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Problem with xfx 4890

thinlizzy

thinlizzy

thinlizzy

Associate
Joined
13 Oct 2005
Posts
30
Hi,
The problem I have is that my pc shuts down instantly when I play graphic intensive games.

Latest drivers and bios installed.

Cpu and graphic card not overclocked.

Ive checked graphics card temps 60 idle 85 full load

cpu temp is 55 under load

So i dont think its a heat issue.

Nothing in event-viewer.

I am starting to think it may be a psu issue.

I have a 550w powercool psu with 16 amps on 2x 12v rails.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thx in advance :)
 
It sounds like it may well be the PSU (the HD 4890 is a power-hungry card and Powercool are not great PSUs). Personally I would say bite the bullet and buy a new PSU - even if it isn't the cause of the issue you have just made a very good upgrade to your system that will aid reliability, efficiency and longevity (this one is a good option). However, If you want to test it before putting your money down then I would suggest checking the GPU and CPU are fully stable.

I would suggest running furmark for a few minutes to see if the GPU on it's own is able to run happily at full speed, then run OCCT for a few hours and see if the CPU is stable under full load. Do you have any other PCs with a PSU sufficient to handle a HD 4890 so you can check the card independently of the rest of your system?
 
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No I dont have another psu that will work with the 4890, I have the card that use 6+8 pin pcie connectors.

I will try furmark and report results.
 
Ok just ran furmark for 20 mins no problems.


Card temp 75 c
Card Mem temp 83 c

Using 46 amps under load for vddc.

Surely if my psu was faulty I would crash using furmark as it stresses my card more than the games that are crashing?
 
thinlizzy said:
Surely if my psu was faulty I would crash using furmark as it stresses my card more than the games that are crashing?
Click to expand...

It depends, Furmark doesn't put much strain on the CPU - so it's possible that the combination of loaded GPU and CPU when playing a game caused the PSU to shut down.

That said, have you tried running OCCT or Intel Burn Test to ensure that the CPU is fully stable at 100% load?

May I ask what your full PC spec is?

As surveyor mentions, your PC has two 16A 12V rails (total 12V power = 384W). Since your major components (eg CPU + GPU) draw their power from the 12V rail then with both under high load (even for just a short time - as you load into a modern game) then this may well push the PSU over the edge.
 
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Surveyor said:
Run Prime95 and Furmark at the same time.

That'll put a heavy load on the PSU.
Click to expand...

Hehe, that would be the ultimate test, but I would be worried that it could cause the PSU to fail right there and then (since furmark uses a lot more power than any game).

So long as the OP can check the CPU is stable (on it's own) and knowing that the current PSU is a powercool and only able to output 384W on the 12V rail I would be ready to say "buy a new PSU ASAP".
 
Im running occt power supply test at the moment.

Cpu cores at 100 percent 55 deg.

Gpu core 78 deg using 58 amps vddc.

Ill try those other tests u mentioned.
 
System specs-

Cpu intel e7500 with aftermarket cooler.
Gpu xfx 4890 8+6pin.
2 gb kingston value ram
1 dvd drive
160 gb ide drive
550w psu powercool

Running xp sp3

11.5 catalyst drivers.

Nothing overclocked.

Pc shuts off like the plug is being pulled, only when playing 3d graphic intensive games.

The tests Ive done dont make it crash, furmark, occt and 3d mark all seem ok.

Temps are reported to be good.
 
Have you run Furmark and Prime 95 at the same time like I suggested?

That must be a power hungry 4890.

Two six pin connectors plus the power from the PCI-E slot = 225W.

6 pin + 8 pin + power from the PCI-E slot = 300W.

By deduction your 4890 on its own must draw 225-300W and you only have a maximum 384W in total on the 12V rails.

If the power supply is a few years old its output may now be even less than 384W.
 
my mate has an xfx 4890 also from ocuk, he has a 700w psu and get the exact same problem!

i prime 95 his chip for 2 hours while running 3dmark over and over. no crash.. When he runs black ops for 2-4 hour it can crash 3-4 times.......

faulty cards?
 
Heres a list of my games that crash(shut pc off)

Section 8
Warhammer Dawn of War
Batman Arkum asylum
Battlefield Bad company 2
Dragon Age Origins 2

Some crash pc within a few seconds of playing, others I can play for hour before they crash.

I can play these with no problems- Tf2 and Company of heroes.

I still find It strange that if It is a psu problem why can I run occt,prime 95,3dmark and fumark with no problems/no shutdown?

I might try to rma card as buying a new psu is gonna cost and money is tight.
 
thinlizzy said:
Heres a list of my games that crash(shut pc off)

Section 8
Warhammer Dawn of War
Batman Arkum asylum
Battlefield Bad company 2
Dragon Age Origins 2

Some crash pc within a few seconds of playing, others I can play for hour before they crash.

I can play these with no problems- Tf2 and Company of heroes.

I still find It strange that if It is a psu problem why can I run occt,prime 95,3dmark and fumark with no problems/no shutdown?

I might try to rma card as buying a new psu is gonna cost and money is tight.
Click to expand...

My m8s pc is:

Phenom II 720BE
ma790x-ud4p
4gig OCZ ddr3 ram
700W psu (canny remember brand) & i need to check even distribution across rails)
xfx 4890
xonar d1

The games it crashes on are Battlefield 2 & COD: Black ops. TBH atm he doesnt play anything else.

It too can crash after 10 mins or not at all for 1-2 hours. We just did a personal lan with 13 other m8s and it crashed about 4 times in 13 hours solid gaming.

Last thursday it crashed 4 time in half an hour! I'm going to install a new heatsink to eliminate cpu heat but max prime is 50C.

I DO notice 4 RED LED lights on the back of the XFX4890 when it crashes. His does the same as urs and the power is just pulled switching off. the only way to re-boot is to disconnect power for 30+ seconds and re plug in and boot.

SOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrating as i built the machine for him..... but no apparent problem. Especially as prime 95 max heat or blend and 3d mark 06 WONT crash it after 2 hours solid torture :(
 
Ok, I reinstalled o/s today with no joy.

Then I underclocked my card to 500 core and 500 mem just to see if it made a difference, and now all my games all work.

So does this still point to psu or faulty card?
 
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