A Better System Viewer

[BroncoAnt]

Hey,

I'm trying to track down a freezing problem which occurs no matter which game I play. Besides System Viewer, does anyone know of other, better proggies that can explain what's happening on my comp during the freeze?

[ch3ch3n]

Re: A Better System Viewer

When does it crash playing online ? or just SP. If its mp then i think int s your anti virus/firewall blocking some kind of data.

[BPCrusher01]

Re: A Better System Viewer

Try checking your system dump files. Using the "event viewer" built into windows, you can see what is happening when problems occur. go to control panel, admin tools, event viewer. Its probably something funky happening (likely sound or video drivers), but many people have problems with BF2 crashing randomly.

Don't disable your firewall or antivirus. Its completely unnecessary and I feel its stupid to do so.

[imported_Chael]

Re: A Better System Viewer

Sounds to me like a hardware problem. You should try switching video cards and see what happens; I have noticed over time that very often video cards decide to die. Beyond this I would try reseating any and all circuit boards in the PC, run virus scans, memory tests, 3dmark, etc. You should also check your temps.

It would help a lot if you posted your system specs :nod: That includes OS and OC.

[iQue]

Re: A Better System Viewer

Does the freezing thing occur when doing other things than gaming, like browsing the web or something, then it could be your HDD having troubles (data loss or poor power connection)

If it's just in games it's most likely your gfx card that is causing the trouble, make sure you have the latest drivers installed.

And especially check so nothing is overheating... download speedfan :)

[The Laughing Man]

Re: A Better System Viewer

A tad more detail about what, exactly, is happening when this 'freeze' occurs.

Is it a simple stutter that resolves instantly?
Is it a large stutter that brings the system to a halt prior to resuming as normal
Is it a freeze that requires you to quit the program
Is it a full on lock up that requires a hard reset

What kind of system are you running, details on spec of motherboard, number of drives, gpu, cpu and specifically what brand and power rating of PSU you are using to power the whole thing.

[BroncoAnt]

Re: A Better System Viewer

Thanks for the help.

I have:

AMD 5200+ Dual Core
MSI K9MM
256MB ATi X1950 Radeon AGP
600W Echostar Power Supply
WD Hard Drive
2GB Ram (Don't remember the brand)

This problem happens in BF2 and COD4, so I don't think it's just a BF2 problem.
What happens is the screen goes black (just as if the monitor's changing refresh rates or something) but the sound is still there and I can hear my fire button firing my rifle still, but it is black and stays black for anywhere from 5 seconds to 1 minute, or else it might completely freeze the computer.

I *think* it's a dual core problem now that I think about it, and I'll put my core to 1 in msconfig to see if that helps, but if it's not I do'nt know.

Out of all the Dual Core Gaming Problem fixes, have any worked for anyone here. I'm talking about the AMD Dual Core patches which have something to do with timing and temperature, I guess.

Thanks.

I'll let you know how this helps.

[predragjanjic]

Re: A Better System Viewer

I had a similar problem, next thing I knew, my video card was gone


check your systems temperatures, cpu and gpu

[The Laughing Man]

Re: A Better System Viewer

The ATI 1950 is quite a power hungry GPU. I looked at buying one back before the Nvidia 8series GPUs appeared on the market. If i remember correctly it requires at good 30amps on the 12V rail to run stable.

If this

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=ESTAR-600-24&cat=PWR

is the PSU you're using to run that GPU then it is a very poor choice. In the Uk that PSU is worth about £8. A decent PSU, that provides stable sufficient power vaules to your PC components should cost about £50, that's about $100.

Poor PSU and a power hungry GPU combined with the symptoms you're describing sound like classic power supply problem.

[BroncoAnt]

Re: A Better System Viewer

The ATI 1950 is quite a power hungry GPU. I looked at buying one back before the Nvidia 8series GPUs appeared on the market. If i remember correctly it requires at good 30amps on the 12V rail to run stable.

