Is my 8800gtx dying?

[coldmeat]

I've been getting frequent video hardware errors for a few months, but have been ignoring them because the computer recovers in a few seconds. However, it's started happening a lot more frequently, like 30 in the last couple of hours. I also got some really bad artifacting last night while playing BFBC2, and had to restart. Today while playing the same game, the screen started flashing black and then went all white, and I had to restart. Now the computer won't stay on for 10 minutes without 10 video hardware errors and restarting on it's own.

The card is not overheating, that is the first thing I checked. It reaches about 78C under load, which it always has. I took it apart last night to check for dust and there really wasn't any.

I ran memtest a few months back to see if it was my memory causing the errors, but it passed after running all night.

Other specs:
Q6600 @stock
P5K Deluxe
4gb crucial/g-skill
Corsair hx620 psu
Windows 7 64-bit

The 8800gtx is 3 years old almost to the day.

I've been trying the computer with different sticks of memory in to make sure it's not the cause. The crucial alone still caused the errors/crashing. The g-skill gives me a BSOD on startup though. I don't know if that's the same problem or something unrelated that is my fault. The computer ran for 2 years with the crucial, the g-skill was added in november/december when I switched to windows 7.

edit: could it be the psu? I just checked it and there is no air moving out the back of it and it's really hot.

 

[CurseTheSky]

You're having problems with the memory as well? I'd start by running memtest86 with your current memory configuration and see if there are any errors. If it gets through one complete pass with no problems you're probably ok.

My 8800GTX died a while ago as well, and I've read testimony from many others that have had the same experience. Chances are, yours is going too. You can give the oven trick a shot (only worked temporarily for me), or try selling it off as a known faulty card cheap to someone who will take a gamble at it (like me, perhaps ).

 

[happy medium]

http://www.google.com/search?q=8800...=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&rlz=1I7ADRA_en

Do the oven trick.

 

[coldmeat]

I'd like to be sure that it's my graphics card before doing anything. To be honest, I'd be happy if it was because I've been looking for a reason to buy a new card. I just don't want to get a new card, then find out that it's my memory or power supply.

 

[happy medium]

could it be the psu? I just checked it and there is no air moving out the back of it and it's really hot.

Is the fan spinning?

 

[Will Robinson]

Sounds like just another dying G80.
In 10 years I don't think I've seen so many of one model fail so quickly.
There's plenty of forum threads about it...including one here if I recall.

 

[RussianSensation]

Sounds like just another dying G80.
In 10 years I don't think I've seen so many of one model fail so quickly.
There's plenty of forum threads about it...including one here if I recall.

Was there a particular solder problem with G80s? Perhaps NV trying to save $$$

 

[coldmeat]

Is the fan spinning?

I just checked. It is spinning, but pretty slowly. Does it speed up when it gets hotter?

I just tried the ram that was giving me the BSOD. I think it just wasn't seated properly. I gave them and extra little push and I didn't get a BSOD the next time. I still kept getting artifacts and driver crashes.

 

[coldmeat]

I should probably say that the errors started happening after I switched to Windows 7 and added the 2gb g-skill. Not immediately, but it was after.

 

[betasub]

Fresh install? Win7 drivers?

 

[coldmeat]

I've updated the drivers several times, and let windows do it automatically a few times, and every time I got the same errors.

I think I'll go ahead and order a GTX460 and see what happens when I put it in. If anything, it's a good excuse to get a new card.

 

[Kyanzes]

RMA it. You said there were only a few days left on the warranty. Could you possibly return the card in person? If you are lucky you'll get some newer card. Worth a try IMHO.

 

[coldmeat]

RMA it. You said there were only a few days left on the warranty. Could you possibly return the card in person? If you are lucky you'll get some newer card. Worth a try IMHO.

I don't know how long the warranty is on it. I didn't register it within 30 days of purchase. I think EVGA only offers 1 year unless it's registered right?

That's a mistake I don't plan on making again.

