# ATITool destroyed my X800GTO



## jephph (Sep 18, 2006)

What the...?  I ran the "Find Max Core" thing and I came back like 3 mins later and my screen was all messed up, and I couldn't hit abort because it was lagging so bad.  It looked like it was bringing the core down too.  What the crap happened?  Now I can't even start my computer with that card in.


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## W2hCYK (Sep 18, 2006)

you really have to watch it when its on find max core.. if you've read, that is one of the most buggy parts of ATItool.. I dont use it at all, and I do think it should be removed until improved on. 

You really should overclock manually, and you made the mistake of leaving the comp when it was being auto overclocked. Its not too hard to find the max core manually, just slide the bar up and hit apply, then run Artifact scan, and then repeat until artifacts are showing. If it glitches, pull the power plug.

and I hope to god you didnt do it on stock cooling..


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## jephph (Sep 18, 2006)

I hadn't even overclocked it yet.  And the slider was moving down, not up.  It was down to like 50 core when I got back, and that's when my screen started messing up.


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## KennyT772 (Sep 18, 2006)

how did it destroy your card by underclocking?


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## W2hCYK (Sep 18, 2006)

its possible... ive heard that the card will run too low in clocks and the voltage wont be used by the core and memory, and it will actually eventually cook the card, ive had it happen...


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## jephph (Sep 18, 2006)

So, what can I do about it?  $135 down the drain?  I can send it back to Newegg or Sapphire can I?


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## W2hCYK (Sep 18, 2006)

you can try an RMA, since you didnt overclock.. idk..

Describe your problem better.. nothing shows up on the screen? take it out, and try another video card...


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## overclock[r] (Sep 18, 2006)

it happens to me too
u have to shut down the comp, turn psu off, and wait a day
and also, why isnt ur vpu recover on?
i accidentally turned mine off and my temps reached 125c in dod:s
i never play dod again...
125c is insane... i burned my hand pretty badly
and no, solder melts at 400-500c if ur thinking my card is a pool of solder
it definatly affected my cards performance and overclockablilty, before i was at 600/630
now i can barely run 570/610
edit: after reading some posts... u say it underclocked?
lets hope it doesnt try to retain the settings everytime windows boots up, because thats a problem
u will have to reformat or somehow magic ati tool away


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## jephph (Sep 18, 2006)

I'm running another card right now.  Works fine.  When the x800 is in, my power button on my monitor just keeps switching on and off and nothing shows up on the screen.


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## ARTOSOFT (Sep 18, 2006)

Is this another version of this thread:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=14098

The card is dead.  Just bring the card back for RMA.

Regards,
Arto.


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## W2hCYK (Sep 18, 2006)

yea but that guy overclocked it and fried it @ 93c..


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## jephph (Sep 18, 2006)

No.  That's not me, and not my card.  You think I'll be able to RMA it even if I (and ATITool) caused the problem?


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## overclock[r] (Sep 18, 2006)

W2hCYK said:


> yea but that guy overclocked it and fried it @ 93c..



hmmm
how do u fry a card at 93c?
mine reached 125 and still lived (had to pull the plug fast tho)
i think i have a overclocking king... with volt mods this will rule
hmmmm
dunno
but i definatly didnt fry my card at 125
at dod:s i started seeing grid-style artifacts all over the screen so i alt-tabed to windows
looked at ati tool
said 125c
took about a minuite to realize that it was the truth...
then i was like... OMFGOMFGOMFG
then i pulled the plug
it started to smell like burnt plastic though


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## W2hCYK (Sep 18, 2006)

didnt say it was, and he was asking if it was the same kind of problem as what you were having..

They wont know how you broke it, and if its not physically burnt, it wont be visible and a factor that could void the rma..

**and dude.. spend like.. $50 on a new cooler, because you can be sure as hell that that overclocking god wont be around much longer if it continues to go @ 125c.. 

