What video card is compatible?

[rocco1123]

Hello,
I have a sata2 motherboard.... yes i know.... Ancient.. but its all i have right now... and it keeps shutting off when i play games like LOL, LOTRO and occasionally when i play CSS... ive replaced the power supply and checked the heat and i think my video card is overheating.... so i was just going to invest in a new video card. What video card is compatible with SATA2 motherboards?...... OR.... is there a different way to fix this?

 

[Sunius]

All the graphics card with PCIe connection will be compatible with such motherboard.

How hot is the card getting?

 

[rocco1123]

Im not exactly sure. I think the last time i checked it, it said around 60C or 70C. I'll check it tonight to see

 

[Sunius]

70°C isn't hot at all. You should be worried at 90°C! I'd suggest testing your memory. You can use the tool which you can download from here:

www.memtest.org

 

[JackNaylorPE]

80 is when I start paying attention.

Run OCCT to test and record temps and voltages

When using HD's think about SATA 2/3

When thinking GFC cards, worry about PCI-E 2 or 3

 

[rocco1123]

i believe i have 2gig ram. ddr2. Would that be the problem?

 

[Sunius]

No, unless it has gone bad, and that happens pretty often. Test the RAM .

 

[rocco1123]

Sorry to double post** but i Don't get any visual lag. even on decent graphics... So i assumed it wasn't the ram, but I"m fairly new to repairing/troubleshooting desktops.

 

[Sunius]

RAM isn't responsible for video. It's responsible for pretty much everything that has to do with numbers, though. Just test it and we'll see whether that was the problem or not. I don't think it's hard at all, it will just take some time (like 1-2 hours).

 

[rocco1123]

Ok im going on lunch. I'll test it now, ill get back to you guys this evening. thank you

 

[Sunius]

Okay, I'll wait for the results!

 

[rocco1123]

Ok. I couldn't run that mem test.(i don't have a spare flashdrive or a spare blank cd) BUT i did try other RAM in my comp.... it didn't help... i am looking at CPUID right now.. and my VTIN temperature is at 114C. I don't know what VTIN is, but i think that may be the problem?

 

[Sunius]

Can you download HWMonitor from www.cpuid.com and check all the temperatures there?

 

[rocco1123]

Yes.

THRM: -268C
SYSTIN: 24C
CPUTIN: 45C
VTIN: 114C
----------------
Assembly: 60C
Airflow: 60C
-------------
NVIDIA: 49C

 

[Sunius]

I wouldn't worry about it. It's probably a software bug; it does that sometimes when there isn't a sensor that it's trying to read from.

 

[rocco1123]

ive talked to a few people about this, they said it might be my heatsink or bad thermal paste,so im going to get a new heatsink\fan and get some new ram. Both of which wouldn't hurt to replace. I'll let you guys know what the verdict is after this.

OH! and what is the VTIN? Its showing 114C.

 

[Sunius]

No idea. It cannot be accurate though.

 

[rocco1123]

Quick update, I updated my video card drivers and ran Avast! anti virus scan and it is still doing it, but im waiting for my heatsink and ram to come in from newegg.

 

[Sunius]

I think think it's RAM. Though it might be failing power supply as well.

Also, don't you think it would have been cheaper to buy a blank CD instead of new RAM? >.>

 

[rocco1123]

Yeah but it only has 2 gigs of ram so upgrading it definitely doesn't hurt. I also talked to a guy who owns a computer place who says he thinks it might be the processor itself.

 

[rocco1123]

I also did get a brand new 600w powersupply a week ago and installed it, but that didn't help. :/

 

[Sunius]

Processor malfunctions are extremely rare. You should first test everything else.

 

[rocco1123]

What else can i test? I am waiting on the new ram as well as a new heatsink. after those what else do i test if it doesn't fix it

 

[Sunius]

Use memtest for memory. Prime95 for CPU. Furmark for Graphics card. Remember to always look at temperatures with Prime95 and furmark.