Author Topic: Can I ask a tech question?  (Read 1188 times)

Offline Sgt.KAR98

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Can I ask a tech question?
« on: 26-08-2011, 05:08:08 »
Hi mates,long time I don't show here.

Recently my computer been freezing at some games (At the first time,I was playing BFPirates).
Now it's happening (probably everytime) at all games!Even the old ones.It resembles old N64 games when you messed with the cartridge while you was playing something.
Green or red stripes and a strange sound.

Is my GPU gone?It's somewhat new,I have it only for 2 years.And this machine is even more,it didn't completed a year.

Offline cannonfodder

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #1 on: 26-08-2011, 09:08:38 »
Need more info mate.


Is it only doing it while playing games?

How long does it take to freeze up after starting a game?


Two years isn't that old, maybe the GPU fan shit itself and it's overheating... :-\

Just out of curiosity, what sort of GPU is it?

Offline ajappat

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #2 on: 26-08-2011, 09:08:38 »
My old GeForce 8800GT sometimes did pretty much that. Green and purple dots/stripes all over the screen and computer freezes. It didn't do it too often tough, until last saturday when it did that for last time. Now I have new graphs card.

Offline Archimonday

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #3 on: 26-08-2011, 12:08:34 »
I only ever got purple stripes on my screen one time, and that was when my onboard GPU was overheating from hours and hours of play. So if this is recurring everytime you turn the computer on, then yes, the GPU, whatever kind it is, is probably gone and it is time to invest in a new one.

Offline LuckyOne

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #4 on: 26-08-2011, 12:08:42 »
My old GeForce 8800GT sometimes did pretty much that. Green and purple dots/stripes all over the screen and computer freezes.

That's usually a RAM issue and can sometimes be fixed by baking the card in the oven for a specific time... I'm not kidding with you! (of course you need to remove all the plastic parts before doing it...)

P.S. A pass with a blowtorch sometimes works too! (When it doesn't melt your card completely...:P)
« Last Edit: 26-08-2011, 12:08:33 by LuckyOne »
This sentence is intentionally left unfinished...

Offline Eglaerinion

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #5 on: 26-08-2011, 12:08:03 »
if it only happens during gaming it's probably artifacts because of overheating.
"The wolves will come again."

Offline Natty

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #6 on: 26-08-2011, 13:08:42 »
I get purple/pink pattern all over my screens as well, forcing me to reboot on the power button.

Only happens when I play FH2. Weird thing is, if I reboot and start for ex; Editor, I get the crash again.

But then when I open the chassi and re-plug all the S-ata cabled to my HDDs, the problem can go away..

Im using a 2,5 years old NVIDIA GTX 260 card which I bought extra super-fan for (those monsters that sit in a PCI slot below the Graphcard).... Something tells me this problem comes from some disconnections in cables, not memory or overheating...

Now it has worked OK for a couple of days, but Im sure if I close the chassi and put it back in its closet of shame, it will start purpling out again when I play FH2  :-[

Offline ajappat

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #7 on: 26-08-2011, 14:08:24 »
My old GeForce 8800GT sometimes did pretty much that. Green and purple dots/stripes all over the screen and computer freezes.

That's usually a RAM issue and can sometimes be fixed by baking the card in the oven for a specific time... I'm not kidding with you! (of course you need to remove all the plastic parts before doing it...)

P.S. A pass with a blowtorch sometimes works too! (When it doesn't melt your card completely...:P)

Yes I have heard of that one. I was planning to buy new card anyway, so now it was good time to upgrade.

Offline Sgt.KAR98

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #8 on: 27-08-2011, 01:08:06 »
So,a few more things.
It happens only when I'm playing,takes a few time,looks to take slightly long at older games.And after it happens,when I reset PC,the CPU star making a strange noise and beeping.Doesn't start (not even the setup).I have to reset again.

