RADEON 9550 256 MB (AGP) Freezes

bigmark444 · 04-02-2005, 04:37 PM

My computer came with the RADEON 9550 256 MB (AGP) card already installed.

However when i play certain games like The Sims 2, and Medal of Honor Pacific Assault, my computer will totally freeze, forcing me to restart the computer. According to the spec on these games they should be able to run on my machine with no problems.

My computer also freezes occasionally when watching video with Windows Media Player which is saved on my hard drive.

I am assuming this is a problem with my card. Is there a chance that it is heat related. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

**UncleMacro** · 04-02-2005, 05:10 PM

There's a number of things which can cause those symptoms and not all of them are video card related.

You can test the overheating theory by running the machine with the side of the case removed and arrange for a desk fan to blow into the computer. If it stops crashing then you have an overheating problem. But since your computer is also hanging up playing back videos, it's probably not overheating. Your video card should be cool while doing that.

One problem which causes your exact symptoms is an AGP port running too fast. You can test that theory by slowing down your AGP port using SMARTGART (detailed instructions here).

One other thing you can do is update your motherboard chipset drivers. That driver affects how your AGP port works and a bad or outdated one can cause occasional crashes.

bigmark444 · 04-03-2005, 06:22 AM

Looks like it was the AGP port running to fast. I slowed it down, and so far there has been no problems. The games are running now without freezing.

Thanks

04-02-2005, 04:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
bigmark444 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 2 OS: XP	RADEON 9550 256 MB (AGP) Freezes My computer came with the RADEON 9550 256 MB (AGP) card already installed. However when i play certain games like The Sims 2, and Medal of Honor Pacific Assault, my computer will totally freeze, forcing me to restart the computer. According to the spec on these games they should be able to run on my machine with no problems. My computer also freezes occasionally when watching video with Windows Media Player which is saved on my hard drive. I am assuming this is a problem with my card. Is there a chance that it is heat related. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

04-02-2005, 05:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	There's a number of things which can cause those symptoms and not all of them are video card related. You can test the overheating theory by running the machine with the side of the case removed and arrange for a desk fan to blow into the computer. If it stops crashing then you have an overheating problem. But since your computer is also hanging up playing back videos, it's probably not overheating. Your video card should be cool while doing that. One problem which causes your exact symptoms is an AGP port running too fast. You can test that theory by slowing down your AGP port using SMARTGART (detailed instructions here). One other thing you can do is update your motherboard chipset drivers. That driver affects how your AGP port works and a bad or outdated one can cause occasional crashes.

04-03-2005, 06:22 AM	#3 (permalink)
bigmark444 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 2 OS: XP	Looks like it was the AGP port running to fast. I slowed it down, and so far there has been no problems. The games are running now without freezing. Thanks