (Mar 2, 2009)

wellcome to TPU
we are here for everything you ask


----------



## dcloud (Mar 2, 2009)

Touching the heatsink is a job in itself. My case is quite heavy and it took me a while to get it under my computer desk - it just barely fit between the bars. You can see a pic of it here to see what I mean. I'll pass for now. Still haven't found anything that can give me a temp on the card.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 3, 2009)

dcloud said:


> Touching the heatsink is a job in itself. My case is quite heavy and it took me a while to get it under my computer desk - it just barely fit between the bars. You can see a pic of it here to see what I mean. I'll pass for now. Still haven't found anything that can give me a temp on the card.



you wont find anything. your card doesnt have a sensor for software to read.


----------



## nafets (Mar 3, 2009)

When touching heatsinks in my PC for fun, I use the 5 second rule.

If you can hold your finger against it for 5 seconds or more, the temperature is *probably* fine.

Much less than 5 seconds or instant pain means you *might* have an overheating problem.

It's obviously tricky and/or inaccurate to test this way as everyone has varying heat tolerances/pain thresholds. But as a simple check it's a easy method to gain *somewhat of an idea* of how hot your hardware is...


----------