***yea he did burn it out @ 93c, idk how.. not sure what happened... didnt read the whole thing..


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## overclock[r] (Sep 18, 2006)

W2hCYK said:


> didnt say it was, and he was asking if it was the same kind of problem as what you were having..
> 
> They wont know how you broke it, and if its not physically burnt, it wont be visible and a factor that could void the rma..
> 
> ...


i guess my iceq2 cooler fan is disconnecting
oh ya
i remember now
the fan cord disconnected
reconnected and its all good, just bad overclockablilty now


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## ARTOSOFT (Sep 18, 2006)

jephph said:


> No.  That's not me, and not my card.  You think I'll be able to RMA it even if I (and ATITool) caused the problem?


They do not know if you are using ATITool if you are not telling them.  ATITool will not leave any marks say: "this card have been overclocked using ATITool".

Regards,
Arto.


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## jephph (Sep 18, 2006)

All right.  Thanks guys.  I'll put it in one more time tomorrow and see if it works.  If not, I'll RMA it.  Thanks.


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## Konky (Sep 18, 2006)

We got 2 things here that sound weird:
a) you try to find max clock and atitool lowers the clock?
Maybe your card overheated during findmaxclock, atitool detects artifacts and lowers frequency, artifacts still there -> one step down again, and so on.
In any case: it is very stupid to leave the card alone in such processes as atitool does not have any temperature alerts yet. You are resonsible to keep the temp at it's correct place.
I guess you can be glad it's just a x800 as they are pretty cheap these days

b) I strongly doubt that there can be a damage from underclocking.
Overvolting -> yes sure
But it's not like the unused "volt" burn the card, that's like removing a battery from a device and the battery starts heating up and explodes 
Well, we all know this can happen *cought* *sony* *cought* but it's a rare thing 


For the future: always keep an eye on the temperatures, make sure your cooler can take the heat in a stress test (the temperature has to stay stable at a specific point during stress test)


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## savor_of_filth (Sep 18, 2006)

Clocked said:


> ATI TOOL is a TOOL!!!!!! your the one controling the dam program... Tool head!
> 
> as InfraRed said.. GO MAKE YOUR OWN PROGRAM!!



right....


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## overclock[r] (Sep 18, 2006)

Konky said:


> We got 2 things here that sound weird:
> a) you try to find max clock and atitool lowers the clock?
> Maybe your card overheated during findmaxclock, atitool detects artifacts and lowers frequency, artifacts still there -> one step down again, and so on.
> In any case: it is very stupid to leave the card alone in such processes as atitool does not have any temperature alerts yet. You are resonsible to keep the temp at it's correct place.
> ...


all x800gtos with r480core and samsung memory can take over 125c on core and 150c on memory
i learned the harder way...
good thing my card is still alive
if his card was hotter than 125c... there has to be a good reason...


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## jephph (Sep 19, 2006)

Ok.  So I didn't read all the documentation...    Anyway, I'm pretty sure now that it's because I had fraps running.  And Konky, apparently a card can die from underclocking.  I tried lots of things to see if it would work again, including uninstalling ATITool.  Still no go.  So to all you underclockers out there, just know that there _is _a limit


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## Konky (Sep 19, 2006)

Well in that case we don't know if it wasn't overclocked too badly before it was underclocked, eh ?
so if it once is damaged it ofcourse will also have problems at low frequencies
in prnicipe you should be able to underclock to any frequency you prefer, just at some stage it won't work, or you might get timing problems.


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## vortexkrow (Sep 19, 2006)

You wanta tissue? lol  anyways you should not be blaming Ati Tool at all if you are. Just give it an RMA and you will be fine lol.


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## Falkentyne (Sep 19, 2006)

I've been saying since day one to NEVER use "find max speed", both on futuremark and other forums.  Always do it manually, adjusting core by +25 (+10 for older cards like 9800 Pro) until it locks up in 3dmark 2001 Nature, or Trolls Lair or similar shader intensive tests on newer 3dmark versions (hard to do unless you are a Pro User), disable title screen between tests, etc, then back down 10 mhz until stable, and do the same thing on the memory, this time looking for flashing triangles or snow or black dots on the screen and then cutting back on the speed by half of what you were incrementing by (example if you were testing in 50 mhz increments, go back -25).