If this

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=ESTAR-600-24&cat=PWR

is the PSU you're using to run that GPU then it is a very poor choice. In the Uk that PSU is worth about £8. A decent PSU, that provides stable sufficient power vaules to your PC components should cost about £50, that's about $100.

Poor PSU and a power hungry GPU combined with the symptoms you're describing sound like classic power supply problem.

Do you use a program to test the PSU's output?

I think you're right about this, as programs are able to be rendered, it's the quality and consistency that is the problem... i.e. if I had a bad card or RAM, it would fail to show on the screen eventually....

I did rid myself of the glitching though, as I turned the core use to 1 instead of 2 for BF2. I haven't had luck with the AMD fixes, or else I'm not using the right ones.

Anyways, problem solved, but the BSOD I get and the other types of freezes - whilst surfing, I think are from the PSU. It met the requirements of the board & cpu & card on paper, however. And it was $60, used. It may be powerful enough stat wise, but it might not be in reality doing what it's supposed to be.

[imported_Chael]

Re: A Better System Viewer

The requirements on the box usually don't tell you how many amps you need on the +12v. I'm running a weaker system with more amps and my voltages still fluctuate below normal levels. I would definitely look into a new PSU.

[The Laughing Man]

Re: A Better System Viewer

Do you use a program to test the PSU's output?

I think you're right about this, as programs are able to be rendered, it's the quality and consistency that is the problem... i.e. if I had a bad card or RAM, it would fail to show on the screen eventually....

No I don't use a program. You can use one of these

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...upply%20Tester

That will tell you if your PSU is supplying a decent stable output.

Anyways, problem solved, but the BSOD I get and the other types of freezes - whilst surfing, I think are from the PSU. It met the requirements of the board & cpu & card on paper, however. And it was $60, used. It may be powerful enough stat wise, but it might not be in reality doing what it's supposed to be.

If it is the PSU I stated in my post above then a closer look at the PSU details shows

'+12V, 22A'

Having a quick look at AMDs recommended PSU list for your GPU

http://game.amd.com/us-en/crossfirex_components.aspx?p=3

and picking any one at random it seems they are recommending a PSU with a good 40A on the 12V rail for that card.

[BroncoAnt]

Re: A Better System Viewer

No I don't use a program. You can use one of these

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...upply%20Tester

That will tell you if your PSU is supplying a decent stable output.



If it is the PSU I stated in my post above then a closer look at the PSU details shows

'+12V, 22A'

Having a quick look at AMDs recommended PSU list for your GPU

http://game.amd.com/us-en/crossfirex_components.aspx?p=3

and picking any one at random it seems they are recommending a PSU with a good 40A on the 12V rail for that card.

I did get a "white" sheet from the vendor I bought the Mobo/CPU Combo from, which said that the +12V Rail needed to have
at least a 22A..(dangit, I can't find the sheet, so that's all I
can remember).

I thought I was meeting the requirements...But this is how the cables are
connected now is:

Two fan connectors to the GPU
One to the Hard Drive
One to the CD-ROm


BUt, here's my PSU's Output according to the sticker on it:
(EchoStar Switching Power Supply 600W Max)


+3.3V--->45A
+5V --->42A
+12V --->22A
-5V ---->0.5A
-12V ---->0.8A
+5V ----->sB 3A

I had a similar problem, next thing I knew, my video card was gone


check your systems temperatures, cpu and gpu

This will be my 3rd Killed Ati Radeon if this one dies...

[BroncoAnt]

Re: A Better System Viewer

Well, I'm not sure what the problem is/was yet, but I just played with no glitches or freezes at all[B]. What I did was download .NET Framework and Catalyst Control Center, and then I unchecked VPU Recover.

[The Laughing Man]

Re: A Better System Viewer

I remember reading about VPU recovery causing some issues. To be honest though I can't remember the specifics as it was quite some time ago and since I haven't ever owned an ATI card it didn't seem that important at the time. Seems like it could be the issue though.

MInd you saying that the PSU is still close to limit so I would keep an eye on that thing. Just remember that cheaper PSUs have a habit of taking other things with them when they die.