I Built A Lemon

I actually built this system over 2 years ago, but the problem has seem to have gotten worse lately. Every time I play a game, the higher the graphics the worse it is. Sometimes with games like Quake Online or Far Cry 2 I can run about 15 min then the video card overheats to about 133 C (Idle Temp 77 C, and Normal computing 85 C) then it powers off the computer, in a way thats like unplugging it from the wall. To get it to boot again, I have to unplug it, wait 5 sec, plug it back in and turn it on. After hitting the power button it cycles on and off for anywhere from 3 times to 20 times. Again this cycle is like plugging it in and unplugging it repeatedly. FYI : The cycling thing always happens when I turn on the PC. If I shut it off all night then turn it on, it will do the same thing. Also if I am just typing in word, or browsing the web, it never shuts off, only when I put any kinda load at all on the video card. My first thought was the power supply so I changed that to the Antec EarthWatts Model EA-650, I just ordered a new video card hoping the temps are lower.

If anyone has any thoughts, let me know, I am about to build a new one and sell this one as a boat anchor. LOL

Antec EarthWatts Model EA-650
AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor 2.5 GHz
2x Seagate Barcoda 500 GB Hds (SATA)
BFG Geforce 8800 GT PCI-E x16
M3N-HT Deluxe/Mempipe
4 GB Corsair Dominator Memory

Are the video cards full of dust or are the fans not working correctly????

Fans all spin fine and I have pulled the vid card and took it outside and used a hole can of air on it to get all the dust off it. It has done this since I built it, its just gotten worse, and I didn't bother to check the temps till like now. BTW I am running Windows 7 and Areo makes things worse but turning it off don't help a lot anyway.

Also, make sure your case has good airflow. If cables are blocking airflow or if you don't have enough exhaust fans then heat could be building up in the case.

If it is a single slot 8800gt you need to take the heat sync off and actually clean it with a Rag

I am starting to think that the card is damaged though, I have a TV hooked up with a DVI to HDMI cable... but sometimes it works, sometimes it dont, and lately my video card is staying at the normal 85C but still powering my system off. And I dont think I know how to remove the heatsink... it has some casing over it or something... LOL

I ordered a new one... but what are your thoughts on the cycling on and off thing? Cause it did that on first boot.

A new 8800GT or something else? I don't know what could be causing the cycling. The cycling that occurs when you try to turn your PC back on after your PC shuts down from overheating could be caused by the video card needing to cool down. I just down know about that for sure.

BFG had a bad run of over clocked 8800's. The only way of fixing it was to run the nvidia over clock tool and under clock the card.. ( ram and processor to near stock ). Too much time has passed and I think the damage has been done..

I clean heat sinks with rags....... and cotton swabs...... and blow air up the exhaust ports on video cards........ not uncommon. Depends on the job.

Never used a rag on a fan..........

It's amazing how compressed air works for getting into small / irregular places


>_>


and yes, i've seen the card before.

Do you have the latest nvidia drivers?

Wasn't there a bad nvidia driver release that caused video cards to overheat?