Video card freezing issues...

Turbokat · 07-07-2005, 03:37 AM

Hey guys,

My old video card, a GF4 Ti4600, sometimes freezes every few seconds when playing more graphically intensive games. The freezes never require a reboot, but they do make gameplay frustrating or impossible. I should note that the freezes don't happen in older games that have older graphics engines, nor do they happen when just using applications on the Windows desktop. I have owned this card for three years, and the problem just started some time last year even in games that worked perfectly fine in the past. I have tried various drivers, different versions of DirectX, and even reformatting my machine, but to no avail.

So I figured there must have been something wrong with the card and bought a new GF 6600 in May. Everything worked fine (no more freezes) for over a month, but just last week, the card froze when playing a new game and did not even allow me to reboot or restart the computer (screen would be blank and no boot activity), so I put the old card back in, but have to deal with the freezing issues in games again. I am sending the new card in for replacement, but could the fact that both of my video cards have problems indicate that something may be wrong with some other aspect of my system that may be damaging my cards, such as the motherboard? I considered overheating, but all fans in the system (including those on the video cards themselves) seem to be working fine, and when I check the BIOS, processor temperature is around 30 degrees.

Any responses are greatly appreciated.

My machine specs are...
P4 2GHz
1GB DDRRAM
GIGABYTE 865PE motherboard

**godspeeed** · 07-07-2005, 07:02 AM

Im having a similar problem with World of Warcraft, every 5-10 seconds the game freeze for a sec or two. Stay around cause Ive been doing research for a few days now and Ill keep you update if I find anything.

dai · 07-07-2005, 07:34 AM

check the voltages from the power supply are within spec and you are not underpowered

Turbokat · 07-07-2005, 02:42 PM

Thanks godspeeed.

And Dai, my old power supply (a 320W) failed in May, and so I had it replaced with a new one (a 350W), but that didn't stop the freeze issues.

**godspeeed** · 07-07-2005, 05:35 PM

what brand is your powersupply? Because 350w is not very high. Ill keep checking but for myself I really think its the low mhz on my videocard.

Turbokat · 07-07-2005, 05:40 PM

350W may not be very high, but as I said in my post, my video card worked perfectly fine for the first two years since I bought it. And back then I used the 320W.

**UncleMacro** · 07-07-2005, 06:05 PM

I've just dealt with someone else with a Ti4600 with your same symptoms and in his case it turned out to be simple overheating. You can test that theory by running the machine with the side of the case off and aiming a desk fan at the video card. Chips do sometimes get weaker over time so they won't run at the same temperatures they use to run successfully.

You could also try underclocking the video card with CoolBits as explained here.

Turbokat · 07-07-2005, 08:27 PM

I guess you're right, UncleMacro. Overheating or some kind of chip or RAM damage on the card is what I suspected as well. But do you think my new vid card also failing is simply a coincidence?

**UncleMacro** · 07-07-2005, 09:00 PM

I'd check the voltages on your main supply rails (instructions here). If they're within range then the only other thing which could lead cards to an early demise is persistent excessive temps inside your case. If you have good airflow then I would think that your 6600 dying was a coincidence.

Turbokat · 07-08-2005, 04:30 AM

I downloaded motherboard monitor and checked the 3.3v, 5.0v, and 12.0v readings mentioned in your link, and atleast two of them don't seem to be within range. I'm getting 3.22v, 4.08v, and 11.61v currently.

Also, on desktop, my CPU temp is currently fluctuating between 27-28 celcius, and case temp is 25. When I run one of my graphically intensive games, CPU temp eventually rose to the mid-30s (in a period of about 5 minutes), but case temp remained the same. I experienced the freezes as usual, but I did notice that the freezing did not start until about 45 seconds after I got into the game.

The freezes don't occur with the same degree of frequency in every game I play. Older games don't seem to have any problems at all, while newer games, depending on what game it is, may either have the freeze issue frequently or very rarely. Also, the freezes occur more often in a more graphically detailed area of a game. Does all this, coupled with the fact that my new card completely failed (without ever giving any warnings prior to its abrupt failure), indicate a voltage issue or an overheating issue?

dai · 07-08-2005, 05:25 AM

the temps are ok the 5v line is isn't have you another or can you borrow another supply to try

~~FunkyPoopMonkey~~ · 07-08-2005, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by godspeeed

Im having a similar problem with World of Warcraft, every 5-10 seconds the game freeze for a sec or two. Stay around cause Ive been doing research for a few days now and Ill keep you update if I find anything.

I had a similar issue with all my games. Every 5 seconds the fps would drop to about 2fps. It was a systematic slowdown pattern. Every 5 seconds on the dot. I messed with my RAM timings, and it went away somehow.