 

[Kyanzes]

I don't know how long the warranty is on it. I didn't register it within 30 days of purchase. I think EVGA only offers 1 year unless it's registered right?

That's a mistake I don't plan on making again.

According to this page you are right:

http://www.evga.com/support/warranty/

This would be considered fishy at best in the EU. Very fishy indeed. That's unfortunate. Perhaps someone else could provide more insight on this as I'm not familiar with US warranty regulations.

 

[coldmeat]

Just ordered a Gigabyte GTX460 1gb.

 

[coldmeat]

New card got here fast. Vancouver -> Ottawa in 1.5 days

No crashes, restarts, or errors yet. Haven't tried a game yet though. Really looking forward to playing Just Cause 2 at higher settings.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Just to be safe, you might want to test your PSU voltages to be sure that wasn't the culprit. The HX620 was a great PSU, so I doubt that's the problem, but it's worth a look anyway. You can simply take a voltmeter or DMM and plug the black lead (ground / COM / etc.) into the black wire hole on a molex connector, and the red lead into the yellow wire hole. It should read somewhere around 12V, and if it's less than 11.7ish or more than 12.3ish you have problems. It's a good idea to test it both at idle and during load (playing a game). Expect a bit of a drop during load, but it shouldn't be huge. You can do this all with the new graphics card plugged in, too.

I'd still bet on the card being bad, though. My 8800GTX died about 6 months ago, and several friends that have had them had similar experiences. Too bad, they were great cards for their time.

 

[bryanW1995]

probably got the gtx 460 so fast because their shipping dept had nothing else to ship.

you are definitely going to be impressed with the new card. runs much cooler, will oc like mad if necessary, generally a kickass all around product.

 

[coldmeat]

Just played Just Cause 2 real quick. The card had a really faint whistle when I was playing. It was louder when I had the settings lowered and was getting fps around 120. Is this normal? It sounded kinda like a far away teapot.

My 8800gtx had this same squeal when I played the Sims 3, except it was louder.

 

[MentalIlness]

Nice project car there CurseTheSky. Been thinking about restoring something myself.

 

[bryanW1995]

did you try adjusting the fan settings? my gtx 260 gets a bit of noise when it gets over 55%.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Just played Just Cause 2 real quick. The card had a really faint whistle when I was playing. It was louder when I had the settings lowered and was getting fps around 120. Is this normal? It sounded kinda like a far away teapot.

My 8800gtx had this same squeal when I played the Sims 3, except it was louder.

That's usually coil / choke whine. You may be getting roughly 120 FPS average, but it could be shooting up to 200+ instantaneously causing a whine. For a quick fix, turn on vsync.

Nice project car there CurseTheSky. Been thinking about restoring something myself.

Thanks. Either pick up something in decent shape to start out (Mustangs are great, provided you can find one that isn't a rust nightmare), or find someone that will do body work for a reasonable price. Everything else is easy.

 

[coldmeat]

That's usually coil / choke whine. You may be getting roughly 120 FPS average, but it could be shooting up to 200+ instantaneously causing a whine. For a quick fix, turn on vsync.

I just turned up the settings. The whine is still there, but barely noticeable.

 

[coldmeat]

K how do I disable the audio over dvi? With my 8800gtx I had my Samsung plasma set up like dvi->hdmi with a 3.5mm audio cable. Now with the gtx460 the dvi has audio, so I now have to go into the sound control panel to switch the audio device from speakers to samsung device.

The speakers are set to default, but I get no sound on my tv unless I switch manually.

 

[coldmeat]

K how do I disable the audio over dvi? With my 8800gtx I had my Samsung plasma set up like dvi->hdmi with a 3.5mm audio cable. Now with the gtx460 the dvi has audio, so I now have to go into the sound control panel to switch the audio device from speakers to samsung device.

The speakers are set to default, but I get no sound on my tv unless I switch manually.

This worked.
http://currysauce.org/2010/03/20/how-to-disable-sound-output-over-hdmi-for-nvidia-graphics-cards/