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3D games freeze or stop working

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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Hello,
Whenever I load a 3D game it the graphics either freeze (although sound continues) or crashes after between 1 and 10 mins.

I upgraded the graphics card from a 9800 GT to a GTX 570 and it has been happening since then. Looking at forums a consensus seemed to be that some NVIDIA drivers work better than other so i tried 5 different drivers (clean install each time, also using Driver Sweeper in safe mode to confirm previous version was deleted; currently running v75.33 which the consensus from forums seems to be the most stable with this card). It is the same with all drivers, although some also cause a massive drop in frame rate before the crash.

So I ran Furmark stress test to check the card and power supply and it runs fine (cruises at 56 fps, card temp levels out at about 70°C) and doesn't crash.

Assuming it must be a problem with the card nevertheless as it was the only thing I changed, I put my old GT 9800 back in with the idea of sending the graphics card back, and it did exactly the same thing. Therefore I figured it may be a software issue, so i re-installed Windows (7 64 bit), with the GTX 570 in and it still does exactly the same thing.

The system seems perfectly stable and doesn't crash with 2D games, while browsing the internet or any other non 3D game activity.

It is a Dell computer so i ran the Dell Diagnostic tests, including memory test and it finds no problems.

Computer specs (From DxDiag - sorry if too much information, but i though better too much than too little):
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_rtm.090713-1255)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc
System Model: XPS 630i
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9400 @ 2.66GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4094MB RAM
Page File: 1719MB used, 6465MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7600.16385 64bit Unicode

Power supply: 750 W


---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce GTX 570
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_1086&SUBSYS_83871043&REV_A1
Display Memory: 3039 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1248 MB
Shared Memory: 1790 MB
Current Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: DELL E228WFP
Monitor Id: DELD015
Native Mode: 1680 x 1050(p) (59.883Hz)
Output Type: DVI


Any help or advice would be great please! I am completely out of ideas and cannot find any fixes that work on any forum.

More about : games freeze stop working

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MOD Edit: because I got fed up scrolling through an entire DX dump twice.



any chance of grabbing the PSU model/serial# so we can take a look at the ampage possible on the 12v rail/s?

im still learning myself but time after time I see posted here that the ampage really matters - so even though the wattage on a PSU meets the minimum requirement, the ampage may not.

I've owned a few Dells but unfortunately they do not provide much info on their website for the PSU in general, the XPS 630i basically states it is 750W but doesnt give any info on the number of 12v rails or their ampage specs

chaz

thats good enough info may have cracked it

im reading it is recommended the gtx 570 needs 38a from a single 12v rail - do you have power connectors from the same rail? if so you will be coming up short if my basic understanding of amp requirement is correct

let us know and we can look at fixing this up

chaz

ps. afterthought, you might find your cpu will bottleneck the 570. if its a Dell it could be hard/impossible to OC the cpu - youll have to google this or check with other 630 owners on dells forums. on the bright side it doesnt contribute to the problems you're currently experiencing, likely it will just stop you getting the most out of the 570 if it is a bottleneck (i found out a Q6600 @ 2.4GHz held back a gtx 460 in my last system)
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The specifications on the card box do indeed say 600 W which is the bit i paid attention to, and (12 V current rating of 42 A).

I have 2 connectors (6 pin) coming separately from my PSU and into the 2 slots on the card, which means it can draw up to 36 A, is that right? I guess that means my PSU is underpowered, does that definitely always cause a problem??

I have since also re-run a memory test, more for something to do than expecting anything as it passed first time, and this time it did find a problem. I am currently going though testing 1 stick at a time to see which one is faulty.

Thanks a lot for your help!

cps1974 said:
thats good enough info may have cracked it

im reading it is recommended the gtx 570 needs 38a from a single 12v rail - do you have power connectors from the same rail? if so you will be coming up short if my basic understanding of amp requirement is correct

let us know and we can look at fixing this up

chaz

ps. afterthought, you might find your cpu will bottleneck the 570. if its a Dell it could be hard/impossible to OC the cpu - youll have to google this or check with other 630 owners on dells forums. on the bright side it doesnt contribute to the problems you're currently experiencing, likely it will just stop you getting the most out of the 570 if it is a bottleneck (i found out a Q6600 @ 2.4GHz held back a gtx 460 in my last system)


You're reading something wrong, the GTX570 has a max power draw of 219w for the reference version which is 18.25 amps not 38.

i 2nd guessed the 570 was not OEM as the OP upgraded from another gpu

could there be such a huge difference between oem & factory overclock?

at this stage please tell us exactly which 570 you have & how the stick removals go

thank goodness for mousemonkey!

chaz


edit: this is what i was reading - the general consensus on this thread was 38a required on 12v rail -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/306665-15-what-othe...

