Computer freeze/crash

Status
Not open for further replies.

rubix1415

Posts: 7   +0
Hello

I bought a new pc recently (q6600) which just had onboard graphics and a 450W psu. I bought a nvidia 9800gt and a new 600W psu as I thought that would be needed. Now I am getting crashes, mainly whilst playing games. When I say crash, I mean the screen freezes, it doesn't go black, but it's also slightly warped the picture. I thought this might be either the cpu or gfx card overheating, but it's also happened when there was little strain on either, and the cpu temp was only 39. This didn't happen before I installed the psu and gfx card, but then I wasn't really playing games before that as it only had onboard graphics.

Anyone have any ideas/suggestions?
 
Hi rubix1415 Welcome to Techspot!!

When your screen freezes as you say how do you use the PC again? do you need to reboot or can you ctrl+alt+delete and then end the process?

Have you installed the drivers with the graphics card? I'm guessing you would have with it picking up the picture but when you installed the drivers were there any problems?

Can i just ask as well what games you are playing? this could be important as some have had problems with some graphics card WOW in particular.

Finally how are you measuring the CPU temp? are you doing this through BIOS or 3rd party app

Thanks
 
Hi, thanks for the reply.

When it freezes nothing works, I can't get at the task manager or anything, it just stays there, then it turns itself off after a while, or i just power it off manually.
I have the latest drivers, and i've reinstalled them just to make sure it wasnt that, and they installed fine.
Its happened in fallout3, left 4 dead and fm2009. It's also done it when alt tabbed out of these and sitting basically idle.
Measuring cpu temp using speedfan.

Thanks
 
yeah, i have reinstalled them and no difference. It seems to do it fairly intermittently, sometimes after 5 minutes, sometimes after 2 hours.
 
The only time Ive fixed something like this is when there has been a heat issue but you've said that its not which is confusing me a little.

When it hangs are you sure its nothing else in the background that's crashing? Is it definitely the hardware and not the software?

Also next time it crashes open your case and just check that the fan is still going and that its clean and its not turning slower
 
I'm not 100% sure it's not overheating, in fact I was fairly certain it was until a couple of days ago when it happened when the cpu was at 40 degrees. Reading around I think it's possible it might be something to do with the cpu, but I'm not sure why it would only happen when playing games if that was the problem.

img301.imageshack.us/img301/3736/newbitmapimagehs2.png

(I can't post links or images yet)

These are the voltages from speedfan, is it normal for the -5V to move around like that?
 
You are most certainly right that's not right.

You must now check your voltage readings with your BIOS. If its fluctuating like that then i think we have found the cause for the freezing.
 
hmm, will this be likely to have had a permanent negative effect on anything? I'd imagine it can't be healthy anyway. I guess I'll have to get a new psu in the new year and hope for the best.
 
It is possible that over time it may become slightly more unstable but with it not varying from the normal voltage for long and just in spikes it may not be to bad but i suppose it explains it because when you play games you are putting extra load on your graphics card and so its going to take the power so we will wait and see what happens with a different PSU. Have a good christmas
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back