Curse

Quaker · Jan 19, 2008, 04:48 AM // 04:48

If you have a dual-core processor, try forcing GW to run in only one core. Google "ForceCore" for a simple solution.

Zeek Aran · Jan 19, 2008, 04:54 AM // 04:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mork from Ork

But, if that is what it runs outside the cabinet then you will need to do something about the cooling in the tower itself.

Sadly, this is the issue.

Le sigh. I'll have to talk to my parent and see what my options are. Ultimate suckage that this happened before a weekend I needed to participate in. D:

Not a dual-core.

Mork from Ork · Jan 19, 2008, 01:31 PM // 13:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeek Aran

Sadly, this is the issue.

Le sigh. I'll have to talk to my parent and see what my options are. Ultimate suckage that this happened before a weekend I needed to participate in. D:

Not a dual-core.

Well - the quick and dirty solution would be to have it outside the cabinet, take off the side panel and aim a fan at it.

If your parents won't let you leave it outside the cabinet all the time make sure you have plenty of length in the cords in the back and then pull the case out of the cabinet, open it, and aim the fan at it while you play and then put it back in the cabinet when you are done. Kind of a hassle but it would work.

You haven't mentioned how it is working since you cleaned it and pulled it out - you did manage to drop the temp 27 degrees - is it working any better? If so, that 27 degrees might be all you needed.

Zeek Aran · Jan 19, 2008, 02:22 PM // 14:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mork from Ork

You haven't mentioned how it is working since you cleaned it and pulled it out - you did manage to drop the temp 27 degrees - is it working any better? If so, that 27 degrees might be all you needed.

GPU 61 °C (142 °F)
GPU Ambient 55 °C (131 °F)

Last night the top one was at 120-130º but that was out of the cabinet. I just took it out so it should be cooling down soon I think.

One reason I'm pretty sure I won't be able to leave my computer open is that I have cats roaming the house. If I get up to go to the bathroom, I could come back to an irreparable mess.

Down to 138. GW made it spike to 150 and I closed it down again before it could raise more. This wasn't while doing anything; I was only standing in the outpost I spawned in. Dammit! I NEED MY SS RANKS UP!

Down to 130. The door is open [it's cold outside] and I don't think it'll get any lower.

127...

Mork from Ork · Jan 19, 2008, 08:32 PM // 20:32

If you are running 150 under load - that is about 67C and 120 idle is about 49C.

Doing some checking, that may not be that far out of range for that card. I see other posters on other sites reporting temps about that range - some are peeking at 90C (194F) under load (which seems very high to me). A lot of video cards are meant to load into the 70's C. (apparently ATI claims some of their cards can handle up to 100C) The idle of 49 still seems a little high to me but not by much. You might want to give it a try and see if you still get the problems - if the problems don't come back then you may have gotten the card down low enough.

Oh, and one other suggestion - if you have had the card for a year or so, you might want to replace the thermal grease on it's cooing unit - a lot of times that can make a big difference.

Zeek Aran · Jan 20, 2008, 02:43 AM // 02:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mork from Ork

Oh, and one other suggestion - if you have had the card for a year or so, you might want to replace the thermal grease on it's cooing unit - a lot of times that can make a big difference.

Three or four years now. >>; Thermal grease? I have no idea what that means.

Grrr. Dell support chat disconnected and now they're too busy for me.

Mork from Ork · Jan 20, 2008, 04:35 AM // 04:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeek Aran

Three or four years now. >>; Thermal grease? I have no idea what that means.

Grrr. Dell support chat disconnected and now they're too busy for me.

Thermal grease is a paste that is between the gpu on the video card and the cooler. No metal is perfectly smooth so the grease fills in any gaps to help transfer heat. But over time it can lose its effectiveness so it is a good idea to re-apply it now and then. You should be able to find something on the internet about the best way to do it.

Zeek Aran · Jan 20, 2008, 07:55 PM // 19:55

Apfffffft. Stubborn Dell. Stayed up until three in the morning listening to them. Download this, download that. Ugh, they could have just looked for themselves while they had control of my PC and seen that I had EVERYTHING they wanted me to download. Then they say system restore. I tried it at three different locations and it continued to crash, because you guys and NC have said a million times that it's the video card/overheating, not because I don't have drivers or spyware. Still waiting for them to reply; NC has stopped talking to me.

