Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Selino631 on January 20, 2013, 04:01:44 PM

Title: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Selino631 on January 20, 2013, 04:01:44 PM
So i've been putting up with this ever since i got this new laptop (Dell XPS 15z) laptop back in May. But its too annoying now to play with so i'd like some help. (Huge pain when in furballs)

I have the Hires pack installed and everything seems to run fine, EXCEPT for players Icon. Icons continuously flicker between that bluish-grey and there default color. (including enemys, which is a big problem). Also, most of the time there is a big black square overtop of everyones plane. It was nice at first cause i could see missions and cons a sector out. but its just annoying now.

(http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s346/Selino30/ahss0_zps9ebf6895.png)
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Bizman on January 21, 2013, 01:37:48 AM
The main culprit is written on the first line of your post in parentheses. I tried to find exact specs for the phrase I found from the XPS 15z site:
Quote
Uncompromising power
Experience pure performance with faster 2nd generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium and NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics.

All I could find on Dell was the "NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics" phrase which could mean anything starting from the GeForce2 of yore. A couple of reviews had more specific information: The graphics card is a GeForce GT525M 2GB (or weaker, depending on the model you have). The reviews say it clearly:
Quote from: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-XPS-15z-Notebook.54790.0.html
Nvidia Geforce GT 525M provides "light entertainment". It is a midrange graphics card
and
Quote from: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-525M.43889.0.html
the gaming performance of the GT 525M is sufficient for medium detail settings in modern games like Battlefield Bad Company 2. Less demanding games should run in high detail settings. The best resolution to choose is 720p or lower due to the limited performance

So, my first advice is to disable HiRes textures and reduce some eye candy. Look at Waffle's Video settings tips (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,231506.msg2813642.html#msg2813642), the bottom section has step by step instructions to get the most out of your card. Sometimes less is more, in your case less eye candy is more playability. In a tight furball you won't notice whether a gauge reflects light or not.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: blazer65 on January 21, 2013, 01:53:04 PM
Read thru the threads in this forum.  Or do a search for "grey icons" or something along those lines, because this problem has been discussed a few times.
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,343553.0.html
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,333595.0.html
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,339183.0.html

I personally had this problem too, as I also play off a laptop.  All I can tell you is that its definitely the graphics card not having enough power.  I was fortunate in that my laptop came with two graphics cards, a low powered one (Intel HD Graphics family) for non video/gaming applications, and a higher powered (AMD Radeon) card (which still isn't great, but gets the job done).  My problem was that my computer defaults all programs to run off the more efficient lower powered graphics card.   Once I figured out this was the case, I was able switch Aces High to run off the higher powered card and the problem was solved. 

Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 22, 2013, 07:36:43 PM
I'm having the same issue.   I'm a little lazy....if someone can recommend an uber video card that I can buy to fix this issue if that will get me fixed? 

System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 1/22/2013, 20:31:42
       Machine name: REACHER
   Operating System: Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit (6.2, Build 9200) (9200.win8_gdr.121119-1606)
           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
       System Model: Inspiron 660
               BIOS: A05
          Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2130 CPU @ 3.40GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.4GHz
             Memory: 6144MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 6014MB RAM
          Page File: 2249MB used, 6323MB available
        Windows Dir: C:\Windows
    DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
   User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
 System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
    DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
     DxDiag Version: 6.02.9200.16384 64bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
      Display Tab 1: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 3: No problems found.
          Input Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D:    0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw:  0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay:  0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow:  0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
          Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics
       Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
          Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
           DAC type: Internal
        Device Type: Full Device
         Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0102&SUBSYS_05811028&REV_09
     Display Memory: 1664 MB
   Dedicated Memory: 32 MB
      Shared Memory: 1632 MB
       Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (59Hz)
       Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
      Monitor Model: S23B550
         Monitor Id: SAM0919
        Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
        Output Type: HDMI
        Driver Name: igdumd64.dll,igd10umd64.dll,igd10umd64.dll,igdumd32,igd10umd32,igd10umd32
Driver File Version: 9.17.0010.2849 (English)
     Driver Version: 9.17.10.2849
        DDI Version: 10.1
     Feature Levels: 10.1,10.0,9.3,9.2,9.1
       Driver Model: WDDM 1.2
Graphics Preemption: DMA
 Compute Preemption: DMA
  Driver Attributes: Final Retail
   Driver Date/Size: 10/6/2012 01:12:22, 12602368 bytes
        WHQL Logo'd: Yes
    WHQL Date Stamp:
  Device Identifier: {D7B78E66-4242-11CF-B978-8B25B7C2C435}
          Vendor ID: 0x8086
          Device ID: 0x0102
          SubSys ID: 0x05811028
        Revision ID: 0x0009
 Driver Strong Name: oem64.inf:5f63e534c036a854:iSNBD0:9.17.10.2849:pci\ven_8086&dev_0102&subsys_05811028
     Rank Of Driver: 00E00001
        Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C ModeWMV9_C ModeVC1_C
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Bizman on January 23, 2013, 04:44:47 AM
I'm having the same issue.   I'm a little lazy....if someone can recommend an uber video card that I can buy to fix this issue if that will get me fixed? 


