My PC shuts down while playing certain games.

Discussion in 'Software' started by tsannasardo, May 22, 2011.

  1. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    Games like Counter Strike Source and Team Fortress 2 cause the pc to freeze and shut off after about 10 minutes of gaming.

    Other games, like Day of Defeat Source and Grand Theft Auto 4 work just fine, and do not shut down the PC.

    I have monitored several internal temperatures with Everest while gaming and doing other things, and although the temperatures rise while playing CSS or TF2, these same temperatures are reached with GTA4 and DODS so I am not sure what is going on.

    Specs:

    COMPAQ
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 6.1.7600 (Win7 RTM)
    DirectX 11.0

    Motherboard Chipset nVIDIA nForce 6100-4xx, AMD K10
    Video Card ATI Radeon HD 4300/4500 Series (512 MB)

    AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 240 Processor
    External Clock 200 MHz
    Maximum Clock 2800 MHz
    Current Clock 2800 MHz
     
  2. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    PS: it now shuts down while playing DODS as well. Dammit
     
  3. lbmest

    lbmest MajorGeek

    You don't say what your temps are going to. Heat is a killer for any video card.
    I'd suggest cleaning out any dust and see what the difference is. You possibly may need to update your cards drivers also.
     
  4. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    Have you checked that all your drivers are updated, and DirectX as well? Sudden shut-downs are usually a hardware problem, but it never hurts to double check everything.

    Might want to run memtest as well, just to make sure.
     
  5. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    Have updated DirectX, done a registry clean, adjusted the graphics card fan to 100% and overclocked it at mfg recommended levels, logged the temps, the highest I saw before it shut down again while playing CSS was as follows:

    Motherboard: 136F
    CPU 118
    CPU1 124
    CPU2 124
    MCP 187

    And between 234F and 243F in the diodes.

    Video card temp reached a max of 118C with the fan at 100%

    any ideas?
     
  6. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    oh and its clean, no dust in the pc, video card or fans
     
  7. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    118C!?!?! :eek:eek:eek

    Ahem.

    Yeah, that's a bit hot.

    Most likely your PC is shutting down to prevent our poor video card from melting. You said you have no dust in the video card so I assume you checked that, but did you also check that the fan actually works. 118C is WAY too freaking hot for comfort, and definitely too hot for gaming.
     
  8. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Agreed with Mimsy, 118C is more than enough to kill even the best GPU's.

    You need to fix whatever the issue is before you attempt anymore gaming. If you're lucky you have not yet damaged your card, chances are if you've been running at high temps for a while then your card is heavily weakened meaning it will no longer perform properly, nor retain normal temps. So don't be surprised if you get it all fixed but still read above the 80C range.
    You are going to have to put some serious cooling down on that card.

    Do you just have a standard case?

    You need to get some airflow going. If your GPU fan is working as Mimsy asked and it's free from dust then you must have some serious lack of air flow. More case fans would be 1st port of call. Move PC away from heat sources such as radiators etc.
    Also is your PC enclosed? like inside a PC box slot on a desk?
    If so you will want to bring her out into the open so she can get some circulation of air.

    Taking the side off will only be of minor help and for a short period of time, not to mention leaving it off is a hazzard, small fingers and/or animals etc might fry if they get it.
    Plus your case needs to be closed to create actual air flow from the fans, removing the side will simply pull the moving air from fans into the vastness that is the exterior of your PC..... in other words, it has the adverse effect.

    1 other question, if you are one of those people who will gladly give up frame rate for high settings graphics......TURN 'em DOWN! ;)
     
  9. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    Thanks Mimsy, Probably needs more fans or something, the video card is a good one, Radeon HD 4300 series, but I'll look into more cooling methods. The thing is that it worked fine for months, I was able to play and completely beat the single player COD MW2 and COD Black Ops, along with halfway through GTA4, rack up hundreds of hours of CSS, beat Bioshock 1 and 2, etc.

    Same video card, specs, etc. The only change I made recently to the hardware was add a MajicJack and extra DVD RW drive. I have tried unplugging them and running the PC without those (as it was before) with the same results, still shuts down, etc.

    Any thoughts on that?
     
  10. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    My thoughts are that before you do anything else you need to take Ned's advice on improving the cooling in your system.

    118C kills video cards. If it's not broken beyond repair already it's only because the computer gods have taken pity on you. Alternatively, being broken is what is making it run at the temperature it's at right now... You need to improve the airflow in your case, and that card needs to be either repaired or replaced, and the sooner the better. I wouldn't even bother wasting time on anything else until you have taken care of that part.

    Seriously. 118C is 18 degrees above the boiling point of water. It fries eggs. It crisps bacon. And it kills computer parts in brutal and irreversible ways.

    I know, I'm probably over-explaining. But only because you really need to get this point, and you need to do something about it before your video cards fails on you and you're left with a computer without a video output. ;)
     
  11. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    ok, took out the vid card and inspected it, apparently one of the fan blades broke off and was loose inside the fan casing on the card. :banghead

    getting a new vid card ASAP.

    Would like some input on which one I should get. Would like to stick with Radeon however I am open to other options

    I need dual monitor support and HD, preferably with 1 DVI output and a 1 VGA output like my current AMD ATI Radeon HD 4300 series.

    Currently I have the 512MB but would like to get the 1GB card but am unsure if my 250W stock power supply will cover it.

    Have PCIExpress 2.0 max x16 slot type, any ideas?
     
  12. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    Yikes! Good thing you caught it!

    You might have a hard time finding an upgrade card that will run on that power supply. I'll take a look around tonight when I'm at a computer. Surfing Newegg on a phone is a painful experience :p
     
  13. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Agree with Mimsy there, a 250w PSU is pretty low even for your setup.

