GPU Crash Whilst In Game?

Hi there fellow hexites

First of all let me give you the PC specs before I go into detail:
Mobo - Gigabyte P35
CPU - E5200 @ 3.2Ghz (cooled by Akasa 965)
GPU - XFX 4850 512MB (cooled by Arctic Accelero TwinTurbo)
RAM- 4GB OCZ
PSU - Corsair 520W
OS - Vista Home Premium 32bit SP1

Right now onto the problem. I keep getting these crashes whist gaming (only happens in game). It results in a white/greyish and sometimes black screen, which forces a restart and happens in any game (mainly play Far Cry 2 and GRID) at random; regardless of how long i have been playing for.

Things to note:
1) CPU is stable at 3.2Ghz with 1.36V tested with Prime95 but restored to default clock. But crash still happens
2) GPU has never been overclocked
3) I have updated the GPU to the most recent ATi drivers (9.12)
4) Installed recent updates on Vista

Im unsure of what it could be. Advice welcome

:)

I would first check the temperatures of the GPU and CPU when gaming. Also it maybe worth checking if the VRMs on the graphics card are getting suitable cooling too.

Also I would test the CPU overclock with at least 25 iterations of IntelBurnTest too as it is better to use more than one programme to check for the stability of your CPU overclock. I would also make sure that your RAM is not being overclocked too.

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Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

I would first check the temperatures of the GPU and CPU when gaming. Also it maybe worth checking if the VRMs on the graphics card are getting suitable cooling too.

Also I would test the CPU overclock with at least 25 iterations of IntelBurnTest too as it is better to use more than one programme to check for the stability of your CPU overclock. I would also make sure that your RAM is not being overclocked too.

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I will test in the morning now and get back to you :)

As you've resetted CPU to stock, I take it CPU and memory are fine. PSU also looks decent so I'm guessing it's to do with GPU overheating or something along those lines. Play the game you usually play but have GPU-Z log the temperatures if it's possible (I haven't tried myself but I think it is), if not then just set GPU-Z to show the max value for the GPU and play the game for not too long but long enough to heat the card before it restarts and note down the temperatures.

EDIT: Just saw the card is cooled by Arctic Accelero Twin Turbo and not the crappy stock cooler so I'm not so sure now :/

Check memory voltage and timings, this is often set incorrectly by the bios is using anything other than generic ram that only requires 1.8v.

Do a memtest to check the RAM hasn't developed a fault and rule it out (though chances are it would be picked up in the Prime test when you were overclocking), but it sounds like it's just a dodgy graphics card. I'd get ready to RMA it.

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Originally Posted by this_is_gav

Do a memtest to check the RAM hasn't developed a fault and rule it out (though chances are it would be picked up in the Prime test when you were overclocking), but it sounds like it's just a dodgy graphics card. I'd get ready to RMA it.

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Thanks to everyone for their replies. I just ran memtest and it passed without any errors. Although, I wasnt sure how long to run it for? It passed the test in about 30mins but I let it run for a hour. Anyway im sure the RAM is fine as it would of failed the Prime test (as you've said).

Now, lets get onto temperatures. Using GPU-Z and Rivatuner I logged the temps while idle and in game. Idle temps are 35 and the log shows temps never passing 55 after the crash. I checked the VRM heatsinks on the card and they are still sitting firmly in place.

Using RealTemp the temps of the CPU are 32 idle and hit 51 max when in game (by using Alt-Tab). Although I cant be sure what temps are being reached before it crashes as I dont think RealTemp has a log feature?

So all in all the temps seem ok. Next thing I did was whilst playing Far Cry 2, was to set the DirectX version to 9 instead of 10 to see if that helped. Which to my surprise it has! Ive been playing for about an hour and half now and no crashes. Could it be possible that im experiencing DX10 issues with the game?

But then again, would this be a issue with the software or issue with the hardware rendering DX10?

New ATI drivers seem to be causing a few problems. You might try rolling back...

Seems all your hardware is fine. Haven't had any problems with the ATi drivers myself but your problem seems to be software related. Either way, good you sorted it out!

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Originally Posted by Thorsson

New ATI drivers seem to be causing a few problems. You might try rolling back...

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Which version though? I upgraded the drivers to 9.12 but the version before where causing problems too?

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Originally Posted by Ulti

Seems all your hardware is fine. Haven't had any problems with the ATi drivers myself but your problem seems to be software related. Either way, good you sorted it out!

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Fingers crossed! :)

Which drivers are you using?

9.12 myself with a 4770. Usually downclocked to 375/400. Otherwise overclocked to whatever it says in my system (I forgot the numbers).

In my experience some catalyst drivers cause random problems, others don't. 9.10 was rock solid for me. I had a weird crash immediately after installing 9.12 yesterday. I'm hoping that was a one-off, but otherwise I go back to 9.10.

I have similar probs but with an Nvidia GTX 280. I cannot play FarCry 2 in DX 10 mode at all, regular blue screens or lock ups. tried clean installs, latest drivers for everything including sound but no joy. I have consigned FC2 to the "I cant play this game" group.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thorsson

In my experience some catalyst drivers cause random problems, others don't. 9.10 was rock solid for me. I had a weird crash immediately after installing 9.12 yesterday. I'm hoping that was a one-off, but otherwise I go back to 9.10.

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I just installed 9.10 and no problems so far! Far Cry 2 doesn't give me the problems in DX10 anymore either. All other games working as expected too. Thanks to everyone for their help :)

Well, that didnt last long! :censored:

New GPU time me thinks?

Just as a random thought, have you had a proper sweep for malware? I don't know of anything specific that could be causing your issues, but it's got to be worth a check, no?