System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Inspiron 660
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2130 CPU @ 3.40GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.4GHz
Memory: 6144MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 6014MB RAM
Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics 

Cure your laziness!  :furious

Took me one minute to find the dell site with your computer specifications. It appears that they have an optional model with a Nvidia GeForce GT 620, 1 Gt, DDR3 which isn't much better than the Intel chip. It also has only a 300 W PSU, which means you can't put an "über" video card in. Not to mention that the CPU couldn't feed such a card.

The best choice would be to get a real gaming computer and use the dell for surfing and data storage.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Skuzzy on January 23, 2013, 06:28:15 AM
The CPU would be okay, but the onboard video chip is the problem.  If you crank down all the graphic options in the game it will help reduce the anomalies, but the game will look rather poor.

Like Bizman said, that computer would also need a power supply upgrade in order to upgrade the video card to something even in the middle of the road.

Basically, that computer was meant to run Windows and regular 2D Windows applications (Word, Excel,....).
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 23, 2013, 08:05:37 AM
Thanks problem solved then.   Back to Best Buy it goes.   I didn't give it a second thought when I bought it since this computer is so much faster than the old P4 computer I use to play with 5 years ago. 
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 23, 2013, 08:22:22 AM
So I'm looking at  this guy:
http://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-Gamer-Xtreme-GXi990-Desktop/dp/B009LFV95U/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1358950770&sr=8-15&keywords=gaming+computer

Anybody got any better suggestions?

Thank you
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 23, 2013, 09:16:58 AM
I'm leaning toward this one now:

http://www.amazon.com/CybertronPC-GM2242D-Assassin-Gaming-Desktop/dp/B0080NQDLO/ref=sr_1_185?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1358953846&sr=1-185&keywords=gaming+desktop

Bigger power supply.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: titanic3 on January 23, 2013, 09:37:08 AM
I'm leaning toward this one now:

http://www.amazon.com/CybertronPC-GM2242D-Assassin-Gaming-Desktop/dp/B0080NQDLO/ref=sr_1_185?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1358953846&sr=1-185&keywords=gaming+desktop

Bigger power supply.

2x 6570? For $900? You're being ripped off. Can you build a PC by yourself? Or get some one to do it for you? For &900, you can have a kicking gaming PC.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Bizman on January 23, 2013, 09:43:46 AM
Well... neither of those is a real gaming rig.

The first one you suggested is otherwise quite good, but the GeForce GT620 is in the lowest end of the 600 series. Look at the wikipedia table for GeForce 600 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_600_Series#Products). There's also been debate about windows 8 but there are people who use without complaints.

The latter suffers basically from the same symptoms. A basically good rig with an underpowered GPU. Wikipedia has a table of Radeon HD 6000 series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Islands_(GPU_family)#ASIC_table), too. Besides, Radeon HD 7000 series has been on the market for quite a while...
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 23, 2013, 10:32:22 AM
2x 6570? For $900? You're being ripped off. Can you build a PC by yourself? Or get some one to do it for you? For &900, you can have a kicking gaming PC.

I've built them in the past.   I just was hoping I didn't need to put the time in on that project now.   
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: titanic3 on January 23, 2013, 11:21:36 AM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053  Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case $130.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $134
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor $230
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231485 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-8GBXL $41
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148912 Seagate SV35 Series ST1000VX000 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276 LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021 CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418 GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit $250

Total: $1,130

This is my saved wish list on Newegg that I update every once in a while. You could drop it down to $900 if you want a cheaper GPU, Motherboard, Case, and possibly go for a cheaper HDD.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Skuzzy on January 23, 2013, 11:37:35 AM
You could shave $40.00, or so, off by going with an Antec P280 case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129179).
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Bizman on January 23, 2013, 11:46:37 AM
You could shave $40.00, or so, off by going with an Antec P280 case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129179).
And another $40, or so, off by going with an Antec Three Hundred case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066). For what I've seen, doors in computer cases tend to rip off by accident sooner or later. They also hinder airflow.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 23, 2013, 12:57:03 PM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053  Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case $130.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $134
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor $230
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231485 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-8GBXL $41
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148912 Seagate SV35 Series ST1000VX000 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276 LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021 CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418 GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit $250

Total: $1,130

This is my saved wish list on Newegg that I update every once in a while. You could drop it down to $900 if you want a cheaper GPU, Motherboard, Case, and possibly go for a cheaper HDD.
Dam you titanic.   Now I'm building a computer;)   I basically got your build with win7 pro....I remote desktop a lot.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: titanic3 on January 23, 2013, 01:17:35 PM
 :aok Enjoy.  :rock
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ruah on January 24, 2013, 10:00:04 AM
I just got a new computer yesterday and I also have been having this problem - the friendly and enemy icons flicker between red/green and gray/white. . .

its odd because this computer is better - stronger in everyday to my previous laptop. . .

while i agree that dell is not the way to go for desktops, my computer is a research gift from the Japanese government, and they do not accept 'home built' computers.

