Freezes when gaming

N

Niksa

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
228
Specs:
* Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad
* ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX
* Sapphire ATI Radeon 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
* Corsair 6gb ram
* Corsair 750W PSU
* Windows Vista 32bit (going to move to windows 7, so didn't want to pay extra for 64bit now)

Drivers:
* ATI Driver: 8.612-090428a-080268C-ATI Catalyst Version 09.5, 8.01.01.899
* Direct3D: 8.14.10.0662 (Directx 10)
* OpenGL: 6.14.10.8664

Temps:
* Steady for all cores in the upper 40s
* CoreTemp and Speedfan show some fans aren't working, but I see them spinning, so..
* Not sure about video card temp, working on rivatuner... :rolleyes:

Problem:
* Full system hard freeze
* No errors or BSOD
* Only while playing video games

Diagnostics already done:
* AVG/ad-aware ok
* Defrag & HD Tune are ok, no bad sectors

To-Do:
* Uninstall all video card drivers and redo catalyst install
* Figure out how to get rivatuner to sync with my video card
* Memtest

Randomly freezes constantly while playing video games such as Everquest 2. I can be logged in for a few minutes and then it freezes the entire system. I'll have to hard reboot to bring it back up. Otherwise I have no issues, can watch movies, do regular tasks like browsing and whatnot without any issues. So I believe it is my video card, but it's just a hunch based on what I've already said.

Any other suggestions?:confused:
 
[Testing the RAM]
Download Memtest86+ v2.11 or whatever the latest version is, unzip it, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Let Memtest+ run for at least three hours on each stick of RAM separately as well as test the RAM all together. Go for a full 24 hours if you want to be completely sure that the RAM is not a problem. If you start seeing errors, than your RAM is defective or you have incorrect settings for the RAM.

[Testing the Hard drive]
Download the CD image of Hitachi Drive Fitness Test, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Test the hard drive and see if any problems are found. DFT will run on most manufacturers' hard drives. Alternatively, you can use Seagate's SeaTools for DOS to test a Seagate or Maxtor drive. For a Western Digital drive, you could use Data Lifeguard Tools for DOS to test a Western Digital drive.

[Testing the CPU]
Use Prime 95, OCCT, Orthos or Intel Burn Tool to stress test the CPU.

[Testing the GPU]
Use Furmark or ATI Tool to stress test the GPU. If you see any artifacts, the GPU could be overheating, too overclocked, or faulty.

[Testing the PSU]
Buy and use a digital multi-meter to monitor the voltages coming from the PSU. Follow the instructions for "Using a multi-meter to check voltages":
http://www.bfgpower.com/troubleshooting.html#DMM
 
id start first the cpu testing in danny's post.. if it doesnt lock up at all.. then use furmark and test your gfx card.. it should help pinpoint where the problem is..

if both pass testing seperately.. then test both at the same time.. i believe OCCT allows you to do gpu and cpu testing at the same time but i havent really used it since they updated it.. if it doesnt then just run furmark at the same time as running p95.. if it locks up doing this then id look at the psu as being the problem..
 
I'd do Danny's stuff first as he is one of the more helpful and knowledgeable individuals on this forum, but something else to consider might be your IRQ assignment. I highly doubt this is the problem since these are automatically managed much better than they used to be, but it is still possible.

The only reason I suggest this is because I once experienced a similar issue with the original EQ. I would be able to log in only for a few minutes before freezing up. Turns out my NIC and video card were on the same IRQ. Changing them to different IRQs completely solved the issue.

Also, what other games are you experiencing this issue in besides EQ2?
 
Quick update. Not sure if the problem is fixed but it's greatly lessened. I uninstalled all my catalyst drivers and did a reinstall, and then I ran Advanced System Care which got rid of a few registry errors.

I'm going to do the Memtest & testing the GPU tomorrow morning, then check the CPU & PSU tomorrow evening and see if I find out more. I still see weird artifacting but the crashes aren't there.

(Oddly enough, I don't see these issues with Left4Dead, which is the only other game I have been playing lately, but I also did a full reinstall of EQ2 and the problems remained, so I'm not sure if it's the software since it only just started happening.)

Thanks guys, I will post again when I find out more. :)
 
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