Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.ati (
More info?)
On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 07:40:52 GMT, patrickp
<patrickp@5acoustibop.co.uk> wrote:
>On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 02:26:35 +0200, Sjoerd Bakker <sbakker@home.nl>
>wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 22:44:07 GMT, patrickp
>><patrickp@5acoustibop.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>>On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 22:31:53 +0200, Sjoerd Bakker <sbakker@home.nl>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:20:22 +0100, "carl0s"
>>>><carl@noitsnotcss-networks.commy.invalid> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>"Sjoerd Bakker" <sbakker@home.nl> wrote in message
>>>>>news:balnf1tglml3nkgrff0goigluk97535qls@4ax.com...
>>>>>> My computer incidentally and randomly freezes (no mouse and keyboard
>>>>>> input and no screen activity) after I installed an Asus (ATI) Radeon
>>>>>> 9200SE video card. I don't use the computer for graphics-intensive
>>>>>> gaming.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I suspect that the Radeon card is the cause of the problems although I
>>>>>> can't be sure of that. On one freeze occasion I did notice that the
>>>>>> card gets rather hot. It does not have a fan.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I would like to know if this card should be able to function as an
>>>>>> ordinary video card on a computer that is continuously on, but not
>>>>>> used for graphics-intensive applications. Underclocking the card with
>>>>>> Atitool seems to lower the temperature, which could be an acceptable
>>>>>> solution for me.
>>>>>
>>>>>I had a quantity of 9200SE 'Celestica' cards, whose supplied drivers caused
>>>>>insane shutdowns and reboots upon changing the resolution. Have you tried
>>>>>the newest drivers from
http://www.ati.com ?
>>>>
>>>>Yes. Lowering the clock speed did not help; I had another freeze. What
>>>>is causing them is hard to determine because they usually only happen
>>>>every couple of hours. Then I reset the computer and I can work again
>>>>for some hours. I can't even be sure that the video card is causing
>>>>them, but I did not have them with my old card.
>>>>
>>>>If they keep continuing, I'll buy another card; just to be able to
>>>>isolate the problem.
>>>
>>>
>>>It does sound like a heat problem, Sjoerd. Whether your card can
>>>"function as an ordinary video card on a computer that is continuously
>>>on" isn't just down to the amount of heat the card produces and how
>>>well its cooling works. Even the best graphics cooling system is
>>>useless if it's stuck in a case with poor air circulation and too much
>>>heat..
>>>
>>>It would definitely be a good idea to consider a) some form of active
>>>cooling for your card
>>
>>Selling cards without fans that can't function well that way would
>>seem a questionable commercial practice. That's why I was curious if
>>anyone else has the 9200se on continuously without problems.
>>
>Cards without fans are sold for people who want quiet machines: but a
>moment's thought makes it obvious that good airflow over a fanless
>card is essential. They're sold because people want them: I don't see
>any problem with that, but perhaps manufacturers should make it clear
>that these cards must have good airflow.
Yes. As an avarage consumer, I don't expect that I should take special
mesures to cool the case when I buy a video card that is sold as such
without fan.
>
>While fanless cards are a nice idea to reduce noise, they go inside
>the case where the sound a fan would make is largely muted.
>Substituting cooling the case for cooling the card is to some extent
>counterproductive, since you're now doing the cooling with fans that
>intake/exhaust to the outside of the case, where they're more audible.
Maybe you are right.
>>
>>> and b) investigating how good airflow is through
>>>your case and specifically what sort of airflow there is around your
>>>card.
>>
>>Right now I have the case open because of the problem with the card. I
>>even bought the 9200se *because* it has no fan: I don't need another
>>source of noise. My previous card was an ancient Stealth Video 2500
>>that had no fan either, and it worked fine. But there is no XP driver
>>for it and it interferes with my sound card.
>
>I don't know your Stealth Video 2500, but I would suspect that, like
>most older cards, it didn't generate much heat. All modern cards do,
>to some extent.
The thing is that I don't need a very fast card for gaming; it only
needs to be a little faster than a card from 1997 and have an XP
driver. So from my point of view, such a card could technically be
fanless without problems. I've looked around, and there are many
fanless video cards; maybe I just had bad luck with the 9200se. But
after this trouble, I'll consider buying one with a fan anyway; it
seems the safest thing to do.
>>
>>>
>>>A couple of ways you could establish whether heat _is_ the problem are
>>>to run the system with the side of the case off and an external fan
>>>directed on to the card, or to spray the card with a freezing aerosol
>>>- or even just blow cold air over it - when it locks up and see if
>>>either of these help.
>>
>>Good suggestions; I'll consider them. But I doubt if you can unlock
>>cards that way in all cases of overheating.
>
>Depends whether permanent damage has been done by the heat build-up.
>If not, and if lock-ups _are_ due to heat, this should work - but it's
>meant more to establish for sure that overheating _is_ the problem,
>rather than as a fix.
Yes. But I was thinking that the software of the driver could lock up
as well when you have a hardware error. It would be interesting to
unfreeze a card that way though, but I could not find any reports on
the Internet of people who have done so.
>
>>I may do some research on
>>the Internet. And I really don't feel like using a fan on a graphics
>>card, so I'll consider buying a GeForce type of card without fan
>>anyway and see how it functions.
>
>If the problem is due to the heat, that may not make any difference: a
>GeForce is likely to run just as hot as an ATI card. If the model you
>go for has a better passive heatsink, that may help, but some ATI
>models may have better heatsinks, too. I don't think you'll find
>solutions by blaming the card, only by improving your overall cooling
>strategies.
In this case, I partly blame the card as well, but your point is
taken.
--
________________________________________
Sjoerd Bakker
________________________________________
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