GPU monitoring/tweaking software works w/out GPU software suite?

[blacksheep242]

Hello, I have been having BSODs over and over since I got my 290x video card. I employ the amazing bluescreenview software to read system dump files after each BSOD (and of course after my system reboots from the BSODs) and each and every time the log states that the same ATI file (can't remember it now, I'm at work) is the culprit.

I research the file and found it on Google being listed in many posts with folks having the same issue and many with much older video cards. I also found threads with resolutions to the issue: Removing the ATI Catalyst software. Install the driver of course, but the software that allows the tweaking of the graphics card is linked to the crashing ATI file that is causing the BSODs and this should not be installed.

I have yet to try this approach and am reluctant to do so which brings me to my question. See, I have my fan speed tweaked and a slight overclock applied to my card right now through ATI Catalyst software and would hate to lose this by uninstalling it. Does anyone know if the MSI Afterburner (or any other GPU tweak/monitoring software) works WITHOUT ATI Catalyst software being installed? If so, Great! as I can then still make the tweaks I want after uninstalling ATI Catalyst.

Please note that I have tried everything to remedy my 4+ times a week of BSODs:

-Uninstalled and re-installed latest drivers
-Malware scans
-Falling back to older drivers
-Running at stock speeds

I can literally play BF4 for a few hours, get out of the game. Hit up YouTube and start watching a low res video and then CRASH!

Or I can just barely start a game (Assassins Creed: Blackflag, for example) and then CRASH!

Or when Windows starts I will browse Steam games....CRASH.

Or I can go hours with gaming, surfing web with no issues whatsoever!

My point is that there is no rhyme nor reason for the BSODs and I am at my wits end.

Any help, suggestions, advise would be greatly appreciated!

Asus P7P55D
Corsair HX850 power
Intel i7-860
8GB Corsair Platinum DDR
MSI Radeon R9 290x w/ARCTIC Accelero Xtreme III VGA Cooler

 

[Teizo]

What does your event viewer say at the time of the crash?

Maybe you could do a safe mode uninstall of the driver with the Display Driver Unistaller utility on Guru3D and see if a fresh reinstall will help.

 

[blacksheep242]

I don't recall. I just use bluescreenview for the details. I will post what it reports every time it happens when I get home late tonight and post the system event viewer info the next time it happens.