Unfixable display problem while gaming ....

[rex000]

Hello,


I'm having a little trouble with a PC I have just built, where the computer lags/freezes randomly. This problem occurs "mostly" during the time when I am playing games, where the display acts up (fuzzy, freezes, weird colors, etc.). Like I said, this will happen randomly, such as when the game first boots, 5-10 minutes in or maybe only after 2 hours of game play. This will happen about once or twice per day now.


Also, occasionally during normal office/web use, the screen will flicker and I get a message saying that the driver has crashed and recovered itself... which I'm not TOO concerned about.. but it is a little annoying.


Initially, I thought I had a defective Graphics Card... so I tried installing a new EVGA 9800GT, but the exact problem still persisted. So I'm pretty convinced that it's not a graphics card thing, but maybe a driver issue? I've only used the newest driver from nVidia's website.


My case has good cable management with three (3) 120mm fans (1 front intake, 2 rear/top exhaust), which always blow out cool air so I don't think it's a overheating issue either. I also believe that my computer specs are quite capable of running these components. Am I wrong?


If anyone knows what I can do to fix this issue, it would be very much appreciated.


Thanks for everything,


*** COMPUTER SPECS:

MOBO: ASUS M4A78LT-M LE MOTHERBOARD
CPU: AMD PHENOM II X4 840 @ 3.2GHz QUAD-CORE CPU
GPU: XFX 9600 GSO 512MB DDR3 GPU
RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 1600MHz DDR3 8GB RAM
PSU: CORSAIR CX430W V2 80PLUS POWER SUPPLY
CASE: NZXT CLASSIC GAMMA CASE w/ 3 120mm FANS
HDD: WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR BLUE 500GB HARD DRIVE
ODD: SONY OPTIARC 24x DVD DRIVE

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Monitor: Acer 22" LCD -- 1680x1050 Resolution
GPU Driver: nVidia (280.26 WHQL) <<-- newest.

 

[rex000]

I think I may have posted this in the wrong thread; does anyone know where I can search for a similar question? I tried looking briefly but never came up with useful responses...

Thanks,

 

[Rizlla]

It could be that your PSU is faulty or not strong enough to handle the GPU. Test it with another PSU to confirm.

 

[plat86]

ive had freezing like that before, ended up being the ram, it was 1600mhz ram but it was set at (auto) 1333 in the bios, i would of thought it would work at a lower speed but setting it manually to 1600 fixed it for me,
apart from that try older nvidia drivers

 

[rex000]

Alright thanks.

Rizlla: I THOUGHT a 430W PSU would be powerful enough to run such an old GPU, but I could be wrong. I will be buying a 700W PSU to test it out soon. Also, the reason why I kinda ruled out the PSU was the fact that the problem ocurs "randomly". I thought that if the PSU wasn't powerful enough, it wouldn't even get to 2 hours of gaming ... but we'll see. Thanks

plat86: That's a really good point as well. I was worried I had defective RAM so I ran memtest86 and got 100% error-free and was happy, but more confused. I didn't even think about the bios underclocking the RAM. I actually think this may be problem because I do remember seeing 1333 in the BIOS ! :O Also, any idea which driver I should try out, or do I just blindly try each and everyone LOL?

Thanks again to the both of you. I will try out both of your suggestions when I get the chance, the computer isn't with me atm ><" If anyone else has any other ideas, I would be grateful to hear from you!

 

[Rizlla]

Why I recon it is the PSU is because just after Intel released SB I built a new system for my boss. i3 2100, 8GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, 450W PSU. Your normal entry level working PC with added memory for running virtual environments as well. Then my boss decided that he wants to do some gaming on the PC as well, so I added a POV 550Ti which they say will run on 450W. After adding the GPU the PC would just randomly start hanging. Gaming was the worst, but during browsing, coding or just using explorer the PC would just hang. I then replaced the PSU with a 650W PSU from a file server and the problem was solved instantly.

Just my reason why I think it is the PSU.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

check all your temperatures first, that psu should be fine for that setup, unless its faulty. Sounds like an overheating issue. Monitor your temps when the issue occurrs with HWMonitor or similar utility. Do the basics also, like run memtest86+ to check your ram, run hard drive diagnostic, reinstall programs. Dont just assume things, check everything methodically starting with the most simple things first.

 

[rex000]

Best answer selected by rex000.