WHO is right? (Final conclusion needed)

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: dental
I dont have an external home fan atm, will try later. I've already bought another fan for the case (I have 4, but theres room for 5). That one goes just below the GPU so I hope it helps getting hot air out the case faster.

Adding more case fans or increasing/decreasing fan speeds at random can backfire. I have one case with a fan that blows over the cpu/hsf. Increasing the case fan speed increased the cpu temp.

It would be nice if a house fan could be borrowed for this test. Someone in construction might have one.

 

[dental]

Originally posted by: seemingly random

Originally posted by: dental
I dont have an external home fan atm, will try later. I've already bought another fan for the case (I have 4, but theres room for 5). That one goes just below the GPU so I hope it helps getting hot air out the case faster.

Adding more case fans or increasing/decreasing fan speeds at random can backfire. I have one case with a fan that blows over the cpu/hsf. Increasing the case fan speed increased the cpu temp.

It would be nice if a house fan could be borrowed for this test. Someone in construction might have one.

So i've spent 30? on nothing?

 

[bastula]

new motherboard?

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: dental

Originally posted by: seemingly random

Originally posted by: dental
I dont have an external home fan atm, will try later. I've already bought another fan for the case (I have 4, but theres room for 5). That one goes just below the GPU so I hope it helps getting hot air out the case faster.

Adding more case fans or increasing/decreasing fan speeds at random can backfire. I have one case with a fan that blows over the cpu/hsf. Increasing the case fan speed increased the cpu temp.

It would be nice if a house fan could be borrowed for this test. Someone in construction might have one.

So i've spent 30? on nothing?

Not sure what this means. Did you buy a house fan? If so, did you try the test?

 

[dental]

Talking about the extra case fan that goes below the GPU.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: dental
Talking about the extra case fan that goes below the GPU.

And this was 30? ($60)?!?! What kind is it?

And I didn't mean to say that it was a bad move. You'll have to determine that. It's just that, with what I imagine is mounting frustration, there might be a temptation to throw money at the problem.

 

[dental]

Originally posted by: seemingly random

Originally posted by: dental
Talking about the extra case fan that goes below the GPU.

And this was 30? ($60)?!?! What kind is it?

And I didn't mean to say that it was a bad move. You'll have to determine that. It's just that, with what I imagine is mounting frustration, there might be a temptation to throw money at the problem.

http://www.alternate.eu/html/p...ails.html?artno=TL6P07

That one.

 

[dental]

Installed, did nothing lol.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: dental

Originally posted by: seemingly random

Originally posted by: dental
Talking about the extra case fan that goes below the GPU.

And this was 30? ($60)?!?! What kind is it?

And I didn't mean to say that it was a bad move. You'll have to determine that. It's just that, with what I imagine is mounting frustration, there might be a temptation to throw money at the problem.

http://www.alternate.eu/html/p...ails.html?artno=TL6P07

That one.

Something wrong with the link - takes me to alternate's home page. I bet it's a pita maintaining that site with so many languages supported. Is the cooler a case fan or a vga cooler (this would explain the price)?

The reason I wanted to try the 'big' fan was the need for very different from what's been done so far. With problems like this - when something's wrong but I really don't know what it is - I will try 'crazy' things hoping to stumble on the real problem.

 

[dental]

Originally posted by: seemingly random

Originally posted by: dental

Originally posted by: seemingly random

Originally posted by: dental
Talking about the extra case fan that goes below the GPU.

And this was 30? ($60)?!?! What kind is it?

And I didn't mean to say that it was a bad move. You'll have to determine that. It's just that, with what I imagine is mounting frustration, there might be a temptation to throw money at the problem.

http://www.alternate.eu/html/p...ails.html?artno=TL6P07

That one.

Something wrong with the link - takes me to alternate's home page. I bet it's a pita maintaining that site with so many languages supported. Is the cooler a case fan or a vga cooler (this would explain the price)?

