Is my graphics card causing my crashes?

[gbudsefm]

I recently bought a new PC after having a junky one for 3 years.

I was extremely excited to test it out when it arrived, as it was a HUGE leap from my previous comp.

BUT...Whenever I'm playing games it will sometimes freeze, and restart the comp, or if i'm lucky it will come back out of the freeze but do it again shortly after. At first I thought it was my Power supply, but i replaced it with a 500w Antec truepower, and problem persists.

My GPU temp's idle at around 52c, and heat up to 85c when playing oblivion.

Could these crashes be caused by it overheating or some different problem?

Dxdiag if it matters:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 12/31/2006, 19:16:10
Machine name: OMG
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6400 @ 2.13GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 225MB used, 3713MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Music Tab: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
Network Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (n/a)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Radeon X1950 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x7244)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (75Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6641 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 10/3/2006 17:43:36, 260608 bytes

 

[gbudsefm]

better? :lol:

 

[gbudsefm]

CPU: Intel core 2 duo e6400 @ 2.13 ghz.

RAM: 2 gig DDR2/800 dual channel.

Motherboard: Asus P5N-SLI.

Video card: HIS ati 1950xt.

PSU: 500w Antec Truepower.

I ordered the PC from Cyberpowerpc , and got the video card seperately from Newegg. I haven't messed with any settings or overclocked or anything, It's like it is out of the box.

And yes i know I'm using a SLI motherboard with an ATI card, but I really don't think thats causing the problems.

 

[gbudsefm]

There wasn't any old drivers, the card i put in was the first card that was ever installed in the PC.

 

[Granite3]

Bet $5 it is a memory voltage problem.

The good stuff you are running needs ~2.0-2.1 volts to run properly. Most MBs, including yours, are set to "auto" at 1.8. So when it gets stressed, as in games, it blinks on you.

You need to enter the bios, move the memory voltage to at least 2.0, and I will bet all fades away.

Download orthos, and run it, it will tell you if your system is stable, perfect for dual cores as it loads both without being asked. The standard test will test memory and processor.

One final question, what does your cpu temps say? use either the asus utility, or the bios to find out, if more than 55 deg on idle, it might be a cooler problem when it hits load.

My 6600 jumps 10C or so in load.

 

[gbudsefm]

My CPU has a watercooling unit, and it idles around 39c, and only raises about 6 degrees during load.

 

[gbudsefm]

You need to enter the bios, move the memory voltage to at least 2.0, and I will bet all fades away.

And how exactly would I go about doing that?

 

[Valtiel]

When your computer is booting up right after you hit the power button start pressing the delete key or whatever key it tells you to press to get into Setup or BIOS or CMOS maybe. it isn't necessarily the del key though you will have to watch for what key it tells you to press.

 

[eagles453809]

well, if you up the memory voltage and that still doesnt work then i have to suggest the possibility of it being a defective cpu. I had an x2 4400+ and it started acting erraticly all the sudden a few weeks ago. it would randomly turn off under full load. temps were fine etc...swapped my 3800+ back in, works fine. killed the cpu

i really hope upping the voltage does the job for you because now im back to 1 core

 

[gbudsefm]

I know how to get to the bios, but where is the memory voltage settings?

 

[Valtiel]

It depends on what kind of BIOS you have. Consult your motherboard manual would be my suggestion.

Worst case scenario you have a locked BIOS that will not let you overclock and change a wide range of options but seeing as you have a PC from Cyberpowerpc it probably is not locked.

 

[gbudsefm]

Well i changed the RAM voltage to 2.1 but it is still crashing.

Wich is making me lean more and more towards overheating. But why a gpu with a fan and watercooling unit getting so hot is beyond me. The fan is working normally...don't know how to check the watercooling though.

 

[gbudsefm]

Well i found the problem....and what a dumb problem it was.

Turns out there was a little metal plate on the back of my PC completely blocking my cards exhaust

 

[eagles453809]

lmao sorry, its always something stupid like that. welcome to the world of computers...glad you fixed it my friend. happy computing