Could I get some computer help?
- Thread starter Frank_Sinatra_
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Ahh, LGA775 processors have really, really crappy stock heatsinks. They're really hard to install correctly so it's very possible that this is the problem.Valiance said:
If it isn't loose then it might just be clogged with dust. Whichever it is, the fix is pretty easy. If it's a loose heatsink then all you have to do is make sure that it comes back into contact with the cpu. If it's dust, all you have to do is buy some canned air, take the case outside, and blow all of the dust out of the fans.
Looks like it's a cooling issue then. If I were you I'd get an aftermarket heatsink put on your CPU... I went from the stock intel heatsink to a Coolermaster Hyper TX2 [http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2200] and it dropped the temp of my Q6600 by a fair bit. I can't remember the exact numbers, but it was a pretty considerable improvement.
Okay, talked to my boss and fixed that issue, so now I'm running my core temp at 36 C, and when I run a game I've topped at 50C.Valiance said:
Still with some games the machine crashes. Suggestions?
Which Windows are you running?Frank_Sinatra_ said:
Search Google for how to check event viewer. (Control panel > Administrative tools > Event viewer). It *MAY* give you some info on what is going on right before a crash. It's a bit of a long-shot with insta-crashes (where an event doesn't have time to register), but it's worth a shot. Next time you crash, note the time and on the next reboot check for any error events at the time of the crash.
Search for and download memtest. Leave it running for a whole night so you're sure your RAM is OK. If you can't leave it on that long, at least let it run for a full pass.
You've solved your CPU temp problems. Are you sure your VGA temps are good? What VGA do you have?
Have you tried un-installing your VGA drivers and reinstalling the latest ones?
Download either your motherboard's monitoring tool or SpeedFan and check your voltages. It could be a faulty power supply that gives out when the going gets tough.
Whatever you do, solve the problem instead of reformatting and reinstalling Windows. This problem could just as well be hardware related as it could be software. At least that way you learn a little something and it might save you the hassle next time something shows up (and it doesn't make you look like a pussy that reformats every time a problem appears).
It could still be a graphics card overheat, even if the CPU core temperature is now within its limits. Especially if the graphics card's fan has been working overtime trying to keep up with overall system temperatures. Are there other GPU-intensive games that work without hanging?
Have all of these games been crashing since installation? Or is it a problem that has occured recently? Do other games work without issue? How long into a game does it crash? 1-10 min, 10-30 min, 30-60min?
Usually I would start with diagnosing/updating the following (after a virus/spyware scan):
DirectX DXDiag should find any problems here. Some info... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DxDiag
Graphix Drivers Go to www.nvidia.com, download newest drivers.
It could be a problem with multicore support. Older games that were written without multicore support can be unstable. You might need a patch from intel ( I needed a dualcore patch for my AMD chipset to stop random crashes to desktop, don't know about intel)
Also it is good to get a registry cleaning tool. Ashampoo is what I use http://www.ashampoo.com/frontend/products/php/product.php?session_langid=2&idstring=1906.
See if these solutions help your issue.
Usually I would start with diagnosing/updating the following (after a virus/spyware scan):
DirectX DXDiag should find any problems here. Some info... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DxDiag
Graphix Drivers Go to www.nvidia.com, download newest drivers.
It could be a problem with multicore support. Older games that were written without multicore support can be unstable. You might need a patch from intel ( I needed a dualcore patch for my AMD chipset to stop random crashes to desktop, don't know about intel)
Also it is good to get a registry cleaning tool. Ashampoo is what I use http://www.ashampoo.com/frontend/products/php/product.php?session_langid=2&idstring=1906.
See if these solutions help your issue.
I'll give that a shot, thanks.achilleas.k said:
More stuff means more things to try. Thanks.ctrl-alt-postal said:
If you don't have anything to contribute to the topic, don't post.Ham_authority95 said:
Keep us updated 
This is the reason people think having a gaming PC costs thousands.Ham_authority95 said:
a couple questionsFrank_Sinatra_ said:
do the games only crash on those games or every game?
also what was the heating issue with? ie what part of the computer
i ask this because the heating issue, while solved, could have done some damage to the pc that is not apparent until you do something like playing a game that will heat up the component and make it mess up and crash the app
It only crashes on those games, and only those games, on the very exact same spot, or a couple moments past the time.cleverlymadeup said:
The heating issue was with my core temperature, it was just getting bat shit hot in there.
