Issues with BFG 9500 GT

[IchaosI]

recently, i upgraded my own computer to a better graphic card. So i gave my old 9500GT to my brother. After he finishes installing it and started to play games likeL4D2 or Modern warfare 2, the computer freezes while playing the game half-way, and the computer won't respond. prior to the freeze, the cound would lag as well. Any idea why this is happening?

my brother's computer specs (HP pavilion p6130y):
-AMD Phenom X4 9750 / 2.4 GHz (quad core)
- 8GB ram
- asus M2N78-LA mobo with Geforce 9100
-500GB HD
- windows 7 home premium 64-bit
- also 300W psu
detailed specs here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc...ry&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=ca&product=3980095&lang=en

 

[Lmeow]

I'd think that the 300W PSU would be probably the problem. Before it was using low-power, integrated graphics, and it could handle it. But now with a dedicated video card, it needs more power. The power supplies that come with Dells and HPs are more often than not generic and low quality - they never intended for the computer to be upgraded in the first place. Upgrade your power supply to something like a Corsair CX400W - 400W-500W should be enough, just make sure it's quality. Another good brand would be SeaSonic.

 

[IchaosI]

but it worked fine on my computer. it also was equipped with 300W PSU until lately being switched to a higher one for 9800 GT

 

[Deleted member 217926]

If he had integrated graphics before your old card did he remove the drivers properly? Driver Cleaner/Sweeper, safe mode ect.? Also he needs to disable the onboard in BIOS and make PCI Express the primary graphics adaptor.

Also could be the PSU. Not all are created equal and they do lose efficiency with age. If its a cheap OEM one you might be cutting it close at 300w. That Corsair mentioned above is an excellent product.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008



Keep in mind a 9500GT is not a real strong card. It might well lag trying to play newer games like that especially at high resolutions or with the effects turned on.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

Monitor the videocard temps while he games. It could be overheating. Raise the GPU with manual settings.

 

[IchaosI]

i tried it with my old PSU (same one as my bro's) since i recently switched mine to a more powerful one. i figured, acording to anort3 and Lmeow, i should give my old OEM psu a try. it worked for a longer period of time (actally able to play COD4 for a bit) but eventually, froze again.
i guess i'll verify it with the one on my computer tmr, since it is getting late in BC

 

[IchaosI]

tried it with my OCZ modXtream pro 750W PSU (plz dun leave any comment on how bad my psu is , and how i should've gotten another one...)
still, no luck. COD4 crashed (blu screen of death) after 3 min into gameplay. as for all the other games, the game sort of quit on itself. CS was fine tho, but all the other games wasn't...

to HundredIslandsBoy: i did monitor the temperature of the 9500GT, it was 58C when the cod4 crashed.

to anort3: i did do a clean uninstall of the drivers...

 

[Deleted member 217926]

You didnt answer about the other thing I posted before other than PSU. Have you run Driver Sweeper ( correctly ) and installed the latest drivers? Also in BIOS is there an option to disable the old onboard graphics and make PCI Express the primary adaptor?

Here is a handy guide to correct driver removal. The page has a link for the free program you need as well.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/Guru3D---Driver-Sweeper-(Setup)-download-1655.html

Old drivers can leave behind fragments and registry entries that can cause issuse with the new ones. Even if you just upgrade to a newer driver on the same card it is a good idea to always do this.

Edit: Oops ok I need to read the whole message before posting

Maybe try taking some compressed air and cleaning the PCI Express slot and the card then reseating it. Then a fresh driver install to to rule that out. You try something like RivaTuner and turning the fan up manually? Temps seem fine but I suppose it could be a bad sensor.

If it is none of those try it in your old PC again just to rule out that it chose to die when you moved it. About all I can think of.

 

[IchaosI]

just in case i didn't do it right...
if i do use the driver cleaner provided by anort3, do i have to use it in the safe mode?
all the driver removing things i did, i did it in the device manager --> display adapters straight from Microsoft...
also, do i have to remove physicX along with the Nvidia drivers?

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Yeah follow those directions exactly for the best results. I would uninstall the current driver then when you run the cleaner make sure you select the old onboard and Nvidia both to clean to make sure you get everything. I would uninstall everything that says Nvidia in the list Physix too.

Download the new ones from Nvidia website before you start so you get the right ones. I almost never run the Nvidia driver from Windows Update.

I have not done any real benchmarking on this 9800GTX+ I have but I did do some on my old 8800GTS 320. I can tell you from those results that using a driver cleaner can make 3d Mark scores go up a few hundred points over not using it.

Edit: Again what I said about BIOS. You may not have the option but look around and see if the old onboard is disabled and PCI Express is the primary graphics adaptor. I have seen that cause conflicts.

Edit2 sorry lol : Guru3D is one of the best resources for all things graphics on the internet.

 

[IchaosI]

Best answer selected by IchaosI.