I currently have a problem with my computer performance when I'm playing games. My drivers are up to date, which has led me to suspect my power supply. I use an Antec 550 Truepower, and I only run my GFX card and 1-2 fans. The power supple runs +12volt rails, which means that with decent settings there should be no problems. Or am I wrong? Do the gForce 8800 series have a reputation for demanding more power when settings are turned up?


Thank you in advance to any and all replies. Questions for specs and screenshots are always welcome as well.

If the PSU works correctly then it should be enough for a single 8800GTX or GT or GTS. Post the entire specs so we can help you better.

What happens, do you get crashes to desktop, blue screens, slowdowns?

Have you checked temperatures in nTune? Is your case cooled properly? Maybe you need more fans or a different case.

Post your specs. The 550W PSU should be plenty. I'd suspect it's some sort instability.

aevm, you changed your avatar! How old was your old one? I mean you had it ever since I joined.

LOL it was from August 2007.

gForce 8800 GTS 320mb. nTune tells me that my computer never gets past 60, ever. I get tears in the pixels and sometimes a blackscreen, sometimes a reboot.

Well if it isn't your temps, it's your video card or PSU. Just to make sure, grab a copy of Rivatuner and set fan speeds to 100%. Then lower the clocks on your vidcard. If the problems goes away, it's your vidcard that can't handle it's current settings.

OK, not a temperature/cooling issue then. My own video card gets to 80c under load and doesn't complain.

Drivers, maybe? There's a free utility called Driver Cleaner which could help. Also, if you don't have the latest drivers for your card/OS combination it's worth getting them.

Maybe there's a bug in the game? What game is that? Maybe there's a patch out there you haven't got yet? Are you getting problems in other games too?

One thing I noticed in Hellgate:London - crashes were more frequent with all settings high. It wasn't just for me, I read about it in forums too. This was a bug in the game itself, not the drivers, and not the PSU's problem. Maybe playing with the settings can help.

Edit: yeah, I should have asked, did you overclock the card? Even if you didn't, try reducing clocks a bit and see if it makes a difference. You can use nTunes for that too.

I've gone through about 2 weeks of deleting my drivers and reinstalling the new ones. They are all up to date. The game is World of Warcraft, the video card should be able to dominate the game and laugh at it. I turned up the specs all the way and had to hook up my CPU to a larger monitor to set the resolution back down (not my brightest moment).

-Fans (check)
-Drivers (check)
-Flaw in memory (haven't checked)
-Patch in the game? (I thought about this too but it happens in counter strike too)

In that case, heed our advice on lowering the clock speeds of the videocard.

How do I do this?

There's a video card OC guide in the OC section of the forum. Follow it carefully, but instead of OCing, you will be underclocking.

EDIT: Here's the link, in case you missed it: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] ds-warning

Alright going to give it a try tyvm.

No problem, update us after you do.

Oh I tunned it down, which was complicated cause the guide tells you how to tune it up obviously. Problem is, I still saw errors. Any other options?

I only can think that the card is dying. RMA for a new one.