BFG GTX 285 OC Problems - Help will be greatly appreciated!

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iFargle

Linux / HPC / K8s SME
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Here's my PC Specs:
  • 1.5TB Seagate 7200.11 Barracuda connected via SATA
  • 4x2GB G.SKILL DDR2-1066 RAM - 8GB Total
  • ASUS P5Q Plus LGA775 motherboard
  • Artic Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler
  • Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @3.57Ghz (420x8.5)
  • BFG GTX 285 1GB OC Edition @ 666Mhz Graphics / 1242Mhz Shader / 1512Mhz Processor (These are all factory OC clocks from BFG)
  • EA650 Earthwatt PSU from Antec - 650W, 45A 12V rails

For power consumptions sake, here's the extra peripherals
  • Saitek III backlit keyboard
  • Logitech MX518 mouse
  • 2x Acer 21.5" 1080p monitors connected via DVI
  • 3 Logisys power connectors for 5 cathode tubes(overboard, I know, but I have a big desk :tongue: )
  • 3x red 120mm fans and the Antec 900 top fan (not sure of the size), running at lowest speed
  • A Bluetooth 2.1 adapter
  • An LG DVD burner connected via SATA

Software
  • Operating system: Windows 7 Ultimate (x64)
  • nVidia Drivers Version: 191.07 (8.6.11.9107)
  • Video BIOS Version: 62.00.52.00.01
  • System BIOS Date/Version: 03/04/09 11:32:59 Ver: 09.00.14


Here's the story. I bought this card around two months ago for a new PC build (the one listed above) and have been having these problems since. I've gone around the problem by rolling back to some older drivers (181.xx) and using RivaTuner to downclock the card (I don't know the clocks), and that seemed to do just fine, until I upgraded to Windows 7 (I was originally on Vista Ultimate SP2 x64, with the same problems as on 7). When I play high requirement games (such as Crysis or GTA IV) on the cards stock clocks, the game quickly (within two minutes of loading a playable environment) artifacts horrendously and crashes to the desktop.

When I upgraded to the newest drivers (191.07, I believe), it still crashes, and sometimes cuts my framerate in half (I don't know why it only does it sometimes. It's a mystery to me.) When the card is downclocked through the nVidia Control Panel it seems to do fine under these drivers, too, however (with the exception of the framerates cut in half on occasion)


I'm wondering if anyone has any insight to my problem. I contacted BFG earlier today, and they say it's not a problem with the GPU, but I believe otherwise. I have checked that the amperage and wattage are high enough to run this card (575W minimum, 42A minimum), but as of now, I am clueless as to why it keeps doing this. Did BFG load this card with the incorrect BIOS? I don't think so, because everywhere I've read it says these clocks are factory standard for the OC version.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Let me know if I'm missing any information.

EDIT:

After a few hours of tinkering, I have learned that the cut in framerate was due to the video drivers crashing due to too high of clocks. Now my main issue is why it crashes when it's at its stock clocks? Stock are listed above, I am currently playing at:
  • 625Mhz GPU clock
  • 1200Mhz Memory Clock
  • 1460Mhz Shader Clock
Any ideas?
 
Under heavy load I see it top out at around 85 degrees Celsius, which, from what I've read, is within normal boundaries. But it never reaches this temperature when it's crashing, it's not able to even run the game that long. When it crashes, I see it hover around 65-75, depending on what I was doing before starting the game.
 
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