9800GT, getting 6-7FPS in every game, even in lowest setting! Help!

[nitric0]

Hey Guys

I have a BFG 9800GT 512MB with the 266.58 NVIDIA driver installed (without 3D and PhysX)

Essentially, whenever I play a game it works fine, for example I was playing Crysis 2 on 1680x1050 on High settings and I was getting 50fps. After 20 minutes my screen flickers and the framerate drops to single digits. I checked my temps for my GPU and they were around 55-59*C. I figured it was the game so I tried playing Day of Defeat Source on the LOWEST settings and I was getting 11-12fps. GPU temps were around 58*C. I have to restart my computer a few times in order to play games and get normal fps (50fps in Crysis 2, 60+ fps in Day of Defeat Source etc) Overall, when the screen flickers I get low FPS in every game. The screen doesn't just flicker in Crysis 2, but it flickers in DoDS as well when I play more than 15 minutes. I tried playing any game and they all run in single digit fps. Help

My overall setup:
AMD X4 635 stock
4GB RAM
BFG 9800GT 512MB stock
500GB HDD
Windows 7 64-Bit
Antec 600W PSU

 

[cusideabelincoln]

The most likely scenarios is the card is dying or it's overheating.

Monitor temps as you game, because they go down really quickly when the card stops doing work. Get MSI Afterburner and have it running while you play. It will monitor clockspeeds and temps.

For overheating, the card could be dropping clockspeeds, lowering performance, to protect itself. Make sure the fan is running and the heatsink is dust free.

 

[Rifter]

i vote for overheating, what are your GPU temps while gaming?

 

[nitric0]

I just played twenty minutes and my max was 70*C while staying around 60*C. Is that too high?

 

[cusideabelincoln]

No, that sounds normal. Did the game crash, or was everything good?

 

[nitric0]

Yes it did. as soon as it flickered and went to single digits i checked my temps and it was at 63*C and my max was 70*C. just for my knowledge, at what temp should I get worried for my GPU overheating? any solutions to my problem??

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Above 80-90 is getting too hot.

Did your clockspeeds drop?

It's looking more like the card is dying. But it's also possible your power supply is becoming unstable. The more power you draw, the hotter it gets, and the hotter it gets the potential for instability increases.

 

[nitric0]

I upgraded to beta drivers and played an hour and no crashes yet. Could it be the 266.58 drivers that were causing this?

 

[cusideabelincoln]

That would be possible, yes.

 

[FalseChristian]

I think you'l like the new 270.51 beta drivers alot. They are the best beta drivers nVidia has put out in quite awhile.

 

[tweakboy]

Stick with WHQL always.

gg

 

[Red Hawk]

Try reverting to an older driver. The best, IMHO, would be the 197.45 drivers, since they were made before the 400 series was released and changed things up. But that may be too old for you.

 

[nenforcer]

I upgraded to beta drivers and played an hour and no crashes yet. Could it be the 266.58 drivers that were causing this?

I had a problem upgrading from the 260.99 drivers to the 268.58 drivers in which things worked fine the first time after upgrading (Batman:AA) but then I experienced the same symptoms you are describing (massive slowdown).

I uninstalled the 268.58 drivers and attempted to go back to 260.99 while keeping the newer PhsyX System Software and HD Audio driver and it still didn't fix things. I then did a "clean" install up to the 268.58 drivers which once again fixed everything and I have been running them ever since.

I attributed it to nVidia's new driver system software having a few quirks which hadn't been resolved. I am running 2 X 9800 GT in SLI along with a GT 240 as my PhysX card.

Check out the nVidia Forums if you need more details or support, that it where I made my posting.