Turbokat · 07-08-2005, 08:06 AM

I don't have another PSU. I guess I may try buying a 500W PSU before anything else. Thanks for all your help guys :)

Turbokat · 07-08-2005, 09:13 AM

Would the PSU in the link below be a good one to buy?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...2&Sku=ULT31558

That price is in Canadian dollars, btw.

dai · 07-08-2005, 09:25 AM

the link does not work,with power supplies you get what you pay for quality ones are around $100
cheap ones are a waste of money,have a look at the brands here will give you an idea
http://firingsquad.com/products/hw.asp?cat_id=59

07-07-2005, 03:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
Turbokat Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 21 OS: XP	Video card freezing issues... Hey guys, My old video card, a GF4 Ti4600, sometimes freezes every few seconds when playing more graphically intensive games. The freezes never require a reboot, but they do make gameplay frustrating or impossible. I should note that the freezes don't happen in older games that have older graphics engines, nor do they happen when just using applications on the Windows desktop. I have owned this card for three years, and the problem just started some time last year even in games that worked perfectly fine in the past. I have tried various drivers, different versions of DirectX, and even reformatting my machine, but to no avail. So I figured there must have been something wrong with the card and bought a new GF 6600 in May. Everything worked fine (no more freezes) for over a month, but just last week, the card froze when playing a new game and did not even allow me to reboot or restart the computer (screen would be blank and no boot activity), so I put the old card back in, but have to deal with the freezing issues in games again. I am sending the new card in for replacement, but could the fact that both of my video cards have problems indicate that something may be wrong with some other aspect of my system that may be damaging my cards, such as the motherboard? I considered overheating, but all fans in the system (including those on the video cards themselves) seem to be working fine, and when I check the BIOS, processor temperature is around 30 degrees. Any responses are greatly appreciated. My machine specs are... P4 2GHz 1GB DDRRAM GIGABYTE 865PE motherboard Last edited by Turbokat; 07-07-2005 at 03:44 AM.

07-07-2005, 07:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
godspeeed I helped the forums. Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 298 OS: Win 7 RC	Im having a similar problem with World of Warcraft, every 5-10 seconds the game freeze for a sec or two. Stay around cause Ive been doing research for a few days now and Ill keep you update if I find anything. __________________ Nietzsche: God is dead 1887 God: Nietzsche is dead 1900

07-07-2005, 07:34 AM	#3 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,759 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	check the voltages from the power supply are within spec and you are not underpowered __________________

07-07-2005, 05:35 PM	#5 (permalink)
godspeeed I helped the forums. Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 298 OS: Win 7 RC	what brand is your powersupply? Because 350w is not very high. Ill keep checking but for myself I really think its the low mhz on my videocard. __________________ Nietzsche: God is dead 1887 God: Nietzsche is dead 1900

07-08-2005, 04:30 AM	#10 (permalink)
Turbokat Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 21 OS: XP	I downloaded motherboard monitor and checked the 3.3v, 5.0v, and 12.0v readings mentioned in your link, and atleast two of them don't seem to be within range. I'm getting 3.22v, 4.08v, and 11.61v currently. Also, on desktop, my CPU temp is currently fluctuating between 27-28 celcius, and case temp is 25. When I run one of my graphically intensive games, CPU temp eventually rose to the mid-30s (in a period of about 5 minutes), but case temp remained the same. I experienced the freezes as usual, but I did notice that the freezing did not start until about 45 seconds after I got into the game. The freezes don't occur with the same degree of frequency in every game I play. Older games don't seem to have any problems at all, while newer games, depending on what game it is, may either have the freeze issue frequently or very rarely. Also, the freezes occur more often in a more graphically detailed area of a game. Does all this, coupled with the fact that my new card completely failed (without ever giving any warnings prior to its abrupt failure), indicate a voltage issue or an overheating issue? Last edited by Turbokat; 07-08-2005 at 04:38 AM.

07-07-2005, 02:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
Turbokat Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 21 OS: XP	Thanks godspeeed. And Dai, my old power supply (a 320W) failed in May, and so I had it replaced with a new one (a 350W), but that didn't stop the freeze issues.

07-07-2005, 05:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
Turbokat Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 21 OS: XP	350W may not be very high, but as I said in my post, my video card worked perfectly fine for the first two years since I bought it. And back then I used the 320W.

07-07-2005, 06:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	I've just dealt with someone else with a Ti4600 with your same symptoms and in his case it turned out to be simple overheating. You can test that theory by running the machine with the side of the case off and aiming a desk fan at the video card. Chips do sometimes get weaker over time so they won't run at the same temperatures they use to run successfully. You could also try underclocking the video card with CoolBits as explained here.

07-07-2005, 08:27 PM	#8 (permalink)
Turbokat Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 21 OS: XP	I guess you're right, UncleMacro. Overheating or some kind of chip or RAM damage on the card is what I suspected as well. But do you think my new vid card also failing is simply a coincidence?

07-07-2005, 09:00 PM	#9 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	I'd check the voltages on your main supply rails (instructions here). If they're within range then the only other thing which could lead cards to an early demise is persistent excessive temps inside your case. If you have good airflow then I would think that your 6600 dying was a coincidence.

07-08-2005, 05:25 AM	#11 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,759 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	the temps are ok the 5v line is isn't have you another or can you borrow another supply to try __________________

07-08-2005, 08:06 AM	#13 (permalink)
Turbokat Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 21 OS: XP	I don't have another PSU. I guess I may try buying a 500W PSU before anything else. Thanks for all your help guys :) Last edited by Turbokat; 07-08-2005 at 08:08 AM.

07-08-2005, 09:13 AM	#14 (permalink)
Turbokat Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 21 OS: XP	Would the PSU in the link below be a good one to buy? http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...2&Sku=ULT31558 That price is in Canadian dollars, btw.

07-08-2005, 09:25 AM	#15 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,759 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	the link does not work,with power supplies you get what you pay for quality ones are around $100 cheap ones are a waste of money,have a look at the brands here will give you an idea http://firingsquad.com/products/hw.asp?cat_id=59 __________________