Snarkpit Forum Index » General Banter » video crash
video crash
1
Post Reply
Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by DrGlass on Mon Jan 10th at 3:49am 2005

I've tryed everything. diffrent drivers, updates, re-installs, etc. but I keep having huge problems while running hl2 (for the most part) as well as other games.

I'll fire up a game and it will work fine for hours then boom... out of no where the screen flicks off like its going into suspend and the computer stops responding. Other times, with hl2 and hammer, the program will start to slow down and studder and then freeze up. There will be artifacting other times there wont...

help me please!

Radeon 9600 128mb pro
1.8ghz AMD
512 RAM

I'm pulling my hair out here!




Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Orpheus on Mon Jan 10th at 3:54am 2005

its prolly hot, hows your cooling situation?

try turning its acceleration down for a while and see if it stops borking.. if it does, i bet its hot.

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by fraggard on Mon Jan 10th at 3:59am 2005

It might be a heating issue. It could either be your processor or your graphics card. Try checking the fans and heatsinks, make sure the fans are all running and not clogged up with dust or anything, make sure the heatsinks are sitting flush and haven't popped out. Even if this isn't the problem, it can't hurt.

*Edit: Didn't see orphs post... must've happened while I was typing this :/




Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by DrGlass on Mon Jan 10th at 4:29am 2005

Its all clean and cool, I've even run test while gameing and there has been no heat issues on the processor. I havn't tested the graphics card, but not only did it work fine in my last computer but there is a fan right under it (in the PCI slot).

I think it has somthing to do with my drivers. What really really bugs me is that I was able to play through hl2 fine on the ATI beta drivers that came out with hl2, but after I updated it stopped working. I've rolled back my drivers and I've even tryed 3rd party drivers.




Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Foxpup on Mon Jan 10th at 5:39am 2005

Faster CPU, more RAM. Don't worry about overheating - my computer runs too hot to touch and it seems just fine. The exact temperature is between 68 and 72 degrees C and there's no problems. Of course, if it gets so hot you see smoke coming out, then that can cause problems... [addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Crono on Mon Jan 10th at 6:14am 2005

Sorry, but if your computer is getting too hot to the touch, then it probably wont stand the test of time. Also, you might want to look at your power supply, that's usually what causes things like that. However, you're also in a warmer part of the world (if I'm not mistaken) and that plays a role too.

In any case, Fox, if your computer hiccups, don't be surprised.

Glass, there might be a problem with your graphics card fan. There may be an issue with some of your graphics card's memory (That's what usually causes artifacts along with GPU overheating). But then it may be the drivers.

Just some things to check, see if the fan is having issues. Sometimes, if you have anything in the PCI slot next to the AGP it could "interfere" with the Graphic card's operation (they may be physically touching). Go through BIOS and check your AGP timing.

It could be almost anything, to be honest.


[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Forceflow on Mon Jan 10th at 7:00am 2005

Try a clean driver install. Uninstall the current drivers, boot into safe mode, use a tool like driver cleaner to get rid of all the traces, then boot up normal again, and install the drivers.
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by DrGlass on Mon Jan 10th at 8:03am 2005

lets see, nothing touching it.. though it isn't quite fitting into the slot. The card dosn't line up with the screw whole all the way. everything seems to be wokring well on the card.

I have uninstalled the drives, but didn't clean out the drive.

I guess I was hoping that some other person had this same problem.

thanks anyways, I'll keep trying things.




Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Gorbachev on Mon Jan 10th at 8:24am 2005

That really sounds like a Video Card overheating. And to say that temperature isn't important is naive. There are a few components where heat isn't an issue, but in processors it is, in any form. The lifetime of your computer has been dramatically decreased by running it at 70C...which is rediculously high for any processor (I have a T-Bird which has a high threshold and even then, 60 is too much.) You really need to have airflow in that computer. Try to aim for a max of 50 to maximize the lifetime of your CPU and bear in mind your VPU/GPU will be running quite a bit hotter than your CPU. Power Supplies can add a lot of heat to the system as well, the higher the wattage the higher the heat (they aren't perfect machines, lots of energy is wasted as heat) so make sure your computer has adequate ventalation and that you have at least one or two case fans minimum. The only time you can get away without is if you really know what you're doing.

Oh, and in the odd event there is a conflict, know that often the video card shares the same IRQ as a PCI sound card (and even though PCI should have addressed the problem of IRQ conflicts, strange stuff can still happen.)
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Orpheus on Mon Jan 10th at 10:46am 2005

i read someplace that if, you do not set your bios correctly, or your slot isn't supportive of the newer cards, that one of these two will cause cards to get hot, or to cause artifacts to appear after extended use.

it wouldn't be the first time that someone failed to look in their bios after installing a high end video card.

i could also be completely off base and talking out my ass, so use this info as you see fit.

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Gorbachev on Mon Jan 10th at 11:47pm 2005

Well, the voltages for a 2X, 4X and 8X AGP card are different, so if you try and mix a card of the wrong type (often it's expressly stated on your motherboard, BIOS and everything in print around your system) you'll be putting in a lot more or a lot less voltage than the card is designed for. So you'll either not get enough power or you'll have a very hot or destroyed card.
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by DrGlass on Tue Jan 11th at 12:28am 2005

I'm running the radeon 9600 pro with 8x AGP which the card does support. I've tryed to change the voltage and other settings in my BIOS.

I'm starting to think that maybe it is the heat isssue. Only thing is that some games will work fine, then others will only last for a short time, still others like hl2 will crash minutes after starting game play.




Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Orpheus on Tue Jan 11th at 2:02am 2005

? quoting DrGlass

I'm starting to think that maybe it is the heat isssue. Only thing is that some games will work fine, then others will only last for a short time, still others like hl2 will crash minutes after starting game play.

well there you have it bucko.. high end games put stress on the cards processor and cause.... heat.

do as i suggested, try turning the acceleration down a bit and see if it helps..assuming you can do such a thing with a 9600.

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Crono on Tue Jan 11th at 3:34am 2005

Wait .. did I miss something here? Glass, DO you have the ATI accelerator on?
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Dred_furst on Tue Jan 11th at 4:50pm 2005

also check Dxdiag for problems,
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by DrGlass on Wed Jan 12th at 4:53am 2005

Dxdiag comes up clear, I have no acceleration on, I did how ever put in a 3rd party 'omega' driver that allowed me to up the power to the card, so I just pulled the bar down a bit and that F*cked up the computer... the second I hit apply both my screens (I run duel moniters) got mad artifacting.

I did a system restore, back to the driver that allowed my hammer and other MODs to work, other than hl2.

And tools to mesure heat on the card?




Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Crono on Wed Jan 12th at 6:37am 2005

? quote:
Dxdiag comes up clear, I have no acceleration on, I did how ever put in a 3rd party 'omega' driver that allowed me to up the power to the card, so I just pulled the bar down a bit and that F*cked up the computer... the second I hit apply both my screens (I run duel moniters) got mad artifacting.

I did a system restore, back to the driver that allowed my hammer and other MODs to work, other than hl2.

And tools to mesure heat on the card?


The ATI "Overdrive" area should tell you termperatures ... I hope it's not only when activated. By the way, "Only changing the voltage" IS clocking at a non-default setting, just so you know.

Did you ever check to see if the actual fan is working properly? (I don't remember, and I'm too lazy to check the rest of the thread at the moment)
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: video crash
Posted by Crono on Wed Jan 12th at 6:38am 2005

must ... destroy ... double posting ...

[addsig]




1
Post Reply