Graphics Card Problem?

[CoryHart]

I just recently got the Alienware x51 (don't hate) with the i5 processor and the 8 gigs of ram with the GT 640 graphics card. After installing minecraft and TF2 I started to notice that the games are both crashing/ restarting the system after 10-15 minutes of playing. I have already updated all the drivers, I also ran a security scan for viruses (there were 0). When the system starts back up I view more info on the problem and it says I had a BSOD which my screen was black, not blue, and the BcCode is 116. Any help is appreciatted! Thanks

 

[tsnor]

Start by downloading a temperature monitoring program like HWMONITOR from CPUID - free. Then post temps from your CPU and Video.

Once you verify temps are OK, there are about 184,000 google results for " BSOD 116 " that seem to point to nvidia driver problems. Suggest you load latest drivers form nvidia if you haven't already then read through a few of the forum posts until you find the solution that works for most people.

P.S. You will want to replace the video card. The i5 is a really strong processor. The GT640 is a good home theater card but not really a gaming card. http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/20/nvidia-geforce-gt-640-review-roundup/

Swapping in a new card is one of the easier PC upgrades you can do, and will make a huge difference in game play. Check the last page of this article to see the relative performance of your card vs. other cards you could buy. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

 

[CoryHart]

Best answer selected by CoryHart.

 

[CoryHart]

Start by downloading a temperature monitoring program like HWMONITOR from CPUID - free. Then post temps from your CPU and Video.

Once you verify temps are OK, there are about 184,000 google results for " BSOD 116 " that seem to point to nvidia driver problems. Suggest you load latest drivers form nvidia if you haven't already then read through a few of the forum posts until you find the solution that works for most people.

P.S. You will want to replace the video card. The i5 is a really strong processor. The GT640 is a good home theater card but not really a gaming card. http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/20/nvidia-geforce-gt-640-review-roundup/

Swapping in a new card is one of the easier PC upgrades you can do, and will make a huge difference in game play. Check the last page of this article to see the relative performance of your card vs. other cards you could buy. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

Thank you so much! Also I will look into another card! Thanks you. Merry Christmas! 😀 😀 😀