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Overheating

2K views 24 replies 11 participants last post by  darkelf_18 
#1 ·
I got a new computer: 111GB hard-drive, 1GB memory, GF 4MX 440 (128MB) XP Home, and other things, anyway it is alot better than my other computer.

The Sims and Sim City 4 are the two main games on the computer and they keep freezing or closing with the speakers squeaking and crackling before doing so. Anyway I have found out that the problem is only overheating, well when i put a fan next to the computer SimCity 4 stayed open longer than it did before.
My old computer could run The Sims without overheating and it wasn't anywhere as near as good as this system.
So why is this brand new computer overheating so quickly?
 
#2 ·
i think that if the problem were the processor overheating, the entire system would shut down. if it's only the game that shuts down, i would check your system for viruses, or some conflicting software.
check the temperatures of your system in the bios. you can usually get into the bios by tapping the delete key when the computer first turns on- sometimes it's F1 or F2....
then find the hardware monitoring menu and in there- it should give you 2 different temp readings- one is the cpu temp- the other is the system temp.
post both of them back here.
 
#3 ·
Systems in general just run a lot warmer these days than they used to. It takes more effort to keep them cool, but that's the price paid for all the gains in speed.

The symptoms you're having could be either because your CPU is getting too warm or the graphics card is getting too warm. That can be caused by a problem with the cpu or card's cooling, or it can be caused by poor air circulation in the case, which causes the whole system to be too warm overall. It could be that the heatsink and fan on the CPU isn't mounted well. It could be that you just need to add a fan or two to the case...

We need to find out how high your temps are getting exactly.
If you don't have monitoring software, get a program like MBProbe or Motherboard Monitor. (You can usually read the CPU and System temp in the BIOS, but that's only good for at the time your in the bios...) We need temps from when the system is idle, and when it's at load, like when playing a game.

p.s.
Try not to make multiple threads about 1 thing. :)
http://forums.techguy.org/t191286/s.html
 
#4 ·
Originally posted by Kerri Ann:
i think that if the problem were the processor overheating, the entire system would shut down.
Not always true. Temps can get warm enough to cause problems, without actually being high enough to cause a critical shutdown.

For example, if I leave my cpu fan speed set too low and try to play system-stressing games, it often will cause my video and audio to lock-up before it reaches the shut-down point.

:)

-

BTW, Evilarch -

Do you have any case fans? - or just fans on the cpu and vid card?
 
#7 ·
MBM 5, motherboard monitor 5, that is freeware and it will monitor your temps and display them in windows, but you have to know your motherboard brand and model name.
42 degrees is ok. that's the idle temp though, and i would want to check on the temp when you are playing the games. do a search in google for motherboard monitor, it should come up with the download page for it.
 
#10 ·
U know, the cpu might not be it. I suggest you take the case of, switch on the comp and run sc4. Ahhh i luv that game...

Anyway, check all areas of the comp with your hand (make sure u dont have any static on you tough) and, especially check the fan on the graphics card. perhapns, you should buy another fan.

Also, try updating graphics and sound card drivers.
 
#11 ·
If your CPU temp at startup is already 42 then thats high.

Also as just mentioned, check the video card - does it have a fan? If not it really should. I'm actually shocked that you would have such a nice system and such a cheap video card, especially since you're into games.
 
#12 ·
is that really a cheap video card?

what type of processor do you have? amds are a bit hotter i think usually then intels.
 
#13 ·
SpeedFan is an excellent and free monitor program. It will monitor the fan speeds, temperatures, voltages, and even the temperature of hard disks that report it. It will also control the fan speed dependent on temperatures, to keep things quieter when the full speed is not required. :)
 
#14 ·
Originally posted by Kerri Ann:
is that really a cheap video card?
Well, not really cheap, although definitely in the 'value' category. Gamers benefit greatly from good 3D video acceleration, an area in which the GeForce 4MX 440 is lacking.

For non-gamers, GF4 MX 440 is a very good option. Mine has better a noticeably better display than the ATI Radeon 9200 Pro it replaced, and none of the compatability problems.
 
#15 ·
what type of processor do you have? amds are a bit hotter i think usually then intels
Yeh, I totally forgot, amd proccessors can run at a higher temperature then intel proccesors (is that how you spell it?) something like 5-10 degrees celcius difference...

I recommend getting radeon 9700, itz fairly cheap and a very good graphics chip, or if u can wait, some time in march next year the radeon 9800 pro is goina drop in price a lot because ati will release a card that is literally twice as fast...
 
#16 ·
processors- close enough :)

you know- while were on the topic of video cards and such- anyone know of a good site where i can study up on graphics? i feel inadequate as far as that goes. i taught myself all this stuff about building computers, and i don't play any games... at all. truthfully, i have never played a game that demands the graphics cards and memory that i know alot of people do. i want to know about the hardware aspects too- about memory, the different brands of cards and memory, and types, etc.....
 
#17 ·
Sure, I recommend u 2 subscribe to pcpower player (www.pcpowerplay.com) they r all about games and power, so they r mad on graphics cards, juz last issue they had a like 4 page article reviewing radeon 9800xt and gefore fx 5950 yeh, thatz where i learned a lot of my knowledge from... Very cheap magazine too, for over 100 a4 pages and 2 cds/dvds itz under $10 australian
 
#18 ·
i seem to read things better if it's on my computer screen.... ;) i will visit the site though, thank you for the recommendation. BTW, what did they have to say about the two cards in comparison?
 
#19 ·
Go to tomshardware.com and do search on graphics cards, openGL, Direct 3D, that type of stuff, it's free. They do benchmarking and such also.
 
#21 ·
"The r9800xt and fx5950 do not offer any significant performance improvements over their predecessors"

Aaaand randeon XT totally kicked *** in every single test, and in the anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering tests, even radeon 9800 pro kicked gffx5950

Plus gefore crads seem to have a pixel shaders issue..

Raneon 9800 xt also has a free copy of half life 2 in form on voucher aaand... yeh pcpowerplay recommends it.
 
#22 ·
thanks. for both the recommendations and the info on the cards.

evil, u never got back to us on how things went...
 
#23 ·
I don't think it is overheating anymore but the problem still exists. The Sims is closing and SimCity 4 is freezing and the speakers crackle, the people at the shop where we got it from said to download patches from the Microsoft website as did my friends father who builds computers for the Navy. Also it isn't just me that has these problems there is heaps and heaps of requests for help about freezing on XP on the Microsft website.
 
#24 ·
That's XP for ya. :p
Overheating could definetely be an option. Especially if you had startup temps in the high forties. Did you apply thermal paste? Not too much, not too little, etc.? Did you use the box AMD cooler? (It's crap :D )
 
#25 ·
Hey scmazter I disagree. Not that ATI isn't as good as nVida, but the ATI cards have a ton of driver conflicts and problems. I think that they are better Cards but their drivers aren't on the good side so I think that he should get a nvidia for now. I also think that ATI should work on their drivers more then the next "best" Card. Cause nVidia has way better drivers, and the only way for ATI to get to the top is to fix those problems. I had a geForce 3 TI 500 before my 9600pro and never had any driver conflicts, and I got that Radeon card a couple of months ago and have had numerous problems with it. I still love it but I just wish ATI would fix their problem with drivers. Oh well.

BTW Evilarch. Even though Sim City 4 wouldn't seem like a taxing game I heard that even higher end systems had some problems running it... How much does the temp drop when you stick the fan by the open case? Try using a more powerful fan.
 
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