screen freezes during some games

[benchristian]

I said some, but really, my comp freezes after about 5-10 minutes of any game...

Here's my setup:
T-Bird 1.33 @ 266FSB
2x 128MB PC2100 DDR-RAM
SB Live!
MSI Starforce 815-Pro Geforce2

Pretty much whenever I run a game, it freezes after about 5-10 minutes and I don't know why.

[jaida]

The problem that would be causing your system to freeze is heat.

It would most likely either be your video card or your processor that is causing your system to freeze. Check your processor and system temperatures using a thermal probe or software. If these temps are in a safe range then it would most likely be your video card. It could be that the heatsink on your videocard isn't making proper contact or doing a good enough job.

[benchristian]

I don't think it's the cpu temp...when it freezes, it freezes the display ONLY...

The music continues to play as it should and the CD continues to be read.

edit - the music continues to play, but the speech stops...normally not in the middle of a speech segment...possibly at the beggining though

I believe it MIGHT, just might, be a directX problem. Does anyone know of ANY DirectX 8 certified video drivers for the geforce 2?? what about a sound blaster live?

[This message has been edited by benchristian (edited 05-03-2001).]

[Ruahrc]

I had virtually the EXACT same problem a while back- games would lock up hard but windows ran stable. I tried EVERYTHING and then some with no results. And I mean EVERYTHING- I even replaced 75% of my system components in the process. Turned out for me though it was failing RAM. I was pushing it hard in the BIOS (4X interleave, no delay, turbo mode RAM, etc.) and it was quitting on me. Declocking it back to 100MHz (It was 133) helped a lot (which led me to the answer) but I got new RAM to replace the old.

Hope your problem isn't the RAM, looks like you have some expensive sticks there!

Ruahrc

[benchristian]

hmmm...i updated the SB Live! drivers for WinME and it didn't freeze for quite a while longer and i thought i was in the clear...well, needless to say, it froze.

anyway, i don't remember it freezing before i got my soundcard (i loaned it out while I was waiting for my mobo and cpu to come in) and I also don't remember them in win98...though maybe i just didn't play them long enough...

i'll disable sound and see what happens...

if I don't get a fix soon, i might just format and go with win98

[benchristian]

they're hundyai...cost $59 each for 128mb PC2100...anyone know anything about hundyai ram?

edit - please god...say it isn't the ram!

[This message has been edited by benchristian (edited 05-03-2001).]

[benchristian]

well...it's not the sound because i disabled it and it still froze...arghh!!!!

[benchristian]

grrr!!!!!! all I have to say is...

STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID WINDOWS ME!!!!

I loaded a handy copy of win98SE that I had laying around and guess what....

GRRR!!!

[benchristian]

well nevermind....it started freezing again!?

on wednesday i'll have time (and money http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif) to go to the computer store and get some more cooling for my pc...hopefully that'll fix the problem.

[Ruahrc]

Heh yeah I was about to say don't let your soundcard fool you, I did a fresh reinstall among the many things I tried and noticed that with no S.C. plugged in it would not lock. My theory is though that adding sound to a game greatly increases the RAM usage because it has to transfer all those sounds in and out of RAM.

If you really think it's the sound I have a friend with a system similarly configured to mine I swapped parts with him to see if my hardware was faulty if you have a friend that has similar components you might try that.

[benchristian]

well, i thought the problem was gone, but it just takes longer...half-life runs without problems, so I guess it's not intensive enough to cause a lot of heat...sacrifice freezes after about 10 minutes and black and white freezes after about 30 or so minutes i think...

I added a pci slot cooler by the geforce2 and an intake case fan...can't fit another pci cooler w/out taking out the NIC...

[benchristian]

well well well...i'll just say one thing....system blower...ok, two things, case cooling