GeForce GTX 260 crashes comp while gaming.

[mactavish]

Hey guys, this is a new thread continued from an old one you can find here:


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/297437-33-geforce-comp-freezes-help

I thought the problem was fixed, so I marked it as solved. But alas, it is not. We have determined that the problem is not the GPU overheating and that the problem lies elsewhere.

Here's what happens: While playing SC2, my screen just randomly goes black, the audio starts looping, and I'm forced to restart. This now happens every time I try to play any game.

Here are my specs:

Specs:
GPU: GeForce GTX 260
Driver
: 258.96
Resolution: 1280x1024
OS: Windows XP
(x32?)
Processor: Intel core duo E8400 @ 3.00GHZ
2.00GB of ram
Service Pack 3

and some tests I ran:

Furmark 3D:

SCORE:4947 points (60000 ms)
Max GPU Temp: 71°C
Resolution: 1274x992 (W) - MSAA: 0X
FPS: min=47 max=151 avg=83

When running the Furmark, MSI afterburner recorded these stats:

Max GPU temp: 71c
GPU Usage range : 94-99% shot up from 5 when nothing was running.
Fan Speed: min 40, max 70

Core Clock and Shader Clock are 576 and 1242 respectively.

Please help! Any and all suggestions are welcome. This is really beginning to bug me. Thanks in advance.

 

[Maziar]

Hello
Do a clean install of the latest VGA drivers,here is how

1_Download and install "Driver sweeper" from Guru3d.com and install
2_Go to add/remove programs and uninstall the driver and reboot
3_Boot to safe mode and open driver sweeper,then click on Nvidia and then click on clean
4_Reboot and boot normally to windows and install the new drivers after that you need to restart,and its done

Also is it possible for you to test the card in another system ?

 

[jsc]

Although this does not sound like a power problem, what kind of PSU do you have?

 

[mactavish]

Maziar, I will give this a try right now. Thanks for the advice.

jsc, I am not at my computer atm so I don't know how much power my PSU has, but I do know its a Corsair.

 

[mactavish]

Oh, Maziar. What about Nvidia Physx, Desktop Manager, and Display Control Panel? Should I delete them too and do a fresh install? Or just the drivers?

 

[Maziar]

Delete them all.

 

[mactavish]

After deleting all of the Nvidia Drivers and cleaning them up in safe mode, the problem continues to persist. It has begun to happen when I'm not in games too. Watching movies or music will now trigger the crash as well. I'm really at a loss here.

I think I'm going to completely reformat my computer and upgrade to Windows 7. I'll then do a fresh install of Nvidia Drivers and all the other essential software. If that does not fix it, then it will be clear that I'm facing a hardware problem. Is this worth doing? Because I'm running out of ideas.

 

[wayneepalmer]

Sounds like a IC chip failure in process. I'm getting bad flashbacks to an ABIT AS8V and Visiontek 1550 nightmare.

 

[Maziar]

After deleting all of the Nvidia Drivers and cleaning them up in safe mode, the problem continues to persist. It has begun to happen when I'm not in games too. Watching movies or music will now trigger the crash as well. I'm really at a loss here.

I think I'm going to completely reformat my computer and upgrade to Windows 7. I'll then do a fresh install of Nvidia Drivers and all the other essential software. If that does not fix it, then it will be clear that I'm facing a hardware problem. Is this worth doing? Because I'm running out of ideas.

If it didn't help,then your VGA is probably defective.

 

[mactavish]

And if my VGA is defective, what is the remedy?

 

[decode]

And if my VGA is defective, what is the remedy?

You will then have to RMA it to the manufacturer and wait for a replacement card.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey