Pages: 1

 

2008-03-24 10:14:31
aj0404
It'll just be our little secret
+298|6623|Iowa...
Alright guys this might get a little long,so bear with me.Back in December I posted a thread about upgrading my PC,and eventually decided to get a Radeon X1950 Pro along with another 2 gigs of RAM and a 500 watt PSU.All of this worked great and it could max out BF2,which is all i really wanted from it.Life was good.

Eventually I decided to move on to COD4 and purchased it a couple months back.I loaded it up and was playing it for a few hours when I heard a beeping noise from my computer with a message saying the GPU was overheating.I closed COD and decided to let it cool off for a few hours.Occasionally I would get the overheating issues again,so I let it cool off and went back at it later.After about a month of this the problem got much worse,and I was unable to even play for ten minutes before being forced to quit.I decided to open the case and use an improvised heatsink (house fan) on the GPU.This stopped the problem for a while,but about a week later it was overheating even with the fan blowing on it.After that I downloaded ATITools and tried editing the fan speed on the GPU to keep it cooler.This worked for a few days,but then yesterday as I was playing my monitor went black and the power button switched to yellow,as if it were in standby mode.I could still hear the game and everything going on around me,but I didn't have a visual.I restarted my PC and tried playing again,but to my dismay the heating issues were back.

Today when I got on the computer I noticed my GPU was idling at 90 C.I opened up the case and the heatsink wasn't even moving.I brought out the other fan to cool it down,and a few minutes later the heatsink started up,although it's moving pathetically slow.I'm going to dust everything out later today,although I doubt that will fix the problem.Anyone know if this is an issue with the GPU or possibly the PSU (or both)?

Specs

Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
3 GB RAM
154 GB HD   
Radeon X1950 Pro    
Dell E196FP Monitor
500 Watt PSU

A big thanks to all who help.

EDIT:EDIT:GPU fan is completely stopped.

Last edited by aj0404 (2008-03-25 15:00:08)

2008-03-24 10:39:32
aimless
Member
+166|6398|Texas
When you say the heatsink wasn't moving, do you mean the fan?

It could be that the heatsink was improperly mounted, the fan is breaking, you didn't use any thermal paste, or you have a defective card.

What are your idle temperatures for the card?
2008-03-24 10:42:10
aj0404
It'll just be our little secret
+298|6623|Iowa...

aimless wrote:

When you say the heatsink wasn't moving, do you mean the fan?

It could be that the heatsink was improperly mounted, the fan is breaking, you didn't use any thermal paste, or you have a defective card.

What are your idle temperatures for the card?
As of now it is at 55 C with another fan blowing on it,but the fan on the GPU is no longer moving.Without anything to keep it cool it reaches upwards of 90 C,where as a few weeks ago it was at about 70.
2008-03-24 10:58:13
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6471|Winland

You need to get a new heatsink. It was really stupid to not dust it off when you got the first overheating issues. If something overheats, you do something about it, you don't just add more fans. Get a Zalman VF-700 or something.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2008-03-24 11:18:53
aj0404
It'll just be our little secret
+298|6623|Iowa...

Freezer7Pro wrote:

You need to get a new heatsink. It was really stupid to not dust it off when you got the first overheating issues. If something overheats, you do something about it, you don't just add more fans. Get a Zalman VF-700 or something.
Well,I never said I was smart with computers...
What would be causing the monitor to shut off though?
2008-03-24 11:22:42
steelie34
pub hero!
+603|6655|the land of bourbon
if the gpu is overheating and then shutting off, it's not pushing a video signal to your monitor anymore, so it goes to power save mode...
https://bf3s.com/sigs/36e1d9e36ae924048a933db90fb05bb247fe315e.png
2008-03-24 11:23:15
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6471|Winland

aj0404 wrote:

Freezer7Pro wrote:

You need to get a new heatsink. It was really stupid to not dust it off when you got the first overheating issues. If something overheats, you do something about it, you don't just add more fans. Get a Zalman VF-700 or something.
Well,I never said I was smart with computers...
What would be causing the monitor to shut off though?
The graphics card being too hot, of course. That stuff isn't designed to run at over 100C.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2008-03-24 17:24:42
san4
The Mas
+311|6962|NYC, a place to live
Sounds like you have a defective video card. You ought to be able to return it and get another one.

Edit: Also, you're not stupid.