Current computer:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 1/25/2013, 00:46:26
    
   Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120830-0333)
           Language: Japanese (Regional Setting: Japanese)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.        
       System Model: Inspiron 7720
               BIOS: Default System BIOS
          Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3630QM CPU @ 2.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
             Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8048MB RAM
          Page File: 3491MB used, 12604MB available
        Windows Dir: C:\Windows
    DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
   User DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
 System DPI Setting: 120 DPI (125 percent)
    DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
     DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode


---------------
Display Devices
---------------
          Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000
       Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
          Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
           DAC type: Internal
         Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0166&SUBSYS_05781028&REV_09
     Display Memory: 1696 MB
   Dedicated Memory: 64 MB
      Shared Memory: 1632 MB
       Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
       Monitor Name: 汎用 PnP モニター
      Monitor Model: unknown
         Monitor Id: CMN1720
        Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.002Hz)
        
            

my previous computer ran with a 512 graphics card and a weaker chip. . this one can switch between its Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU and Nvidia GeForce GT 650M GPU with 2GB of VRAM. . .not ideal, but sadly I have to play out of laptops till I settle.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Bizman on January 24, 2013, 10:07:56 AM
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
          Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000
      
          Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
          
          Dedicated Memory: 64 MB      
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Skuzzy on January 24, 2013, 10:38:33 AM
Ruah, you have to tell the computer you want Aces High to use the NVidia video card or it is going to use the Intel video chip, by default.

You can do this in the NVidia control panel.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Bizman on January 24, 2013, 11:15:09 AM
Ouch! I always tell people how tech folks only can read the first lines of a question and now I did it myself.  :( OTOH, am I qualified enough to call me a pro now?
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ruah on January 25, 2013, 05:26:02 AM
Ruah, you have to tell the computer you want Aces High to use the NVidia video card or it is going to use the Intel video chip, by default.

You can do this in the NVidia control panel.

thank you!!

kinda noobish I know. . .
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: blazer65 on January 25, 2013, 08:19:52 AM
thank you!!

kinda noobish I know. . .

I did the same thing, didn't switch it to the stronger graphics card when I first got my laptop, and didn't realize it for a few months. I still have nightmares of the damn gray icons!   :D
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 25, 2013, 10:21:26 AM
Darn it my parts are at the fedex facility for deliver on Monday!   Oh well gray icons for the weekend. 


I think this may be a little off topic, but it there a way I can save my mapped controller buttons so I don't have to start from scratch on the new puter.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Skuzzy on January 25, 2013, 10:56:43 AM
Darn it my parts are at the fedex facility for deliver on Monday!   Oh well gray icons for the weekend. 


I think this may be a little off topic, but it there a way I can save my mapped controller buttons so I don't have to start from scratch on the new puter.

Just save the games "settings" folder.  When you restore it, remove the "video8.cfg" file BEFORE starting the game and that should do it.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 29, 2013, 07:30:23 AM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053  Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case $130.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $134
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor $230
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231485 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-8GBXL $41
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148912 Seagate SV35 Series ST1000VX000 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276 LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021 CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418 GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit $250

Total: $1,130

This is my saved wish list on Newegg that I update every once in a while. You could drop it down to $900 if you want a cheaper GPU, Motherboard, Case, and possibly go for a cheaper HDD.

I'm about 40% through with this build.   The only thing I might have changed so far is to go with a modular PS, however this case has plenty of wire management to handle the corsair.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Skuzzy on January 29, 2013, 08:48:02 AM
I'm about 40% through with this build.   The only thing I might have changed so far is to go with a modular PS, however this case has plenty of wire management to handle the corsair.

I hope you went with a good name power supply (Seasonic, for example).  I have seen to many people build nice computers, only to go with a cheap power supply.  A decision everyone ends up regretting.

Do not underestimate what a quality power supply can do for a computer.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 29, 2013, 10:34:40 AM
I hope you went with a good name power supply (Seasonic, for example).  I have seen to many people build nice computers, only to go with a cheap power supply.  A decision everyone ends up regretting.

Do not underestimate what a quality power supply can do for a computer.
I went with titanic's build completely:

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V


Seems pretty beefy compared to the PS I've installed into netapp filers at my old job. 
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Skuzzy on January 29, 2013, 11:17:38 AM
That supply is made by Seasonic.  It is a good supply.
Title: Re: help. Graphics trouble
Post by: Ray77 on January 31, 2013, 08:29:06 AM
:aok Enjoy.  :rock
My computer, "GANNICUS" became self aware at 7:51 EST last night.   It went togethor pretty easily.   I'm not so sure about the manual fan controls, low and high don't seem to make much difference.   My only "dahhhh" moment came when I wasn't getting video from the radeon card.   You need to attach power!!!lol