9800 pro video problems w/ win 2kpro

[nny]

I've looked through dozens of online forums for help, but this problem wont go away. i'm running

A64 3000
9800 pro with latest cat drivers
asus k8v se with latest bios
direct x 9.0c

my problem only happens when i play recent games like WoW or Sims 2(girlfriend playing). the game will run 10-30 minutes before the screen goes blank, almost like it's in standby mode, except I can't get the system to respond and have to hard reboot. I've run 3dmark and it works fine, and i've never had the problem during normal windows operation, only during games. I even tried using omega drivers, no luck. my case temps are low, mobo never over 30C during prime95, so i dont think its a heat thing.

so, what should I do? i've considered getting win xp, but dont really need it and would hate to spend 90$ and not solve the problem. if the video card is defective, wouldnt i notice something other than the standby mode freeze? seems like i've tried everything...

any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

thanks

 

[nny]

bump

 

[Ike0069]

It sounds heat related to me. Sims2 definitely puts a strain on the VC as does WoW. Have you tried playing the games at the lowest resolution? If not, try that and see if it fixes the problem. I'm sure that is not an acceptble solution, but if it works, then you just need more cooling. There are after market coolers for the VC that will help this, or you can get a slot cooler to blow directly over the card.

 

[akujin]

I have had similar problems with games running:

A64 3000+
9800pro
asus a8v

I tried many things for many moons and what finally fixed it for me was changing my AGP speed from 8x to 4x. I am not really sure why that fixed it, but gonna enjoy some gaming sessions over the 20 minute mark for awhile before I dive back in and try to figure it out.

Peace.

 

[AstonJay32]

For anybody else having problems with a 9800 pro series video cards during 3D applications (such as crashing, freezing with a sound loop or random restarts), these suggestions may also help:

* NOTE *
This is assuming you've already done the obvious, such as check for faulty memory with programs such as MemTest, installed the latest drivers for video card and agp etc.

1) make sure the card isn't overheating, as these cards tend to run fairly hot

2) If you have a VIA chipset motherboard, you're among a large group (including myself) who share this coincidence. If at all possible, get an Intel based board.

3) Check your power supply. If you have a low-end or generic psu, swap it with a decent one to see if helps. Most places such as CompUsa and BestBuy have 30 return policies on psu's.

4) As mentioned above, turn off FastWrite in BIOS and / or in the Catalyst options. Some have also had some luck turing off VPU recover.

5) After doing all of the above - swapping the motherboard, power supply, memory, reformat hard drive, new heat sink for the video card, new drivers, fastwrite off, I still had crashing issues. Ready to throw the computer threw the window, I finally read a thread that mentioned INCREASING THE AGP VOLTAGE in BIOS. Set it to 1.7V instead of the default 1.5V. I had crashing issues for months and couldn't figure it out. This solved it wonderfully.

Hope this helps, it's great card once you get it working!

 

[Fern]

i've considered getting win xp, but dont really need it and would hate to spend 90$

I wouldn't think win2k is the problem. I'm using win2k sp4 and have no problems in games (D3, FC, PK etc) with my 9800p.

I suspect either a PSU issue or the cards getting too hot (sounds like you've already tried other drivers).

Good Luck with it.

Fern

 

[JE78]

are you running at 8x APG? If so try turning it down to 4x. I had problem with my 9800 pro locking up when playing games, for some reason it didn't like being ran at 8x APG.