Hi! A pc I built way back in late 2007 has developed a problem. The Problem It started by crashing during 3D games, it would normally come up with a messed up screen with a fairly regular flickered effect on screen. As time went by it started to crash during 2D games and now it sometimes crashes if I watch videos, flash games or give it a bit too much to do at once. So it seems the problem is getting worse. I have lowered the resolution of the monitor, thinking that might make things a bit easier on the system, and it hasn't crashed since. Not sure if this is useful for diagnosing the problem, but one thing I did notice with the later crashes whilst still in Windows (as opposed to a game being played) was that I could still move the mouse around for a few seconds, but would then crash completely a few seconds later. All I can do once a crash has happened is to use the main power button to reset. The system I have: CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, E6750 @ 2.66GHz Motherboard - Gigabyte S-Series P35C-DS3R RAM - 2 x 1 GB, Corsair XMS2 DDR2 Graphics card - EVGA GeForce 8800GT, 512Mb Power supply - Cooler Master 600WPSU, Product No RRS-6000ASAA Operating system - Windows Vista 32bit, SP 2. Hope that goes into enough detail Things I've tried. I've tried vacuuming the inside and all the fans, as perhaps something is overheating. They're still pretty dusty but all appear to spin freely. I also took the pc apart to give it a good clean, I can't smell anything like an overheating-type smell, and even took off the cpu cooler. The compound underneath the cooler isn't all that great, so I will order some more, clean and reapply it. I can't tell you about temperatures, as I don't know how to find out those things. Any ideas? Or where is the best place to start? Many thanks for the input.
Download GPU-Z and/or HW Monitor ( google 'em ) and then you will be able to check temps during use & at idle- there are other programs for that purpose too which may be better / recommended more highly, check through Here. My guess would be that the GFX card is on it's way out if it is no longer upto playing graphically intense games / at higher res.
When was the last time you rebuilt the system? it might be worth reinstalling windows if it hasn't been done for a while.
Thanks for the heads-up on GPU-Z. I've installed it and here are the results. When idle or doing simple taks within windows. Core Clock 600Mhz GPU Mem Clock 900Mhz GPU Shader Clock 1510Mhz GPU Temp from graphics driver 61c PCB Temp from graphics driver 46c GPU Temp from sensor chip 53c PCB Temp from sensor chip 47c Fan Speed 30% Fan Speed 3400rpm GPU Load 0% Mem Control Load 0% Vid Eng Load 0% VDDC 1.05v I then tried playing a flash game and YouTube video, not signicant change, which had caused problems before. Upped the resolution to max, 1680 x 1050 and tried Minecraft, as that could crash very quickly for me, slight temp increases but no crashes. Then tried Portal running in a window so I could see GPU-Z, still no crashes, but temps: GPU Temp from graphics driver 85c PCB Temp from graphics driver 62c GPU Temp from sensor chip 77c PCB Temp from sensor chip 62c GPU Load got up to about 85%ish. No crashes which surprised me. Now after playing Portal for 10 mins or so the temps have come down a bit and are reducing. GPU Temp from graphics driver 68c PCB Temp from graphics driver 52c GPU Temp from sensor chip 60c PCB Temp from sensor chip 52c Other readings are much the same as the first set of readings. HW Monitor says, when idle: cpu temp is 25c, system temp of 38c, the cores 32c and 35c. and when playing Portal: cpu temp is 29c, system temp of 38c, the cores 42c and 44c. Does that means much to anyone?
sounds like a classic case of nvidia itis.. lemme guess- you haven't blown out the case in 2 years.. the card is probably about to give up the ghost 85c for a 8800gt is high.. imagine what it was at before you blew it out- the tim they put on stock is garbage too.. probably dried up by now too the card might need a shake and bake to get it back working if your rig passes memtest or prime.. hope it helps http://www.gpureview.com/how-to-fix...-1-preheat-your-oven-to-385f-article-798.html
OK, thanks for the input. I'm building a new pc thanks to some users on this site, so this crashing one doesn't matter too much. Cheers!
