"Static-y" picture after upgrading gpu

First of all, I want to thank everyone who responded to my previous posts that helped me upgrade my 260m to a 5850m.

Ever since upgraded my gpu, something has seemed "off" about my screen. It is a 1600x900 screen. I noticed when looking at dark colored websites, that the picture almost seems static-y or fuzzy, for lack of a better explanation. I can see the pixels changing from dark to light ever so slightly. I even completely wiped the drive and reinstalled windows, and the problem persisted (this isn't the only reason I did a wipe and load, but I thought it was good info). I don't remember this behavior before I replaced the gpu

What I am wondering is- did I not install something correctly or pull something loose inside that could be causing this? I remember reading something about the 260m using a 59hz refresh rate and the 5850m using a 60hz-- could that be it?

In essence, I just want to make sure this is nothing to worry about. My temps are fine and 3d/games seem to be working fine. Anyone have any clue whats going on, or am I just going crazy?

 

It happens with most users here. Just something you have to live with.

 

So it was caused by the gpu upgrade? Or is it a problem with the m15x in general?

 

I think it has something to do with ATI mobility GPUs. Just a hunch. Happens on the 6970 on the M17x and 5850M M15x...

 

can someone elaborate on this ( + pics or smth). Pretty curious . thx

 

It's something that's very had to show without being physically in front of the display. I've tried to capture it with a digital camera, but it is not detailed enough to show up. Basically think of an old analog tv. When it has not signal, there is grain or static on the screen. Think of that grain overlayed over your lcd display. It's very very faint, but there. Best place that I have found for it to show up is to view dark website, such as steampowered.com

 

http://i1037.photobucket.com/albums/a458/miahsoul/gray.png
Look at this and you'll see distinct "static" like movement. It's been discussed before and some of the members came to a conclusion that it was "normal" because it seemed to happen on all M15x's of the members contributing to the thread.

 

No static here

Edit: I zoomed into the picture and was able to notice it so much for that!

 

Yeah, it seems to be inherent in all ATi Mobility cards. It's not really that much of a problem though. Annoying, yes, but just think about how much better the card is over the 260M!

 

how come you've seen static... you're on nvidia :s

i can't seem to notice anything

 

I have an ATi, no static...

 

I'm not sure, I can definitely see static though.
It could just be me, of course, but I have no one around me atm to see if it really is there.

 

Are you sure you're not just see seeing the LCD dithering? The panel flashes between colors if it can't actually display the color that's needed. TN's have trouble in that area, especially with greys and blacks.

 

I have no static either with an ATI card, unless my eyes are too bad to see it.

 

That could easily be it. My eyes are probably just to terrible to tell the difference.

 

seems owners of 1080p displays don`t see the effect, but the ones with 900p (regardless what card they have) seems to spot it


my 2 cents after reading this thread.

 

Pixels are denser, so it's harder to see.

 

That'd explain it for me. I've got the 1600 x 900 screen.

A little off topic, but how difficult is it to find a 1080p LCD + Lid combo for the M15x? Since there won't be an R3 to upgrade to down the road, I might as well max this machine out!

 

Check ebay regularly, there you can find the whole lid for a decent price. Atm there isn't one for sale it seems.

 

Dell Alienware HHXJ8 m15x LCD WUXGA LED KIT | eBay

 

Thanks to you both!
I'll keep an eye out for one as I'm not looking to buy right now, but probably within the next couple of months