Video Artifacts while playing games on comp(MSI GTX 460)

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CDAHL

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Hey everyone,

Just in the past few weeks I have been experiencing a serious issue with my computer. For some reason my computer has been freezing whenever I try and play a computer game. First I get these video artifacts(colored checkers) that cover the entire screen of my monitor and then my computer completely freezes and I have to restart it(ctrl+alt delete does not work). It happens completely at random as well which is frustrating to say the least. I cant pinpoint a certain time when it freezes because it has happened anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours of game play and sometimes it doesn't freeze at all. Some people have said to defrag my computer and run memory tests on both my RAM and my hard disk which I have but to no avail. My only guess is that if it isn't my RAM or my hard disk then it must be my graphics card which is the MSI GTX 460 Cyclone( here is a link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510 ). Also I frequently check windows update for any updates for my computer but none have fixed the problem. I originally built my computer for gaming and have been running Empire TW, Napoleon TW, Shogun TW and Dawn of War II: Retribution on very high settings without issue until now( I have had my computer for about 6 months). ANY and all help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
 
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wa1
It could be a dying/defective card, still on warranty, right? RMA it to get a replacement...

Also, try driver from the disk (old driver), sometime the latest driver is not always the best. You can check the temps of your GPU to make sure it isn't overheating...
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wa1

wa1

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It could be a dying/defective card, still on warranty, right? RMA it to get a replacement...

Also, try driver from the disk (old driver), sometime the latest driver is not always the best. You can check the temps of your GPU to make sure it isn't overheating...
 
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CDAHL

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Thanks for the quick reply. I'm almost positive that its still on warranty or at least it better be or I'm out $190 and a lot of time and effort. Also by getting the driver from the disk you mean the disk that came with my graphics card? That actually could be it because I feel like ever since this one windows update is when the problem started but I cant be sure. I'll try rolling back my driver for my GPU and see what happens and is there a specific program I could download to tell the temperature of my GPU? Thanks again.
 
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CDAHL

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Alright, I tried rolling back my driver and I was playing for a while without a problem but then the artifacts showed up again. This time however, it only flashed the checkerboard pattern for a second and then flashed to a black screen with my mouse pointer still showing. Also, I was actually able to Ctrl alt delete to the task manager and close the game without having to restart. I didn't use the disk to roll back but instead I did it through the device manager in Windows 7(I know you told me to use the disk but I just figured they did the same thing). Let me know if I should try the disk too and if I should try using that software to check the temps. On a side note, I'm not sure if this means anything but I had experienced artifacts a while before the ones I told you about. They weren't nearly as frequent and only occurred maybe once a month or so at the most. Again, I don't know if that's important but I'm just trying to give as much information as I can. Thanks.
 
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wa1

wa1

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Yes, you should try driver from the disk and try the software to check temps too...
Overheating card for a long term could broke the card and caused artifacts like the one you've said above. And if the card is still on warranty then you'll better RMA it, play save... :)
 
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CDAHL

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Sorry it took so long to reply back. I tried rolling back my driver using the disk and so far there hasn't been any problems with me playing games. This doesn't really reassure me though seeing as my games would freeze seemingly at random. Also, I downloaded the hwmonitor but wasn't sure if there was a way to read my temps while playing. I exited out of my game after about a half hour of playing and quickly checked the temperature of my GPU and it was only about 40-45 degrees Celsius which isn't very hot. Let me know what you think and I'll continue playing various games just to be thorough. Thanks.
 
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wa1

wa1

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Your temps are just fine. Okay, keep playing with that old driver, if there's nothing wrong then continue using it, just like I said before, sometime the older driver could be more stable than the latest one... ;)

Another one, what is exactly your PSU? how old? dying/bad PSU can be very dangerous to use...
 
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CDAHL

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Alright will do and I will let you know if anything happens. My PSU is a Corsair 750 watt and its only about 6 months old because that is when I built my computer. I have heard of defective PSUs being a cause of similar problems to mine but I never knew how to check it and it seems to be working fine at the moment.
 
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CDAHL

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No unfortunately I do not have a spare card or one I could borrow from a friend. I think I am just going to RMA it and see if it fixes the problem. I greatly appreciate all the help and I will select one of your responses as best answer. Thanks again.
 
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