The reason I wanted to try the 'big' fan was the need for very different from what's been done so far. With problems like this - when something's wrong but I really don't know what it is - I will try 'crazy' things hoping to stumble on the real problem.

A Papst fan (case).

I will try with the home fan when I get it.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

u SURE its not your ram or your motherboard?

did u test memtest86+ for 24 hours on EACH STICK? dont think u did.. your pc would be down for 48 hours assuming u have 2 x 1gb
then after running 24 hours on each stick you need a complete reformat and reinstall with only basic things such as drivers and windows updates. then run 24 hours of P95 to test for system stability...

 

[dental]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
u SURE its not your ram or your motherboard?

did u test memtest86+ for 24 hours on EACH STICK? dont think u did.. your pc would be down for 48 hours assuming u have 2 x 1gb
then after running 24 hours on each stick you need a complete reformat and reinstall with only basic things such as drivers and windows updates. then run 24 hours of P95 to test for system stability...

Yes, I am. I tested with one RAM stick for 24 hours, and then played ONLY with that tested RAM stick (so I don't have to spend 2 days testing RAM), and I had the same shutdown. I reformated, and installed the basic stuff, tested the CPU etc... nothing wrong. Just with demanding games is where my pc shutdowns

 

[seemingly random]

Was the test with a lot air being blown onto the mb/gpu while playing the game ever done? If this enables play to continue without lockup then it seems like a good case for rma from the manufacturer.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: dentalOS: Win XP SP.
PC:

Videocard: Sapphire HD 3870 X2
Processor: Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
Mainboard: GIGABYTE DQ6 X38 (Latest BIOS on Gigabyte website)
Memory: GeiL BlackDragon DDR2 2GB @ 800MHz
Soundcard: SB Live 5.1
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W Modular

Win XP SP? as in SP1? try SP3...
SB Live 5.1? CREATIVE IS THE PLAGUE! TAKE IT OUT!

When testing parts you should do a process of elimination...
Put in another same model x2 card and see if it works. If it does then your card is broken. if not then it is probably something else.
Try a different PSU, higher end (not higher WATTAGE, higher end... like one with a single 30A or more 12v rail). If it works then maybe your PSU is BROKEN, or maybe it is not good enough.
If neither of those work, swap out the motherboard.

And... money and time? go to frys... buy the parts... test them, return for refund. (and before you get on my case for the amorality of that... frys puts it right back on the shelf with less then a dollar off usually. You can also buy other things there in the future instead of online for less money.. And sometimes you choose to KEEP the testing parts from frys, just to stop messing with it... which I have done before...)

 

[dental]

Originally posted by: taltamir

Originally posted by: dentalOS: Win XP SP.
PC:

Videocard: Sapphire HD 3870 X2
Processor: Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
Mainboard: GIGABYTE DQ6 X38 (Latest BIOS on Gigabyte website)
Memory: GeiL BlackDragon DDR2 2GB @ 800MHz
Soundcard: SB Live 5.1
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W Modular

Win XP SP? as in SP1? try SP3...
SB Live 5.1? CREATIVE IS THE PLAGUE! TAKE IT OUT!

When testing parts you should do a process of elimination...
Put in another same model x2 card and see if it works. If it does then your card is broken. if not then it is probably something else.
Try a different PSU, higher end (not higher WATTAGE, higher end... like one with a single 30A or more 12v rail). If it works then maybe your PSU is BROKEN, or maybe it is not good enough.
If neither of those work, swap out the motherboard.

And... money and time? go to frys... buy the parts... test them, return for refund. (and before you get on my case for the amorality of that... frys puts it right back on the shelf with less then a dollar off usually. You can also buy other things there in the future instead of online for less money.. And sometimes you choose to KEEP the testing parts from frys, just to stop messing with it... which I have done before...)

SP2 atm. I tried without the soundcard and the same happens. I also RMA'd the card and forced them to test the card. They tested it alot and no shutdowns, so the card is good and something else on my PC isnt.

