New pc is hanging in games... :(

[mehcrim]

Hi guys i have never posted before so plz inform me of any mistakes, thanks.

I recentely bought a new pc but when ever i start a game the screen goes onto a random colour and it freezes, ctrl alt del doesnt work so i am forced into a restart using the button on the case. I have not overclocked my pc so i dont think it is heat. My specs for it are as follows:

CPU: intel core 2 duo E8400
GPU: XFX GTX 260
Memory: Trancend aXe ram, 4 gigs of DDR2 1066 ( 2x2 gigs )
Motherboard: Asus P5N-Deluxe
Harddrive: 250 gig
Case: Gigabyte 3D Aurora 570 ( not sure if it matters )
Screen: Acer P223W 22" widescreen ( also not sure if it matters )

All of this is completely new equipment, i have run Prime95 for 4 hours and it found no problems and didnt hang, but when i start games it hangs in the menu before i ener start to play I have tested Mass Effect, Dead Space, Command and Conquer 3, Warcraft 3, World of Warcraft, Assasins Creed and Call of Duty 4 all do the same. Any advise you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

 

[one-shot]

Welcome to the forum Mehcrim.
First off, a good idea would be to install a few programs called Speedfan and RealTemp. Speedfan, for your system and and HDD temps mostly. ReadTemp is more accurate for your pc than Core temp and Speedfan. Download these, let us know the temps of your processor under load with Prime 95 Small FFT's. It sounds like it could be heat but we will try to isolate the problem. Also, list the temps of your video card. There should be a Nvidia utility on your PC that should give you the temps. My old Nvidia card had one so I suspect yours to as well. A screen shot with the temps on Speedfan and Real temp would help too.




Speedfan can be downloaded here http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

Real Temp here - http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1057/Real_Temp_2.5.html

 

[mehcrim]

Thanks for the fast reply, i will try what you said as soon as i get back to my pc, im on a laptop atm. I am not sure if its heat though as when i start my pc up in the mornings and try to play it hangs on the game menu i dont think it could overheat that fast, and on Prime95 it stays stable for hours with no problems. So im really confused, will still check the heat thanks again.

 

[pmacdonald]

If heat isn't then problem then you may want to check if you've got the latest drivers. With that setup you should be able to fly through games. Let us know what the temps were and we'll go from there.

 

[Multiplicity]

I would try uninstalling your video card drivers, uninstalling then reinstalling the card, and put fresh drivers back on. Kind of sounds like a video card problem with me if the screen turns a random color, then freeze.

 

[serpent1202]

Mehcrim, What is your Ram Voltage rated at? If I had to guess since its 1066, its probably either 2.1v or 2.2v. Did you go into your bios and change your default of 1.8 or 1.9v up to the right voltage? If not, this is definitly your problem.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

What PSU do you have? It sounds like the PSU can't supply enough power when the GPU goes into 3D mode (games).

 

[mehcrim]

Ok i checked and the heat is definitely not the problem, my psu is a 1200 watt i got a huge one cause i want to keep it for a while and am planning on going for another gtx 260 in a year or so. I have changed the motherboard out for a MSI board will check the model in a minute, I was advised to by a friend but it has not made a difference. However the new board only supports DDR2 800 ram so i dont know what to set voltages to. Any help would be appriesiated.

On the P5N-Deluxe it was on 1.9 volts.

 

[mehcrim]

Ok guys i took my pc to a repair shop because i was fed up and they told me the GTX 260 XFX was incompatible with both the mobos i tried. So they refunded me with two 9800gt in sli. Is the performance around the same as a GTX 260?

I need to know by tomorrow if possible and thanks for all your help so far.

 

[one-shot]

Well, you're in luck. There is an extensive GPU page right here.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/benchmarks,30.html

It never hurts to look around before you ask.

 

[mehcrim]

Sorry still learning these things, thanks for the help.

Am i supposed to close this thread now that its resolved?

 

[one-shot]

Just let it be, that's it. Good luck. Hope your PC is working better.