Psu? or Gpu issue?

[Rulemiester]

Havent posted alot here, but i figured i could get some good advice on this issue.

Lately whenever i play wow, my computer would restart after a certain period of time, or it would never even make it into the game, and would restart before logging on. Originally i thought it was a heat issue, but it sometimes happens after a cold boot. Overtime it has gotten progressively worse, to the point where i cant even play.

I can play other games, and it doesn't reset, (Unreal tournament 2004, Counter strike source video stress test), which to me kind of rules the heat issue out. I have tested my memory with memtest, running multiple passes, and everything came out clear.

I have tried testing the gpu with furmark, and surprisingly my computer restarted. I didn't even get to see the graphic from furmark. So apparently wow, and furmark are stressing something either in the psu, or the gpu, and causing it to restart.

My vid card is an 8800gt, and i have already tried unchecking the checkbox for the computer to automatically restart, but the computer still restarts without warning. Voltages seem fine from the psu. Any help would be appreciated

 

[Janooo]

How old and model of PSU?

 

[Rulemiester]

The psu is a little over a year old, it is an antec truepower 500w.

 

[Ashkael]

Make sure to give us your system info! That will help a lot.

Also, you said that it happens after a cold boot BUT that still doesn't rule out a heat issue! Make sure to download RealTemp or other temperature monitoring programs and check your temps.

 

[happy medium]

If you never experience any restarts when NOT stressing your system then...........

Your card might be overheating. The other games might be less stressful.
Check the temps while playing games and clean your card.
Run a couple loops of 3d mark o6 in a row.
If temps are under 90c, you should be fine.

Reinstall your video drivers.

 

[GaiaHunter]

Any overclock on any component of your PC?

Please give more information.

 

[Rulemiester]

I'll try to give more information when i get home, currently posted this at work lol.

None of my equipment is overclocked.
Core 2 duo E6750 2.66ghz
2Gb patriot ram ddr2 800
1 160gb hd
1 80gb hd
Evga 8800gt 512mb
Antec truepower 500w

I used speccy, and speedfan to view temps.
I've heard that the 8800gt has a crappy heatsink and fan, which could explain the high temps it reaches. Usually idles at around 77c. My pc has 3 80mm fan, and 1 120mm fan that i just added recently. The first thing that i did was update my vid drivers ( complete clean install with driver cleaner) when i first encountered the issue.

 

[happy medium]

idles at 77c!? wow! thats your problem

 

[GaiaHunter]

That really is a high idle. Can't imagine how high is it going on load.

Is the GPU fan dusty?

 

[Ashkael]

Usually idles at around 77c.

Some members already said this, but 77C idle temp is very, very bad. That thing is probably going over 100C on Furmark, hence why it restarts instantly.

You need to make sure that:

1) Your Video Card's fan is working properly and is not covered in a thick layer of dust.
2) You have proper airflow in your case. It's not enough to have X number of fans, you need to make sure they are set up correctly to properly move the air from one side to the other.

If everything seems to be working properly, try manually adjusting the fan speed to bring down those temps. You should test with 100% fan speed and see what temps you are getting in WoW. You can also try to set up GPU-Z to log data to a file so you can see your video card's temp at the moment of the restarts.

 

[Rulemiester]

Hmm i didnt even know there was a gpu-z lol. I'll try that. I cleaned my case thoroughly yesterday, including the fan on the 8800gt. As i'm typing right now, the fan speed is at 50 percent, and the temps on the card is 70c.

For my fan setup, i have one 80mm fan taking in air from the side, and 1 120mm fan taking in air from the front. The other 2 80mm fans are exhaust fans. I even tried one of those pci slot fans, but that didn't help much.

Planning on getting a new vid card with a better cooler this weekend, just didn't want to replace the wrong part to fix the issue.

 

[GaiaHunter]

Hmm i didnt even know there was a gpu-z lol. I'll try that. I cleaned my case thoroughly yesterday, including the fan on the 8800gt. As i'm typing right now, the fan speed is at 50 percent, and the temps on the card is 70c.

For my fan setup, i have one 80mm fan taking in air from the side, and 1 120mm fan taking in air from the front. The other 2 80mm fans are exhaust fans. I even tried one of those pci slot fans, but that didn't help much.

Planning on getting a new vid card with a better cooler this weekend, just didn't want to replace the wrong part to fix the issue.

Is the fan going adjusting automatically or is it always set to 50%? Try setting the fan to >50%-100% and then see if the problem persists.

 

[Rulemiester]

Just played unreal tournament 2k4 for about 20 min, temps only went up to 75c. Fan went to 92 percent speed at about 4400rpm. Yet when i play wow, the log doesn't show any temp increase, and my computer still restarts.

I'm thinking maybe it has to do with games using the shaders? UT2k4 is an old game, so maybe that's why it can still be played while games like wow and furmark shut down instantly.

 

[happy medium]

Try reseating the gpu with some new artic silver?
There is no reason other then that for it to be running that hot.

 

[Rifter]

Agree with above poster. Reseat the GPU heat sink with new comound. If you want to go all out lap it and the heatsink at the same time.

 

[Rulemiester]

Alright. I'm getting a 5770 to replace this card. I'll probably work on the 8800gt after that, just want to get my pc running well again. Thanks for the help.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Alright. I'm getting a 5770 to replace this card. I'll probably work on the 8800gt after that, just want to get my pc running well again. Thanks for the help.

Good choice. Looks like you'll be getting about double the performance, which will be a nice boost.

 

[Rulemiester]

Well i got the 5770, and the same issue occurred

Guess it was the Psu after all. Probably starts to fail when it draws too much power playing intensive games. Any good recommendations?

 

[Face2Face]

Usually it is the PSU if your Comp restarts while gaming. 8800 GT should still be able to play fine up 80 -85 C. I had the same issue. I ended up RMAing my corsair 750. I haven't looked back. The Corsair 750tx is a great PSU assuming you don't get a lemon like I did.