Extreme Graphical Problems In HL2 Games

General Hoohah · 04-23-2009, 02:09 AM

I haven't played any games in steam lately, I've been waiting for the Survival pack for L4D to come out. I just tried to play it and I got some pretty nasty graphical errors.

When I first turned on the game I got lines across the screen and random large dots on the main menu screen, like when you run power tools next to a television. I thought maybe the card was overheating or something electrical was interfering, so I turned the fan up and unplugged a few things, waited, then tried to play when the temp dropped from 57 to 46. I joined a game and WOW! I've never seen anything like that before. All the facesof walls and objects where streaked across the screen in every direction. It looked more like a modern painting than a video game.

The card is a new ATI Radeon HD 4870 thats only a few months old, and I use Windows XP (for now).

I never had this problem until I updated the card's drivers. I did so to gain the speed control for the fan because the card was running too hot. Are the new drivers the cause or is there some setting in the video card's control panel I need to change? I have no idea what the heck is causing this.

I'm only having this problem with games that use the HL2 engine, and nothing else as far as I'm aware of. It seems to be worse in Left 4 Dead than other HL2 games. I tried playing HL2 DM, and I had similar paroblems but not as bad, but it was still unplayable. I tried running some unrelated games that are not on steam, and had no problems at all. If there's some kind of software rendering test I can use, then let me know and I'll get right on it and tell you guys what the result are, unless someone has a different suggestion.

I really hope someone helps me...

cryptodan · 04-23-2009, 02:10 AM

I would go back to the drivers that didn't give you any grief.

General Hoohah · 04-23-2009, 12:23 PM

If anyone has any advice on how to get these drivers to function properly with these games, I'd really appreciate it.

alssla · 04-23-2009, 12:40 PM

you mean a guide ?

General Hoohah · 04-23-2009, 01:25 PM

Those are just the old default drivers. I don't even know if they'd work on such a new card. That also wouldn't give me the ATI Catalyst Control Center, meaning my video card would remain on the lowest fan control setting and go into a nuclear melt down. I need to be able to easily control the fan setting on the fly, depending on what the computer is running. Sorry, but your advice doesn't help.

If anyone knows any information on getting the most recent Catalyst drivers to work with HL2, I'd really appreciate it.

alssla · 04-23-2009, 05:04 PM

you missed the point but no matter

cryptodan · 04-23-2009, 05:14 PM

Try using Driver Sweeper available via Google.

04-23-2009, 02:09 AM	#1
General Hoohah Join Date: Oct 2008 Reputation: 0 Posts: 8	Extreme Graphical Problems In HL2 Games I haven't played any games in steam lately, I've been waiting for the Survival pack for L4D to come out. I just tried to play it and I got some pretty nasty graphical errors. When I first turned on the game I got lines across the screen and random large dots on the main menu screen, like when you run power tools next to a television. I thought maybe the card was overheating or something electrical was interfering, so I turned the fan up and unplugged a few things, waited, then tried to play when the temp dropped from 57 to 46. I joined a game and WOW! I've never seen anything like that before. All the facesof walls and objects where streaked across the screen in every direction. It looked more like a modern painting than a video game. The card is a new ATI Radeon HD 4870 thats only a few months old, and I use Windows XP (for now). I never had this problem until I updated the card's drivers. I did so to gain the speed control for the fan because the card was running too hot. Are the new drivers the cause or is there some setting in the video card's control panel I need to change? I have no idea what the heck is causing this. I'm only having this problem with games that use the HL2 engine, and nothing else as far as I'm aware of. It seems to be worse in Left 4 Dead than other HL2 games. I tried playing HL2 DM, and I had similar paroblems but not as bad, but it was still unplayable. I tried running some unrelated games that are not on steam, and had no problems at all. If there's some kind of software rendering test I can use, then let me know and I'll get right on it and tell you guys what the result are, unless someone has a different suggestion. I really hope someone helps me...

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04-23-2009, 02:10 AM	#2
cryptodan Banned Join Date: Feb 2007 Reputation: 405 Posts: 7,655	I would go back to the drivers that didn't give you any grief.

04-23-2009, 12:23 PM	#3
General Hoohah Join Date: Oct 2008 Reputation: 0 Posts: 8	If anyone has any advice on how to get these drivers to function properly with these games, I'd really appreciate it.

04-23-2009, 12:40 PM	#4
alssla Join Date: Dec 2008 Reputation: 21 Posts: 243	you mean a guide ?

04-23-2009, 01:25 PM	#5
General Hoohah Join Date: Oct 2008 Reputation: 0 Posts: 8	Those are just the old default drivers. I don't even know if they'd work on such a new card. That also wouldn't give me the ATI Catalyst Control Center, meaning my video card would remain on the lowest fan control setting and go into a nuclear melt down. I need to be able to easily control the fan setting on the fly, depending on what the computer is running. Sorry, but your advice doesn't help. If anyone knows any information on getting the most recent Catalyst drivers to work with HL2, I'd really appreciate it.

04-23-2009, 05:04 PM	#6
alssla Join Date: Dec 2008 Reputation: 21 Posts: 243	you missed the point but no matter

04-23-2009, 05:14 PM	#7
cryptodan Banned Join Date: Feb 2007 Reputation: 405 Posts: 7,655	Try using Driver Sweeper available via Google.