By using find max speed and then LEAVING the computer (TWO deadly sins), you were worthy of a darwin award by having your card die.

Oh, and to the others, stop telling people that the cards are running too hot.  ATI cards are DESIGNED to run over 80C **BEFORE** the fan kicks into full 100%.  Go have a look with the BIOS yourself and see.  You aren't running too hot (stock volts assumed) unless your card gets close to 100C, then you need to start worrying about improving the cooling.  And 95C will not kill the card.  If you think 85C is too hot, go yell at ATI about it.


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## overclock[r] (Sep 19, 2006)

Falkentyne said:


> I've been saying since day one to NEVER use "find max speed", both on futuremark and other forums.  Always do it manually, adjusting core by +25 (+10 for older cards like 9800 Pro) until it locks up in 3dmark 2001 Nature, or Trolls Lair or similar shader intensive tests on newer 3dmark versions (hard to do unless you are a Pro User), disable title screen between tests, etc, then back down 10 mhz until stable, and do the same thing on the memory, this time looking for flashing triangles or snow or black dots on the screen and then cutting back on the speed by half of what you were incrementing by (example if you were testing in 50 mhz increments, go back -25).
> 
> By using find max speed and then LEAVING the computer (TWO deadly sins), you were worthy of a darwin award by having your card die.
> 
> Oh, and to the others, stop telling people that the cards are running too hot.  ATI cards are DESIGNED to run over 80C **BEFORE** the fan kicks into full 100%.  Go have a look with the BIOS yourself and see.  You aren't running too hot (stock volts assumed) unless your card gets close to 100C, then you need to start worrying about improving the cooling.  And 95C will not kill the card.  If you think 85C is too hot, go yell at ATI about it.



qft
my card can take over 125c


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## jephph (Sep 19, 2006)

Konky, I never overclocked it before it got underclocked.  vortex, you're a lamer.  And yes, I do place partial blame on ATITool.  Does anbody actually read the full documentation of the programs you use?  Didn't think so.  They could easily put a warning in the program.  And Falkentyne, don't really have time to read everything everyone says on different computer forums,


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## cdawall (Sep 19, 2006)

overclock[r] said:


> qft
> my card can take over 125c



look dont spam the forum this is why u got banned last time rpg pls stop telling us all how u reached 125C no one cares 
ps before you say idont know anything cause i dont have the card im getting the x800 vivo w/ 16pp open stock and reading this so i know what not to do


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## infrared (Sep 19, 2006)

yeah, your problem was fraps running. The fps overlay is detected as a huge-ass artifact, and atitool drops the frequency, and just keeps dropping it.

I can't reduce the clockspeed on my x850's below 100mhz, or i get a lot of visual corruption, 50mhz would cause the card to lock, and i suppose it's possible that it could do damage. I suppose this backs it up as a fact.

I know most people don't read the documentation, but when you have $100+ of hardware on the line it really is worth reading.

Good luck getting a replacement, the manufacturer/distributor shouldn't hesistate to replace the card. 

Regards,
~IR


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## infrared (Sep 19, 2006)

overclock[r] said:


> qft
> my card can take over 125c



Yeah, it's getting slightly annoying overclocker.

BTW, 120c is the Tmax rating from ATI themselves. This is the temperature at which the core starts breaking down. You really don't want to be bragging about getting to that temperature, even worse... *TELLING PEOPLE THAT IT IS OK TO REACH THIS TEMPERATURE.*

Your looking for a ban very shortly if you continue with this posting style, overclock[r].


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## cdawall (Sep 19, 2006)

infrared said:


> Yeah, it's getting slightly annoying overclocker.
> 
> BTW, 120c is the Tmax rating from ATI themselves. This is the temperature at which the core starts breaking down. You really don't want to be bragging about getting to that temperature, even worse... *TELLING PEOPLE THAT IT IS OK TO REACH THIS TEMPERATURE.*
> 
> Your looking for a ban in a very short period of time if you continue with this posting style, overclock[r].



sry if i came off as harsh by putting it that way but i saw no other way to put it nicely


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## infrared (Sep 19, 2006)

no man, i wasn't having a go at you 

You're A-OK in my books


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## cdawall (Sep 19, 2006)

infrared said:


> no man, i wasn't having a go at you
> 
> You're A-OK in my books



i was actually apologizing to rpg i dont like being blunt like that but sometimes u know?


