Hard Freezing Problem During Games Only

[vyder]

hi all, need some help. I know that there are a lot of threads on this but I need to know if my readings that I have are within range. I have heard that I can try and up the juice on my video card but I do not know what ranges are acceptable. I think it is an overheating issue, but all the temps seem in-line. I bought brand new ram and the same issue happens when I game. It only happens when I play a game. If it was a PSU issue, the computer would have locked up a long time ago.

here are my specs:

Athlon X2 6400+
Evga 460 gtx 1gb
2gb gskill dd2 800
corsair tx650
gigabyte MA790x-UD4P

any help would be appreciated.

Here are the ranges according to speed fan

GPU - 50 - 60
Temp 0 (Thermistor) 42 - 45
Temp 1 (Diode) 33 - 41
HDD - 38 - 39
CPU Core 35 - 44
VCore 1.18 - down from 1.4 to test if it is a heat issue which i think it is but cant say for certain
VCore 1.84 -I guess this is the DDR2 voltage
+3.3v - 3.36 & 3.38
+5v - 5.08 & 5.11
+12v - 12.54, 12.48, 12.42 & 12.35 (mostly 12.42 and 12.35 when I am gaming)
-12v - -4.79, -3.47, -3.97, -4.38, -3.89, -3.56, -3.64, -3.47, -3.8, -3.72
-5v - 4.05
+5v - 3.6
Vbat - 3.28

 

[iam2thecrowe]

test your ram with memtest86+. If that checks out ok, then i would suspect the motherboard. Also dont worry too much about power supply voltages on speedfan, check with a multimetre. You do realise your CPU is bottlenecking the crap out of that video card dont you? It may just be some data corruption. Check your hard drive for bad sectors, clean format and reinstall the OS and everything if nothing else works.

 

[vyder]

hi thecrowe, thanks so much for the help! The gskill ram is new as I thought it was my previous set of RAM that was causing the issue. Issues persisted even with new RAM. I did defrag and check for bad sectors and it came back with no errors. I had read somewhere that the older processors are under pressure from the newer video cards etc and thats why I figure that the cpu is overheating causing the hangs. I read that AMD does not really have an accurate reading on the actual temp of the CPU as they sensor is not really on the chip and that you have to make allowances for about 10-15 degrees from the reading you get for the core temp. I am thinking about purchasing a xigmatek cooler for my processor. Also I do not have a multimetre, would I need to get an electrician to look at the PSU then?

The thing is, if it was a RAM issue, wouldnt the computer have random hangs/crashes even if I wasnt gaming? I have had these sorts of RAM issues which would cause the cpu to crash regardless of what I was doing. I ran a defrag the other night for a few hours and no hitches. Maybe I might need a new processor as you say the chip is bottlenecking this card.

with regard to the bottlenecking, was it something you saw in the figures or just the fact that they are two different generations. what is it about the x2 that bottlenecks this card? thanks for your help.

with regards to the OS reinstallation, will look at that down the road. currently involved in some projects and cannot reinstall at the moment.

 

[nforce4max]

Dual core athlon cpus really don't hold up a gtx460 very well and I suggest that you get a quad core down the line. I got a older version of the same board as you so I know that some can be rather funky at best but most are rock solid. As for the card don't just look at core temps and think that every thing is ok. The power vrm is not cooled at all on these cards and is known to get very hot. Well often over 100c and some top out over 150c on reference boards that have no vrm cooler. Look it up gtx 460 vrm overheat /problems.

 

[vyder]

hi nforce4max, I will look it up. if this is the case with the 460, what card would you suggest at the moment? (same price range about 150-180).

 

[nforce4max]

6850 but they are not 100% problem free either, from the engineering stand point most cards these days aren't made to last any more but a 6850 is solid enough compared to a typical gtx 460. The next in line is a 6870 and the 6950 but that is it. You can try to mod your card instead for a lot less and maybe you haven't waited to long before it could degrade any further. I found the issue with mine very early on and fixed it but never could deal with the vram but the power vrm never became an issue with mine. What version do you have and brand? If msi it is easy but palit and gigabyte are a pain as well the evga ee.

 

[vyder]

have the evga 460 gtx EE 🙁. I will do some research on this vram issue. I have a lifetime warranty with the step-up program so I might be able to do something about it. these card companies didnt realize the problem?

