Black screen + computer crash

[ultrametroid]

Black screen + computer crash

Hello I'm wondering if anyone can help me, Through the first act of the game I had no issues what so ever, since the start of the first act the game basically kills my computer. At first I thought it might be because my graphics were too high but it happens even on the lowest setting. So basically what happens is I'll be playing then all of a sudden crash screen dies, sound goes and I have to reboot my computer to get it working again. My computer specs are as followed: Windows 7 64bit, 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Ram, Radeon HD 5770 and an Intel Core i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80GHz. Also a note that my computer is silent playing any game other than this including Battlefield bad company 2, Dead Island, just cause 2, Red faction Armageddon and others. When playing TW2 however it sounds like a 20 year old hoover that is about to explode and this is even with everything on the lowest setting possible. I think that's everything if anyone wants any more info feel free to ask and thanks to everyone who tries to help.

 

[dragonbird]

I suggest you use something like MSI Afterburner to check the temperature of your CPU/GPU while playing. The most likely cause is overheating.

 

[drunknmunkey666]

Games like Dead Island won't be as intensive on the graphics card as TW2 is - it really is a very demanding game
If you're up to it, open up your computer and clean the graphics card fans, and every other fan too!
That might help alot

 

[gaminallthetime]

I think your gpu is overheating ....... do what dragonbird suggested and post the temp of ur card here....
Also have you tried to lower the video settings and play the game ??

 

[ultrametroid]

ok so I cleaned my box out gave it all a good dusting, there wasn't much though and it made no difference as i just crashed again. Standard temp was 68 if i remember correctly but when i started the game it went right up and the highest i saw it whilst playing was 110 (it may have gone a bit higher as it died about 2 minutes after i checked this). @ Gamin I did say that i tried playing it on the lowest settings possible and still had the same issue. Any suggestions?

 

[gaminallthetime]

ok so I cleaned my box out gave it all a good dusting, there wasn't much though and it made no difference as i just crashed again. Standard temp was 68 if i remember correctly but when i started the game it went right up and the highest i saw it whilst playing was 110 (it may have gone a bit higher as it died about 2 minutes after i checked this). @ Gamin I did say that i tried playing it on the lowest settings possible and still had the same issue. Any suggestions?

those are the temp in °C , if so they are too high ... even when ideal, the temp is 68 and 110 is too high ... the crashes are definitely due to overheating .........

 

[ultrametroid]

yeah i thought so in which case anyway i can prevent that apart from buying more fans? Also why on earth does the lowest game settings over heat it? I would have thought my card could handle that at least, it is a decent card after all

 

[GuyNwah]

You could have impacted dust inside the GPU cooler, too. If your card has one of the old-style closed coolers, with a fan that blows air into a finned cooler that extends the length of the GPU, these tend to build up dust right at the ends of the fins. They're just out of reach of canned air, but you can get to them with a small wet paintbrush.

Anything over 95C is too hot for most GPUs. 110C is definitely too hot for any GPU.

Witcher 2 can run your GPU "pedal to the metal" (get MSI Afterburner if you want confirmation) on any setting. Your GPU has to be able to run at sustained 100% load to handle this game. If there are any cooling problems, this game will reveal them.

 

[ultrametroid]

by old style cooler I'm guessing you mean the big plastic thing covering my graphics card with the fan built in than yes. Attached a picture of it. How would i go about cleaning it with a tooth brush don't like the sound of using something wet.

 

[GuyNwah]

by old style cooler I'm guessing you mean the big plastic thing covering my graphics card with the fan built in than yes. Attached a picture of it. How would i go about cleaning it with a tooth brush don't like the sound of using something wet.

Yeah, that's the "old-style" enclosed cooler with a turbine fan that I was thinking of.

I recently overhauled two old HD 3870's that have a similar cooler design. I pulled the cover off, which is a nuisance, because the cover and the heatsink come off together, and when you do that, you also have to replace the thermal pads on the memory chips. This is definitely the hard way. Very effective, but not something you want to do every day.

