Graphics Card mess up

Kenbo Slim · Post by **Kenbo Slim** » October 19th, 2006, 15:42

Sorry I haven't posted in a while or joined any of youse lot on a game, but I've been having trouble with my bloody PC. Basically, any time I try and fire up a PC game, it runs for about a minute or so before the sound and picture cuts out. A mate said it might be something to do with my Graphics card, but as I'm clueless and as inept as a retarded rhino when it comes to techie stuff, I was wondering if any of you 5punkers could give me any tips on how to fix the damn thing.

Cheers guys- I'll give you all an imaginary Jaffa Cake for your troubles

Post by **deject** » October 19th, 2006, 15:47

If the video and sound cut out, I steer more towards heat and power issues. First, open up your case and clean out any and all dust, clean any filters, and make sure all the fans are working. Next, is your power supply good enough to handle the load? Is it more than 3 years old? A bad or insufficient power supply can cause a huge list of problems, and is something a lot of people overlook.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » October 19th, 2006, 15:50

What Deject said (especially the PSU bit)

Other stuff to do:

Update Graphics drivers.
Install ATIToolfor its GPU temp logging functions.
Install Speedfan for CPU temp monitoring.
Hit Stuff.

GPU temp should be under 80c
CPU temp should be under 65c

Killavodka · Post by **Killavodka** » October 19th, 2006, 18:00

Dr. kitteny berk wrote:CPU temp should be under 65c

That reminds me of the time a wire clip tidying the cables around my CPU got wedged in the CPU fan causing it to reach the mildly melting temperature of 93c

friznit · Post by **friznit** » October 19th, 2006, 19:28

100:1 it's the PSU. Get a new one (and not a SMPS).

Kenbo Slim · Post by **Kenbo Slim** » October 20th, 2006, 1:30

Cheers for the advice guys. I'll try and open my case up tomorrow (though I have a feeling I'm gonna electrocute myself or summat

) to see what the deal is. My fan was making funny noises at one point so I'm guessing it has something to do with that or the incredible amounts of dust my place has. I'm sure the banging on the tower didn't help either

pixie pie · Post by **pixie pie** » October 20th, 2006, 19:06

Kenbo Slim wrote:I'll try and open my case up tomorrow (though I have a feeling I'm gonna electrocute myself or summat )

Turn off the power first. Just in case you didn't think to do this. But leave the power cord plugged in to the PSU, so that the case is earthed, then you can earth yourself by touching the case.
If you're wondering what the hell I'm on about, trust me on this, otherwise there are slight chances you could damage delicate electronics on it.. fucking things up royally

Post by **FatherJack** » October 20th, 2006, 22:09

pixie pie wrote:Turn off the power first. Just in case you didn't think to do this. But leave the power cord plugged in to the PSU, so that the case is earthed, then you can earth yourself by touching the case.
If you're wondering what the hell I'm on about, trust me on this, otherwise there are slight chances you could damage delicate electronics on it.. fucking things up royally

Devices seem to be lot less susceptible to this than they used to be, but it's still excellent advice.

In my very early days as a PC techie I trashed a whole box of modems: Hmm this one doesn't work, scratch my head of resplendant curly hair, grab another one, *bang*, hmm this one doesn't work either...

pixie pie · Post by **pixie pie** » October 21st, 2006, 21:21

FatherJack wrote:
Devices seem to be lot less susceptible to this than they used to be, but it's still excellent advice.

In my very early days as a PC techie I trashed a whole box of modems: Hmm this one doesn't work, scratch my head of resplendant curly hair, grab another one, *bang*, hmm this one doesn't work either...

heh, same here, except make it a soundcard. Sent it back saying it didn't work.. got another one.. plus used the advice of a more knowledgeable friend. Luckily got away with it really

Killavodka · Post by **Killavodka** » October 22nd, 2006, 1:29

dont use electric screwdriver ( I lost £60's worth of motherboard with one unlucky swoop, bye bye little black thing that is ment to be attached to motherboard

)

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » October 22nd, 2006, 2:21

Killavodka wrote:dont use electric screwdriver ( I lost £60's worth of motherboard with one unlucky swoop, bye bye little black thing that is ment to be attached to motherboard )

capacitor?

If you're careful, should be re-solder-on-able

mrbobbins · Post by **mrbobbins** » October 25th, 2006, 10:49

Do a nice clean and tidy of the case, I went from this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92749167@N00/237630787

to this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92749167@N00/253288009

And it has been more stable and less... whiney.

Woo Elephant Yeah · Post by **Woo Elephant Yeah** » October 25th, 2006, 13:19

mrbobbins wrote:http://www.flickr.com/photos/92749167@N00/253288009

You could swing a

in that case now

Post by **ProfHawking** » October 25th, 2006, 14:00

Killavodka wrote:dont use electric screwdriver ( I lost £60's worth of motherboard with one unlucky swoop, bye bye little black thing that is ment to be attached to motherboard )

haha! snap! well almost

i was using a yankee screwdriver, you know the ones that you push in to turn...
Re-fitting a nice car subwoofer. On the second screw i missed & punched straight through the speaker