2nd edit: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=188494
"However, considering most multi-rail PSU’s hold 18 to 20 amps on a single 12v, and they usually come with either 2 or 4 rails, power for high end systems get hazy. You will want to use both 12v to power your graphics solution if using anything stronger than a 570. Luckily, good vendors list or label which cable is for which rail." So in this case the OP's GPU requires 2 x power connector - and these must come from seperate rails given the specs of the PSU being used? (12V1 -/18A, 12V3 -/18A)


cheers, this is helping me understand a lot more in advance of my next upgrade

Thanks a lot guys for your efforts! If i could i would buy you a beer! If ever you need help with a microbial ecology problem, drop me a line! ;) 

The exact card that i have is an Asus GTX 570 DirectCUII

I am not sure i understand about the power. I am assuming "rail" = power supply cable in layman's terms? If so, is it alright for it to take the amps needed over 2 rails, as in my 2 rails are providing it with 36 A as 2 of them are plugged in??

slypsy said:
I am not sure i understand about the power. I am assuming "rail" = power supply cable in layman's terms? If so, is it alright for it to take the amps needed over 2 rails, as in my 2 rails are providing it with 36 A as 2 of them are plugged in??

To understand the watts/amps thing just remember that 12 is the number to divide or multiply by, to get the amp requirement divide the watts by 12 and to get the wattage multiply the amperage by 12. So 38a = 456w, a bit more than any GTX570 would ever use don't you think?

im still learning and getting there I think. you are more than welcome to anything I can add, cant have someone sitting there not being able to use their nice new GTX 570! make mine a Westons cloudy scrumpy

here's an example of a review for that card showing peak power draw @ 261w.
http://www.geeks3d.com/20110217/asus-geforce-gtx-570-di... (I havnt read the review, im trying to tear myself away from here and back to BF3 lol)

so... 261w / 12 = 21.75A
you need 2 power connectors and each rail (cable) can supply a max 18A so the 2 power connectors used need to be from seperate rails. i think were on the same wave length.

mousemonkey I really value your input here for fear that it might be the blind leading the blind - are we making sense? Am i learning or just talking BS (other than the 38A nonsense, I agree with you - the geeks3d OC that card to almost 850MHz and even then peak power was only 297W)


chaz


cps1974 said:
im still learning and getting there I think. you are more than welcome to anything I can add, cant have someone sitting there not being able to use their nice new GTX 570! make mine a Westons cloudy scrumpy

here's an example of a review for that card showing peak power draw @ 261w.
http://www.geeks3d.com/20110217/asus-geforce-gtx-570-di... (I havnt read the review, im trying to tear myself away from here and back to BF3 lol)

so... 261w / 12 = 21.75A
you need 2 power connectors and each rail (cable) can supply a max 18A so the 2 power connectors used need to be from seperate rails. i think were on the same wave length.

mousemonkey I really value your input here for fear that it might be the blind leading the blind - are we making sense? Am i learning or just talking BS (other than the 38A nonsense, I agree with you - the geeks3d OC that card to almost 850MHz and even then peak power was only 297W)


chaz

You're getting there OK. 260w is around 20a and if you do the math (as you have) then you get 21.75a.

appreciated, thanks

i built my system ok but i didnt have to do the homework - I just followed guru3d guide for the parts that went together, really beginning to see the wider picture and issues and it seems as though PSU/wattage/amps is a common issue for lots who are thinking of or have upgraded already

back to the battlefield for me, i've almost unlocked the javelin

chaz

Just a quick message to let you know that the computer is fixed and the graphics card working.

I swear my computer had a conspiracy against me. One of my RAM sticks decided to fail at the exact same moment that i upgraded the graphics card (i am certain i didn't knock one when changing the cards or anything!), and although it somehow managed to hold it together enough to pass the first Memtest. Very strange.

Anyway, thanks a lot for you help guys. To anyone else having similar issues with 3D games, and i have seen a few on various forums, run a couple of RAM tests!!!

Thanks again!
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