So we have solved a CPU related heating issue and yet still have a problem whilst running games.
Well we can quickly determine a few things.
1). If the systems works in all applications but then goes tits up during games chances are the issue is GPU related, these can be put down to heat, power, dodgy driver or dodgy components.
2). Your 2D animation stuff will be tougher on your CPU and RAM and chances are will do little if anything with your GPU that's why they work but your games don't.
3). You have suffered from a heating issue which has been solved.
Download and install a program called Rivatuner (google it), this will first of all allow you to tell what temp your GPU is running at. If it is running warm then the program will also allow you to increase the fan speed of the GPU.
If it is running warm then you need to do a few things.
1). Check case air flow, do you have enough intake and exit fans, Two intake fans one at front and one at the side along with one exit fan behind the CPU should create enough positive air flow inside the case to push cool air in and warm air out.
2). Cables, is it a mess inside the PC, if so tidy it up you want a clear run for the air from the front intake fan to the exit fan at the back, any cables will act as baffles and disrupt the air flow, cable tie and get them out of the way.
3). Boot the PC and go in to Rivatuner and under the hardware or driver level options you can adjust the GPU fan speed, push it up to max and then see what happens when you run your games.
The symptoms and previous history point towards an over heating issue, I wouldn't bother with driver or dxdiag updates just yet at least not until we have confirmed if it is a heating problem or not.
Well we can quickly determine a few things.
1). If the systems works in all applications but then goes tits up during games chances are the issue is GPU related, these can be put down to heat, power, dodgy driver or dodgy components.
2). Your 2D animation stuff will be tougher on your CPU and RAM and chances are will do little if anything with your GPU that's why they work but your games don't.
3). You have suffered from a heating issue which has been solved.
Download and install a program called Rivatuner (google it), this will first of all allow you to tell what temp your GPU is running at. If it is running warm then the program will also allow you to increase the fan speed of the GPU.
If it is running warm then you need to do a few things.
1). Check case air flow, do you have enough intake and exit fans, Two intake fans one at front and one at the side along with one exit fan behind the CPU should create enough positive air flow inside the case to push cool air in and warm air out.
2). Cables, is it a mess inside the PC, if so tidy it up you want a clear run for the air from the front intake fan to the exit fan at the back, any cables will act as baffles and disrupt the air flow, cable tie and get them out of the way.
3). Boot the PC and go in to Rivatuner and under the hardware or driver level options you can adjust the GPU fan speed, push it up to max and then see what happens when you run your games.
The symptoms and previous history point towards an over heating issue, I wouldn't bother with driver or dxdiag updates just yet at least not until we have confirmed if it is a heating problem or not.
it works fine with other games then?Frank_Sinatra_ said:
i had a similar issue on my linux box, the cpu was chewed but could run certain things that weren't cpu/graphically intensive fine. once i loaded up quake 4 or doom 3 it would die.
as for the cpu itself, how hot was it? like in the 50C range or well above that? did it also die several times due to the heating issues or just kept going at higher temps?
like other people have said it could be a gpu issue. however i'm thinking something might be borked with a chip that only comes out when it is given a good work out
The GPU is running at 74C. I'll try that though.Laughing Man said:
Yes, it works fine with other games, just some it acts retarded.cleverlymadeup said:
The CPU was running well over 50C until I fixed that, however the card is running at 74C.
yeah something's messed with the GPU, get a better fan for it sounds like something is messed up with it or it's just way too hotFrank_Sinatra_ said:
Well since I'm about 6 shades of broke could I just take off the side until I can get another fan?cleverlymadeup said:
Simply taking off the side doesn't always make it run cooler. It might help, but a closed, well-ventilated case with proper airflow is usually better. Worth a shot though.Frank_Sinatra_ said:
I think there is a certain test program for VGAs that stress test them so you can check if that's the cause. Then again, if that crashes it's not certain that it's overheating anyway.
Perhaps you could try downclocking your GPU as well. Get an overclocking program (perhaps the others can suggest a good one) and drop it really low and see if that makes the crashes go away, or at least less frequent. If you crash while at lower (normal-ish) temps while playing the game, at least we'll know that it's not a temperature problem.
If it ends up being ZoneAlarm I'll hate that piece of crap even more, which I thought was impossible. Then again, it's not as bad as all the crap that comes with Norton Security.VGStrife said: