Surprise surprise,another new build problem

[GLENNYBOY1]

Hi chaps,

Finally got the new bits n pieces for my first build and lo and behold ive got problems....here are the specs:


gigabyte GA-K8N PRO SLI
XFX 7900GT (520) PCI-E
Amd Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego
Samsung SP0812N 80gb hdd
Enermax noisetaker 600w psu
1.5 GB Ram


When I put everything together and hit the power switch everything came on fine,tried out bf2 and everything seemed cool..downloaded the f.e.a.r demo and again it played like a dream.

However it seems to be getting progressively worse when i play those games..F.E.A.R now plays for about 15 seconds and then gets tearing and eventually freezes,bf2 is going the same way...Ive checked the temps when the system is idle and they seem ok..

GPU: 40 c
CPU: 25 c
MOBO:25c

I can noodle about in windows no probs,its just when i play the old shooty shooty the problems arise

I realise theres probably not enough info here for you guys to help out so feel free to ask me questions..just keep in mind im a total newb to all this so be gentle peeps

(BTW I took out 512mb of ram (2x256 sticks) because they were pc2100 and kept the two pc3200 512mb sticks in because i heard you shouldnt mix em!
When i loaded up bf2 it got as far as the splash screen and then froze.)

Help!...cos im on the verge of crying.

[i made you]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

You need to run some tests. Google "prime95" and "memtest." Tearing sounds like system or video ram problem.

[thinkingbear]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

Is your XFX card factory overclocked? I had similar problems with an EVGA 7900 GTX Superclocked. They cross-shipped me a replacement that works great. Your PSU is solid, so look to your RAM and graphics.

Edit: Also just noticed you report your temps at idle. Idle temps don't mean squat, check the temps under load. Speedfan is free and has a very basic graph function that will let you see what the temps were while you were in the game.

[GLENNYBOY1]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

Cheers matey

Will do that..ill pop back with the results,bear with me

[GLENNYBOY1]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

Is your XFX card factory overclocked? I had similar problems with an EVGA 7900 GTX Superclocked. They cross-shipped me a replacement that works great. Your PSU is solid, so look to your RAM and graphics.

Yeah it was...do you think i should lower the clock speeds?

[thinkingbear]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

Yeah it was...do you think i should lower the clock speeds?

You should not have to, but it may be useful in diagnosing whether it came from the factory clocked too high or not.

[GLENNYBOY1]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

You should not have to, but it may be useful in diagnosing whether it came from the factory clocked too high or not.

Cheers guys for the replies,goin to run the tests now,it may take some time as im on my laptop at the mo..the noo comp aint on line you see....now wheres that bleeding memory stick :)

Edit: Also just noticed you report your temps at idle. Idle temps don't mean squat, check the temps under load. Speedfan is free and has a very basic graph function that will let you see what the temps were while you were in the game.

Will do thinkingbear

[imported_Wreck]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

The 7900 GT's are having some serious problems right now.

http://www.evga.com/community/messageboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14558&whichpage=1

[GLENNYBOY1]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

The 7900 GT's are having some serious problems right now.

http://www.evga.com/community/messageboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14558&w
hichpage=1

:cry: Crikey I actually read that thread this afternoon believe it or not lol

Blimey im not doing too well here,

Downloaded speedfan,stuck the other 512mb of ram back in and tried to run bf2 and....nothing,bf2 just displays the splash screen.

Tried again and now my dvd drive doesnt see the bf2 disk.

So then i tried the fear demo and it corrupts as the intro movie plays (about 20 seconds into it)then freezes.

downloaded prime95 and memtest86 and have to admit to being a bit lost with what to do,in prime95 do i simply click on 'torture test' under 'options' and let it do its thing?

[tw33k2514]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

i bet its the 7900GT download ATITool and run the arty scan

[GLENNYBOY1]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

i bet its the 7900GT download ATITool and run the arty scan

Is this cool to use with nvidia cards then?...blimey my head hurts...any thoughts on how i use prime95 and memtest as well cus im a bit lost.

[BigDaddyTX]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

Glenn,

First thing is to never mix different memory speeds. Some of the issues could be directly related to that. Keep the 3200, toss the 2100.

Second,

Try pulling hte side panel and putting a fan blowing into the box. Do you notice a difference? If so, cooling is an issue. These new cards run HOT and need great cooling. If not, weird artifacts, tearing, etc. Occur.

Finally, make sure you have the latest drivers. Don't bother with the ones in the box, they are hopelessly out-of-date by the time you receive the card.

[GLENNYBOY1]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

Glenn,

First thing is to never mix different memory speeds. Some of the issues could be directly related to that. Keep the 3200, toss the 2100.

Second,

Try pulling hte side panel and putting a fan blowing into the box. Do you notice a difference? If so, cooling is an issue. These new cards run HOT and need great cooling. If not, weird artifacts, tearing, etc. Occur.

Finally, make sure you have the latest drivers. Don't bother with the ones in the box, they are hopelessly out-of-date by the time you receive the card.

Hi Bigdaddy,

Im using the latest drivers,84.21 i think.

Ive just this minute put my other bf2 disc in and it recognised it (dvd drive just didnt see sf anymore for some reason..anyhoo..),whacked the resolution down to 800x600 and it seems to play ok..no tearing.

I originally had everything maxed out on 1280x1024 thinking the new hardware could handle it,am i wrong to assume this?

i put the other 2100 ram back in because none of the games would even start!

The side panels are off and i have like you say another case fan blowing into the case.

Just tried fear on low and it still tears at the intro movie :cry:

Ive noticed with 'speed fan' and 'easytune five' they flag up 70c with ominous warning icons for the system,is this the mobo temp.Theres a heatsink on the chip and not a fan.is this ok or not?

[BigDaddyTX]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

Well,

That card should have no issues running near to maxxed out.

You really do need to lose that 2100 though. I'm shocked it even runs.

Have old is your system install?

With the results you're getting, I'd lean towards the card being too highly clocked.

Also the 70C is high. Can you try to verify wether it' ssystem or card?

In the nvidia driver panel, you should see a link to temperature. Run the game, then very quickly flip to this to see the temp.

EDIt - when you mention chip with no fan, do you mean there isn't a fan on the CPU heatsink? I hope not! If so, get a heatsink with fan for that CPU!

[tw33k2514]

Re: Surprise surprise,another new build problem

Is this cool to use with nvidia cards then?...blimey my head hurts...any thoughts on how i use prime95 and memtest as well cus im a bit lost.

yes it is . alot of featurs will not work but the arty scan will