Another member here, I believe it was Vinterberg, who posted earlier, was able to clean a similar cooler by taking an artist's paintbrush (you're using only a little bit of water this way, and it all stays on the outside of the heatsink) and dabbing at the places around the edge of the fan where the dust was impacted. Once wetted, the dust comes right off.

 

[ultrametroid]

ok I've had a look at my card and i cant see any dust. I cant believe my card cant even cope with this game at all, guess I'll have to wait for it to come out on the xbox *sigh*. Can anyone suggest a better graphics card I could get that isn't more than £120/140euro/$190 that could run this game. Thanks for future reference

 

[GuyNwah]

ok I've had a look at my card and i cant see any dust. I cant believe my card cant even cope with this game at all, guess I'll have to wait for it to come out on the xbox *sigh*. Can anyone suggest a better graphics card I could get that isn't more than £120/140euro/$190 that could run this game. Thanks for future reference

Looking's the wrong way. The dust gets impacted inside the cooler, under the cover. That's why you have to blow it out, or pull the cover off and clean it inside. Been there, done that, got the dust bunnies to prove it.

No graphics card set up with proper drivers and BIOS, in good condition, in a decently ventilated case, will overheat in this game. The game is not at fault, neither is your card, but you do have to care for your computer properly and not run a high-power card in an unsuitable rig.

 

[dragonbird]

@ultrametroid - consider it an early warning. Right now, it's only heppening on TW2, because TW2 is demanding on the graphics card, but if you don't get it cleaned, it will get worse and start to happen at other times too. Cards do get covered in dust - it's a fact of life, and if you replace the card, it may just happen again. The only difference with a newer card is that it may be easier to clean.

 

[ultrametroid]

ok i will have a ago at cleaning it, The rig its self should be fine I've got 4 fans inside it. I did give the card a blow in case there was dust. One thing would having your card set at 1.200volts cause it to over heat by any chance? If so I have a fault with my card meaning it crashes if I dont have it on 1.200 volts. Apart from the dust and voltage thing bios and drivers are all up-to-date. Can one of you please explain exactly where I should be cleaning? I've gotten as much dust as I can off the fan its self but I'm not entirely sure where else I should clean. Thanks a lot for all this info guys

 

[GuyNwah]

ok i will have a ago at cleaning it, The rig its self should be fine I've got 4 fans inside it. I did give the card a blow in case there was dust. One thing would having your card set at 1.200volts cause it to over heat by any chance? If so I have a fault with my card meaning it crashes if I dont have it on 1.200 volts. Apart from the dust and voltage thing bios and drivers are all up-to-date. Can one of you please explain exactly where I should be cleaning? I've gotten as much dust as I can off the fan its self but I'm not entirely sure where else I should clean. Thanks a lot for all this info guys

Yeah, that explains it. Clean it anyway, but impacted dust is not the greatest of your problems if that is the case. 1.200V is a huge overvoltage for that card. (Stock is 1.05V). At that voltage, your card is running at least 30% over designed power. No wonder it overheats and heats up the power supply too.

Is that really the absolute minimum voltage at which it's stable? If you must run at that voltage, you need an excellent aftermarket cooler for your GPU; water cooling is a possible solution. Alternatively, you may be able to lower the voltage requirement (and thus the power) by underclocking.

Also, roll your driver back to version 275 and stay there. Later drivers have a "fix" that raises voltage even if you're already running overvoltage. That's the last thing your card needs.

I'm such a tinkerer that I'd try to find a way to make that card work properly when it has to run at 100% load. It is still a stronger card that almost anything now on the market; the only thing it lacks is DirectX 11, which has few current uses.

(Power consumption goes as the square of voltage times clock frequency. If, say, you reduce the clock frequency by 10% and the voltage by 5%, you reduce the power by 19%. A reduction like that may be enough to get your card working properly.)