Curse

Saridley Kronah · Sep 04, 2005, 12:29 AM // 00:29

Ok i got this computer about a week ago because my old one only had 256mb of ram.
I now have 1gig ram and a good working gfc card, i purchased ati radeon x800 GT and gecube, after 15 minutes of play everything goes into huge pixels and then freezes so the card can reset itself and does this quite frequently. I have installed the catalyst driver and so far nothing seems to have worked. Can anybody help me?

grim peirce · Sep 04, 2005, 12:31 AM // 00:31

whoa!!!

wutdafeezi · Sep 04, 2005, 02:17 AM // 02:17

It probably needs a better power supply or better cooling. Worse case scenario maybe both

a_scrawny_gnoll01 · Sep 04, 2005, 02:48 AM // 02:48

Check and make sure you are running the correct 32bit processor and videocard function thingy. If one of them is set to work at 64, and the other is set to work at 32, then you have a problem. Check the setup thingy when you boot your computer.
...the power supply could be possible too.

A similar problem happened to me a while back, as I was running a 64bit operating system and a 64bit processor, which would not work for doom3, which required a 32bit OS. Fixed that after getting a new OS, splitting the hard drive into two sections and all that ugly fun reinstalling crap...

Check it, you might have overlooked this if it is a recently new PC

Saridley Kronah · Sep 05, 2005, 12:35 AM // 00:35

I got a 64 bit processor and a 32 bit video card running, could this be the problem? My main concern is that it might be the client because when i play AvP or any other games its fine.

MetalIonicZ · Sep 05, 2005, 12:56 AM // 00:56

I have a 32 bit video card and a 64 bit processor and just because one is 32 and the other is 64 doesnt mean they will not work together. When you run a 32 bit OS, the extra memory banks in the processor are disabled automatically. When you run a 64 bit OS, the processor will adapt to what device it is giving commands to. If the 64 bit processor did not adapt properly, then all motherboards that had 64 bit support would become way expensive because they would have to replace all the chipset controllers such as the North Bridge and South Bridge.
Check to make sure your powersupply is giving enough juice. At certain intervals, a graphics card requires more power. Your power supply also has to provide steady power and not keep fluctuating.

Saridley Kronah · Sep 05, 2005, 01:53 AM // 01:53

Thx but how do i check my power supply?

MetalIonicZ · Sep 05, 2005, 03:32 AM // 03:32

You must jump two connectors on the power supply and then use a meter to check the voltage on each pin. Search the internet for beter instructions.

Saridley Kronah · Sep 05, 2005, 05:19 AM // 05:19

I rung up the place where i bought it and the guy said it's most likely a faulty VGA card and i have to go in tomorrow with the comp and he's gunna see whats wrong and maybe order me a new card.

Shinryuu · Sep 05, 2005, 09:49 PM // 21:49

Check to see if your voltage is running high enough. I'm not sure if all ATi cards require this, but my 9700 Pro needs an extra power to be plug into it and my voltage needed to be running at 1.6v. But it seems that your video doesn't have that power plug thing.

Saridley Kronah · Sep 06, 2005, 06:01 AM // 06:01

Actually i think it might...

Toral Xi · Sep 06, 2005, 08:06 PM // 20:06

If the card has the extra plug for a power supply, and it is not plugged in, that could definitely be the problem, but if it is plugged in, try to make sure you use a dedicated power line from the power supply to power the card only. That will sometimes help.
If it is an older computer with and old power supply- but new video card, you may want to upgrade it anyway to make the system more stable (try to use a 450 watt + unit).

One quick check to see if you are having an heating issue is to run Guild Wars with the side of your computer open and a house fan blowing nearby (old trick but still works). If that is the problem you can add more case fans to the computer or even an aftermarket video card cooler. I have an ATI 9800 pro and did the latter and now my system is very stable (it would crash after 10 min of play before the fix)

Saridley Kronah · Sep 07, 2005, 09:47 AM // 09:47

Nahh my VGA Card hasnt got it's own power supply but if you read the first post it's a brand new computer maybe a week at the most old but i recently realised whenever i run any games my video card starts making a light sound, kinda like a screech.
Not sure how to check my power supply or anything but these are my basic PC specs

Operating System: Windows XP Sp2
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.26 GhZ
Ram : Standard 1 GB RAM
Video Card: Radeon X800 with GECube
Video Card driver version : ATI Catalyst 05.8
Hard Drive space: Total 160GB

Toral Xi · Sep 07, 2005, 04:02 PM // 16:02

Nice computer. If it is making a screaching noise with games it may be the fan on the video card that is going bad or defective. Since it is a new computer you can have the company you purchased it from test it to see if that is the case but I still recommend an aftermarket video card cooler (Zalman or Arctic Cooling VGA silencer are good) because usually the stock one stinks. I was having similiar problems with the computer I built and I couldn't understand why it was only with Guild Wars, every other game I played I had no problems with. That is when I opened up the side panel and was able to play for hours so I knew it was a heat issue. I still suggest you try the same just make sure the computer is up off of the floor (for increased airflow and to prevent mega dust). I recently added the Silencer to my video card and added a case fan and now I can play w/o the side open for 4-6 hrs at a time with no restarts or blue screens.
I think for some reason Guild Wars is extremely taxing (more so than other games) on the video card and it may be an issue in conjunction with the newer catalyst drivers as some have solved the problem by reverting back to the older ones. Whatever the case my CPU was pushing 62 + celcius and the power supply was at 64 + while playing Guild Wars. With the added cooling I am at 50 + for the CPU and 55 + for the power supply. I stay at 39 C at idle.
I hope this helps as I know how frustrating it can be.

my specs
3.2 ghz pentium 4
1 gig crucial ballistix @ 2,2,2,5
thermaltake 480 w pwr supply
200 gig seagate hd
ATI 9800 pro w VGA silencer
coolermaster wavemaster case w 4 fans