My Radeon 8500 freezes playing RTCW

[Eliminator]

I'm using an Epox 8KHA+ with a stock AMD XP 1600+, Win98SE and stock Radeon 8500.

I have tried all Ati drivers and the Omega drivers with no luck. I have tried all kinds of resolutions with no help. Sometimes I can play for about 3 hours, while other times I may only get to play for 3 minutes before it freezes. It doesn't matter if it's in the morning or at night.

Anyone else having this problem?

I'm about to junk this card :mad:

[funnyperson1]

if you can try running WinME and see if you problem goes away, also wait at least a week or so before junking, ATI is scheduled for new drivers soon...

[Jon]

I have no fix for you but I have been seeing several problems with that game and ATi cards in general. Not made any links as to what configurations are causing it, but the pattern is showing up.

Seems more of them are coming from newer Radeons as well.

[Eliminator]

Thanks for the replies. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

ATI better have some great drivers on the way, or else.

[Snoopy]

My system does that too... and it's a Creative Annihilator Pro (GeForce 256 DDR) on a PIII 850 MHz (Slot 1, P3B-F MB). With no oc at all RTCW freezes same way as you describe and if I increase the amount of video memory from the console (from the default 70 MB) the freezing occurrs even more often. I have yet to be 100% sure the video card or driver (latest XP detonator) is causing this..

[Despotes]

Try both desktop color resolutions, 16 bit or 32 bit when playing in 32 bit color. A FAQ recommended setting the desktop resolution to 16 bit if playing in 32 bit. I was playing RTCW and had a freezing issue too, until I did the opposite of what the article recommended. I put my desktop to 32 bit color, the same as my in game color res. Works great now :)

[Snoopy]

Always running both the desktop and the game at 32-bit color.. and it's freezing a lot.

[Despotes]

Originally posted by Snoopy
Always running both the desktop and the game at 32-bit color.. and it's freezing a lot.

You tried the desktop at 16 bit?

[Snoopy]

Yes, tried it, same freezing issue.. It freezes at any resolution, any quality setting, even when RTCW is started in safe mode, with all the Detonator versions (including the most recent one) that I have (uninstalling them completely in between changes), with the GeForce not overclocked at all or overclocked at maximum that supports. All the CPU/memory diagonstics utils I was able to find cannot find any problem on my system.. Still RTCW freezes. Still trying to figure out what is causing this problem.. the video card (in two years never had this kind of problem with it, with any of the Q3 games nor any other game that I ran on it), the new CPU, the new mobo BIOS update (to recognize the new 850..), the relatively new 1GB RAM, the new ATA100 Promise controller, the new power supply... :( Any suggestion would be welcome..

[Akumu X]

if you're going to junk it....pass it to me. i promise i'll through it away for ya ;)
(i already beat RTCW twice and give a damn about the multiplayer)