Artifacts / BSOD with 8800GT - Not a heat issue?

[Guest]

I am having a problem with artifacts when playing MW2. After a while of gameplay the game will always freeze. If I crtl+alt+del quickly enough then esc back to game it will do one of three things:

- Rarely recover to a normally working game
- Mostly return to a game with very high artifacts, similar to a very badly tuned TV bad
- Sometimes just blue screen and reboot

The only way to fix this is with a complete reboot, the artifacts do lessen a lot when I close the game but do not disappear.

I am confused as this problem seems very inconsistent - I played an extreme match today with 18 players, smoke and explosions going off constantly with no problems. It then crashed and BSOD'd when I was messing about in a private 1v1 match with riot shields - nothing else going on. Therefore it seems to happened under load, but not a maximum load. This seems generally true in all cases.

Thinking this may be a heat issue I have tried taking the side of the case off whilst playing with no effect. I have also bodged a desktop fan to force air through the case to see if this made any changes and whilst the case seemed noticeably cooler the game still crashed. I have checked my temps and the card idles around 50 and never seems to go above 65 during a game.

I have also tried different drivers but with no benefit.

I am lost as to what can be causing this - any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Specs: Widnows 7 64bit, 4GB RAM, 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3, Corsair 450W VX Series PSU

And the card: BFG 8800GT 512MB OC2 with Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo Graphics Card Cooler

 

[jerreece]

Have you done any manual OverClocking on this video card? If so, you may want to reset the card back to factory defaults just to ensure it's not an instability issue with the OC.

Also, as this is a factory OC'd card, you could also try setting it's settings to the original standard specs. Then retest everything and see if you have any problems. If the problems continue, I'd suggest contacting the card manufacturer (BFG) and seeing if this card might be under warranty. You may need to RMA the card for repair/replacement.

Couple questions:

1) Does this only happen with MW2?
2) After closing MW2, does this still occur while looking at the desktop? Wasn't clear about that.

 

[calinkula]

An 8800GT is old enough to maybe need a good cleaning. I had a similar problem while gaming (started getting corrupt textures) and it turned out that over the past 2 years the dust some how solidified in a way that a spray with canned air did not remove it from the tight crevasses. I had to manually clean the heat sink with toothpicks and small brushes. Been working fine since then.

 

[kiban]

Have you done any manual OverClocking on this video card? If so, you may want to reset the card back to factory defaults just to ensure it's not an instability issue with the OC.

Also, as this is a factory OC'd card, you could also try setting it's settings to the original standard specs. Then retest everything and see if you have any problems. If the problems continue, I'd suggest contacting the card manufacturer (BFG) and seeing if this card might be under warranty. You may need to RMA the card for repair/replacement.

Couple questions:

1) Does this only happen with MW2?
2) After closing MW2, does this still occur while looking at the desktop? Wasn't clear about that.

+1

Also, if you recently upgraded the drivers, downgrade. I doubt it happens on 1 game only, as official drivers could not complicate things so much that affect 2D too...

Your PSU could be dying, as blue screen under load is sing of it or memory problems. If you can, try the gpu on another computer, if it works, then check the psu and ram.

But, most likely your gpu need's to be sacrificed.

 

[Guest]

To answer your questions:

-I haven't done any manual overclocking

-This does only happen while playing MW2 but other than Crysis I'm not playing any other heavy games atm. When I close MW2 they do not disappear but lessen a lot i.e. I am able to see my screen with no real problems whereas in the game it's so bad it's unplayable.

-I often clean out my case and components so don't think it is a dust build up issue.

-My PSU is relatively new, a good make and not overloaded so doubt that's the issue.

-Have had the problem for a while so tried lots of drivers with no improvement

Will try underclocking but seems silly as it's supposed to be an OC card. Doubt I could claim under warranty due to custom cooler 🙁

 

[kiban]

Uhm, well, 1 thing about PSU's, no matter how good they appear to be, they are the best chance for all pc hardware related problems. But I'm with you, I doubt it is the PSU.

I happened to came across something similar, but with my new ati card. After exiting a game, a lot of green dots where in the screen.... Rebooting did not help at all, but while posting there where no dots nor artifacts. That tells us that is a driver issue/core clock speed of the card, otherwise it would happen when not in windows IE when starting the pc up. So after reboot, in game artifacts and dots where present.

And so I went to ATi CCC(is like nvidia control panel) and changed one option(AI catalyst) to disabled. After 20 seconds passed, everything was back to normal, and I could change to enabled again with no negative effect.

As it happens on just one game, it is a driver/clock related issue, so go from that and see what is what(try messing around with Nvidia control panel too, just in case)

 

[Amvios]

This is a heat issue... Im having same problems, this post is probably ages old.

I have a fix for this issue. For any1 in future with errors where the graphics card overheated then have permenant artifacts, or are they realy perm? In wondows and even in boot up there is graphical artifacts and garbage, windows might even boot crap slow...