 

[vyder]

ok nforce, I have been doing some reading on the VRM's as you stated. My question is: do you need the heatsink if you do not overclock your stock 460 gtx card? I dont run my card no where near potential. i play games as 1280 x 1024 or 1280 x 960. That the kind of resolution that I like. I see that they heatsink are for sale, why didnt they just include the heatsinks on the dam card and make the price reflect the extra cost? makes no sense if this is a real issue.

 

[nforce4max]

It is a real issue as to many have complained about their cards going out after only a few months of use from many different brands including evga. The tiny little heatsink that evga is selling is in my opinion high way robbery but a lot cheaper than replacing the card and less trouble of having to rma it. This time around I would just go ahead and rma the card then worry about cooling the vrm. It helps but personally it is just to small and even ghetto mods are better. I ended but cooling it from both sides of the card but got fed up of looking at it. So I swapped it out for a different card. I got the crappy gigabyte oc version and it was a mistake when it came to cooling. The evga is better for those who like sli or have a cramped case but modding it is a pain. When you get the new one get the vrm heatsink from the git go so that this doesn't become a issue. The vram (memory) on this card is for once cooled unlike others that leave it to toast.

 

[vyder]

i saw some heatsinks here which seem to be highly rated:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835708009&Tpk=N82E16835708009.

I live in the caribbean so to RMA and get a replacement can take a little while as I usually wait for someone to travel. I honestly do not think it is a video card problem though as it happened maybe twice with my older card a 6800 ultra. I want to get a cpu cooler as I think this new graphics card is making my old chip work harder.

also:

Do you think I require the VGA heatsinks if I run the card at 1280x1024? I dont even use the card near its maximum potential.

what about underclocking the card? what specs can I use to extend the life of the card?

 

[nforce4max]

You have the ee model and there is very little room but worth a try. I don't know how large the gap is between the fan at the end of the cooler to the pcb but if there is enough it will work.

 

[vyder]

once again thanks for the reply nforce, really appreciate the assistance. just wanted to know about the other questions I asked:

Do you think I require the VGA heatsinks if I run the card at 1280x1024? I dont even use the card near its maximum potential.

what about underclocking the card? what specs can I use to extend the life of the card?

thanks!

 

[nforce4max]

Don't worry about ress and the vga coolers will work for cooling the power vrm but they need to be short to fit under the fan. The fan is raised over the pcb normally but not by much. Get nothing taller than the gap or it won't work. If it does work underclocking won't be needed but keep the fan at a set speed manually even during non gaming and that will keep the card cool regardless of use. It has helped me keep my cards alive over this horrible summer. In my state we just had the worst summer on record and the second driest. Worse than the summer of 1980 and most of this month has been averaging 106.2F which is over 41c daily. :s
Imaging being stuck in a old house for two months while on the job with no a/c :C

 

[vyder]

Dang!!! thats awful man!! no a/c in that heat? At least here we have the beach and its fairly cool with breeze etc at times. glad to hear that the cards are surviving. I have seen the EVGA VREM cooler and that is probably what I will get if the cpu cooler and the re-format fail. I just wished these card companies would sell superior products and let persons pay a little extra knowing that their card should last longer. that works out to better value in the long run than watching costs in the short run.

 

[nforce4max]

Well I pulled my gtx 460 and sat it aside using a cheap old like new condition 9800gtx in it's place but got a gtx 280 that I have to wait to use in my main rig till a psu upgrade. As for the heat I am glade to be home so things are going good except for my psu but oh well. Good luck with your card and what evga provides on the side all though pricey does help.

 

[vyder]

thanks for all your help. One by one I will rule out causes until I can get this fixed. I cant wait for the day when the computer will self-diagnose itself instead of this blasted guessing game. the day when it will accurately report the error and make life more efficient will be a great day.

take care and thanks.

 

[nforce4max]

Good luck.

 

[vyder]

hey nforcemax and all, i believe I have solved the problem. I have upgraded my stock cooler and to a xigmatek rifle cooler and bought some arctic MX-4. My initial thoughts from reading were correct. the chip was overheating. When i installed the new heatsink and fan, core temps were 35-44 on bootup. when i first installed the new stuff core temps dropped to 31 degrees! sometimes even 28! thats not even the biggest difference, under load, when i usually play my games, it maxed out at 36!! without the new items it maxed at maybe 50-55!! thats almost 20 degrees cooler! the cpu is rock solid now, been playing cod4 for hours!!

Before cooler :
35 idle
44 or so small load
50+ under load

After cooler
29-31 idle
36 max under load.

what a difference!! thanks for all the help. this older chip paired with the newer card is getting a workout. clearly it has to work harder and thus temps went way up.