Getting crashies on pc when playing games

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At one point my graphics card (MSI 8600gt passive cooled) got to hot so I added extra cooling to my pc which dramatically reduced the temp on the card.

But I am still getting crashes could this be a memory issue?

BTW the crash is sometime BSOD sometimes the screen goes into a very bad res not quite sure what it is but everything is very big and then reboots on its own or I have to reset it, task manager hangs when this happens.

The NVidia Monitor says the GPU is stable and is ok heat wise

I only have 1GB (samsung ddr2 pc6400) now I always thought that there should be 2 512mb since its ddr2, is this why I am getting crashes and blue screen?

I run windows xp pro 32bit

or could it be the mobo (asus P5NE-sli)

I was going to get some new ram and test my memory theory (from crucial) what do you guys think?

 

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Personally I don't think the RAM sounds like the issue, from what I know you only need dual sticks if u have a dual channel mobo.

Maybe download speedfan and checkout the CPU heat and case heat.

 

what extra cooling did you add btw ? if its more fans can ur PSU handle them ?

 

I have speed fan that also says my temp and fan speeds are within tolerance.

My PSU is 700w 2 x 12volt rails WinPower pro. I recently had a thread here asking if my PSU was crap as its a very cheap one I found it on the net for £32.99

I added an extra fan and an exhaust system, I have reduced idle temp by 15 degrees c and get a full load temp of 68 degrees c

 

Before the additions were u getting any freezes/BSOD's etc ?

My vote is going for PSU atm.

 

Yes I did, but I thought it was due overheating because at one point the gpu temp got above 90 degrees when the system crashed

 

Have you got the BSOD code?

 

not at the mo, i am at work, but i do remember that it mentions the display driver has stopped functioning correctly when i dont get BSOD and it just crashes.

I cant see it being the PSU, as this only happens when i am playing a game could there be some 'bottle neck' between the mobo and memory

PS i have tried using new updated drivers from Nvidia and rolling back to the last know good config

 

I think it could be the PSU coz its under load. Its hard to diagnose tho, but the PSU can give some strange random errors.

 

Do you think I should try the new memory thing first or go for a new PSU (if so which make) or do both?

 

Do you have known good equipment you can try before you put yourself to a huge expense? Have you alerady run a memory tester application like memtest86 on your memory?

Situations like this are precisely why you shouldn't get the cheapest gear possible. Always always always get the best-quality equipment you can afford without breaking your budget, because you usually get what you pay for... and you'll always end up paying for it later.

 

I havent tried memcheck86 but will thanks BM

The people I got the pc off reccomended the psu I have but I belive they are a dodgy 2 person operation I have emailed them to tell them the problems I am having to see what sort of response I get.

Have you any suggestions for a Good PSU I intend to get an Nvida 8800 card shortly possibly the GTX 640mb version so I need a decent one plus a one that can handle extra fans etc

 

Sorry - it's memtest86. Or, alternatively, any memory tester should work just fine.

I don't know of any PSUs that you can attach extra fans to.

I gave you some good PSU brands to try in a previous thread - Antec, Enermax, Seasonic... these are the brands I typically use. There are other good ones out there, but I am not as familiar with them.

 

Sorry BM I didnt mean fans to attach to the PSU I meant ones that wouldnt be under loads of stress if powering extra fans.

I am just wondering wether the PSU i have is stuggling with the extra fans I have put in. Even though I was getting crashes before I put the Fans in I put those down to the temperature issue I had.

So I am wondering if the PSU is having trouble powering everything when running a game ( pc works fine watching dvds and all other tasks).

I will download memtest86 when I get back from work tonight or when I get up

 

Case fans require very little power... between 0 and 10 watts, typically. That said, if your PSU is already under load, requiring more power, however small, certainly can't help.

 

I just cant get it round my head that the 700w 2 x 12v rails sli capable PSU isnt very good.

I thought PSUs that are SLI capable would mean that they could cope under a lot of stress

 

It's not necessarily the capacity that's the problem... it's the quality, mate. Or, it could be... it might not be your PSU that's the problem... but we have no way of knowing that without a PSU tester.

 

I will test the memory first to see if theres any problems if memtest says its fine then I suppose I can only assume its the PSU.

If the games I am playing core dont say that core 2 duo is supported would that cause a problem, or would those games latest patches that I have create a fix for that.

 

greenbrucelee

When you play games there are three subsystems in your machine that are particularly stressed:

1. The graphics card.
2. The CPU.
3. The memory.

When you simply say that you get 'a BSOD' without expanding in terms of specifying the actual error message any associated codes as I'd indicated in your other thread, it's completely impossible to say. It could be either a hardware or software problem. If it's the one game that you're playing it could be trying to access an invalid memory address either through the game code or copy protection. This could cause a BSOD on even the most stable systems.

I've alsolooked up your card on the web and noticed that its big heatsink sits awkwardly over your memory modules. I'd make sure that your memory is seated correctly.

BTW, did you buy the Dr Power PSU tested from Thermaltake or similar to test the stability of your power supply?

You simply have not given enough info for us to go on.

Also with the current state of your system, if it cant handle your 7200 I can't see how it will take on an 8800GTX, but it's your call that could amount to an expensive mistake.

 

You can't just assume it's the PSU. As Math stated, there are PSU testers you can use to see how it performs, and there are many other potential problems that could exist.