Graphics Card Problem!!!

Moktar

Hello all! Urgent problem here! For the past couple of days my computer has been freezing up or the monitor has been turning off every so often. The error report that I sent in to Microsoft said it had something to do with my graphics card. I've been talking to my friends about it and we've been trying to figure it out and we've finally come to the conclusion that my card is overheating. The fan seems to be spinning, but you could seriously fry an egg on this bad mother. My PC will probably freeze within the next half hour or so. I have a 128MB DDR ATI Radeon 9800 and I tried checking out the ATI website for help, but there wasn't much there that I could use. Please help me!!!

entropy

Try reseatting the heatsink? Also make sure you don't have any nVidia drivers anywhere on your system. I don't know if they could cause a lockup, but you never know.

Omega65

Turn off VPU Recover

MediaMan

Moktar,

Please clarify: You've had this configuration for some time and it's worked well but just recently the problems started?

Do the problems happen during a specific action or game all the time but not anywhere else....such as just surfing the Internet?

Have you installed anything new or changed anything; ram? settings? Anything?

Video card corruption can be rectified by removing the drivers and reinstalling them as a first step. My video card does run quite hot to the touch on the back of the ram chips...almost to the point of being very uncomfortable to keep your fingers there.

Have you any additional fans in the case besides the PSU exhaust fan?

Moktar

The problem started a couple of days ago while I was playing Warcraft 3. Since then it's gotten worse. The computer will freeze whenever it damn well pleases now, no matter what I'm doing. Someone told me to get new drivers from ATI so I did and it hasn't helped. That was after the problem, so I don't think that caused it in the first place. I don't know a hell of a lot about the inside of my PC, but I know I have one big fan under the power supply that is covered by a green cover thing, and there is a fan underneath the graphics card. It's attached to the card.

I'm going to leave my PC on now and see how long it can stay on without freezing.

edcentric

The fan on the video card may not be working properly. Often when they start to fail they still turn, but too slowly to work.
How old is the card?

MediaMan

You may also try pulling the video card and getting a brush to brush out dust bunnies. Also...if you have a can of compressed air...blow out the rotor area...or be old fashioned and just blow.

Don't spit...blow.

Moktar

The card is less than a year old. I got it with the PC last September. I'm going down to Walmart later to buy a can of air. Good news though, I've had the PC on for almost two hours and it's been fine. I tried playing Battlefield: Vietnam and it worked (Although a little slow and jumpy). I think it just might be a dust problem. I hope so, at least.

Medlock

Maybe you have the Catalyst v3.8's that were frying some people's 9800s? Update to the latest drivers from ATi's website.

Moktar

I got the newest drivers last night and the problem was still occuring after that. I think it may be ok now. It hasn't frozen since this morning.

MediaMan

Dust Bunnies from Hell



Dust in the PC is one of the first culprits.

Moktar

Oh dear. I think I may have spoke too soon. The PC was running fine all day, and I went out to a friend's house and when I came back it froze again. I don't get it.

MordecuS

Moktar,

I to have an 9800 Pro and I have had quite a few heat related issues. Graned I have had it overclocked. I replaced the stock heatsink and fan with a Zalman ZM80D-HP. It's an amazing Video cooler and is silent! You can use it with a fan or without, works 100 times better than the stock fan. It took me about an hour to install it but I am glad that I did, the temps are noticably differant. It's worth a shot. Also, in another computer I had an 9600 XT, it is a great card but had the same problems that you are having with your 9800 Pro. I tried everything that you have said that you did and I still had the problems. I finally bought a new power supply and fixed my problem right up, not saying that it is deffinately your power supply but it fixed my problem immediately. Best of luck in finding the cause and fixing your problem, I know how frustrating it can be with a top dollar video card and to have all these problems. Any questions, feel free to ask!

Squill

I just recently had the same exact problem with my ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro, I would start to play some Natural-Selection or Day of Defeat and I'd be playing for about 10 minute and bam, my comp would freeze up. When I opened up the case I found out that the fan on the video card wasnt turning all the way, like it'd start turning then stop and keep doing that. When I touched the heatsink it was extremely hot, like you said I could fry eggs on it. So I took this small personal fan I had laying around the house that can clip onto things and took the side panel of the case off and have it blowing right onto the card. I'm gonna use this now till I get a replacement video card fan. You can find them on the internet.

Here's an expensive but nice one
http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/vid-29.html

and here's the cheaper one but I'll probably work just as good
http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/vid-14.html

Moktar

I was about to go out and look for that Zalman heat pipe when I realized that I'm still under warranty for Dell (it just expired today) so I called them up yesterday and they're sending me a new card with a new fan on it. I suppose the fan might die again next year, but by then I'll probably have that heat pipe.

Thanks for the help everyone! I hope my new card/fan works!