 

[Drsignguy]

Originally posted by: dental

Originally posted by: taltamir

Originally posted by: dentalOS: Win XP SP.
PC:

Videocard: Sapphire HD 3870 X2
Processor: Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
Mainboard: GIGABYTE DQ6 X38 (Latest BIOS on Gigabyte website)
Memory: GeiL BlackDragon DDR2 2GB @ 800MHz
Soundcard: SB Live 5.1
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W Modular

Win XP SP? as in SP1? try SP3...
SB Live 5.1? CREATIVE IS THE PLAGUE! TAKE IT OUT!

When testing parts you should do a process of elimination...
Put in another same model x2 card and see if it works. If it does then your card is broken. if not then it is probably something else.
Try a different PSU, higher end (not higher WATTAGE, higher end... like one with a single 30A or more 12v rail). If it works then maybe your PSU is BROKEN, or maybe it is not good enough.
If neither of those work, swap out the motherboard.

And... money and time? go to frys... buy the parts... test them, return for refund. (and before you get on my case for the amorality of that... frys puts it right back on the shelf with less then a dollar off usually. You can also buy other things there in the future instead of online for less money.. And sometimes you choose to KEEP the testing parts from frys, just to stop messing with it... which I have done before...)

SP2 atm. I tried without the soundcard and the same happens. I also RMA'd the card and forced them to test the card. They tested it alot and no shutdowns, so the card is good and something else on my PC isnt.

I agree with taltamir and go a step further. I would gut that bitch and start over with the bare minimum. This is getting a bit crazy.

 

[taltamir]

this reminds me the time i had a fauly mobo, a fauly PSU, and a faulty video card... and the 2 mobo replacements i got were ALSO faulty! (bad model)...

I went 3 months without a computer.

 

[IntelUser2000]

Lets not all focus on the PS/video card/RAM. Hows the temperature on the CPU?? Is the CPU and HSF having a proper contact?? Some problems do not occur with certain configurations and the problem might be completely unrelated to what you are thinking. Maybe your motherboard is crapping with you but only happens with certain config on the video card, like what you said about Catalyst.

All the hardware problems that I've had or had with other people was with the motherboard. It could be possible you somehow short circuited the circuit on the motherboard installing some components. There are literally millions of possibilities in your computer that may screw up things.

Remember, the part of your computer with most circuitry is the motherboard.

 

[Diogenes2]

If it was the video card ( even heat related ) or a driver issue, wouldn't you expect some other indication like a blue screen or crash to the desk-top ?
Shutting down does sound like a PSU problem.. 3800 x2 is going to draw more current than an 8800GT ..

While your PSU is a quality unit and should be able to support that card - things go bad .. Or it might have a weak component that didn't raise it's ugly head until you put a higher demand on it..

 

[taltamir]

i agree that the vast majority of issues stem from the mobo, and any other issue is EASILY detected...
If you think about it the mobo has a north bridge, a south bridge, power regulators, IDE chanels, SATA chanels, PCI chanels PCIe chanels, CPU power regulators, Video power regulators, a plethorea of connectors, bios, cmos, etc etc etc etc.

It is like 50 different devices packed onto one single package. If something broke, it most likely did on the mobo. Your CPU isn't your computer, your mobo is. The CPU is just a math accessory for the mobo.

 

[Edge1]

Crashes ONLY occur when gaming?

I'm in agreement about looking at mobo and/or CPU. Although if it were CPU heat issues I'd expect crashes to occur with normal computing, not just gaming.

Can you watch movies? Run Orthos? Sounds like you ran Memtest fine. Your PSU looks to be more than beefy enough. Mobo and or vid card, although you feel its not vid card due to RMA and testing by Sapphire (supposedly).

Leads me to to mobo. To be sure, if you have a hefty enough secondary PSU lying around you might want to give it a shot.

Still sounds like mobo or vid card to me. If some kind of driver/software issue your guess is as good as mine.

