Short lockups during games / overheating?

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desau

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Hello all,

I'm having a problem that started a few months ago.

The problem:
During certain hardware-stressing games (such as Far Cry, Doom3, Half Life 2), the game will be fine at first, then after 10 minutes or so, I start to see artifacts flashing on the screen. It gets worse and worse until it starts to freeze for a few seconds at a time. If it's Doom3, it will just freeze completely (hard reset required). I've done some research and I believed it to be overheating.

At first I thought that the graphics card was going bad (PNY GeForce 6800 GT), so I sent it in on warranty. While I was waiting for the warranty rebuild to be returned to me I purchased a BFG GeForce 6800 GT. Same problems with the BFG.

I thought it was the chipset so (after updating every driver I could think of, including video and chipset) I switched motherboards (I was using an MSI Neo PT-880 .. VIA 880 chipset) to an ABIT IC7-G .. Intel 875 Chipset.

Current hardware:
Intel 3.2Ghz Pentium 4
ABIT IC7-G Motherboard (using onboard sound/network)
1 gig DDR2 non-parity RAM (2x512m)
BFG GeForce 6800 GT AGP
2 IDE hard drives
2 IDE CD drives

Now .. for the temperatures:
I'm in the San Francisco bay area, normal daytime temperatures are around 85 degrees F. I don't have air conditioning, so room temperature is that.

Using speedfan I see:
Temp1: 33C
Temp2: 53C
Temp3: 36C
Local: 35C
Remote: 42C
HD1: 39C
Temp1: 58C

I don't know what the "temp's" refer to.
Using ABIT's temperature program, it says my CPU is currently sitting at 55C, system is 33C and PWM is 36C (no load on the CPU)

Using nVidia's control panel, it says my GPU is at 51C while ambient temperature is 35C.

Now .. I've done everything that I can think of to cool it off:

I've replaced the CPU fan with a Zalman CNPS7700-AlCu (it was previously seeing the exact same temperatures with the standard intel fan (boxed set CPU/fan).
When I replaced the fan, I cleaned off the CPU's old thermal greese and applied the new greese.

I've replaced the standard BFG 6800 GT fan with a Zalman VF700-Cu. (slight temperature change was noticed).

During gaming, I see the CPU getting to 65C and the GPU getting to 70C.

I've installed two case fans, one on the side which blows air directly in near the CPU, one in the back/top of the case next to the CPU which sucks air out.

Even after all this, it still seems to me that it's running way to hot (intel recommends 38C for the CPU), and it starts to glitch and lock up during gaming.

Any advice?
 
well i sometimes get the same thing in cs:s and hell i dont know what it is i would think it is from heat but idk 65c is pretty hot so it might be that but the next thing to do is to get a good water cooling kit and make sure u arent overclocking at all
 
i think its the gpu. that the one running at 70.

38 for the cpu is nuttin. 65 should be ok.

buy a cheap air con thingy, and put it next to ur pc with the side off. see what happens then.
 
Those temps aren't that bad. 65C for the CPU isn't great, but for a prescott, that shouldn't cause a problem. 70C for the GPU is very good actually.

My guess is bad RAM or a crappy PSU.
 
70C! good???!!! wats bad then?

i would have though anything above 70 would fry the gpu?
 
> My guess is bad RAM or a crappy PSU.

I doubted that it would be RAM .. but I'll run it through memtest86 later just to be sure. I'm doubting RAM because I use the computer day in and out with absolutely no problems except when the CPU/GPU really start to get used hard (Far Cry, Doom3, etc). It even started glitching when playing UT2004 last night ..

However, if you say those temperatures aren't that unreasonable, I'll check the memory.
 
with all the artifacts, it definatly sounds like a overheating gpu. maybe the temp reading is wrong, and the real temp is waaay above 70?
 
It's an overheating GPU, if the ambient temp is 35 degrees you do not have enough case fans. The maximum Intel processors allow is 38 degrees ambient so your skating on thin ice (and the CPU inlet may also be hotter)
 
oh right, 38 degrees ambient. i thought you meant proc temp. you would need good cooling for that, lol

edit: surely more case fans would not improve it much as the air is 35 anyway.
 
I'm not sure how to improve case ventilation.

I've already got one 80mm fan just above the CPU (in the back of the case) blowing air out of the case and one 80mm fan in the center of the side panel blowing air in (blowing air in near the CPU).

In fact, last night, using speedfan, I completely turned off the CPU fan for about 30 seconds .. the CPU temperature never moved .. I accredited it to all of the airflow that's already blowing on the heatsink from the other fans.

I've even removed the side panel and stuck a room fan (15 inch) blowing into the case on full flow .. lots of air then .. but there wasn't much change in temperature.

I'm wondering if the temperature sensors are correct .. but I don't know...
 
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