Serious Failure. Need Help.

sobarosobaro
edited January 2005 in Hardware
Computer Specs:

Dell

Dell DIMENSION DIM 4600
Intel[R]Pentium[R] 4 CPU 2.66GHZ

256 MB of Ram. Have more than enough gigs of hardrive space...

Intel[R] 82865G Graphics Controller
For awhile now I have had a problem with I think its my graphics card.
When I play a video game it will sometimes lock up and freeze, then you will hear this load screechy noise and the screen turns into boxes in different colors. Then I must hold my button down to shut my computer off.

When I boot back on it will say... Your computer has encountered a serious device failure or something along the lines.

Now I have came up with these things wrong...

1.System overheating

2.Graphics card is crap.

I was thinking about buying radeon 9800 pro graphics card.

Does anyone know how to fix this problem? I've tried alot.

Please Help?

Comments

  • botheredbothered Manchester UK
    edited January 2005
    I think I would start by taking the side off and trying to see where the noise was coming from.
  • madmatmadmat
    edited January 2005
    For one thing you'll need to find out if your PC has an AGP port, it's a dark brown slot that looks sort of like the white PCI slots the modem and other things mount in.

    It will be up close to the CPU towards the middle of the mobo on the rear (furthest left) edge. If you don't have an AGP port you'll have 1 of 2 options open to you. 1.) Buy a PCI video card and use it. You don't have a video card man, you've got integrated video. 2.) Buy another mobo, case, PSU and video card and use the parts you can scrounge from the Dell to make a new PC.

    The screeching could be coming from your PC speaker when the PC locks up, it could be a fan stopping spinning or the bearings grinding, Bothered is correct though, take the side off and investigate further.
  • ketoketo Occupied. Or is it preoccupied? Icrontian
    edited January 2005
    Screechy noise sounds like a fan failure. Could be in the power supply, could be on the cpu heatsink, or any other fan inside the box. But it could be a number of other things too, time to open up the side and a) give everything a good cleaning b) look around for suspects.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited January 2005
    The screechy noise sounds like the onboard sound freaking out when the machine locks up to me. Check inside and see how dirty the hsf is on both the proc and the vid card (if there's one like madmat said) and also see if those fans are running. From what you've posted though, it sounds like the graphics are controlled by an onboard graphics controller. I was just looking up the specs on your machine and it does look like it has an agp slot, so you can add a decent video card if needed. The bad news is that the integrated video is contained in the northbrige chip and if that is going out the board will die too if the northbridge also dies.
  • sobarosobaro
    edited January 2005
    Im not really concerned about the noise. I just want to play a game without crashing and recently its been locking up on my desktop to.

    What is a integrated video card?
  • floppybootstompfloppybootstomp Greenwich New
    edited January 2005
    sobaro wrote:
    Im not really concerned about the noise. I just want to play a game without crashing and recently its been locking up on my desktop to.

    What is a integrated video card?

    I would be concerned about the noise if I were you, it's very likely your problem.

    An integrated video card is where the graphics chip is built into the computer's main motherboard rather than being a stand alone card that fits into a motherboard card slot.

    As muddocktor has pointed out, in your board it's part of the Northbridge, meaning if the video part goes, so does your motherboard.

    Hope that it's something mechanical.

    I suggest you read through all the good advice the folks have posted here and heed it.

    Take the side off the case, blow out those dust bunnies and have a good look around for any obvious signs of failure.
  • Access_DeniedAccess_Denied tennessee
    edited January 2005
    i too use to have intel indagraded video. intel has been known to release broken drivers from time to time so you might try that. upgrade to the newest one as the 2.11.15.0 one is broken i know for a fact. i couldnt play hardly anythign without it locking up,goin back to 8 bit color an telling me to reeboot cause of a device faliure and my desktop looked like someone barfed on the monator. try to do that an play somethign an let us know whats goin on from there.
  • sobarosobaro
    edited January 2005
    I opened my computer and used some compressed air to get all the dust out. Cleaned it all up.

    I have 2 PCI slots but no AGP.

    Whats the best PCI video card I can get?
    2.) Buy another mobo, case, PSU and video card and use the parts you can scrounge from the Dell to make a new PC.

    To expensive :eek:
    too use to have intel indagraded video. intel has been known to release broken drivers from time to time so you might try that. upgrade to the newest one as the 2.11.15.0 one is broken i know for a fact. i couldnt play hardly anythign without it locking up,goin back to 8 bit color an telling me to reeboot cause of a device faliure and my desktop looked like someone barfed on the monator. try to do that an play somethign an let us know whats goin on from there.

    Should I upgrade to 2.11.15.0?

    I updated service packs today for windows.
  • Access_DeniedAccess_Denied tennessee
    edited January 2005
    NO dont get 2.11.15.0 because it is one of the broken drivers intel released. i cant rember whitch is the newest right off the top of my head but go to there website an download the drivers from there if your not getting a accuall card an just want to be able to play games on that.
  • sobarosobaro
    edited January 2005
    Ok I will download driver updates on the site.

    But im interested in getting a PCI video card.
    But want to know whats the best PCI video card.

    My current graphics card version is... 6.14.10.3865
  • flyriceflyrice
    edited January 2005
    BEST PCI vid card? I'm partial to nvidia and I think their best PCI card out is one of the GeForce 5000 cards (I think the 6000 series is AGP and PCIx (express) only).

    You can get yourself a cheap ATI Radeon 9200 SE for about 50 bucks PCI. Cheap and works for today's games (don't expect to be running high settings in Doom 3 and HL2 with it tho).
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