I think it's the graphics card... - Page 2

Citizen Bleys · 05-09-2008, 12:19 AM

Originally Bespoken by Omecle

Originally Bespoken by rubah

have you installed any applications to tell you what temperature your cpu is at?

Ah, no. I've just tested the GPU temperature... Any suggestions for a program that will do this?

SpeedFan. It's not always completely accurate, but it doesn't require you to install any new physical hardware, so it's better than nothing.

Omecle · 05-09-2008, 12:50 AM

Okay, well this is the test normally.

About 5 seconds before my computer crashed (about 5 minutes into FFXI this time!) my temperatures that were changed were:
Core: 50C (green tick?)
GPU: 50C (green tick?)

Everything else was the same. Hmm.

Note: Also I thought it might be Windower 3.3, but I tried uninstalling that and just using max default settings in the FFXI settings and it still does it (which it shouldn't).

Citizen Bleys · 05-09-2008, 02:15 AM

SpeedFan has default settings that determine what qualifies as a green check and what doesn't. Since no 2 CPUs or GPUs are alike, I pretty much guarantee you are wrong. For example, my old Pentium D was rated to withstand temps up to 69.9°C (which it regularly hit), whereas my current Core 2 Duo can't take anything over 61 (which it never approaches). My own CPU temp hovers around 30-40°C while playing FFXI, but I haven't checked my GPU. I was getting some freezing--like you, only while playing FFXI, but my screen didn't go black, just whatever was on the screen froze solid. It happens with and without windower. Since replacing my graphics card, it has not happened, but since it's random and the replacement was recent, I don't know if the issue is gone for sure.

Lately I've also been getting the same issue on my old laptop, without Windower. It could be the graphics card overheating--I keep my old laptop at work and usually keep my char in one of the beastman-controlled campaign areas and pound away at fortifications while I'm at work, only looking at the screen every 10-15mins or so, depending on how busy I am at work. As the graphics card fan blows air out the bottom of that laptop, I'm going to try a laptop cooling pad, I'll let you know how it works out. I have gone nights at work with no freezing at all, but they don't happen often, and we're only allowed to have our laptops out for 4 hours, between 2 and 6 AM. If I can go a week (4 working days) without freezing once the thermal pad is in place, I'll send you a PM. If not, assume it doesn't.

short version: you'll have to check your GPU manufacturer's website to find out what kind of temps it can handle. 50°C seems kinda high.

Omecle · 02:59 AM

Hmm, well on the nVidia forums they say it can handle up to a max of 60C, and run comfortably at 50C.

At the moment my CPU is 42C and GPU is 48C without running any games.

Edit: I've been going to nVidia for drivers, maybe I should go to XFX for drivers? (after all it's an XFX nVidia 7800GS). Perhaps they've put in something that nVidia don't have drivers for? I'll try it, but not sure if it's any different.

o_O · 05-09-2008, 03:14 AM

Nah, nVidia drivers are fine, since each graphics card model is a specification.

Can you set Speedfan to log the temperature every five seconds or something like that? You'd be able to determine the temperature at crash-time more reliably then.

Omecle · 05-09-2008, 04:02 AM

Hmm, I'll set that up on SpeedFan. Well after installing the XFX drivers I had a thought so I looked through the box and the manual.

There was a power cord supplied in the box, and the manual said to use it. Now I just had the card hooked straight up to the power supply... It's a split cable:

Female------\
Female-------Male

But I had to put one of the females into the card and the male into P4 of the power supply (it said to put the male into the card and the two females into separate power cords but the connections are switched round). Would it make a difference?

Anyway, I did that loaded up FFXI and so far no crashes. I'll keep it logged into a heavy area with settings up max to see if it crashes at all. If it does I'll do the SpeedFan log you suggested.

(sorry if the explanation is bad)

Citizen Bleys · 05-09-2008, 05:17 AM

Originally Bespoken by o_O

Can you set Speedfan to log the temperature every five seconds or something like that?

Yes. The intervals are customizable. You can also set it up to email you automatically if certain conditions are met, such as the CPU or GPU exceeding the manufacturer's spec.

**Hsu** · 05-09-2008, 07:06 AM

Another good way to check the CPU temp after a crash is to just boot into your BIOS right after it happens and see what it reports. I had it happen with mine a while back and it showed really high temperatures.

When it happened to me it turned out there was gunk (dust and hair) all built up over the heat sink, preventing heat flow. Unscrewing the fan from it and running over it with a q-tip to clean it off helped.