Last edited by san4 (2008-03-24 17:40:48)

2008-03-24 17:31:01
Surgeons
U shud proabbly f off u fat prik
+3,097|6763|Gogledd Cymru

My 7900GT did this recently, I got a Zalman vf-900 and now rather than running at 130 degrees celcius on load it runs at 60-70
2008-03-24 18:31:55
aj0404
It'll just be our little secret
+298|6623|Iowa...
Everything is all nice and clean now,but still no sign of movement from the heatsink;it's officially dead.
Looks like it's time for a new one.
2008-03-24 21:06:25
cospengle
Member
+140|6760|Armidale, NSW, Australia
When I replaced the cooler on my Saphhire x1950pro I had to get a heat spreader for the voltage regulator modules (VRMs). The one piece heatsink that came on the card transferred heat away from the processor, the RAM and the VRMs. Once you take off the heatsink there is nothing cooling the VRMs and aftermarket heatsinks only cool the GPU.

I bought a Zalman VF900-Cu and one of these for the VRMs. From memory the Zalman cooler came with little heatsinks for the video RAM, but if not you'll need to get some.
2008-03-24 21:50:46
VicktorVauhn
Member
+319|6665|Southern California

aj0404 wrote:

Everything is all nice and clean now,but still no sign of movement from the heatsink;it's officially dead.
Looks like it's time for a new one.
This is a heatsink https://www.oldcrows.net/~patchell/AudioDIY/HeatSink.jpg
It doesn't move...It just absorbs heat into those fins so it can be transfered to the air more efficiently.

Your fan is what isn't moving. It could just be broke. How old is the card?

If you pull a heatsink off it generally needs a thermal paste spread between it and the surface its cooling to keep there from being any tiny gaps between the surface and the heatsink that can decrease efficiency. It doesn't sound like your really having an issue with the heatsink though.

I'm not that smart, but I would imagine you can unplug the fan and remove it somehow, to put a new one in its place. If you haven't overheated it too much this may be a cheap fix.

When you first boot and the card is still cool does it work fine?
2008-03-24 22:08:04
cospengle
Member
+140|6760|Armidale, NSW, Australia

VicktorVauhn wrote:

When you first boot and the card is still cool does it work fine?
Yeah, that's the big question. If you only have problems when your card is under load for a while (10 minutes or more) your card is probably still OK (so a new cooler should have you back to normal). But if you have problems straight away before the card gets hot then it's FUBAR.

Last edited by cospengle (2008-03-24 22:08:41)

2008-03-24 22:09:40
aj0404
It'll just be our little secret
+298|6623|Iowa...

VicktorVauhn wrote:

aj0404 wrote:

Everything is all nice and clean now,but still no sign of movement from the heatsink;it's officially dead.
Looks like it's time for a new one.
This is a heatsink http://www.oldcrows.net/~patchell/AudioDIY/HeatSink.jpg
It doesn't move...It just absorbs heat into those fins so it can be transfered to the air more efficiently.

Your fan is what isn't moving. It could just be broke. How old is the card?

If you pull a heatsink off it generally needs a thermal paste spread between it and the surface its cooling to keep there from being any tiny gaps between the surface and the heatsink that can decrease efficiency. It doesn't sound like your really having an issue with the heatsink though.

I'm not that smart, but I would imagine you can unplug the fan and remove it somehow, to put a new one in its place. If you haven't overheated it too much this may be a cheap fix.

When you first boot and the card is still cool does it work fine?
I got the card back in December,so that would make it about 4 months old.And yeah I mean the fan.
The fan is stuck onto the card,but I'm sure there's a way to remove it.As far as I can tell there's no damage to the actual card as it can still run games,it just overheats very quickly because there is nothing to cool it off.
2008-03-24 22:15:51
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6471|Winland

aj0404 wrote:

VicktorVauhn wrote:

aj0404 wrote:

Everything is all nice and clean now,but still no sign of movement from the heatsink;it's officially dead.
Looks like it's time for a new one.
This is a heatsink http://www.oldcrows.net/~patchell/AudioDIY/HeatSink.jpg
It doesn't move...It just absorbs heat into those fins so it can be transfered to the air more efficiently.

Your fan is what isn't moving. It could just be broke. How old is the card?

If you pull a heatsink off it generally needs a thermal paste spread between it and the surface its cooling to keep there from being any tiny gaps between the surface and the heatsink that can decrease efficiency. It doesn't sound like your really having an issue with the heatsink though.

I'm not that smart, but I would imagine you can unplug the fan and remove it somehow, to put a new one in its place. If you haven't overheated it too much this may be a cheap fix.

When you first boot and the card is still cool does it work fine?
I got the card back in December,so that would make it about 4 months old.And yeah I mean the fan.
The fan is stuck onto the card,but I'm sure there's a way to remove it.As far as I can tell there's no damage to the actual card as it can still run games,it just overheats very quickly because there is nothing to cool it off.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT run any games until you've gotten a new cooler. You WILL break your card if you keep using it.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2008-03-24 22:17:44
aj0404
It'll just be our little secret
+298|6623|Iowa...

Freezer7Pro wrote:

aj0404 wrote:

VicktorVauhn wrote:

This is a heatsink http://www.oldcrows.net/~patchell/AudioDIY/HeatSink.jpg
It doesn't move...It just absorbs heat into those fins so it can be transfered to the air more efficiently.

