Have you ever noticed strange or inexplicable noise or image distortion on the screen of a stationary monitor or laptop? Usually, all these phenomena are called artifacts. What are video card artifacts, what is the reason for their appearance, and how to deal with their constant manifestation, then we will try to figure it out thoroughly. But for a complete understanding of the whole picture, it is necessary to immediately determine which side effects belong to the category of artifacts of the graphic chip, because some phenomena can be caused by malfunctions in the monitor.
What are video card artifacts: a common understanding
There is no doubt that it is precisely the undesirable effects associated with the unstable operation of the graphics adapter that belong to artifacts.
Most often on the screens you can see the appearance of color or black and white horizontal or vertical stripes, image displacement in the visible area of the screen, blurring the image, out of focus, displaying the image not in its entirety, but in the form of several fragments scattered across the screen, etc. Graphic effects can also be accompanied by focusing of the backlight at one point or in the form of a decrease in illumination on a certain part of the screen, not to mention all other possible phenomena like spontaneous shutdown of moni ora or switch to standby at the most inopportune moment.
Causes of side effects
As for the causes of side effects, it is impossible to name all of them. However, if we approach their classification from a scientific point of view, conditionally all the root causes can be divided into hardware and software. Hardware malfunctions include violations in the operation of the graphics accelerator or its early failure, improper operation of the video card cooling system, lack of power, excessive overheating of the device, loose connection of cables to the monitor (in the case of stationary PCs), etc.
Software failures most often include problems with the functioning of drivers and related control programs, flaws in software such as computer games, overclocking of a video chip using software methods, and much more.
How to check a video card for artifacts?
Detecting the appearance of unwanted effects is quite simple. The simplest method, as many have probably guessed, is visual, because just look at the screen of a monitor or laptop to immediately see the appearance of distortions or effects, which should not be in the normal mode of operation of the accelerator. By and large, such phenomena can be noticed even at the stage of loading the operating system, since the video card is directly involved in transferring control from the primary input / output system to the bootloader and the kernel of the OS.
However, according to most experts who have encountered the elimination of such problems, this is far from the most reliable method for troubleshooting.
To make sure that there is really something wrong with the video card, it is best to use special programs like VMT, GPU-Z, TestVideoRAM and the like. First of all, attention should immediately be paid to the temperature of the GPU. If it exceeds the threshold of 80 degrees Celsius, which for most accelerators is the maximum upper limit, you must immediately take measures. Among other things, it is desirable to perform several basic tests, which are provided, for example, in the TestVideoRAM application. Together, you will get a result explaining the appearance of undesirable effects along with the cause of this phenomenon.
Hardware troubleshooting
Now suppose that the main causes of the failures have been established at least approximately. How to treat video card artifacts? It’s worth starting with fixing hardware failures.
First of all, when it comes to stationary computer monitors, check the cable connection from the graphics adapter to the monitor connector (usually these are VGA or DVI cables).
If it is overheating, immediately disassemble the stationary system unit or laptop case, and then remove the dust accumulated there. Pay particular attention to the cooling system of the accelerator itself (meaning a discrete graphics card installed in a separate slot). It also does not hurt to check the current supplied to the card. It is possible that the power supply is too weak, so the graphics chip simply does not have enough power. Finally, look at the video card itself and examine it for physical damage. If something is discovered, it will either have to be repaired or changed (as practice shows, it is easier to buy a new device than to repair an old one).
Note: if you have two graphics chips installed on your computer (discrete and integrated), before performing any of the above steps, switch to the BIOS to use a different device, rather than the one that is currently the main one. For example, if you find artifacts of an NVIDIA video card or a similar discrete chip, change it in the settings to an integrated adapter (usually these are sections like Primary Graphics, Onboard Devices, or something similar). If the situation is exactly the opposite, switch to a discrete card. Just replace the integrated chip soldered into the motherboard will not work on its own.
Drivers and Important Platform Update Issues
Now let's see what the artifacts of the video card are, and why they appear, in relation to software components (control or maintenance). First of all, it concerns the management software called drivers.
The simplest and most effective solution in this situation will be updating the drivers. Performing such operations through the “Device Manager” is not recommended (anyway, Windows will find only the most supposedly suitable software, and exclusively from its own stationary or online database), but it’s better to download the updated driver directly from the official resource of the device’s manufacturer, and then install it yourself. To simplify the actions, you can also use automated programs that will find and install the most current driver versions without your participation (Driver Booster, DriverPack Solution Online, etc.).
However, such actions can sometimes not give an effect. How to remove video card artifacts if the proposed option did not work? The reason for the unstable operation of the graphics chip, as it turns out, may not be the drivers at all, but some important components of additional platforms that are directly involved in ensuring the full functionality of the video card.
In this situation, it is highly recommended that you upgrade to the most current supported version of all platforms like DirectX, .NET Framework, and C ++ Redistributable. The last component can be presented in the system in several modifications (this is sometimes required for different programs and games installed on the computer), and you can’t delete previous versions in any case!
What to do when artifacts appear after updating drivers?
Now let's assume that the video card artifacts on the monitor screen appeared after the update of the driver package. Yes, indeed, this happens quite often and is usually associated only with the fact that the updates themselves have many so-called bugs. In this case, the drivers should be rolled back to the previous version.
And here, the simplest method is the use of the “Device Manager”, in which you should go to the properties of the graphics adapter and click on the rollback button on the driver tab.
Troubleshoot computer games
Finally, a few words about eliminating video card artifacts in games. We don’t take into account the “glitches” of the games themselves, especially when it comes to pirated versions and builds. In such a situation, it is better to delve into the graphics and video settings in the game itself, slightly lower the screen resolution or the FPS level. As an additional tool, you can also use utilities to optimize graphics accelerators for computer games, in which you can choose a game from the list of the most popular ones yourself.
How to get rid of factory overclocking?
So, what are video card artifacts, and how to deal with them, a little understood. It remains to note the last factor. The fact is that some graphic chips are already released in overclocked form and usually have the designation “Ti” in the name.
To reduce the load on the card during operation or when playing demanding games, it will be easiest to use applications like MSI Afterburner or NVIDIA Inspector, only the graphics chip will not need to be overclocked, but the opposite steps will be taken, reducing the accelerator temperature and the frequency of the video memory (Memory Clock), By lowering the voltage on the GPU (Core Voltage) or by adjusting other important parameters.