    My advice, for what it's worth... buy a new 450-500w PSU for around $60-80 (guess price) and you can get a 1GB HD 4670 card for like $70.

    My theory is simply that 4000 series cards are currently dirt cheap, so rather than scouring the world to find a 4300 card and probably end up paying more than a newer card, put the effort and extra money into a PSU capable of running a newer card.

    Will also help if you decide to put extra fans on it.

    On the up side, a broken fan blade although pretty final is a nice easy diagnosis, if it had not been that , actually pinpointing what was causing the overheat could and has sent the calmest of men completely round the twist. :)

    Anyway, thats my 2 cents without doing much research, just based on what I already know. Mimsy may prove me wrong and just find a 4300 series card at the drop of a hat, she does that sometimes :-D
     
  14. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    Something like this, maybe?

    It should be able to run on a 250W power supply, but if you're going to upgrade anyway you might as well get a new one of those as well. A good PSU is as close to a good investment as you can get with components. Here is Diamond's product page for that card.
     
  15. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

  16. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

  17. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    Personally, I am always wary of power supplies by a company I haven't heard about. It's the only component in there that is perfectly capable of taking out other components when it dies, so it's one of the very few things you'll never see me skimp on. I'll pay extra to get a gold-rated brand name PSU, just to get the extra protection and security from them.

    If you want help picking one out, post your budget and we'll see what we can do for you. Though for component selection, the Hardware Forum really is a better place to ask. :)
     
  18. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

  19. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    So I just noticed a previously overlooked detail about my PC, it didn't come with a chasis fan.... :banghead

    wtf :confused

    so I gutted my old Sony VAIO and now it has one, here are the new temps while not gaming:

    Motherboard: 93F compared to 108F
    CPU: 109F compared to 115F
    CPU1: 86F compared to 100F
    CPU2: 86F compared to 100F
    MCP: 147F compared to 187F

    Video card at 75C while not gaming compared to 85C

    now for the temps while gaming:

    Motherboard: 120F compared to 136F
    CPU: 113F compared to 118F
    CPU1: 111F compared to 124F
    CPU2: 111F compared to 124F
    MCP: 156F compared to 187F

    Video card at 104C after 10 minutes of CSS compared to 118C before where it would shut down

    this works for now I guess, until the rest of my new PC components arrive
     
  20. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    I think what Mimsy was trying to say about the PSU, is while it may be as good or better than your old one it's a brand that is not well recognised, given it's only costing you $25 suggests it's not of high quality, you really do get what you pay for. Also while it may serve you long and well, with it being a lower end it may also not serve you well.

    We buy PSU's to power our PC's, we buy trusted brands to lessen the chance of anything going wrong and to make sure we get the power we require, low end PSU's don't just have higher chance of going wrong but also often don't put out the power on the box.
    A 500 watt high end PSU will give you 500w when needed, a low end will occasionally peak at 500w but more likely give you 450w (just as an example)

    Also as Mimsy said, the PSU is the one component that can take your entire PC with it if/when it dies.

    Think of it like this, you buy yourself a Ford Mustang shell, put in good tires, wheels, brakes, electrics etc.... and then throw a Ford Topaz engine in it.

    Buy as you wish by all means, it's your money, but bare in mind what has been said.

    I hate buying PSU's, I wont buy one unless I can find several people I know and trust who have the same and can tell me it does what I need it to do.

    Hope it works well for you, remember this thread and let us know how it's going in a few months.
     
  21. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    That was exactly my point. Thanks for clarifying it for me. :)
     
  22. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    For sure, thanks alot guys (and Mimsy of course XD). I'm currently running the Logisys PSU that came with the case in my Compaq desktop, and although the fan is slightly louder then my last one, it has more connections and more power to support my system. Have been running it for 46HR with no issues, will most likely try the same with the new Logisys PSU that's coming in.

    I'll let you know what happens, as this PC is now my lab rat for Logisys PSUs

    I'm still waiting on the motherboard to come in so I can really get things going
     
  23. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Good luck, hope you get it up and running and have some fun doing it :)
     
  24. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    yes i did! wasn't difficult at all, once i picked out compatible components.

    new pc is up and running (im on it right now) and its a beast

    8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive and 1 500GB hard drive (and a 2TB external), Radeon HD 4650 vid card, Windows 7 Ultimate, and a total of 7 fans (3 case fans, 1 CPU fan, 1 fan on the vid card and 2 fans in the PSU

    tested out the Logisys PSU for 3 days in my Compaq before putting in this one, so far so good.


    Thanks much guys for your support!
     
  25. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    Not bad. :)

    Now stop wasting time here and go play your games! LOL
     
  26. Aradiel83

    Aradiel83 Private E-2

    118 degrees C on a gpu? Dude shut your computer down presto. Remove your gpu from the case, remove the cooler, open it clean it up. Get a nice thermal compound like arctic silver and put it all back together...Once u start seeing artifacts and scanlines on screen its too late.
     
  27. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    lol already on it. just swapped out the Core2Duo that came with the heatsync for a Core2Quad, omg what a difference
     
  28. tsannasardo

    tsannasardo Private E-2

    yea im recycling that vid card as e-waste. one of the fan blades broke off apparently so thats one of the reasons it was overheating to such an extreme degree. new PC setup has a total of 7 fans, and am getting another case which will bring that up to 8 fans in total (4 case fans, 2 PSU fans, 1 video card fan and 1 CPU heatsink and fan) so thats no longer an issue

    thx much everyone!!
     

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