GeForce 2 mx - fuzzy text

[ragtop]

I've always used ATI video cards and have always found them to provide crystal clear 2D images, but they were a little funky in 3D.

So, when I recently built a new system I decided to try an Nvidia card - an Abit Siluro GeForce 2 mx.

Now that the system is up & running, I've noticed that the 2D images are somewhat fuzzy. Right now I'm using a 15" monitor and the current Abit issued driver. At 800 x 600 resolution, text in particular seems pretty fuzzy, with a slight "shadow" to it. (kind of like an old TV with a bad antenna). When I have a dark background up, I can also notice a slightly lighter stripe running vertically near the center of the screen. I know that many of the hardware reviews complain about less than perfect 2D images with the GeForce cards, but this is a little worse than I expected. Overall, the 3D performance seems fine.

Is this "normal" for a GeForce 2 mx card??

Could anything other than the video card cause this?? (I know its not the monitor, that works fine with my other computers)

Any suggestions on how to correct this, or is it just a bad card??

Thanks

[cheapster]

I have heard of other people reporting similar problems with the 2D on Geforce cards (and not just the MX either) but I have had no such problems with my 2 Geforce MX cards (an A-Open and a Creative Annihilator 2 MX). Mine both look fine at 1024x768 on a KDS Avitron and a Viewsonic A70 17" monitors. Maybe it is just the Abit card....
Chuck

[BBA]

There is a fix. If you remove the card, and look next to the monitor video cable connector, you will see some little block looking surfacemount inductors, labeled with the letter 'L' and a number.

If you take a conductive lead pencil and shade over the top of the inductors bridging the end contacts of the inductor, you will improve high resolution display quality.

The reason was the design called for the inductors to filter out video noise, but it had the effect of filtering out the video signal too...bridging the inductors effectively reduces the filtering level and a stronger video signal is sent to the monitor.

Some of the manufacturers have corrected the issue, some not.

[ragtop]

Any other comments or suggestions??

[RobRich]

You updated both your video and monitor drivers to the latest versions?

BTW, the final stage induction bypass works great. Many vendors have changed the induction series for less filtering with latest revision of nVidia cards. However, bypassing the inductors does invalidate the FCC spec certification for the card, thus it has the potential possibility of creating spurious RF signals.

Robert Richmond