Zeek Aran · Jan 20, 2008, 09:22 PM // 21:22

RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO! Now it's starting to crash when I'm not even playing GW! I only had firefox and msn on and it's crashed twice now.

Zeek Aran · Jan 22, 2008, 01:25 PM // 13:25

Okay, so NC has said all they've said, and their only suggestions were that I get new PCI slot fans. Dell so far hasn't helped me do anything, and is VERY BAD at getting back to me. Because I mentioned to my parent that someone in this forum said my video card might be fried or broken or whatever, she believes that, while I believe it's just a matter of heating issues.

What causes the heating issues? How would I know if I need a new video card?

Mork from Ork · Jan 22, 2008, 06:49 PM // 18:49

Basically heating issues will happen when the heat generated by the graphics processor can not move away from the processor quickly enough. Several things can cause it

1: badly seated cooling unit that does not make contact with the gpu

2: old thermal grease that is not adequately transferring the heat from the gpu to the cooling unit

3: dust collecting in the radiator of the cooling unit or in the grill of the fan so that the hot air can not move away from the video card

4: trapped air (such as in your cabinet) that will not allow the hot air to move away from the video card and system

5: a dying power supply or a power supply that is too small for the system because it is not supplying enough power to run both the system needs and the fans

6: fans pointed in the wrong direction - for instance, if all your fans point inwards, it will trap the air in your case instead of blowing it out - you need a good clear air way through the case

also the cpu, bridges, ram, hard drives, video card (gpu) and power unit all generate heat and the combination can add up if you don't have free moving air.

Most video cards will throttle down if they start getting too hot but that is often not enough to compensate for poor cooling

And a heating issue that goes on long enough will shorten the life of the card so that what began as a heating issue often will wind up ruining the card.

If your system is starting to crash even when you are just browsing (especially if it was outside the cabinet at the time) then you have a more serious problem. Chances are good the video card has been ruined since that is what usually gets the hottest.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee. There is always some possibility that something else died and that a new video card would not completely cure the problem. (heat can also be deadly for the hard drives and the cpu. Hard drives, especially, are prone to wear and tear because they are the only real moving parts in the system.)

As far as testing...if your mother board has onboard video ability you could remove the video card and see if the system still works (if your mother board has onboard video you will see a 2nd video output on the back of your system - except it will be vertical instead of horizontal - most motherboards that have onboard video will automatically detect if no other card is installed and enable onboard integrated graphics. If yours has onboard graphics but does not automatically detect the absence of another card then you will have to get out your manual and see how to reset things in the bios) This is certainly the easiest way to test and with a 3-4 year old system there is a good chance it does have onboard graphics

If your mother board does not have onboard video then the only way to test it out would be to try the card in another computer and see if it works...........

or borrow a different card and try it in your system.............

Short of having a professional look at it for about 75 bucks an hour that about all you can do.

Zeek Aran · Jan 22, 2008, 09:39 PM // 21:39

Getting a new video card for free, yay warranty! Also getting a new fan.

In two days or so, I'll post whether the issue is fixed or not.

EDIT: Whoops. "It will be shipped in one to two business days" now "You will get it in one to two business days." >-< Now to play the waiting game.

Mork from Ork · Jan 22, 2008, 11:13 PM // 23:13

Excellent! .

Zeek Aran · Apr 17, 2008, 11:48 PM // 23:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arya Littlefinger

This happened to me too! I bought a brand new computer last year, and the ONLY time it crashed was when I was playing GW. It started the day I bought it. I have taken that computer to get fixed so many times, they are always like "therez noting wrong lololol!" so basically i have an expensive dust collector now. It used to crash every 30 minutes, eventually I started getting the BSOD, then it wouldnt even turn on. So I would format it, it would work until I tried to play GW and then start crashing again. I have tried everything, and nothing has resolved this issue. SO I bought a new computer.

And many months later.

I just got a free replacement [yay warranty!] and now it's all better. After EVERYTHING I went through, the only thing to help was a new shiny PC.

Snograt · Apr 18, 2008, 01:51 AM // 01:51

Yay, glad it all sorted out for you!

And thanks for the update - so many threads in Tech Corner don't give closure