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## infrared (Sep 19, 2006)

oh right, yeah.

I'm just concerned about people believing him, and thinking 120c is safe, and damaging their hardware  That wouldn't be good.


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## cdawall (Sep 19, 2006)

yeah 120C is kinda krazy im personally woried cause i saw my card hit 60C i think thats bad on a ti4200 cause it locked and had to be turned off for a while b4 it worked again (lol finally found some temps on it but they went byebye when i pressed the wrong button)


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## WingMan (Sep 20, 2006)

overclock[r] said:


> hmmm
> how do u fry a card at 93c?
> mine reached 125 and still lived (had to pull the plug fast tho)
> i think i have a overclocking king... with volt mods this will rule
> ...



HAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA


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## Konky (Sep 21, 2006)

Same happened to me the first time i used atitool, itss not all that funny.

NEVER use atitool and atis crap background services at the same time, it can somehow DISABLE the fan at all.
My core temp reached 110°C in the short time i went to my gf on the couch and back to the computer, does not look like it harmed the card, but it was pretty close to damage i guess.


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## cdawall (Sep 21, 2006)

well this shows what NOT to do when running atitool  y'all should learn to do stuff by hand and not let some silly program do it for you  move the slider up in 10mhz incriments and run 3dmark and continue once for the ram and once for the gpu no card frying b/c you left the room


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## mhorgel (Oct 3, 2006)

I wish I'd read this thread before I murdered my X1900XTX by running Find Max Core unattended.  There's another $350 of stupid tax I'm going to have to pay.  Don't even suggest I RMA the card...I removed the stock cooler and cemented heatsinks to the memory, so I can't put it back on. 

Mark


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## Sasqui (Oct 4, 2006)

mhorgel said:


> I wish I'd read this thread before I murdered my X1900XTX by running Find Max Core unattended.  There's another $350 of stupid tax I'm going to have to pay.  Don't even suggest I RMA the card...I removed the stock cooler and cemented heatsinks to the memory, so I can't put it back on. Mark



My heart goes out to you dude...  I'm methodically overclocking with CCC first, then will jump into ATITool.

ATITool really should have a warning pop up about finding max core.  I did it with my X800 GTO and thankfully, the system crashed before the core was toast.


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## Old Bear (Oct 4, 2006)

Hi! Did any one try to perform clocking with combination of ATItool & Catalist Overdrive? I set fan speed in ATItool and go to Overdrive. When fan works on other than default, GPU clock goes up to the top, but memory clock stays on 747. On default fan setings Gpu go to 668 & mem clock up to 792! This setings performed superb in FEAR last night, but... Whenever I leave ATItool, fan setings go wrong. Once it runs on 100%, next time returns to default etc. I'd like to set on "try to... 70" but fails every time. What to do? How?

Did your combination of CCC & ATItool enable higher clock setings than CCC?

_____________
Moderator Edit: Please _Edit_ posts instead of double posting. Thanks


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## Konky (Oct 5, 2006)

Dangerous, i strongly suggest NOT to use the ATI services (hotkey poller) together with the atitool features.
There are reported fan "crashes" where the fan stops turning, welcome in the pool of pure heat


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## ARTOSOFT (Oct 6, 2006)

Konky said:


> Dangerous, i strongly suggest NOT to use the ATI services (hotkey poller) together with the atitool features.
> There are reported fan "crashes" where the fan stops turning, welcome in the pool of pure heat


In my humble opinion, the safer way is:
- Download bios from VGA card.
- Edit fan speed according to temperature in that bios (ie. use rabit)
- Flash it back to VGA card.
- and do not let ATITool (or other program) control VGA card fan, let the bios or VGA card control its fan.

That's what I do, release some work from ATITool to VGA card.

Regards,
Arto.


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