I don't think you've listed any temps. Can you give us those? (GPU/mobo/CPU/HDD)

 

[seemingly random]

From personal experience:

I've had an asus m2n-sli-deluxe for a little over a year. It works ok (haven't stressed every feature, ie. sli, four sticks of ram, ...) except sometimes the power button needs to be pressed and held to power it on. About six months ago, pressing the power button to shut it down started working too well - it acted like the psu switch had been flipped instead of a graceful shutdown of windows. I've pulled the mb from the case several times thinking that there was a ground somewhere. It worked fine and then the problem would resurface when reinstalled into the case.

The last time I pulled it, the problem was there out of the case. Did some research and found that others have had various power problems with this mb. It's now out of warranty. Getting a little frustrated, I "dropped" the mb on the floor. Hooked everything up again and it's working as it should - don't know for how long though.

Conclusions: mb's are very complicated and can have intermittent problems. Also, this is the third asus mb (different models) that's had problems - going to look elsewhere.

---

For the op: I would still try the big fan/lots of air flow test since it's very easy and will rule out heat problems.

 

[dental]

Originally posted by: Edge1
Crashes ONLY occur when gaming?

Yes, and only when playing a demanding game (for example, I play Quake 3 for hours without problems).

I'm in agreement about looking at mobo and/or CPU. Although if it were CPU heat issues I'd expect crashes to occur with normal computing, not just gaming.

Can you watch movies? Run Orthos? Sounds like you ran Memtest fine. Your PSU looks to be more than beefy enough. Mobo and or vid card, although you feel its not vid card due to RMA and testing by Sapphire (supposedly).

Leads me to to mobo. To be sure, if you have a hefty enough secondary PSU lying around you might want to give it a shot.

Still sounds like mobo or vid card to me. If some kind of driver/software issue your guess is as good as mine.

I don't think you've listed any temps. Can you give us those? (GPU/mobo/CPU/HDD)

I don't think is the mobo because I was able to play Crysis or any game withoug shutdowns for hours in a row. So, it started with the installation of the 3870x2

The people at Sapphiretech forums say my PSU is not enough (lol) because it needs one that has at least 20A in a single 12V. Some people say that doesn't make any sense and some say it could be that.

In any case, it sure has something to do with the 3870x2.

I already tested from 8.1 to 8.6 beta and obviously, drivers didn't fixed something so hardcore has sudden, complete power-off shutdowns.

At this point I have no idea what to do.

 

[dental]

Originally posted by: IntelUser2000
Lets not all focus on the PS/video card/RAM. Hows the temperature on the CPU?? Is the CPU and HSF having a proper contact?? Some problems do not occur with certain configurations and the problem might be completely unrelated to what you are thinking. Maybe your motherboard is crapping with you but only happens with certain config on the video card, like what you said about Catalyst.

All the hardware problems that I've had or had with other people was with the motherboard. It could be possible you somehow short circuited the circuit on the motherboard installing some components. There are literally millions of possibilities in your computer that may screw up things.

Remember, the part of your computer with most circuitry is the motherboard.

But again, if it is the mobo, why I never had a single shutdown with the 8800gt.

These are the min/max stats until GRID makes my PC shutdown (I keep Everest logging)

Click

 

[Drsignguy]

Originally posted by: dental

Originally posted by: IntelUser2000
Lets not all focus on the PS/video card/RAM. Hows the temperature on the CPU?? Is the CPU and HSF having a proper contact?? Some problems do not occur with certain configurations and the problem might be completely unrelated to what you are thinking. Maybe your motherboard is crapping with you but only happens with certain config on the video card, like what you said about Catalyst.

All the hardware problems that I've had or had with other people was with the motherboard. It could be possible you somehow short circuited the circuit on the motherboard installing some components. There are literally millions of possibilities in your computer that may screw up things.

Remember, the part of your computer with most circuitry is the motherboard.

But again, if it is the mobo, why I never had a single shutdown with the 8800gt.

These are the min/max stats until GRID makes my PC shutdown (I keep Everest logging)

Click

Op, you have went from Nvidia to ATi. Question... Did you remove ALL the drivers and anything else related to the Nvidia card before installing the ATi drivers?