Offline Dukat

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #9 on: 27-08-2011, 02:08:32 »
Do you live in the northern hemisphere? Do you got summertime right now? Do you recognize higher temperatures in your room than during the rest of the year?

Sounds like some parts are overheating. Such constant overheating can cause parts of the hardware to break. Especially the memory on video cards isn't always cooled properly. Sometimes it is a single memory module only.

Right now I play World of Tanks with reduced video settings. I get about 50 fps. If I raise the video settings forcing it to run on 25 fps, the card is overheating and crashes my whole computer.

Probably one of the memory modules on my card is broken. It gives me artefacts sometimes. Luckily they pop up only for a split second. I barely notice them. It seems to depend what picture informations are stored in that particular memory module.

However at the beginning of this summer, for once the artefacts didnt pop up for a split second, but stayed locked on the screen. I tabbed out, tabbed in again and they were gone. I even made ascreenshot.


The card likes to overheat on Arma II as well. Did you ever knew that Arma remembers footsteps?


Not to mention this bullshit:



When my videocard overheats in FH2, it is very subtle. I only notice when aiming.


And the console looks like this then:


Only gets worse when the wounded shader comes up:


I tab out and in again and the problem has been solved. Overall FH2 is very grateful when overheating my card.

A few years ago my GeForce2TI 64MB started doing weird artefacts a short time after I had started playing games. Looked similar to this:


Tuned out that some Elkos were broken on my mainboard then. It looked like this:



So my first suggestion is that you clean your fans and air-inlets. If that doesn't solve the problem, try lowering the graphics. If that doesn't help, you'll have to start replacing hardware.

Edit:// Bonus picture:
« Last Edit: 27-08-2011, 02:08:13 by Dukat »

I usually imagine my own sounds with it, like `tjunk, tupdieyupdiedee` aaa enemy spotted, ratatatataboom

Offline Sgt.KAR98

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #10 on: 27-08-2011, 04:08:04 »
Mmm...I will try.Strange is that I placed a fan infront of the computer,but had no effect.I'll see how it's handling today.
And IDK if I can open my CPU.It's still on the warranty.

Offline Tim270

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #11 on: 27-08-2011, 18:08:14 »
Definitely look into getting a can of compressed air (4$ for amazon/local pc/hardware shop) and give all the fans a good blast and any other areas with a build up of dust.

What are the other parts of hardware inside?

What happens when it Freezes? Does it bluescreen? can you tab out and back in?

Offline :| Hi

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #12 on: 27-08-2011, 19:08:22 »
You are lucky with those capacitors, alot of the time when they overheat/break, the top shoots off like a bat out of hell and some of the interior crud lands on the circuit, making for some bad corrosion

[2:06:54 PM] Tolga: cant use tha shit underwater -Tolga on the G3

Offline DLFReporter

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #13 on: 28-08-2011, 08:08:01 »
If you do use a can of compressed air, please hold on to your fans. If you let them run freely, you can induce a current into your hardware that will kill your components... just a friendly warning. ^^
Gravity is a habit that is hard to shake off

Offline djinn

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Re: Can I ask a tech question?
« Reply #14 on: 28-08-2011, 11:08:36 »
My old GeForce 8800GT sometimes did pretty much that. Green and purple dots/stripes all over the screen and computer freezes. It didn't do it too often tough, until last saturday when it did that for last time. Now I have new graphs card.

Yer, same here... The PC may start up with white bars, or some slight off-graphics. But when things got exciting ingame, the whole thing got weird, streaks and distortions and then froze. Then Blue screen of death and need for cold Boot.

For me it was because something was gone on the Card and it was in its death throes. Finally died a week ago. Fortunately I have a new one coming sometime early next week. But that might be it.

If new drivers and a fresh install don't do it, I wouldn't go playing in my graphic card hardware if were you. I've lost motherboards in an attempt to resuscitate a dying hardware - and they still died... Not worth it.

Pinpoint the faulty hardware and replace