Pc crashes during Team Fortress2 (+video)

[momentkiller]

When I play Team Fortress 2 my computer crashes after several minutes(sometimes less as seen on the vid).
[flash=425,344]http://www.youtube.com/v/xsNMWEDq2o0&hl=en&rel=0[/flash]

-Temperatures are fine
- My Pc crashes during some games(TF2,GTR2,Call of Juarez), not all (COD4, Grid).


Specs:
E2160 @ 2.00 Ghz (the crashes do not stop when I have everything running stock)
Gigabyte P35-DS3L
2GB memory running 1:1
Cooler Master eXtreme Power 460W
Zotac Geforce 9600gt FW:175.19
Windows XP 32bits SP3

 

[jimmysmitty]

I wanna say PSU cuz its such a low rating but its higher than the required 400W and 26A on the 12V rails.

Try running Memtest86. Also check your memory voltages and CPU voltages. I had the same problem cuz my memory voltage was being set to low by the mobo so I had to set it myself to the right voltage.

 

[bobwya]

When I play Team Fortress 2 my computer crashes after several minutes(sometimes less as seen on the vid).
-Temperatures are fine
- My Pc crashes during some games(TF2,GTR2,Call of Juarez), not all (COD4, Grid).


Specs:
E2160 @ 2.00 Ghz (the crashes do not stop when I have everything running stock)
Gigabyte P35-DS3L
2GB memory running 1:1
Cooler Master eXtreme Power 460W
Zotac Geforce 9600gt FW:175.19
Windows XP 32bits SP3

Liking the video!!

Can you run through "3D mark 2006" test OK?

I would also run "CPU burn" overnight (1 process on each core) - with test for errors enabled obviously!!
http://users.bigpond.net.au/CPUburn/

I would also run a "Gold Memory Test" which does a better job of spotting errors than Memtest86
http://www.goldmemory.cz/

Cooler Master does not have a great rep. for PSUs... Hmmm can you test the rig with a different PSU??

Bob

 

[momentkiller]

I ran 3d mark 2006 a lot. Never had any problems/crashes.

Another interesting detail is that when I turn on the computer it flicks on for 2 secs and then goes off and after 2 secs it turns on again and it stays on.

I thought that the 9600gt was the cause of the crashes but I tried it on another pc and it worked perfectly without any crashes during TF2

 

[momentkiller]

Also i ran prime95 a lot of times before but never had any crashes.

 

[trackman2010]

Another interesting detail is that when I turn on the computer it flicks on for 2 secs and then goes off and after 2 secs it turns on again and it stays on.

That's normal when the CPU is overclocked.

 

[spuddyt]

Run memtest and/or try with a different power supply

 

[momentkiller]

wich PSU brands do you guys recommend?

 

[Oh Snap]

LMAO. That's what I wish I could do to people's computers when I kill them in games. HEADSHOT! Computer Restart!

 

[jimmysmitty]

Corsair, Thermaltake and Rosewill are pretty good. Make sure the AMps on the 12v rails are high.

 

[bobwya]

wich PSU brands do you guys recommend?

I would refer to:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088
as a rough guide.

Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, Ultra X3 series, etc. are all very good!! Buying from Tiers 1-2 will give you a stable system for many years to come!! They will be much less subject to capacitor aging. Corsair for example use solid capacitors rated at 105C in their PSUs!!

Note: some manufactures will use higher spec. components in their more expensive, higher wattage models.
E.g. Ultra-X Connect= doorstop, Ultra X3= dogs bollox!!

I certainly wouldn't buy a Rosewill PSU (well OK they probably aren't legal to sell in the EU - but perhaps that is my point!!). Tier 5 position is earned there!!

Bob

 

[Oh Snap]

I have a Thermaltake Toughpower and it's amazing with incredible efficiency.

 

[momentkiller]

An update: I tried a 7900gs and everything ran without any crashes. I also tried the 9600gt on a AMD X2 3800+ machine with a crappy Trust PSU with 370Watt. And it ran TF2 without crashes with the 9600gt.

