PCI-E Geforce 6800 Problem

[foraker]

I recently got a used PNY PCI Express Geforce 6800. It runs fine in windows, but I'm getting some freezes in World of Warcraft, the only game I've really tested it yet. What happens is sometimes the game freezes for ~10-20 seconds, then continues fine. Other times it freezes, and I have to ctrl alt del to reboot, or it just reboots itself. Most noticeable is it crashed to desktop with the graphics in safe mode capability. it said the "nv_4 drivers stopped working" and to reboot to fix it (which worked).

It's fairly random as to when a freeze occurs, I've gone over an hour without one. I'd appreciate any help in fixing this, or determining whether the card is defective and can't be worked around. (it'll be a bad first ebay experience).

Thanks

[Quick420]

Control Panel,Add/Remove programs,remove nvidia display drivers.Re-install these http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_93.71.html note the temperature.

Post your system specs.Be as descriptive as possible Cpu,Motherboard,memory,O/S etc we'll fix ya yup

[foraker]

Yeah I have the 93.71 drivers. I first installed the drivers from the CD, had the problem, did the add/remove thing, and installed the new ones.
I have a Pentium 4, 2.8GHZ, 3.12gigs of ram (don't know kind), Windows XP version 2002 service pack 2, the mobo is Intel® Desktop Board D915GEV1 (http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/d915gev/)
I looked at properties in device manager for the processor and it says
"ACPI\GENUINEINTEL_-_X86_FAMILY_15_MODEL_3\_0"
Not sure if that helps.

I used riva tuner to watch the temperature when playing world of warcraft. played a battleground (w/o freezing). It was at 49 degrees celsius when idling at desktop, it peaked at 61 degrees during gameplay, which I believe isn't high at all.

I appreciate the help, thanks

[Quick420]

Look at rivatuner and note the clock and memory speeds.I'm gonna hazard a guess here,you didnt format after switching cards did you? A fresh install will help determine if it is indeed a video-card issue or a software related issue.(most likely windows needs repair and the new card is suffering from it)

[foraker]

Previous to this card it was running off integrated graphics. No I haven't reformated. I went and checked in display drivers though, and the only one currently there is the geforce card, which means thats what its running.

at idle:
core clock is 324mhz
memory clock is 598.5mhz

No time atm to check during lots of spell effects.

[Quick420]

Ok,so the integrated crap is turned off in the bios...
Is your molex connector connected to the new video card? They need a minimum 350watt power/supply.(sticker on p/s) If the system was completley stable before the card,it will either be a windows software issue or the power supply not being quite up to the task,I upgraded to a 450watt antec when I purchased my 6800,and then to 500watt when I purchased a 7900gt.This is another avenue to look at.I forgot they were power hungry little cards....most likely the problem,especially if you get no video corruption while playing.

[XFX Support]

You may want to try the 84.21 driver from http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_84.21.html This is a great driver for the 6 series card. Have you contacted PNY for support as well?

XFX Support

[foraker]

I tried the 84.21 drivers and they didn't help. By molex connector, do you mean the extra power cord? This card doesn't have one (my AGP Geforce 6800 in another computer did though). I get no video corruption during play, except these freezes. Sometimes it freezes and recovers, other times it crashes. It's a 380W which really should be fine I think. I got this card for temporary use during the holidays so buying a new PSU just for 2 weeks when it's not definitely the problem is really out of the question. And yeah the system was completely stable when running integrated graphics, and the computer with the card never crashes when just on the desktop. I'm going to try playing wc3 and see if it will crash in that.

[Quick420]

Since is to be used in a limited fashion,why not try UNDERclocking it a wee bit everytime it freezes,till it stops freezing.****ty solution but it may help.

[foraker]

I unplugged a couple accessories (second hard drive, floppy) to free up power but made no difference. Also tried turning off Anistropic filters in WoW, would have tried AA but WoW doesn't seem to use it, or at least has no option to turn it off.

I don't see how I can underclock it... in Riva tuner the clock speed sliders are already set to the mininum...

[Quick420]

I'll look for something that will let you enter your clockspeeds as numbers instead of sliders......just thought about PowerStrip http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm I'm pretty sure you can enter your clockspeeds as well as using the slider technique,try lowering the core first since your memory isnt artifacting leave it alone.Hope it helps,your P/S is sufficient,if this doesnt help...sink the pink and format.

[foraker]

I tried downclocking. It seems to help a little, but not fix it. Sometimes I go longer w/o a crash (but sometimes I do crash after a short time), but I don't get the more frequent freeze and then recovers.

[joe30]

Hello. I am having the same exact problem, the "skipping" or "stuttering" while playing WoW, Warcraft 3 The Frozen throne, or even while playing CSS. Sometimes I get the blue screen of death and it crashes, but mostly the game continues functioning normally. In CSS the colors **** up, but i can still play. Same graphics card, 6800 GT. However, I believe my problem is due to the actual temperature of the graphics card. It idles at about 80 C and yesterday went up to 106 C while running a graphic intensive program. I have my case open so as to make it colder. System Specs:

P4 2.8ghz
1 Gig ram Dual channel
120 GB hard drive (4 partitions)
Power supply 350 Watts

--

[Quick420]

Buy an aftermarket cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835186132 your card is going to fry at those temperatures,also grab some thermal paste http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007 clean off the old goo with paper towels of another soft type cloth.Cover all memory chips and GPU with a thin coat of as5,approx 1mm or thinner.Attach cooler with screws and spacers provided,that should fix your temp problems..

[BigE4u]

I second using the official v84.21 drivers from nvidia, i had absolutely zero problems with my 6800/6800GT cards. For drivers to work correctly, you must UNinstall them the correct way and i mean not just by using the add/remove programs in windows. After removing the driver from windows, you must use "driver cleaner pro" in safe mode(press F8 during bootup), so heres what you do...

1. UNinstall nvidia drivers using add/remove programs in windows and reboot when prompted
2. During bootup, hit F8 and choose "safe mode" from listed menu
3. Use driver cleaner pro and choose nvidia from the drop down menu
4. After the access files are removed, reboot and go back into windows
5. Install the nvidia driver of your choice and reboot once again when prompted
6. Install coolbits2(nvidia) to overclock your video card and reboot once more

I've used this method many times w/o issue... but if your still having problems, im looking at that 380w PSU. Depending on the brand and the quality along with the amperage on the +12v line, its possibly not enough. With todays newer systems, they rely heavily on the +12v line and depending what your total system specs are, just to be safe, you will need at least 26a for starters.

Ps- Please list your total system specs, name and brand of everyting.