Looking to cool down a HD4870

Hellrazer

Found it--Had this link saved on my pc.

Might help you out.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg487368.aspx

Moon54

hi the_syco,
Just letting you know I was having similar problems with my 4850 crashing.
I was getting 95+ degrees c so I took the heatsink off to have a look.

What I found is that I had to also take off the plastic cover on the
heatsink as well. I found a good bit of fluff blocking the holes there.
The thing is, you can't see the blockage until you take off the plastic cover!

I then reapplied thermal compound and since then my gaming temps have dropped to about 80 degrees (without manual control on).

Hope that helps.

the_syco

Hellrazer wrote: »

Found it--Had this link saved on my pc.

Might help you out.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg487368.aspx

Right, from the part that says

TdrDelay: REG_DWORD. The number of seconds that the GPU is allowed to delay the preempt request from the scheduler. This is effectively the timeout threshold. The default value is 2.

I made HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\TdrDelay
with a value of "666" to see if it delays the crash...

Also, from the part that says

Ensure that the DirectX graphics application does not run at a low frames per second (FPS) rate. As the FPS decreases, the likelihood of the GPU getting reset increases. If the application is running at 10 FPS or lower and a complex graphics operation is about to start, then a flush can be inserted.

I noticed it mini crashed at a FPS of 51, so I turned the GFX option in-game from "EXTREME" to "HIGH", and turned off "V-SYNC". Still crashed with an FPS of 193, but it was for a way shorter time.

Will try other games on lesser GFX, and see what happens. Will be gaming at Midlans alot this weekend, so will troubleshoot it there. Have saved the page above so I can read it off-line.

the_syco

After a short period of stableness, it started acting up again. This time, freezing the entire machine. Whereas before, the Minecraft window may freeze, screen blink black and the game would no longer respond, the entire screen now freezes, and doesn't unfreeze (have left it for 30 minutes).

Also, I got a BSoD of "IRQL GT ZERO AT SYSTEM SERVICE". Googled it, and I saw audio conflicts mentioned. Pretty sure I had disabled the onboard sound (but it could've been the last mobo), but I went and disabled it (Azalia Codec) in BIOS regardless. Will see how it acts now.

the_syco

Another freeze. Couldn't ping it from another machine, nor could I remote into it. Got a gig of RAM of Hellrazer, so will see how that goes over the weekend.

Overheal

freezing eh. Its been a while since I bothered but when I ran TF2 on the 4850 downstairs, it skipped quite a bit, to the point of frustrating. Every 3-10 seconds or so there would be a little blip where the fps shot to 0 or 1 and went back. lerp (whatever the hell that metric is) would go nuts on the source engine performance chart.

the_syco

Well, freeze/crash. Doesn't respond again. Have left it for 30 minutes once, but it stayed frozen. The screen freezes, and totally locks up the system

the_syco

So... after the latest freeze/crash during BLOPS, I took out one stick of RAM.

BLOPS on 2GB of RAM is not great, I find :pac:

The first stick of RAM, lots of lag, stayed laggy, then got a freeze/crash.

Switched with the second stick of RAM. A bit laggy at the start of the level, and after I respawn, but okay apart from that. Played a few matches, with relatively little lag.

A faulty CM2X2048-8500C5D DIMM it would seem. Will play a bit over the weekend to see how it goes, and may just need to replace the DDR2 8500. Don't know if I can replace just one DIMM, or if I have to replace the set?

Hellrazer

the_syco wrote: »

So... after the latest freeze/crash during BLOPS, I took out one stick of RAM.

BLOPS on 2GB of RAM is not great, I find :pac:

Yep its bad alright

The first stick of RAM, lots of lag, stayed laggy, then got a freeze/crash.

Switched with the second stick of RAM. A bit laggy at the start of the level, and after I respawn, but okay apart from that. Played a few matches, with relatively little lag.

A faulty CM2X2048-8500C5D DIMM it would seem. Will play a bit over the weekend to see how it goes, and may just need to replace the DDR2 8500. Don't know if I can replace just one DIMM, or if I have to replace the set?

That wasnt a bad guess so with the faulty ram--Did you pop in the 1gb stick I gave you?I know its slighty slower ram but it should be ok for testing.

the_syco

Hellrazer wrote: »

That wasnt a bad guess so with the faulty ram--Did you pop in the 1gb stick I gave you?I know its slighty slower ram but it should be ok for testing.

Not yet, no. I decided to see which one caused the lag by itself, and go from there, as opposed to putting the DIMM I got from yourself. Once I confirm beyond a doubt that it's the one faulty DIMM, I'll put in the stick you gave me.

the_syco

Got onto Corsair about it, told them the entire story, and the testing and troubleshooting that I did, and they issued me with the RMA code. As it's a duel set, they've advised me to send both back (to ensure that the ones I get back match better), so I'll play Duke over the weekend, and then send them back next week.

marco_polo

the_syco wrote: »

Got onto Corsair about it, told them the entire story, and the testing and troubleshooting that I did, and they issued me with the RMA code. As it's a duel set, they've advised me to send both back (to ensure that the ones I get back match better), so I'll play Duke over the weekend, and then send them back next week.

Good times, this turned into a bit of an epic thread. Hopefully the RMA is the end of it.

the_syco

The latest update:

Thank you for choosing Corsair.

We have received your RMA ******* which unfortunately is for an obsolete/discontinued product which is no longer available for direct replacement. Under our warranty policy we are able to offer you alternate replacement. Please confirm to us at your earliest convenience.

Returned Product: TWIN 2X4096 8500C5D G
Returned Qty: 1 SET
Potential/Alternate Replacement: TWIN 2X4096 6400C5DHX G

We apologize for any inconvenience you have encountered. We look forward hearing from you. Thank you!

Don't think I've any choice in the matter Or do I? Or would there be that much of a difference?

deconduo

the_syco wrote: »

The latest update:

Don't think I've any choice in the matter Or do I? Or would there be that much of a difference?

Guy in this thread had the same problem, so he complained and they sent him 8GB as compensation:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=18439539

Kintarō Hattori

Hehe thanks for the long thread Syco. I'm having some issues with certain games myself. Most run fine but a few cause the system to lock-up. Like yourself I'm running a HD4870 and some Corsair memory, so I guess checking the memory will be my first port of call.

the_syco

Seems either I accept the substandard memory, or they could give me some DDR3 memory...

So, next question: which is better; i3, i5, or i7?

It'll be used mainly for gaming, but I also use it for lots of photoshoppage, and a bit of video editing. Thinking if I get a mobo, some "i" chip, and tell Corsair which RAM to give me, I can get back to gaming. On the plus side, DDR3 RAM is quite cheap atm.

jme2010

the_syco wrote: »

So, next question: which is better; i3, i5, or i7?

It'll be used mainly for gaming.

The i5 2500K.

Its the logical choice for gaming. The i7 2600k is just throwing money away, and the i5 beats the i7 in alot of games for pure frames per second.

the_syco

deconduo wrote: »

Guy in this thread had the same problem, so he complained and they sent him 8GB as compensation:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=18439539

Didn't work 21 days later they only sent me 4GB's of RAM back. Meh.