Possible overheating issue with XFX GS250XYDFC GeForce GTS 250 512MB

[KitzKommando]

Hello there,

For the past few weeks I've had a real problem with getting this card to play Killing Floor (thank you, Steam summer sales) without hard crashing. It only happens in this game (plays Demigod, Serious Sam HD, and Sniper:Ghost Warrior just fine), but I checked the temps last night and they peak at 72C at time of crash, which sounds within acceptable range from what digging I've managed to do. I managed to find this thread here (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/266005-33-nvidia-geforce-system-locks-playing) but the recommended idle temp seems to vary. I'm just running one card and it idles at 54C and the fan at 2400 RPM.

Tower specs are below (I can provide links to newegg, if needed), but even with the side of the case open, the same issues arise. I even removed some of the PCI slots to aid cooling and had all 4 case fans plus the one on GPU running. Any thoughts?

CPU:AMD Phenom II X4 925 Deneb 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard: ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GPU:XFX GS250XYDFC GeForce GTS 250 512MB Core Edition 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

PSU:Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

RAM: 3 sticks of Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model KVR1066D3N7/2G

OS: Windows 7 Home 64-bit

 

[borisof007]

Bug in the game or a driver issue I'd wager. I'm not sure that anything else is wrong, since you're not having issues in other games and your specs look just fine.

 

[borisof007]

Also, if you REALLY want to see if temps are holding you back, download MSI Afterburner and adjust your fan speed to like 85 or 100% constant. Yeah it'll be loud and annoying, but just to see if temperature is really a factor.

 

[KitzKommando]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I downloaded/installed the latest driver late last night (the preceding version was only 10 days older) but haven't had a chance to test again today. Hoping that between that and the fan speed adjustment, it'll be fine.

I've left a message on Tripwire Interactive's forums in case it's just the game and apparently a number of other people are getting the same error message but at different points in the game, at differing intervals, and with various other side effects.

Suggestions from users have been to amend the .ini file and basically force the game to run DX8, but all mods are saying NEVER to touch the .ini. Confusion abounds.

 

[borisof007]

The mods are stupid, modding the Ini file to force DX8 won't do any harm. Just back up the INI file before you modify it in case you need to replace it with the original. But it looks like I was semi-correct in that it was a game issue.

 

[coozie7]

Sounds like a game bug to me as well but you can do as borisof007 suggests to keep the temperatures down although they are well within reason.

Other possible fixes:
Update the card drivers.
Update the motherboard/sound drivers.
Update Windows and DirectX- DX does not auto update, it must be done manually from the Microsoft website itself.
Check the Steam Forums, others may already have found a solution.
Go totally postal and pulversise the system into a fine powder then stand, gibbering insanely over it, while the men in white coats gently take you away

Edit: Must type faster

 

[KitzKommando]

Yeah, Boris, it's definitely just a game thing, looks like. Getting BFBC2 today, so I'll see how that game fares just as a point of reference. At least I know the card doesn't need an RMA.

Coozie, the Steam forums were of little help since they just direct you to Tripwire's forums, but at least the mods seem to have said "deleting .ini is OK" now and several users are saying to try everything from turning of the Steam overlay to turning off anti-aliasing, running windowed, and checking your power supply. It's hitting people from a ton of different directions, but a Tripwire mod said this issue is solved "99% of the time by drivers or overheating" so I'm hoping the driver update solved it since the card's still within acceptable heat ranges.

Going to try the DX update when I get home but the video card drivers are up-to-date as of last night, and I'll double check the motherboard drivers (using the board's sound too).

Thanks again for your help, guys.

 

[KitzKommando]

Update time.

Machine was already running DX11, updated the driver, same problem. Adjusted fan speed and the crash happened at 62C this time instead of 72C. According to GPU-Z, the Memory Controller Load was at 100% though! This continued even after the game had been closed for several minutes. Not quite sure what to do now.

 

[KitzKommando]

Apparently the game can run at max settings now so long as anti-aliasing and motion blur are off, which is acceptable. I just worry if this problem will persist with other games.