Display works but gaming causes comp to freeze - graphics card prob?

V

Hi,

I have a 3 year old Sapphire R7 250 1GB card. Recently, my MSI 970A-G43 motherboard (no display port on it) conked off and it took over 2 months to get it repaired from the service center (story for another time).

However, my ill-luck seems to be far from over. Whenever I start CS:GO, after the initial screen, the computer freezes. The only way to get it working again is a restart. Similarly, Firefox was causing it to crash and so was VLC, after 10 off mins of watching a video.

I turned off hardware acceleration on Firefox and VLC and they seem stable, for now. But opening Google Maps again caused it to freeze (pic attached).

It seems like a graphics card problem. To confirm my hypothesis, I installed UNIGINE's Heaven benchmark. As soon as I started it, within a few seconds, the computer froze. I took it to my computer guy who put the card on another PC and it froze as well.

So my question is, am I right in thinking my graphics card is the problem? Can there be any other cause? I can't see any burst capacitors so do you reckon it can even be repaired?

Thanks,
Vignesh

vigneshnm said:
I took it to my computer guy who put the card on another PC and it froze as well.

That is enough to know that the card is at fault. The only thing you could do is RMA it if the card is still in warranty.

V

chimera201 said:
That is enough to know that the card is at fault. The only thing you could do is RMA it if the card is still in warranty.

Thanks, guess I have to buy a new one. It's over 3 years so I'm sure it's not under warranty. The prices are frightful though. I had gone for a Crossfire board as I wanted to buy the same card for pennies a few years later. Now it's more expensive than what I paid for it!

Crossfire is almost never worth it.

Even if the card is not under warranty, you should try to get it fixed. New cards costs a bomb now, and unless you can afford it, you really have no choice.

Edit: My RX 480 which is about to be 2 years now, also "sometimes" shows screen as posted in OP. But a reboot fixes it. Though since a few months I haven't seen it again. I wonder if I should be worried that it might go kaput again. So have you tried dusting the card with a blower or compressed air?

V

Vyom said:
Even if the card is not under warranty, you should try to get it fixed. New cards costs a bomb now, and unless you can afford it, you really have no choice.

Edit: My RX 480 which is about to be 2 years now, also "sometimes" shows screen as posted in OP. But a reboot fixes it. Though since a few months I haven't seen it again. I wonder if I should be worried that it might go kaput again. So have you tried dusting the card with a blower or compressed air?

Yeah, even a GT 1030 costs 7.5k these days.

I've cleaned it but don't have a blower for the type of cleaning you're suggesting. I'm planning to show it to a local chip repair guy tomorrow. I'll keep you posted if I have any luck in repairing it.

V

I got it repaired from a "chip level repair" shop who did "soldering". The game started but as soon as the map loaded and I entered a match, the computer froze. Heaven benchmark software also caused it to freeze.
The repair might have not worked but at least it's given me proof that the graphics card indeed is the problem. Whatever he did improved the performance slightly but not enough to make it usable.

So a new card.

I really don't want to spend a bomb now. I keep hoping that VR headsets would be officially launched in India at a reasonable price and I would need to significantly upgrade my PC then. So I'll think of a 1060/ RX 570 then.

A near-by shop has Gigabyte RX 550 2GB for 7.8k and 4GB for 10.8k. Considering I only play CSGO, I'm sure this is sufficient. ~~I'd have liked to play PUBG but as per systemrequirementslab.com, my FX4350 won't support it.~~ I have a FX 6300 so PUBG would work, just needs a 2GB card.

So could you please give me your suggestions? I don't want to create a new thread since my budget and requirements are so low.

Thanks,
Vignesh

C

Some sellers were offering 570 at 17k on other forums. I suggest you take a look at them.

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V

cheransha said:
Some sellers were offering 570 at 17k on other forums. I suggest you take a look at them.

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Since there aren't any official VR headsets on the market now, I don't want to spend on a 570 right away. Prices are bound to reduce in the future so I'll pick up a budget card now. My sweet spot would be 5-6k but since there's nothing at that range (gtx 710, no thank you!) I'm okay with increasing it a little .

Thanks,
Vignesh

what psu do u have vigneshnm?you can look for a used 750ti-they can be found within 4-5k price range nowadays.

V

I have a corsair 450W. Hmm never bought a used component before but it's worth considering. Where do I look for them? Olx/ quikr?

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Yes, try to get something that has atleast some warranty remaining. And is your psu corsair vs 450 by any chance?

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V

It's a VX 450.

Sure, will try to get something with warranty. But it would be a little difficult I guess considering it was released over 3 years back. And the Indian middle-class distrust for second hand means I'll probably buy a new one

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V

Thanks for all your help guys. I bought a 1030, got it for 6.8k. I'll probably upgrade next year, for now, CSGO works and I'm happy

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Oh i too had that very psu but sold it off in 2017 in order to upgrade.

Its still possible to find 750ti s with warranty as people who bought it recently tend to sell them off when they want to upgrade, in fact i spotted a few of them while browsing through my local olx ads last week.

If you want to buy new then do keep us posted about which gpu you finally decide to go for.

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vigneshnm said:
Thanks for all your help guys. I bought a 1030, got it for 6.8k. I'll probably upgrade next year, for now, CSGO works and I'm happy

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Oh please post some photos of its unboxing if possible and its performance metrics in various AAA games

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V

quicky008 said:
Oh please post some photos of its unboxing if possible and its performance metrics in various AAA games

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Oh sorry, I've already installed it. I'll definitely post some benchmarks over the coming days.

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Have you bought the ddr5 version? Which brand?

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V

quicky008 said:
Have you bought the ddr5 version? Which brand?

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Unfortunately, only the DDR4 version was available. Asus

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vigneshnm said:
Unfortunately, only the DDR4 version was available. Asus

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DDR4 1030? :facepalm:

It is a POS. Return it.

V

SaiyanGoku said:
DDR4 1030?
It is a POS. Return it.

Ohh why so? I'll try to return it if it's really that awful!

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V

Yikes, I did some research and it's quite a step down from the DDR5 version. Spoke to the computer shop and he's willing to exchange it. The DDR5 will come next week for 1k more but he has a 1050ti for 13k. I know I said I didn't want to spend that much but screw it, YOLO, right?

In a way, it's good I bought this first . Since CSGO and the Heaven benchmark software work (the latter quite poorly, I admit), I'm convinced it was a graphics card problem. If it hadn't and I had gone for the 1050ti, I'd have really regretted it.

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vigneshnm said:
Ohh why so? I'll try to return it if it's really that awful!

For about the same price you can get DDR5 version.

V

nac said:
For about the same price you can get DDR5 version.

I checked around, it ranges from 1k to 3k more, even on Amazon.

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vigneshnm said:
I checked around, it ranges from 1k to 3k more, even on Amazon.

Check mdcomputers or primeabgb. I remember seeing it for around 7k.

vigneshnm said:
I checked around, it ranges from 1k to 3k more, even on Amazon.

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1030 ddr5 goes for 6-7k on mdcomputers. You won't need to pay more.

V

Thanks guys, I couldn't have bought the card from elsewhere, he was only interested in replacing the card, not refunding cash.

I got the 1050ti!

Thanks again for your help. I shall post benchmarks soon.

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