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Graphics Card mess up
Posted: October 19th, 2006, 15:42
by Kenbo Slim
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
Posted: October 19th, 2006, 15:47
by deject
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.
Posted: October 19th, 2006, 15:50
by Dr. kitteny berk
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
Posted: October 19th, 2006, 18:00
by Killavodka
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
Posted: October 19th, 2006, 19:28
by friznit
100:1 it's the PSU. Get a new one (and not a SMPS).
Posted: October 20th, 2006, 1:30
by Kenbo Slim
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
Posted: October 20th, 2006, 19:06
by pixie pie
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
Posted: October 20th, 2006, 22:09
by FatherJack
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...
Posted: October 21st, 2006, 21:21
by pixie pie
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
Posted: October 22nd, 2006, 1:29
by Killavodka
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
)
Posted: October 22nd, 2006, 2:21
by Dr. kitteny berk
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
Posted: October 25th, 2006, 10:49
by mrbobbins
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.
Posted: October 25th, 2006, 13:19
by Woo Elephant Yeah
You could swing a
in that case now
Posted: October 25th, 2006, 14:00
by ProfHawking
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
