Red Blocks after 30+ mins of gaming

[IoWn3rU]

It happens with every game I tried... It happens faster in CoD 4 then everything else though...

Manufacturer: My blood, sweat and tears 😛
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz 12MB Cache
Memory: CORSAIR DOMINATOR 2x2GB (With Heatsink)
Hard Drive: Western Digital 640GB
Video Card: ASUS RADEON EAH4870 HD 1GB Dark Knight
Monitor: 22" Samsung LCD, 1680x1050
Sound Card: Supreme FX HD
Speakers/Headphones: Cambridge Sound Works Surround Sound
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium SP1
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus Forumla II

I am currently DL'ing the new CCC update, and I will see if that fixes it...

Oh I should probably state my problem more clearly 😛

If I play a game for about 30+ mins (CoD), others are about 1 hour, then I get red squares and graphical anomolies in the game, if I keep the game on then the computer BSOD's. The red squares are plentiful and a few pixels in width. If I exit the game then the squares stay, but the computer DOES NOT BSOD. This generally happens after my GFX card goes above 70 degrees... I also notice that for a split second these squares pop up in intrevals of like 5mins while playing.

I hope that's detailed enough, if you have any questions or answers, I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Oh right, this rig has not been touched on the inside since it was built after Christmas.

 

[Twoboxer]

PSU (what one are you using?), memory, or vid card.

What happens if you run the game with one stick of memory installed? the other stick?

Do you have access to another vid card to swap in?

 

[gamerk316]

Sounds like overheating VRAM, but temps are far too low to be causing problems...

 

[coozie7]

+1 gamerk316.
Use the CCC to drop the clocks a bit and se if that helps: I'd drop 10MHz off the core and 20 off the memory and retest.
Also, have a read here, it's old but valid information:

http://www.playtool.com/pages/artifacts/artifacts.html

 

[IoWn3rU]

Dropping the clocks didn't do anything, and after installing the new drivers my game crashed in like 3 mins

My PSU is an Antec 850W

No access to another vid card, but it has to be it, as the BSOD says atidisplayflow or something along those lines


EDIT: I took a read on that website and the first two pics are very similar to what I get, except I get red squares, not lines

 

[coozie7]

Yes, bad memory can also produce a chequerboard pattern and it sounds like that is what you have: A video RAM fault.
Last ditch: Turn the fan to 100% either in CCC or by using Rivatuner and retest.
But, it's looking like you have a bad card.
If the warranty is valid, time for a RMA, if not this is a final possible cure:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1421792.

Another poster has done this and claimed it worked. Read the entire thread and I obviously accept no responsibility for any thing that may go wrong if you try this desperate repair.

 

[IoWn3rU]

Fan is in 100%, I should also say that I had no problems with the drivers that came in the disk with my card...

EDIT: Tried all the drivers, the blocks and graphical anamolies still come up, I have a screenshot of what it looks like: http://screenshot.xfire.com/screenshot/natural/dcbefa3726d0d96fc2eaaeef0c6ab6e41fff1e1d.png

This is happening with all my games, fan is at 100% and my card is currently idle at 65 degrees Celsius, underclocked about 30MHz, and memory underclock about 200... problem still occurs. My card must be defective, no?

 

[IoWn3rU]

Anyone?

 

[Twoboxer]

Everyone here so far says yes, vid card needs replacing, most likely.

Can't go any further than that.

BTW, don't throw that vid card away. You may need it - even with defective memory - to troubleshoot some future problem.

 

[IoWn3rU]

Well after setting my chassis fans from silent to turbo, (no idea why they were changed) I have not had the problem once for like 6 hours of straight gaming. Must've been ambient overheating?

 

[Twoboxer]

If you increase fan speed, and if temps get cooler, and then the problem goes away, then temps at least exacerbate your problem.

Did temps get cooler? What were they? What are they? Remember, the only temp you mentioned was 70, not any kind of a danger signal.

 

[gamerk316]

Run memtest86 in the meantime, just to rule out the RAM.

I'm still thinking bad VRAM on the GPU, although the fact such low (70C is low for the GPU) temps shouldn't cause the issue to get better or worse...

 

[fairmount]

Hi, I have a similar problem on my laptop. When my graphics card gets to about 60-70 degrees Celcius I suddenly get a lot of artefacts on my screen. No red boxes like that, just more like horizontal lines, boxes of various character, and more. At the same instant the screen freezes, the sound keeps repeating the same 0.1 seconds that was playing at the freeze, and after about 2-3 minutes the computer reboots.

Might I have the same or a very similar problem or is it something completely different?

 

[fairmount]

Double post.