Computer Crashing, CPU Related?

[draiklord]

So currently I'm using a laptop with specs of:
CPU of 3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo T9900
GT130M Overclocked to 660/1660/540
8GM Ram

Running on Windows 7, my computer have been crashing quite frequently lately while playing games like Bioshock 2, and I'm wondering, is it because of overheating in the CPU or something else? At moment of crash, the fan doesn't sound like it's running at 100% power, so is there any ways I could adjust the fan settings to run at 100% when the system reaches a certain temperature?

At time of crash, the CPU was at 87 C and GPU was at 71 C. Is there any ways I could reduce these temperatures? Especially in the CPU.

Bioshock 2 isn't a really graphics heavy game, and I don't understand why my CPU is at 100% workload while playing it, is there something I'm not seeing here?

 

[simon12]

try it with only the GPU overclocked then again with only the CPU overclocked and see what happens. Did you stability test the overclock when you did it? Has this happened ever since the overclock or was it fine for a bit? Also try playing with lower graphics settings and see if it makes a difference.

 

[draiklord]

My CPU isn't overclocked, it's the normal specs that the laptop came in. Only my GPU is overclocked.
This setting seems to be working for some games but not others, for example I can play Modern Warfare 2 fine on max graphics without crashing, but I don't know whats happening here, could it be a fan problem?

 

[simon12]

The CPUs max temp is over 100C (not that you want to run it close to that) and GPUs can normally run even hotter so thats not likely the problem. I assume the CPU is a T9900 running at 3.06GHz not 3.96. Try running prime 95 and keep an eye on the temps and see what happens.

 

[draiklord]

Ahhh sorry for the typos, I've fixed them in the main message now though.
Also, what does prime 95 do? And what temperature limit am I looking for? (any temperature that I should try to keep my CPU or GPU under? Or just aim for under 100 C?)

Also I don't know if this could be the problem, but could it be that my GPU needs more volts put in for my current overclock to work efficiently? It's running at 0.9V right now (according to GPU scanner)

 

[simon12]

Prime 95 will push the CPU to 100% load but not the GPU. this will push its temp higher than any normal program and will also stress it and cause it to crash or produce an error if its running badly, its therefore a test of its stability. If the temp gets much higher than 95C I would stop the test. The temp normally gets as high as it will within 10 mins (this is on a desktop anyway). If this runs OK then the problem is more likely GPU related.

 

[draiklord]

Okay, is there also any GPU stress tests? And can these stress tests potentially destroy my computer? I'm doing a little bit of research on what they do, and I'm scared lol.

 

[pelov]

If you're lappy is crashing then there's a problem with it, and considering it's a laptop then an overheating issue isn't out of the ordinary.

Bear in mind that temperatures are laptop temperatures and they don't dissipate heat very well. Even if the GPU may have a high threshold the RAM and CPU may not and considering they're all in that tight little confined area with a single fan the components' temperatures are affecting each other much more than in a PC.

I would reset the graphics card to its stock clocks and run prime95 for at least a couple hours, play videogame for about the same length of time (or just run furmark http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/#techdata ).

Run HWMonitor in the background http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html
and then check what the temperatures reach.

Whether you can manually manage the fan speed on your laptop would depend on whether the laptop allows it. Personally I've never owned one that had that feature, but I've only owned laptops with a single fan.

-- There is no real reason to be afraid of a stress test. All it does is mimic program(s) that would utilize all of your GPU's and CPU's potential. Stress testing software is used to determine whether there's a hardware problem, not cause a hardware problem. If it shuts off and reboots due to high temperatures then it means that it's getting too hot and you've found your problem

 

[draiklord]

Okay for furmark, what settings should I run it on? My native resolution is 1920x1080, so should I run it at that res or a lower one? Also, do I run it in window mode or full screen? How long do I have to run it before I know that my GPU is running normally?

Sorry if this seems repetitive to what I've been asking, really new to this stuff, and want to know as much as possible

 

[pelov]

1920x1080 is fine.

You can just go gaming to check how hot the GPU is getting. Load up any game and play for a set period of time (2-3 hours) and see what happens with the temperatures.

 

[draiklord]

Best answer selected by draiklord.