Games do weird things after a while of playing

[Kane2009]

I bought a new PC and games were working fine and properly without any problems till suddenly, after like four months, the game colors changed and weird things started to happen like this:
(Need for Speed Most Wanted: http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o.../NFSMW-Bug.png)
and this:
(FIFA 09: http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...FIFA09-Bug.png)
and surprisingly the game doesn't freeze and I can still play and when I close the game the PC itself freezes for a little then starts to work properly but if I open a game it takes a long time to load and the PC still freezes for a little when I close it. The whole freezing problem is gone when I restart but of course comes back again when I play for a while and the same thing happens.
What could have caused this problem and how to fix it?

I use Windows XP.
Intel Core Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40 GHz.
3.24 GB of RAM.
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 1024.0 MB.
C is 58.2 GB and 40.5 of free space.

Thanks in advance.

[koala]

Hi, welcome to TSF

Have you tried reinstalling or updating your graphics driver?

Is anything overclocked?

Make a note of the temperatures and voltages in BIOS, then again during fullscreen gameplay with SpeedFan. Post back with both sets of readings so we can compare the idle and stressed performance. If SpeedFan doesn't show the graphics card temperature (GPU), use the nvidia control panel or RivaTuner.

What make/model is your PSU?

Do you have any other programs running in the background while playing a game? (antivirus, IM chat, music, etc)

[Sven2157]

Hi Kane2009 ,

That looks like an incorrect rendering problem. Microsoft periodically releases updates for DirectX, more specifically D3D (Direct 3D), which is associated with the DirectX environment.

Try going here and updating your DirectX.

Play some more, and then Please post back if that helped...

Sven2157

[Kane2009]

Thanks, sorry for the late reply.

I didn't try reinstalling or updating my graphics driver.
I don't think there's something overclocked, how do I know?
I don't know how to make a note of the temperatures and voltages in BIOS, so I took a screen shot for SpeedFan for both the idle and stressed performances as you asked:

Idle:
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...SpeedFan-1.png

Stressed:
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...SpeedFan-2.png

The GPU temperature max was 76 and mean was 73.4.

The PSU is Safe Power ATX ATX 12V
Voltage/Current PX-400
+3V 32A, +5V 40A
Max 255W

I took a photo of it too:
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...5072009380.png

I have NOD32, NetLimiter, NVIDIA Settings, Realtek HD Audio Manager, and USB Safely Remove. But I had them before and the games were working fine before.

And about the DirectX, I don't really know how to update it... I made the tests in dxdiag and they were fine, but don't know how to update it.

Thanks again...

[RockmasteR]

hello,
first of all you need to uninstall your current video card drivers and install the latest drivers
download Revo uninstaller from my sig and use it to uninstall your drivers and use it to remove all the registry remaining (it's easy juts follow Revo's instructions) the drivers should appear in the list it's called Nvidia Drivers, just right click on it and choose uninstall be sure to select (advanced)
after you remove them, restart your PC (when first prompted to restart choose no, cause you have to remove the registry remaining, after your remove them be pressing select all and delete, manually restart your PC)
now after that go here and download the driver, when its done downloading install it
after that restart your PC (yes again :P)
now, there is a very crucial step, you need to update your DirectX
it's not hard at all
just download the latest directX from my signature, when it's done downloading click on it and it'll do the rest, that's it


one more thing

just to be sure that your video card is in an OK condition, let us scan it for any artifacts
download ATITOOL from my signature, install it and open it
now choose "scan for Artifacts" and leave it for about 20 to 30 minutes
if there are any artifacts it should be show as yellow lines and there is a number for artifacts on the bottom of the screen

report back,
good luck

[koala]

Your 400W PSU is too weak for your computer, and should be replaced. It is only providing 20A on the +12V line, which is ok for onboard graphics and AGP, but PCIE cards need a minimum of 28A.

The +12V reading of 10.72V in SpeedFan means the PSU is struggling to provide enough power. It should be between 11.4V and 12.6V.

The low quality PSU and out-of-range +12V reading are contributing to the components overheating. If this has been going on for some time, the graphics card, hard drive and CPU may be damaged.

Install a good quality 650W PSU, reapply some thermal paste to the CPU/heatsink, and make sure the case is well ventilated (front and rear fans, check for dust), then run SpeedFan again.

[Kane2009]

Thanks guys, I will try to do these stuff... anyway, do you know which of these exactly is most likely to cause the problem I'm having with games so I can start with it?

Here's a new screenshot (FIFA 09):
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...IFA09-Bug2.png

Thanks.

[koala]

Do the PSU, thermal paste and fans first so you've got a solid foundation to work on, then take a screenshot of the idle temperatures and voltages before reinstalling the drivers and DirectX.