Games Constantly Crash after 15-30 minutes

Xpat John

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Jan 25, 2014
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Games like Battlefield 4, Crysis 3, Next Car Game, etc... All without error message. They either crash or just lock up my computer. Any help would be immensely appreciated.

Specs:
i5-2450p
Geforce 660Ti 2GB (x2 in SLI Config)
16GB Patriot (2x8GB)
MSI Z77 MPower MBoard
WD Raptor 10k RPM HD
Corsair H80 Liquid Cooling
NZXT 850 Watt Power Supply
Dual Asus 24" Monitors
Windows 8.1 OS

Nothing over clocked.
CPU Peaks at about 60C
GPU's Peak at about 70C

Ran MemTest86 for 10+ hours, no errors

All the latest video & chipset drivers.

Cooling system is running on full power mode. Case is open. 3 Case fans running at max.

I don't think it is a heat error. And when games run, they run well, then just suddenly CTD or lock up my entire computer.

Any suggestions, as I have stated, would be greatly appreciated.
 
Solution
Overall you have a pretty solid system and I agree that heat does not seem to be your issue. There is only one component I see here that may be causing an intermittent problem. Intermittent problems are the worst because they are so hard to test. I have a link to a site you may have seen regarding power supplies and this site rates your brand as the worst. NZXT may have a decent design, but using inferior parts which may be causing your frustrations. I hate to scold people, but I will say that power supplies may be one of the most important and under-rated components in your system. Getting a good deal ( the most watts for the least dollars ) is a bad idea with PS's. Unless you have a very high quality PS tester that can stress...

avjguy2362

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Jun 21, 2012
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Overall you have a pretty solid system and I agree that heat does not seem to be your issue. There is only one component I see here that may be causing an intermittent problem. Intermittent problems are the worst because they are so hard to test. I have a link to a site you may have seen regarding power supplies and this site rates your brand as the worst. NZXT may have a decent design, but using inferior parts which may be causing your frustrations. I hate to scold people, but I will say that power supplies may be one of the most important and under-rated components in your system. Getting a good deal ( the most watts for the least dollars ) is a bad idea with PS's. Unless you have a very high quality PS tester that can stress you PS under load, there are no simple ways to evaluate this type of problem. The only thing you could try is borrowing someone elses' for a few hours, or remove one of your cards and use a lower wattage PS you might have and see if it is stable at lower settings with one card. This is just an observation. Can't really be sure!
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
 
Solution

Xpat John

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Jan 25, 2014
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10,510
@avjguy2362 Thank you for your reply. I had not seen that link before, very good info. I had a sneaking suspicion that it might be the power supply since I have pretty much tested everything else. I am thinking of ordering a Antec 80Plus Platinum PSU ATX 1000 Power Supply HCP-1000 PLATINUM and see if I get any better performance.
 

Xpat John

Honorable
Jan 25, 2014
8
0
10,510
As a follow up: I just installed the Antec 80Plus Platnium PSU ATX 1000 in my computer.

Good news: I have run several 3D benchmarking applications (3DMark Rank 961) and my system performed flawlessly. No lockups, no crashes, nothing but graphic goodness. Thank you avjguy2362, you were right on the mark with your suggestion.

Bad News: The PSU is slightly too big for my case (It just overlaps with a case fan), so I guess my next investment will be a new case.

Again, thank you for your help. It was greatly appreciated.