Game crashes after approx. 2h of play

[JoeNaguib]

My computer tends to crash after I play WoW for about 2 hours.
It's always the same error, the game fails to load one image, until the entire game either freezes, or my whole system freezes and is forced to reboot. If I catch the problem early enough (If I see an image fail to load) I can quit the game and my comp is fine. If I try to start the game again without reboot it WILL crash.

I'm using the following:
2Ghz intel pent 4 processor,
HIS radeon excalbur 9250 256mb gfx card
1.25GB RAM (2x 512mb + 1x 256mb)

I had the same problem before I upgraded memory (I was only using 512mb before), but it happened a lot more often (about every 45 minutes before).

This doesn't happen with anything else. But then again I don't do anything half as intense with my computer. I just want to know what the problem is and how to go about fixing it. I haven't been able to get any advice from anywhere else. I thought it was the memory but I doubled the memory and that didn't help much.

It feels as if my computer doesn't clear out some temporary memory somewhere as often as it should, so the comp can't take it and crashes. In which case it might just be my gfx card is too weak.

What do you think?

 

[redk]

Sounds like your original 512MB stick of RAM might be faulty.

 

[JoeNaguib]

Except I wasn't using a 512mb stick, I was using 2x 256mb sticks.
I had 2x 256mb, I took one out, added 2x 512mb, leaving me with 2x 512 and 1x 256.

Also, how would a faulty stick of ram result in a game crashing periodically?

 

[redk]

When that stick gets written to, a bad sector in it causes the textures to not be displayed, and then it causes a BSOD. It probably happens after 2h due to the fact that the memory sector that's causing problems doesn't get touched until there's enough preloaded textures in the rest of the RAM to need it.

It's like a container with a hole half way up, unless you fill it past the hole, nothing spills.

 

[JoeNaguib]

In that case I'll try removing that stick of RAM and see what happens.
Thanks.

 

[JoeNaguib]

Didn't work. Still the same problem. I tried taking out the stick that would be faulty. Didn't do it.
Is there a chance something with my gfx card is faulty?

 

[Sorrow]

Maybe the graphics card might be overheating, after 2 hours of play it might rise in temperature a little. You can always try getting a program to check the temps of your card.

 

[JoeNaguib]

Any reccomendations?
Also, how do I KNOW if it's the heat?

-edit-
I downloaded speedfan
one part of my system's 38c, one's 33c, I seem ot have an idle fan, and I have no idea how hot my gfx card's getting. I'll try to air out the system and see if there's any difference.

 

[JoeNaguib]

Just thought about the heat issue, it would be understandable to think it's the heat, however, the issue has no bearing on time. If the game crashes, and I wait several hours, and start the game up again, it crashes immediately, as if that time hadn't lapsed.