Annoying problem with games crashing

[LlamaGuy]

I put in a TNT2 into the PCI slot and pulled out the GeForce 6600 GT... Warcraft 3 played fine on the highest settings... just slow (as expected). I put on 11 insane computers, and let them play out a game and it went all the way through. Hopefully tommorrow I'm gonna try to find someone with a PCI-E setup so we can swap video cards. That'll narrow it down to the bus on the mobo or the video card itself... hopefully.

[Cobia69]

Keep us up to date. Might be some sort of driver issue. I hit a lengthy frame pause for the first time since my changes, tonight playing SWBF (several times actually) with the 71.84 drivers. My only other game atm installed is BF1942 and the mods I deal with seem to be fine. I may have to get HL2 up and running tommorrow to check on that. /me hits some other forums. I'm not running the same setup as you but I've heard of some similar issues lately. I'll keep you posted as well.

[Cobia69]

Hmmm... I used RGone's settings to get up and running, with changes to the CAS timings to match what's advertised on the memory. Should I up the voltage a little bit you think?

 

UPDATE TO FURTHER CONFUSE THINGS

So I was watching a DivX encoded video just now, and I got the same black screen that I get when I'm playing Warcraft 3. My friend was watching the video too, so instead of just hitting reset immediatley (like I usually do), I explained the problem to him... but get this:

 

While the screen blacks out, it just plays the same sound sample over and over... like a typical crash -- or so I thought. While I was explaining the situation, I noticed the sound samples were ever so slowly progessing. The computer was still running... just very very poorly, and with no video. So I spammed alt+f4 for about 30 seconds, and sure enough the sound stopped. Then I heard the little AIM chime you get when someone sends you an IM... just choppy and stretched out over like 15 seconds. I'll never know what that IM said, but now I know it's not a total system crash... which probably makes it a little bit harder to troubleshoot.

 

I am so confused right now

 

Again something I have experienced this past week, different but wierd. When watching DIVX encoded stuff, the video frames slow to a crawl and the sound gets messed up and jumps ahead of the vid. Wierd. Different mobo, but strange that similar things are happening. I end up having to restart to fix it.

[LlamaGuy]

I brought it to a local computer store and tried out a Chaintech 6600 PCI-E they had, and it ran fine. So after this, I was convinced it was the video card. I returned it to NewEgg, and I got the new one in yesterday.

 

THE SAME PROBLEMS ARE STILL THERE!

 

I set my memory to very relaxed settings, and I'm running Prime95 stress test in the background with no issues at all (besides a huge speed loss, but that's to be expected). It crashed in Warcraft 3, and crashed after playing a DVD for about 15 minutes.

 

Any ideas?

 

Also... On the LanParty UT there's an extra 4 pin power socket on here. That's for backup in case you don't have a 4 pin 12V on your power supply, right? Plugging something into that socket would be bad, right?

[marscay]

the fact that you had problems running prime removed the gfx card from being a potential problem.

 

u either have memory timing/compatibility problems or your cpu might be duffer - is the processor new? my money is on the memory....usually the main culprit on the dfi board.

 

4-pin power socket ....you talking bout the regular hdd type molex yeh?? u should have this connected - i also connect the fdd connector as well.

 

your psu it's 24-pin?

[LlamaGuy]

the fact that you had problems running prime removed the gfx card from being a potential problem.

 

u either have memory timing/compatibility problems or your cpu might be duffer - is the processor new? my money is on the memory....usually the main culprit on the dfi board.

 

4-pin power socket ....you talking bout the regular hdd type molex yeh?? u should have this connected - i also connect the fdd connector as well.

 

your psu it's 24-pin?

 

I WAS having problems with Prime95, but those are gone now. I relaxed my memory timings and it runs fine now. I'll run it overnight to make sure... but while waiting for card to come back from RMA my system was a stable as could be (with another video card). The system is even stable now, but once I start messing with lots of multimedia is when it craps out.

 

It doesn't mind Azureus running 54 different torrents load balanced over 2 internet connections... but it can't play a DVD.

 

I was told by a friend that the molex connector on the motherboard was for older power supplies without the 4 pin 12v connector. I never thought to go back and read up on it... I was looking at DFI's site and through their broken English it seems like I'm supposed to have those in. I'd like to get word from someone else on the forum before I go and plug those in... I wanna be careful not to fry my ..

[Libelle]

From page 58 of the (PDF) Manual:

 

"The HDD-type and FDD-type power connectors are additional power connectors. If you are using two graphics cards we recommend that you plug power cables from your power supply unit into the two 5V/12V power connectors. This will provide more stability to the entire system. The system board will still work even if the additional power connectors are not connected."

[Freezer26]

From page 58 of the (PDF) Manual:

 

"The HDD-type and FDD-type power connectors are additional power connectors. If you are using two graphics cards we recommend that you plug power cables from your power supply unit into the two 5V/12V power connectors. This will provide more stability to the entire system. The system board will still work even if the additional power connectors are not connected."

 

 

Exactly!! You should plug those in definately, especially because it sounds as if you are losing power somewhere, maybe not alot. I got this from your post that said it started to come back, or you noticed other things working in the background. (ie. AIM, not a "complete" crash) But just to take them out of the equation, plug them in. Then see what happens. Another thing is watch your voltages and see whats going on with those if you can, maybe a recorder of some sort.....

 

good luck

[LlamaGuy]

Plugged both connectors in, still crashing.

 

Arg, I thought that would fix it. How dissapointing.

[marscay]

is it crashing on the desktop @ all now???? or just in gaming?

 

try some different drivers.....76.44's gave me random BSOD's for instance.

 

trial and error dood

 

also i've never heard of skyhawk psu's .....i know its rated 570w but that could also be a culprit - this board likes a STRONG 24-pin native top brand psu.

[LlamaGuy]

is it crashing on the desktop @ all now???? or just in gaming?

 

try some different drivers.....76.44's gave me random BSOD's for instance.

 

trial and error dood

 

also i've never heard of skyhawk psu's .....i know its rated 570w but that could also be a culprit - this board likes a STRONG 24-pin native top brand psu.

 

It doesn't crash doing 'regular' desktop at all now. The only time it will crash when not in a game is when I'm playing back video.

 

Also, here's my PSU:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?...N82E16817193002

 

It got all 5 stars at Newegg, and 1 reviewer said he even read 600 watts while testing the output. The PSU should be more than enough.

[Libelle]

Additional info for Skyhawk owners here: http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/reviews...One_570W_1.html