Display Problems with PC

Peebugger

Honorable
Jul 2, 2013
39
0
10,530
My System
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 930 @ 2.80GHz
Motherboard: Alienware 04VWF2 Version A02
Bios: Alienware A11
Memory: Mixed 16 GB DDR3 (slowest is 1333MHz I believe)
Graphics Cards: (2) Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB SLI
SATA Drives: Seagate 2TB SSHD (Primary)
Hitachi 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s (currently disabled)
PLDS DVD+-RW DH-24ABS
Power Supply: 875 Watt
CPU Cooling: Alienware High-Performance Liquid Cooling
Accessories: Nvidia 3d Vision 2 (currently unplugged)
Razer Orbweaver
Alienware Multi-Media Keyboard
Logitech G700

Description of the problem:
I have recently started having problems with my PC. My gaming performance isn't nearly where it should be. I have noticed that it takes longer to boot up. I recently installed the Seagate 2TB SSHD and that quickened the boot time, then after having it in for awhile it started talking a lot longer to start, and almost seems like it takes a while for the hard drive to even start-up. I would also like to note that I put in the second graphics card as well as the addition of the Orbweaver when I put the SSHD in (Christmas time). My PC was running amazing for awhile and I am just now noticing this problem. I did recently add the Nvidia 3d Vision 2 kit and feel like the problems started around that time but I was playing Batman Orkham Origins thought it looked fantastic. I noticed it with Titanfall and haven't been playing anything super graphics intensive in about a month. I had to turn all settings to the lowest to get the quality I wanted because when I played on high settings it would hiccup and get choppy at times and overall just wasn't very good. I did notice in the passed few days that the screen flashed a light grey during boot and then goes to the Windows screen (did it once after reseating video cards today but didn't do it on second boot) . I also took compressed air to the fans of my video cards as well as everything in my computer. I tried installing older drivers from January when I remember my system running fine and I was getting worse results so I reinstalled the new drivers. I also disabled each video card (not in bios but in device manager) and tried each card on their own and both got the same results in Furmark but I was still only getting 17 frames running 1920x1080 with MSA 8x. I did read somewhere that Nvidia cards don't get the best results in Furmark but I am unsure of this. Lastly, when I go to Windows Experience Index and run a test it gets all the way to the end where it is checking the hard drive then says that it cannot finish and may be a problem with the OS, software, and other things (I can go run it and check exactly what it says if anyone would like to know). I wanted to get a more computer literate person's opinion before I started digging through my computer. I feel like it could be anything from my CPU, the new SSHD, limited power or graphics cards and I just don't know what to try next. Thanks!

EDIT:
I found this video of someone running one card on the highest settings and it performs as well as my two do on the lowest settings.... Please help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WFZ48guo2c


 
875w is WAY more than enough power. 650-700w would have been plenty.

Your CPU could be holding you back a bit but I doubt this is it.

Have you done anything like defragmenting your HDD or anything like that? This is NOT to be done with an SSHD or SSD as it ruins the pathways and makes things SLOW.

Also, you have SLI enabled in the Nvidia settings, correct?
 


No I haven't defraged because my primary drive that I boot from is the SSHD, the 1TB HD just sits in there and I just reformatted it today and it is only used to store a backup. I just disconnected it as well as one graphics card and did a test in furmark, still getting similar results as I was before. I also switched around RAM so I know have 4 identical 4GB G Skill Ripjaws 1600MHz sticks. I'm going to try with the other graphics card and see how that goes.

 


Yes I can see both cards and when I run tests in Furmark it shows equal stress on both. I have noticed with the one that it does give me the hiccups and stuff while testing I was talking about, I guess I can send that card in and get it replaced but I'm sure that won't solve my problem. I used to have dual geforce gtx 460s in there and one of there started to act up after playing on it for awhile too, do you think my motherboard or psu could be doing something to my graphics cards? Because I just find it highly coincidental that one of my graphics cards started to crap out on me and now one of my new ones is.
 


They are both x16 lanes.
 
I am consistently getting a screen that show the cursor _ like I'm in cmd at the top left of the screen and then the screen flashes grey/black/grey/black a few times and boots so I know that I need to send that video card back. But I still don't understand the problem I am having with the PCI slots or if my PC could possibly be frying my cards over time because this is the second card it has happened to and it ran perfectly fine for about a year. Any clue?