Pancaked

Hello.

I play World of Warcraft and have been having a ton of trouble with new cards- both the 6800 and like the 5400 or something.

Anyways, my monitor will go black, forcing a restart, or the computer will restart on it's own after playing for a few minutes. Funny thing is, my ooooooooold S3 ProSavage DDR will support the game fine, same graphics settings, just runs with a low FPS.

My question: What can be causing this problem? The Geek Squad insisted that my ViewSonic E75f is too old to support my card. I asked about power supply and RAM and they insisted ti was the monitor.


Any help would be appreciated. I figure there's some stuff I will have to replace, I just don't know what.

manic

Post system specs, especially power supply wattage and brand..

Pancaked

If you need more info, tell me how I can get it for you.


------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 6/26/2007, 10:44:05
Machine name: MATTHEWSPC
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Compaq Presario 06
System Model: P8654X-ABA S3000Z NA110
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2000+, MMX, 3DNow, ~1.7GHz
Memory: 504MB RAM
Page File: 239MB used, 955MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode



---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: S3 Graphics ProSavageDDR
Manufacturer: S3 Graphics, Inc.
Chip type: S3 ProSavage DDR
DAC type: S3 SDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_5333&DEV_8D04&SUBSYS_90121509&REV_00
Display Memory: 8.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: ViewSonic E75f
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: s3gnb.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.0012 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 5/26/2003 13:57:42, 397056 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
VDD: n/a
Mini VDD: s3gnbm.sys
Mini VDD Date: 5/26/2003 13:57:50, 166912 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B75DD3-CE44-11CF-B576-18B0A1C2CB35}
Vendor ID: 0x5333
Device ID: 0x8D04
SubSys ID: 0x90121509
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_A
Deinterlace Caps: n/a
Registry: OK
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled
DDraw Test Result: Not run
D3D7 Test Result: Not run
D3D8 Test Result: Not run
D3D9 Test Result: Not run

mattlock

Hello Pancaked and Welcome to TSF.

The info that Manic asked for on your PSU (power supply) can be found by removing the side cover of the PC and looking at the sticker on the PSU. We need make, model, total watts, amps on the +12v rail.

Try using Driver cleaner to remove you old drivers then install the 84.21 drivers from Nvidea in safemode with VGA enabled. You'll find instructions and a link to the 84.21 drivers in the link below.

stickies

Post back with info requested and the results of the new drivers.

Deleted090308

I agree - this sounds like a weak power supply. Or maybe overheating of the GPU (but that usually doesn't cause restarts). Is it always at the same point in the game it crashes?

manic

From reading your last post it seems that you are using a ati video card
not nvidia...

ebackhus

Geek Squad is made of retards...

If you're getting crashes with a 6800 it may be a power issue. The 6800 is a hungry piece of hardware and a PSU that's not up to snuff can lead to problems.

Pancaked

PSU Details-
Bestec
Model Atx-250-12Z Rev: D
250W Output Max
+5V +3.3V- 165V Max
+5V +12V- 218 V Max

@ Maniac- The S3 in the info I posted is what I am using now because the 6800 will not allow me to play WoW (and I am addicted).

@Eneles- It's usually about the same time. It will allow me to play anywhere from 30 seconds - 2 minutes, never mroe than that. I'd like to point out that it doesnt seem to shut down whent he game gets graphically intensive... I can just stand in the same spot and not touch anything and it will still shut down after the 30sec -2 mins

Also, thsi is basically what GeekSquad told me when I asked about my Power Supply. They said that if my Power Supply did not have enough power for the 6800, the graphics card would not work period. I found that hard to believe, but I figured they knew alot mroe than I did.


So, is it extremely unlikley that my monitor is the problem?

manic

250watt no name, or name brand psu wont cut it, not even close.....

mattlock

Manic hit the nail on the head. That PSU is simply not up to the task of pushing a modern card. You should be looking at 400w PSU.

Take a look at our Power Supply Info page for some options.

Post back with any questions or concerns.

Deleted090308

Like manic and mattlock have already stated - you need a new PSU. I agree with Matt - a quality 400W PSU will do the job.
If you're thinking of building a new computer - you might want to buy a "bigger" PSU (<650W) that can handle the new CPUs and GPUs.

Pancaked

Thanks a ton guys, I'm looking into replacing it now.

Darn Geek Squad... I was really considering replacing my monitor becuase they told me to.

ebackhus

Your monitor has nothing to do with this. Let the false teaching of Geek Squad leave your mind. Even with a minimum requirement PSU in my computer I wasn't very happy with the performance of my card. I dropped in something MUCH more powerful and saw an immediate increase in performance. Another thing to think about.

TheMatt

There was a video on YouTube about Geek Squad diagnosing an unplugged IDE cable as a bad PSU...

Post back which PSU you decide on. It is very important that you get a good quality PSU because it is the heart of the system and a bad PSU can damage other components.

Pancaked

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX400-PN 400W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104953

Found it on the link you posted for recommended units :). Going to buy it shortly.

TheMatt

I would bump up to the 500w. 400w is cutting it a little close because the 6800 isn't exactly power efficient.

Run your specs through this calculator:
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/p...ulatorlite.jsp

Add 30% to the total result. Check if this is greater than 400w.

Pancaked

403 when I add the 30% .

Will it really matter that much? My brother use to play Counterstrike and Age of Mythology on the 6800, exact same comptuer with no problems. WoW probably puts much more stress on the card but an extra 150w handle it, right?

The only reason I ask is because I'm in not in a financial position to pay $50+ for a new PSU. For that price I'd rather just paly with my old S3 card :$.

mattlock

The 400w what will run it, but will not last as long as the 500w. As PSU age they have less ability to putout the rated power.

mattlock

I just seen your edit.
As TheMatt 400 is cutting it a little close. It's hard to find a good quality 450-500w PSU for under $50, but if you can wait on a rebate it may be possible. With the upcoming holiday there should be some good sales going on next week. We usually keep up on PSU prices, so check back in this thread and we'll post any good ones we find.

Pancaked

Here's a possibly dumb question (rememberimg I'm no computer whiz).
When you guys say I need 400W PSU, does that mean one that reads "350W (400 Max)"?

Or should it read "400W (450 Max)"?

Thanks

By the way- Thinking of getting 450 now just to be safe. It would be the next version up of the one I posted I suppose.