Graphics Problem

[Lucita]

Hey all,

I've gotten a new PC, but I'm having some graphics problems. Specifically, all my colors are appearing dull and washed out...and considering I sprang for a frickin' nVidia 8800 GTX monster ass graphics card from hell, I'm fairly annoyed about that. For example, the "close window" X button looks orange instead of red.

I've tried fiddling with the color settings in Windows and on my monitor to no avail. I've got the latest drivers installed for the 8 series (32 bit Vista, like I'm running). I'm pretty sure I have the monitor plugged in correctly...it's a VGA which worked fine on my old computer. I had to put it into a DVI adapter for this computer, though. The monitor's in its native resolution, and aside from disabling some of the upteen million start up programs I haven't changed any settings.

The monitor is a Dell 1907FP. I found this (http://support.us.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R144930&formatcnt=1&libid=0&fileid=193147), which appears to be some drivers that are supposed to make it play nice with Vista, but I can't get any option to install them.

So, um, if anyone has any idea what in the frag I should be doing, I'd really appreciate any help. :D

[PWD]

Any of the modern nvidia drivers will have a "Digital Vibrance" setting you can play with, that basically turbocharges the color saturation.

If you like your display tarted up like a painted circus clown whore, you can manage that rather easily. :)

Check that your brightness/contrast are not cranked. Those can wash out your colors pretty quickly too.

[Lucita]

Brightness and contrast are both at 50%. The digital vibrance helps a bit, mostly by just changing the hue, but the colors look wrong. Like a green is a dullish yellow.

Adjusting the RBG doesn't do anything either.

[PWD]

You sure your old monitor wasn't just whacked, and now you're seeing the colors properly?

[PWD]

I had a look at the drivers. What you want to do is download the zip, and then decompress it somewhere handy like your desktop

Then go into your device manager, select the monitor, and drill around until you see the option to update drivers. Fiddle around with that until you see an option to install drivers you have somewhere on your system (not searching, pointing it at the right spot), and drive it into that folder on your desktop.

Sorry I can't be more specific, I'm going from memory. Anyhow, go this way and you'll have the new drivers installed.

I suppose it's theoretically possible for the colors to be off if your timings were very bad, but it's not something I've ever encountered. So long as you're going 8800-> DVI cable -> Flat panel, you shouldn't really have much to worry about.

If you're convinced the colors are still flat afterwards, consider having the monitor swapped.

[Lucita]

You sure your old monitor wasn't just whacked, and now you're seeing the colors properly?

Unless it can get whacked from being uplugged for five minutes, than it's fine. It was working perfectly on my old machine this morning, put it on the new one and suddenly everything is dull.

I've got the latest video card and monitor drivers on now, so I have no idea what the hell it could be.

So long as you're going 8800-> DVI cable -> Flat panel, you shouldn't really have much to worry about.

Like I mentioned, it's a VGA monitor, but I have a DVI adapter on it because the new machine doesn't have a VGA input. The computer, the monitor and the adapter are all from the same company, so I don't think there'd be compatibility problems.

[PWD]

If your 8800 is like mine, it's a dual DVI output, and there's a preference as to which one you should use for your DVI->VGA adapter.

Other than that there should be no cabling/company/whatever preferences of note here. Your 8800 will put out any resolution and refresh rate that the monitor can handle, and installing the monitor drivers will ensure that it's putting out video in the right range.

[PWD]

Oh, make sure to get the latest nvidia drivers, too. 163.69 are pretty sweet.

[Lucita]

Yes, I have it in the right port...it won't even display anything in the other one. And yes, I have 163.69. The monitor drivers are installed.

And the goddamn thing isn't working.

So what, I'm going to have to spend another ten grand on new frickin monitor too?

Edit: I don't know if it helps, but on the nVidia Control Panel advanced display, the red is appearing black and the green is appearing yellow. The blue looks fine, though.

[PWD]

Your DVI-VGA adapter may be pooched. Tried taking it off and looking if some pins are bent?

Highly unlikely to get a video card that won't output one of your channels (sounds like red, or maybe a couple of pins bridged), but if your adapter has a bent pin, anything is possible.

Let's say it's the DVI adapter - worst case it's like $10 for a new one.

[Lucita]

Your DVI-VGA adapter may be pooched. Tried taking it off and looking if some pins are bent?

Yeah, just did and the pins look fine.

The monitor also has a USB connection that needs to be plugged in...would it matter which port it was in?

[PWD]

No, nothing graphics-wise will be going through the USB. It'll either be for a built-in usb hub, or potentially some shit speakers built into the monitor.

[Dacke]

Could also be the cable. I think I had a similar problem once (the red just disappeared), and getting a new cable fixed things right up.