8800gts problem!!

[Agent57]

My brother just bought an EVGA 8800gts 320mb video card. I installed it for him and it will boot into Windows just fine. When I run any game or 3dmark the screen goes black and the computer locks up. After a few minutes it reboots. I've tried formatting and reinstalling Windows and using different drivers from Nvidia with the same results. At this point, I'm thinking it's time to RMA the card, but I wanted to get some other ideas first. The system specs are:

Athlon 64 3500+ 939
Asus A8N5X
2GB Kingston DDR PC3200
XCLIO Goodpower 500

 

[Rage187]

NM.

PSU sounds ok. Make sure the MOBO has the latest drivers.

 

[Agent57]

Thanks for the reply. When I reinstalled Windows, I downloaded the latest nforce drivers from Nvidia.

 

[nullpointerus]

Originally posted by: Agent57
Thanks for the reply. When I reinstalled Windows, I downloaded the latest nforce drivers from Nvidia.

What about GPU drivers? Did you try the WHQL's or latest betas?

 

[Agent57]

I used the 97.92 whql drivers.

 

[Hemsky]

Use the 97.95 drivers. Had the same problem with my 8800GTX KO ACS3 . However with this card I have to downclock to 900mhz memory freq so I don't get the BSOD's

 

[Agent57]

Thanks. I'll give those a try.

 

[Agent57]

Well, I tried the 97.95 drivers and it still doesn't work. I ran 3dmark06 and it shows the load screen for the first test. As soon as it loads, the screen goes black and the computer stops responding.

 

[BFG10K]

97.92 suck - use one of the leaked 100.xx drivers. They work much better.

 

[Agent57]

I thought the 100.xx drivers were for Vista only.

 

[Captante]

Really it varies depending on the system which drivers work best ... v97.92 has been the best & most stable under XP for me & I had nothing but trouble with all the 100's that I tried, including BSOD's & lockups in games.

The problem might be the drivers, but it also may be one of the classic GPU lockup issues like overheating ... try turning the GPU fan up to fixed 100% using either NTune or Rivatuner to eliminate tempeture... if that doesn't fix the problem, the next place to look is the power supply despite the fact that any half-decent 500 watt model should be enough to power a GTS/320mb.

 

[BFG10K]

I thought the 100.xx drivers were for Vista only.

Nah, there are XP versions now though they're all currently leaked betas at the moment.

 

[Agent57]

Well, I tried a 450w Antec power supply from another system and the card still didn't work. I tried Rivatuner and set the fan to 100% and underclocked the card as low as possible and still nothing. I'm pretty much convinced that the card is messed up. I'm going to have my brother RMA it and we'll see what another card does.

 

[neutralizer]

Did you have the additional power connector connected? Isn't that there to ensure clean power and stability?

 

[Agent57]

Originally posted by: neutralizer
Did you have the additional power connector connected? Isn't that there to ensure clean power and stability?

Are you talking about the PCI-E power connection for the card? I had it connected with both power supplies I tried and it didn't make any difference. So far the card hasn't been able to run anything for even a second. I'm so frustrated right now.