8800GT is cards that run super hot and then reach temps of 90*C plus! And in future we might see more models and brands with this flaw.

Google GPU-Z and install. Idle temps should be under 60*C higher than that indicates when playing other games, it would run 80-90*C+

FIX 1 most preffered. ( WORKS FOR XBOX 360 2 and some PS3 early models) and only if there is perm artifacts and your graphics card or 360 doenst even boot!
Use a good hair dryer, that realy goes hot , remove heatzink, and thermal paste. Place card on a flat surface, cardboard works best or polyster.
heat the graphics card up on the GPU for about 20-30 mins and let cool gradualy, dont force it to cool down using an AC or cooling fan. let it cool down slowly. past up and fix the ehatzink, enshure the fan is plugged in!!! Boot up PC.

FIX 2 I dont recomend this but it works. and ahs soem risks.
Strip the graphics card to the bone from all plastic and unmountable framework / fans, and even the backside mounting cover for the display out. all stickers included 2.

Pre-heat an oven at 220*C for 10 min. take a oven pan. roll 4 balls of tin foil and place them to the ends of the card and place in pan, enshure that the card doesnt touch the pan.

Lower temp to 180*C and place the pan in the oven for 10-15 mins. NO LONGER caps cant handle that heat, and this will deteriorate some cheap caps used by grey manufacturers.

and then after the 10 mins remove and let cool down gradualy, keep away from open draghts, ACs and fans.

It should work guaranteed as said b4 I prefer FIX 1 its alot safer.
I suggest replacing the stock cooler with a ZALMAN or THERMALTAKE OC Kit.

This will also work for broken down XBOX 360 / PS3s that overheated and might not boot, or boot with artifacts and have artifacts when system is oporational... either ingame or in OS / Firmware

The problem is to heat, the error lies between the GPU / CPU and the mounted pins to the motherboard. when over heated it may slightly melt and with the flow of electrons it can cause what is called a dry leakage. heating the Chip manualy when not in opporation / no electricty is running through the CARD / System fixes this Dry leakage.

Any more advise email michaeloost@msn.com. hope this helps.. and if you ahve an old dead graphcis card lying around.. It might be fixable! happy gaming all

 

[Lucifer84]

This is a heat issue... Im having same problems, this post is probably ages old.

I have a fix for this issue. For any1 in future with errors where the graphics card overheated then have permenant artifacts, or are they realy perm? In wondows and even in boot up there is graphical artifacts and garbage, windows might even boot crap slow...

8800GT is cards that run super hot and then reach temps of 90*C plus! And in future we might see more models and brands with this flaw.

Google GPU-Z and install. Idle temps should be under 60*C higher than that indicates when playing other games, it would run 80-90*C+

FIX 1 most preffered. ( WORKS FOR XBOX 360 2 and some PS3 early models) and only if there is perm artifacts and your graphics card or 360 doenst even boot!
Use a good hair dryer, that realy goes hot , remove heatzink, and thermal paste. Place card on a flat surface, cardboard works best or polyster.
heat the graphics card up on the GPU for about 20-30 mins and let cool gradualy, dont force it to cool down using an AC or cooling fan. let it cool down slowly. past up and fix the ehatzink, enshure the fan is plugged in!!! Boot up PC.

FIX 2 I dont recomend this but it works. and ahs soem risks.
Strip the graphics card to the bone from all plastic and unmountable framework / fans, and even the backside mounting cover for the display out. all stickers included 2.

Pre-heat an oven at 220*C for 10 min. take a oven pan. roll 4 balls of tin foil and place them to the ends of the card and place in pan, enshure that the card doesnt touch the pan.

Lower temp to 180*C and place the pan in the oven for 10-15 mins. NO LONGER caps cant handle that heat, and this will deteriorate some cheap caps used by grey manufacturers.

and then after the 10 mins remove and let cool down gradualy, keep away from open draghts, ACs and fans.

It should work guaranteed as said b4 I prefer FIX 1 its alot safer.
I suggest replacing the stock cooler with a ZALMAN or THERMALTAKE OC Kit.

This will also work for broken down XBOX 360 / PS3s that overheated and might not boot, or boot with artifacts and have artifacts when system is oporational... either ingame or in OS / Firmware

The problem is to heat, the error lies between the GPU / CPU and the mounted pins to the motherboard. when over heated it may slightly melt and with the flow of electrons it can cause what is called a dry leakage. heating the Chip manualy when not in opporation / no electricty is running through the CARD / System fixes this Dry leakage.

Any more advise email michaeloost@msn.com. hope this helps.. and if you ahve an old dead graphcis card lying around.. It might be fixable! happy gaming all

Thank you so much Amvios for your fix method, my video card (nvidia 7600 gt gpu) got fixed with hair dryer!