Game keeps freezing

PieEater · 14 Mar 2006 at 18:54

xirokx said:
Ermmm.....no........becuz I don't like the idea of oiling the cooler on the gfx card....thanks for your advice but I am some what reluctant to lube up any parts...

Is there anything else I can try

You suspected it was related to graphics card overheating, I suspected it was related to graphics card overheating then how about you check whether its the graphics card overheating?

Fine if you don't want to lube the fan, but take the card out clean up the sink and try spinning the fan to see if theres any resistance, if there is then you have a problem with the fan, if you don't want to lube it then you'll have to buy a replacement cooler or replacement card. If the fan spins freely out of the PC and you can see it spinning with the PC powered on then you need to look elswhere, but for the sake of a couple of minutes why not rule out the obvious?

xirokx · 14 Mar 2006 at 20:33

Hey,

I cleaned the HSF and the cooler on top of the gfx card which were both covered actually swimming in dust and then tried playing COD2 online and I managed to played an entire level without the game freezing.....

Excellent

Thanks Guys......

P.S. I will see how it goes over the next few days and will report back.....

Another satisfied customer

cheers really appreciate that

xirokx · 14 Mar 2006 at 23:28

Just been playing COD2 online and unfortunately the problem is back

It did play a lot smoother after cleaning however now its freezing again

Please help

xirokx · 14 Mar 2006 at 23:37

Are these temps excessive:

Motherboard : 40C
CPU: 56C
HDD 1 37C
HDD 2 41C

Please help

Dutch Guy · 15 Mar 2006 at 09:52

xirokx said:
Are these temps excessive:

Motherboard : 40C
CPU: 56C
HDD 1 37C
HDD 2 41C

Please help

The CPU temp, is that under heavy load or idling, if it is when idling it is a bit high.

PieEater · 15 Mar 2006 at 10:09

Did you check that the fan is spinning freely both by turning it yourself with the card out of the system and by watching it powered on?

Removing the dust from the heatsink will enable the cooler to operate more efficiently which is why you've seen the difference, but if the fan is not spinning properly (they have a limited life and operating in a dusty environment will limit it further) then the cooler will not be able to do it's job.

If this is the original cooler then to be honest you'd be well advised to replace it. If money is tight then I fitted the Vantec Iceberq4 Pro on my Ti4200 and was impressed with the build quality and efficiency, OCUK sell these for £8.17. If you have some cash spare then I can vouch for the Zalman VF700's I have the Cu version on my 6800GT and am well impressed.

xirokx · 15 Mar 2006 at 18:16

Those temps are when the pc is idle but i did just close down COD2 like 1 min before....

After checking again the CPU is 50C idle....

The cooler fan on the gfx card does run freely I ran both tests you suggested and now has only freezed twice after I played it for hours....

I may look into getting a replacement cooler but is it really worth it if there cooler is running freely?

brightside_ · 15 Mar 2006 at 18:53

I'd get a new CPU cooler too, 50 at idle is far too high in my opinion, I don't hit 50 with my dual core x2 overclocked to 2.6GHz!

PieEater · 15 Mar 2006 at 21:53

Regarding your CPU cooler, if your graphics cooler had a hefty layer of dust chances are your CPU cooler will too. I'm sure if you took the fan off and cleaned everything up it would make a difference to your CPU temps. Probably worth doing this before you spend money on an upgrade.

Regarding your graphics card cooler, if the fan is spinning OK with no resistance then you're probably OK.

I think you need to look at getting some airflow through your case, this would help lower all of your temps and would put less pressure on your coolers (Graphics and CPU). To prove if this will help try running with the side of the case off and if you have one but a desk fan blowing onto your board and graphics card. Monitor your temps and see if COD2 crashes again.

xirokx · 15 Mar 2006 at 23:00

good thinking batman.....

I really do appreciate all yer help I am very grateful I owe you a massive pint

I will test it tomoz and report back asap.....

R u on MSN??

PieEater · 16 Mar 2006 at 10:08

xirokx said:
good thinking batman.....

I really do appreciate all yer help I am very grateful I owe you a massive pint

I will test it tomoz and report back asap.....

R u on MSN??

No problem, always happy to help. I'm not on MSN but my email address is in my trust details, am happy to go through cooling options etc if you want.