Big problem!

[cobz]

OK here it is. For about a week now I have been experiencing issues that seem to be graphics card related. My system specs are in my sig.

While I am playing WoW or CoD2 my monitor cuts out with a big 'No signal input' message. The computer is still running but the sound has died. This is happening more often now and I have no idea why. I am pretty sure it has something to do with my 7800GT o/cd at 510/1130 (safely tested since built).

This is really getting on my nerves now and google does me no favors. I was hoping the community here (where I first went to when building this comp) would be able to help.

Please, anything is useful right now... Im very annoyed and tempted to kick the crap out of my comp next time it happens.

Temperature is at 45 and im running 93.71 drivers

=<

 

[Onus]

Is the cooler on your GPU running? Blow it out with some compressed air.
Remove the OC and see if that helps.

What's that 45 temperature? I'm assuming it's the CPU or system, either of which would be fine at that temp; how's your chipset?

Check other cooling too; you say the sound dies, so it may not be just the GPU.

 

[cobz]

i have removed the oc and the temperature of the gfx card is 45. The sound doesnt really die but it just makes a long droning noise as if its crashed.

Im only 16 and I built this system myself so Im gonna need the 'special' treatment with explaining things =< sry

 

[utaka95]

You probably don't wanna hear this, it sounds like you fried the card. Try uninstalling and reinstalling your video and sound drivers, if that doesn't help my guess is your card is toast.

 

[cobz]

your right... i didnt want to hear that.

But surely if i fried it then the temperature would be alot higher and i wouldnt b able to game at all?

It randomly happens usualy. But on WoW it is really terrible.. i cant play wow for more than an hour before it dies.

 

[dean7]

As jtt283 said, removing your OC is a good first step for troubleshooting. As cards get older their ability to OC is sometimes diminished (so you have to adjust by setting clock speed lower than your initial OC).

You might want to check your event log to see if any hardware is generating errors in the log when you are crashing. Scroll through the log and see what you can find.

Could be some sort of power issue as well. What kind of PSU do you have?

 

[cobz]

I have put my clock settings back to default. Where can i check the event log?

And I have a fairly decent PCU 550W

 

[GSTe]

Event log:

Control Panel --> Performance and maintenance --> Administrative Tools --> Event Viewer


I have this card and I have to clean the heatsink regularly with compressed air as it seems to gather dust quickly.

Hope it works out

 

[cobz]

im looking at the event log and i only see 2 warnings both the same.

Silent Running: HW clock slowdown due to temperature. L2 -> L1

that looks like it helps but not sure what its refering to thats overheated >_<

 

[speedemon]

:?: Does this happen with any other games

 

[Fursecul]

Yeah it sound like overheating l2 si 3d and l1 is 2d but i don't think it's your case.

 

[speedemon]

Can u tell us the temp of your card at its peek :?:

 

[cobz]

i have just purposely gone on WoW and went to the busiest place i could to get the gfx going. I used riva tuner to watch the temp go up. It was at 72 before my comp died.

is it dust causing my card to overheat?

 

[dean7]

Could be dust. You might want to clean your card with some compressed air as GSte suggested. 72 seems a bit hot, but not really hot enough to cause your PC to crap out (correct me if I'm wrong guys).

Anyway, is there any errors (not warnings)? Did you check "Application" and "System" areas in the event viewer?

Oh, and have you upgraded to the latest drivers for your graphics card?

 

[cobz]

ima try to get my hands on some compressed air spray to clean out the dust.. just looked and its filled xD

thats the only issue i can find in the event log =<

i have the latest drivers

 

[rubix_1011]

~70C isn't death for a video card, just check out the slowdown threshold in the temp viewer. But, you might have PSU instability, meaning, that when you crank up the system to high by running graphics intensive/CPU intensive processes, your powersupply cannot provide enough stable power to your hardware. I had an issue with my brother's case that was similar, and the solution was not one I expected: his GPU fan (FX5800 ultra/leafblower) created enough vibration that it 'jiggled' loose in the AGP slot and caused issues. I pulled it, reseated it, and started back up. This fixed it. I am not sure if you will have something that simple, but anything is worth a shot.

Also, run scandisk to see if you have bad HD sectors. Its possible that you have bad sectors being used for part of your paging file on your drive. Had that happen once also...tried loading COD2 and just before a map would launch...reboot...I did a complete format and install (an image might have bad data if pulled from the bad sectors). Worked fine after that.

 

[dean7]

Clearing dust isn't a bad idea. Also reseat the card in the slot.

 

[cobz]

yep, i have removed the card and places it back in but will try to get the dust out wen i get some air spray stuff =<

 

[GSTe]

Although 72 isn't that hot, if the error message says shutting down due to heat, then it must be the dust. If the HS is clogged then the fan won't be able to exhaust the hot air properly. Shame you can't disassemble these heatsinks easily though.... bloody small screws

 

[rubix_1011]

Oh, its entirely possible...but painfully intricate screws and weird-fitting pieces aren't too bad to take apart...getting them back together is a different story. Maybe find a good aftermarket cooler that fits many cards would be worthwhile. It will provide better cooling, can fit on other cards (if it is indeed, fried) and they are usually much simpler to install. Maybe there are more coponents getting hot in your case than just your card...how is the airflow in there?

 

[leo2kp]

Are you checking the temp as you alt-tab out? This causes a mis-reading of the true temperature as when you alt-tab, the graphics automatically slow down (obviously since you're not rendering anything but the windows desktop) and temperatures drop within milliseconds. Best way to check is to 1) add a second monitor on to your computer and move the temp monitor on to the new one so you can watch it as you play, or 2) find a program that will log your temps for you and periodically check the log when you're in a busy area.

I've done this on my own system with similar temps. Was alt-tabbing at 70C and when I logged temps, it was hitting as high as 100C.

 

[dean7]

For a good VGA cooler I recommend the Zalman VF900: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118001

I installed it on a 7600GT and the installation was incredibly easy (e.g. everything fit perfectly, no "modification" needed to get it mounted). Plus, I have my card OC'd to 630/1600 and my temps range from 37c to 50c (which is cooler at full load than stock cooler was at idle).

But, hopefully cleaning out the dust will get rid of this problem.

 

[tamalero]

by any chance, you're using a sound blaster audigy sound card?

 

[cobz]

by any chance, you're using a sound blaster audigy sound card?

yes! it has caused a few problems since a put it in. y?

oh and i cant afford a cooler or anything right now =< clearing the dust is my only option

 

[GSTe]

I just couldn't find a screwdriver small enough.... the watchmakers one I had was too big, and the shaft so thin that I coudn't get enough grip to untighten the things anyway. How did you manage to undo the screws/what did you use?