 

[bobwya]

An update: I tried a 7900gs and everything ran without any crashes. I also tried the 9600gt on a AMD X2 3800+ machine with a crappy Trust PSU with 370Watt. And it ran TF2 without crashes with the 9600gt.

Rollback the FW drivers?? What FW version is running on the AMD X2 machine...

Motherboard issues?? All the BIOS updates are for CPU architecture changes from what I can see... Have you taken out the CMOS battery to RESET the BIOS completely back to the default default values??!!

What version of XP is running on the AMD machine - have you installed SP3? (service pack bug/incompatibility?!)

The 9600GT is very light on power consumption so I am not surprised it runs on the AMD system!!

Bob

 

[bobwya]

Also just a thought maybe you could use one of those GPU driver removal tools to uninstall the FW driver and reinstall it (or roll back to 174)??

Bob

 

[momentkiller]

I tried resetting the bios but with no effect, it still crashes. Uninstalling and Installing the drivers again didn't work either, sadly...

 

[bobwya]

I tried resetting the bios but with no effect, it still crashes. Uninstalling and Installing the drivers again didn't work either, sadly...

Have you a different ForceWare version on the AMD machine perhaps?

Did you clear out the old GPU drivers with a proper driver removal tool e.g. http://downloads.guru3d.com/Generic-Utilities_c8.html (has other goodies!!)

Have you done the full RAM checks with Gold Memory Tester? What RAM are you using? What voltage is the MB running the RAM at?

Can you swap out the Cooler Master PSU for the other crappy one (The Intel system shouldn't need much power with a 9600GT) - assuming it has the right MB power connectors...

I presume (do I need to ask) that you have updated DirectX to the March 2008 release? I also presume the games are being run fully patched??


Basically fault testing needs to be exhaustive and systematic until you pin down exactly where the fault is!! It is most likely a power fault (either on the MB or PSU) or a driver issue...

Bob

 

[jimmysmitty]

I am still going with PSU. Even if it has decent AMPs the watts provided could be to low for that system. I think when they suggest a certain wattage they mean what the PSU truly provides. 460w @ 70% efficiency would only output 322W. So its possible that your PSU is not giving enough juice to run everything and is causing shutdowns.

I would almost doubt Memory at this point if a more graphic intense game like COD4 does not cause it to crash. But still run a check.

 

[momentkiller]

@jimmy,
But that doesn't explain why it works on a computer with a 370W TRUST PSU?

 

[bobwya]

Please do some more tests and get back to us...

Neither video card is a heavy draw 9600GT (<60Watts 3D Peak) or 7900GS (<45Watts 3D Peak)... But it is still potentially a PSU problem because the Cooler Master PSU is a Tier 5 PSU. That means unreliable, unreliable and unreliable!!

It may be rated at 460Watts but according to this review:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/550/6
The Cooler Master PSU puts extra constraints on the voltage rails that make it a 420 Watt unit!! The build quality sounds OK. However it sounds like the over power or current protection circuits are getting over zealous on the unit you are using!!

I presume you haven't bothered trying any of the tests I suggested yet?? Otherwise folks will lose interest in trying to help you sort out the problem!!

Bob

 

[momentkiller]

I tried everything except swapping the PSU. I'm going to test that tonight.

 

[momentkiller]

I'm not sure if swapping the PSU is a good idea.
PSU specs:

Maybe it will work but if it crashes it can be two things causing it to crash, the low 12v lines or the 9600gt.

 

[tamalero]

theres a dirty trick to use.. by daisy chaining the power supplies with an adaptor, and use the 370 just for the 9600

also for powersupplies
I wuv my PC POWER & COOLING

 

[bobwya]

Yeh

Your Intel-based system will draw at least 200 Watts... Oh deary, deary me...

Bob

 

[momentkiller]

9600 Tested with the TRUST Psu, crashed....

That singles out the videocard.. I guess