Complete *3D* Graphics Corruption

I have no problems with stability, simply the random 3d gfx "fracturing" like in Syntax's screenshot. I was also heavily multi-tasking at the time I did up those reports :\ more than I normally do when actively gaming. And to give extra background, I'm an air force avionics technician, who happens to build and mod computers for fun. I have a large, well ventilated case with several fans focused on hotspots and cables sleeved and managed to minimize airflow impedance. I also routinely clean components with avionics grade electronic contact cleaner to remove dust and visually inspect for any kind of damage. I might be a bit biased here but this PC is extremely well maintained and the ONLY time the graphics fracture is while running CoX. That is the only constant. It has happened in practically every zone, while teamed, solo, after playing a couple hours and sometimes with no incident for several weeks. The only other possible contributing factor would be that it never happened until I switched from XP-32 to Vista-64 to take better advantage of all that RAM. I don't believe it's a heat related issue since I would expect incidences to happen more often as ambient temperature increases with warmer weather. This has not been the case. My suspicion at this point is this may be due to an interface glitch between Vista and CoX. That's essentially why I've ignored it until I noticed this thread, also since it's fixed by simply rebooting.

I'm having the exact same issue with the 185.85 drivers. I'm suspecting that the driver is the source.

I've been having very similar problems for a while now. Here is my setup:

---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.1.1.7---

DxDiag gathered at May 24, 2009 20:44 (-07:00)
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6000) (6000.vista_gdr.090302-1506)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Dell XPS420
BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A02
Central Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
Memory: 3070MB
.Net Memory Report: 1791MB out of 3069MB available
Page File: 3776MB (2543MB currently in use)
C Drive: (MAXTOR STM31000333AS ATA Device) 125424MB out of 289835MB (43%) free
D Drive: (MAXTOR STM31000333AS ATA Device) 5520MB out of 15359MB (35%) free
F Drive: (ST3320620AS ATA Device) 920018MB out of 953866MB (96%) free
E Drive: (TSSTcorp DVD+-RW TS-H653B ATA Device) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\Windows
DirectX: DirectX 10
DirectX Diag version: 6.00.6000.16386 (32-bit version)

Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.

No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.

Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor's Max Resolution: (blank)
Video Device Name: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Manufacturer / Chip: NVIDIA / GeForce 8800 GT
Video Memory: 1778 MB
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.8122
Driver Date: 1/15/2009 9:19:00 AM
Driver Language: English

Sound Device Description: Speakers / Headphones (SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC)
Driver File: stwrt.sys
Driver Version: 6.10.5511.0000
Driver Date: 9/12/2007 1:40:48 AM

Sound Device Description: Digital Output Device (SPDIF Out) (SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC)
Driver File: stwrt.sys
Driver Version: 6.10.5511.0000
Driver Date: 9/12/2007 1:40:48 AM


WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: 0TP406
Motherboard Version:
BIOS Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
BIOS Name: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A02
BIOS Version: DELL - 15
BIOS Release: 20071112000000.000000+000

Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1440x900
3D Resolution: 1440x900 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: Yes
Maximized: No
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 0Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: Yes

Physics Quality: High
Maximum Particles: 50000
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No

Anti-aliasing: 2x
Anisotropic Filtering: 4x
Texture LOD Bias: Smooth
Water Effects: High Quality
Bloom: 1.000 (turned on)
Depth of Field Enabled: Yes
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: Yes
Shader Detail: High

World Texture Level: Very High
Character Texture Level: Very High
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 1.000
Entity Detail Level: 1.000
Shadows Enabled: Yes
Gamma Correction: 1.000
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of Extra Player FX Enabled: Yes
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: Yes
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes

Audio Mode: Performance
3D Audio: Yes
FX Sound Volume: 0.145
Music Sound Volume: 0.145

Show Advanced Graphics Options: Yes
Overall Graphics Quality: 1.000
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: 5672630 bytes/second
Current Game Version: 18.20090422.5T
Installation Directory: C:\Program Files\City of Heroes

Mod files in the Data directory
No modifications found

I've been using a dual monitor setup, in addition to running all the graphical options maxed out. I'm going to experiment with going to a single monitor, lower res, lower graphical settings, and hope it doesn't overheat the card.

If you're seeing rendering errors like the images posted your card is being pushed beyond its ability. This can happen from overclocking, overheating, or physical damage. Although drivers won't create one of these situations, they can make them show up more prominently, especially if they are more performance oriented (like the 185s).

If you are consistently seeing this in the game you're card is on the fast track to failing. If you are seeing this only occasionally, it means your card is starting down that track.

In some instances you can put off the inevitable total failure by using a program such as RivaTuner to force your fan to run at 100% and/or UNDERclock the card. This might buy you some time but won't work forever. As the circuits continue to deteriorate they will become less and less tolerant and will require more cooling and lower frequencies to operate correctly.

If your card is still under warranty you should send it back for a replacement. If it's not, try using the above RivaTuner suggestion until you can afford to replace it.