Your fan is what isn't moving. It could just be broke. How old is the card?

If you pull a heatsink off it generally needs a thermal paste spread between it and the surface its cooling to keep there from being any tiny gaps between the surface and the heatsink that can decrease efficiency. It doesn't sound like your really having an issue with the heatsink though.

I'm not that smart, but I would imagine you can unplug the fan and remove it somehow, to put a new one in its place. If you haven't overheated it too much this may be a cheap fix.

When you first boot and the card is still cool does it work fine?
I got the card back in December,so that would make it about 4 months old.And yeah I mean the fan.
The fan is stuck onto the card,but I'm sure there's a way to remove it.As far as I can tell there's no damage to the actual card as it can still run games,it just overheats very quickly because there is nothing to cool it off.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT run any games until you've gotten a new cooler. You WILL break your card if you keep using it.
Even if i keep it around 60-70 degrees C?
2008-03-24 23:03:19
VicktorVauhn
Member
+319|6665|Southern California
Id say no....Its just cooling, so if its cool then thumbs up.

Are you sure you can keep it that cool?


If you flick the fan in the direction it usually turns will it pick up? I take it you've looked to see there is nothing unplugged on the card, the card has its power connected properly, nothing blocking or binding the fan blades or shaft...

Did you mess with anything before the overheating first started?

Question for the other Tech guys...could he have turned his fan up too high and burned it out with the software?

Last edited by VicktorVauhn (2008-03-24 23:05:46)

2008-03-24 23:29:47
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6471|Winland

VicktorVauhn wrote:

Id say no....Its just cooling, so if its cool then thumbs up.

Are you sure you can keep it that cool?


If you flick the fan in the direction it usually turns will it pick up? I take it you've looked to see there is nothing unplugged on the card, the card has its power connected properly, nothing blocking or binding the fan blades or shaft...

Did you mess with anything before the overheating first started?

Question for the other Tech guys...could he have turned his fan up too high and burned it out with the software?
Well, the fan lifetime on the X1900 series is usually really, really bad, among the shortest there is. Many of the fans burn out after under half a year. It's by no means an uncommon issue, I have numerous friends who have had the same issues. ATI just sucked at making fans at the time.

As for the second point, no, he couldn't. The card can by no means deliver more than 12v to the fan, as that is the highest voltage running through it, and it's also the maximum voltage for the fan.

And @aj, if it idles at 60-70C, I wouldn't use it. If you can come up with some temporary cooling solution that really does the job, then, of course you can keep using for gaming and putting load on it, but if you go for the "I play until it overheats" approach, you're definitly gonna burn it very soon.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2008-03-25 13:38:07
aj0404
It'll just be our little secret
+298|6623|Iowa...

VicktorVauhn wrote:

Id say no....Its just cooling, so if its cool then thumbs up.

Are you sure you can keep it that cool?


If you flick the fan in the direction it usually turns will it pick up? I take it you've looked to see there is nothing unplugged on the card, the card has its power connected properly, nothing blocking or binding the fan blades or shaft...

Did you mess with anything before the overheating first started?

Question for the other Tech guys...could he have turned his fan up too high and burned it out with the software?
I didn't mess with it at all,CoD4 is what killed it the first time.If I give the fan a nudge it will wait about a second and then twirl around once,but that's all I can get out of it.

Freezer7Pro wrote:

Well, the fan lifetime on the X1900 series is usually really, really bad, among the shortest there is. Many of the fans burn out after under half a year. It's by no means an uncommon issue, I have numerous friends who have had the same issues. ATI just sucked at making fans at the time.

As for the second point, no, he couldn't. The card can by no means deliver more than 12v to the fan, as that is the highest voltage running through it, and it's also the maximum voltage for the fan.

And @aj, if it idles at 60-70C, I wouldn't use it. If you can come up with some temporary cooling solution that really does the job, then, of course you can keep using for gaming and putting load on it, but if you go for the "I play until it overheats" approach, you're definitly gonna burn it very soon.
After dusting and keeping a house fan on the card,it idles at around 50 C.I've tried playing older games like Rome:TW and it stayed around 65-70 degrees during play.I also tried BF2 last night for about 45 minutes and it reached 80 C before I quit,but it was slowly heating up.It should be fine as long as I don't play for long periods of time.

Last edited by aj0404 (2008-03-25 13:39:04)

2008-03-25 13:48:47
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6874|132 and Bush

Anyone know if this is an issue with the GPU or possibly the PSU (or both)?
I used to have heat problems when I had my X1950 (Big Time). It was almost a year and a half ago when I made the switch though. Thought things might have improved by now.
http://forums.bf2s.com/viewtopic.php?id=53115
Xbone Stormsurgezz

 

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