Black screen of death....

Bootie

Bootie

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Ok Ive been having this problem recently when playing graphic intensive games that my computer shuts down to a black screen.

I believe the problem is my gfx card. Its a rather crappy Nvidia220. I believe it is overheating and shutting my comp down.

I ran some heat tests on the GPU and CPU. CPU is pretty much stable at 30-40 degrees but my GPU is 75 when idling and as soon as some graphics hit my monitor it jumps up to 100 degrees.

I didnt realise it was quite as **** when I bought the computer but that gfx card is a dud. What cards do you recommend that is within a decent price range and am I right in thinking that the GPU temp is my problem.

My system is...

Capture-58.jpg
 
WEll, i'm using Gainward Nvidia GTS250, which is about 100e, and that works very well...Everything works fine, but it consumes lot of power when it's running full capacity. You need decent PSU, at least 450-500W..
 
My wife has a GTS250, too, and it runs like a dream. Your shutting down indeed is a heat problem - I had that happen once with my 8800GTX, but tnow it' quite an old card anyway... Wekk, I think the GTS250 is the way to go. For more money you get better stuff of course. I'll ask a friend which card he's using so you get a bit more choice.
 
Graphics Processor NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250
Exchange Interface Memory/Processor 256-bit
Processor Frequency 738 MHz
Bus PCI-Express 2.0 x16
Memory 512 MB GDDR3
DirectX 3D Hardware DirectX 10
Memory Frequency 2200 MHz
OpenGL OpenGL 2.1
Outputs 2 x dual-link DVI
1 x HDTV
System Requirements Windows 2000, XP or Vista
Intel Pentium 4 Prescott class processor or higher (LGA775 package); or AMD Sempron/Athlon
PCI Express compliant motherboard with a x16 dual-width lane bus compliant slot
1 GB system RAM (2 GB recommended)
450-watt power supply or greater (with minimum 12-volt current rating of 24 amps)
Two supplementary 6-pin PCI Express power connectors
100 MB of free hard drive space
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
VGA or DVI-I compatible monitor
Click to expand...

This Jeantech 500W ATX Power Supply Unit pumps out half a kilowatt of clean power, giving your desktop PC build a reliable and efficient power source.

This High Power Plus PSU supports both SLI and CrossFire dual-GPU applications: good to know in case you decide to upgrade in the future! The Jeantech 500W ATX Power Supply Unit also works with both Intel- and AMD-based computers for maximum versatility.

And perhaps best of all, this Jeantech 500W ATX Power Supply Unit features a large 120 mm fan running at a low rpm to ensure quiet and relaxed computing!
Technical Specifications Power Supply Norm ATX
Power 500 W
Click to expand...

Ok these are the Graphics card and PSU Im looking at... any ideas if there will be any conflicts with my system from post #1??
 
Only if your mainboard is a few years old, otherwise you should be okay. And even with a few years on its back your board is probably gonna be fine - my wife slotted her card into a 2-year-old board and it did work perfectly. But I'm no PC crack, I jut know my way around some stuff.
 
I get the feeling you will be running close to your power supply limit......should be ok as long as you're not running anything else out of the ordinary like two hard disks or summat?
 
A 550W power supply might indeed be a batter idea. My wife's running with a 500W as well, bu she only got a dual-core CPU. And you shoulkd make sure you got at least THREE single 6-pin connectors else you'll have too many compjnents draining power from the same connector which MIGHT result in one component not getting enough power or, at least, permanent overstressing of your PSU.
 
I had problems with power suply with AMD Phenom X4 + GTS250 with, i think, 400W suply. Now i'm running Chieftec 450W, and it works fine with full throttle, 100% CPU usage, and 100% GPU usage. It is also very stable, i run it almost two weeks with 100% CPU load.
And remember, when we are talking about power supply units, there is a golden rule - the heavier, the better :)
 
Well, i'm not very much into hardware, so i can write only my experiences...
 
Yes, when i say 'full throtle' it means that all cores are working at 100%.
Keep in mind that this is (still) very rare occasion, especially in games which, runs on 2 cores at most. Not counting some modern games that can use all cores, like Mass Effect 2 ...
 
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 260 896MB GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card
images


Be Quiet! Straight Power E7 600W Power Supply
images


Ordered these.... well my wife did. £230 they cost me but Im getting them for my birthday. :) Should be arriving tomorrow. Will let you know how I get on.
 
Sounds good... I need a new graphics card, too. But if I bought anew graphics card I can as well buy a new processor and a new board because those are so old. It just never stops. :sad:

Glad to see you're working it out, though!
 
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