I recently just purchased a new computer and needed to upgrade the stock video card. I got a Sapphire HD4850 but have only been having problems with it from day one.
Problem: The card itself seems to work fine only when I am not playing a game (Borderlands, Mass Effect 2, etc.). When in game, the card will freeze but I don't exactly know what is causing this. So far, the freezing seemed to be random, however, in Mass Effect 2, whenever I enter a particular room the game will always freeze. To be a little more specific, my screen will have vertical lines (I'm aware of the 5XXX series issue) and the last bit of sound will repeat in a loop.
What I have tried:
1) I personally believe that this is NOT a power issue although I may be wrong. So far I have tried the video card in three different systems with the same results. The current system the card is running in is 350W. I have tried it in another 350W system, 450W system, and I have also powered it using a 550W PSU.
2) I have reformatted my system once already.
3) At first I thought the issue was overheating, but I no longer think it is. The card will freeze within one to two minutes (or more depending on the game) upon gameplay, but I have run Furmark (stability) for more than ten minutes without a problem. I have also tried leaving the side panel open, but the freezes do not seem to take any longer.
Other notes:
1) I am currently running the latest drivers (10.1) with the same problem. Again, it will only occur when I play games, but not when I run Furmark.
2) After installing the 10.1 drivers on the 450W system (Windows 7 32-bit) and trying to refresh the Windows Experience Index I get a BSOD with MEMORY_MANAGEMENT error. However, the current 350W system (Windows 7 64-bit) with the 10.1 drivers has no problem refreshing the Windows Experience Index.
I would like to try and fix this issue without having to RMA the card as it will cost me an additional $15 for processing and I have to pay for return shipping as well. I'm sure I have left out details as to other things I have tried, but at the moment I cannot recall them. Any help or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
System:
Dell Studio XPS 8000
Intel i7-860
3GB (3 x 1GB) DDR3 RAM
Sapphire Radeon HD4850
Windows 7 (64-bit)
Problem: The card itself seems to work fine only when I am not playing a game (Borderlands, Mass Effect 2, etc.). When in game, the card will freeze but I don't exactly know what is causing this. So far, the freezing seemed to be random, however, in Mass Effect 2, whenever I enter a particular room the game will always freeze. To be a little more specific, my screen will have vertical lines (I'm aware of the 5XXX series issue) and the last bit of sound will repeat in a loop.
What I have tried:
1) I personally believe that this is NOT a power issue although I may be wrong. So far I have tried the video card in three different systems with the same results. The current system the card is running in is 350W. I have tried it in another 350W system, 450W system, and I have also powered it using a 550W PSU.
2) I have reformatted my system once already.
3) At first I thought the issue was overheating, but I no longer think it is. The card will freeze within one to two minutes (or more depending on the game) upon gameplay, but I have run Furmark (stability) for more than ten minutes without a problem. I have also tried leaving the side panel open, but the freezes do not seem to take any longer.
Other notes:
1) I am currently running the latest drivers (10.1) with the same problem. Again, it will only occur when I play games, but not when I run Furmark.
2) After installing the 10.1 drivers on the 450W system (Windows 7 32-bit) and trying to refresh the Windows Experience Index I get a BSOD with MEMORY_MANAGEMENT error. However, the current 350W system (Windows 7 64-bit) with the 10.1 drivers has no problem refreshing the Windows Experience Index.
I would like to try and fix this issue without having to RMA the card as it will cost me an additional $15 for processing and I have to pay for return shipping as well. I'm sure I have left out details as to other things I have tried, but at the moment I cannot recall them. Any help or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
System:
Dell Studio XPS 8000
Intel i7-860
3GB (3 x 1GB) DDR3 RAM
Sapphire Radeon HD4850
Windows 7 (64-bit)