is something wrong with my graphics card

Do you observe this problem on the latest driver? If so, I suggest you move back to the old driver. This seemed to have worked out for few guys.

Use the latest "Stable" Driver available for ur card or use the old driver that came with ur card
This should solve thee problem

there is also one more way - FORMAT and RE-INSTALL Windows XP
though I dont recommend it

i have tried both the latest driver and the driver which i got with my card

^^^ is ur pc oced???if yes then reduce oc and try.
possibles causes for ur prob r:
1>PSU has become weak.
2>System unstable due to oc
3>Procy overheating
4>Driver incompatibility

no i havent overclocked.

Get nvtemp logger for logging GPU temps, st eneble logging. Then after restarting, u can open the logfile for temps of GPU at restart time.
And also use Speedfan, or Asus PC probe for getting CPU, MCP, HD temps and post to see if nyone has gone unstable due to temps.
U can get nvtemplogger from
www.guru3d.com

hi,
i still havent been able to fix the problem.i even tried nvtemp as dom1nator suggested but that thing doesnt work(a window just appears).i have noticed that the game runs smoothly for a little longer time if i reduce the resolution in the game settings.bnut it still hangs and restarts so does this problem have to do anything with my SMPS or is something wrong with my graphics card.

^^^ install Rivatuner and record the temps u get while gaming.if temps r within limit then it cud either be a case of procy overheating or a psu prob

^^^^^,so u'r saying to check the temp before it hangs and restarts??

^^^ play the game and let Rivatuner monitor and record temps in the backgrnd.
see the temp log and get to know whther ur pc is restarting cuz of gpu overheating.

^^^^,where do i c the temp.i downloaded rivatunerv 2.06 but it doesnt show any temp readings.

run Rivatuner.
under Traget Adapter click on Customize -> Hardware Monitoring.
after hardware monitoring page opens click on Setup and chose where u wanna save the log file under the option Log File Settings.

after that close setup and on the hardware monitoring page click on the red button to enable temp monitoring.

clean off the dust on CPu nd GPU fans which causes temps to build up.
And u anyhow have to log the temps to point out if the defect is with card.

my driver(169.21) is not supported by rivatuner v2.06.it shows the temp as 0.which version is supported by rivatuner or is there a way to fix this.

169.21 is surelly supported by riva tuner. Try ntune from nvidia site.
orelse the GPU temps sensing is gone kaput, so the GPU is not slowing down even when it reaches threshold, i think.

Which brand is ur card?

^^^^^,rivatuner gave a warning message saying it has not been tested with my driver.i have even tried ntune.even that shows 0.i have a sparkle nvidia geforce 6600.

anyway rivatuner 2.06 is working flawlessly for my 7600GT with 169.21, nd also ntune shows temps correctly.
I think the sensor is gone.
Can u regulate the fan speed via riva tuner or ntune? Set it @ 100% nd see it there is a big whirling noise from card. If yes, then start the game nd see if it again overheats.
Do one thing, play for sometime, then poweroff[plug out] suddenly nd touch the upper sideof the card's PCB where the GPU is located beneath. Do remember to earth urself by touching ur foot to floor inorder to avaoid static current cause problem in ckts.
If its too hot, then surelly the card is getting unstable.

^^^where do i go to change fan speed?????

you should also consider checking your RAM as well as your PSU.

check ram using memtest and PSU by replacing.

i am also having someother problem.sometimes my windows gives that start windows normally ,safemode etc screen.the comp continuosly restarts no matter what i select and comes back to the same screen but if i swith off the system and try ,it boots properly.i am not sure if this is related to the graphics card issue.this thing happens even if my os is reinstalled and even if there is nothing on the comp

i am also having someother problem.sometimes my windows gives that start windows normally ,safemode etc screen.the comp continuosly restarts no matter what i select and comes back to the same screen but if i swith off the system and try ,it boots properly.i am not sure if this is related to the graphics card issue.this thing happens even if my os is reinstalled and even if there is nothing on the comp

i am telling you again check your ram. this sounds to me like bad ram

download from *www.memtest86.com/
burn to CD (use re-writable if u dont want to waste a cd)

then boot ur pc using the CD and run the tests for atleast 3 cycles.
if it does not report any error then ur Ram is 100% OK and 99% CPU and MOBO too.

Download prime95 from *files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=103
Run some torture tests for atleast 30mins and if there are errors then something is wrong with your cpu/mobo.

IF everything checks out then replace ur gfx card and see if the problem stays.

i think ur card is overheating. . . so y not check the card first ? try ur frends card and / or see how it runs with onboard.

ofcorse it makes no difference. . . .

@raviramgopal
I own a 6600 too. I too face the same problem. The PC hangs in the middle of games, movie playback and sometimes even when a simple mp3 playback. Even the 'start windows normally' problem was there. But it has reduced somewhat nowadays.
I'd exchanged my RAM with that of my friends. Even then the problem exists. So RAM is not the culprit here. It must be either the gfx card or the motherboard. Mine is an ASUS-A8NE. Which is yours?

And BTW there is no temperature related problems. Its (the motherboard temp) typically within 40-45C.

i had the same problem... my 6600 showed gerky in between games..

the problem was due to a cable disrupting the fans. now it is fine.

so check the fans and for dust.

@shri
yup, A8N E mobo temps never rise above 45c even under ocing. It might surelly be GPU or the power is not enuf, it the PSU might be culprit.

@shri-i have an intel d945gcnl.
----------------------------------
i wanted to check if it is my Gpu that is at fault but when i tried installing the onboard graphics driver-i got a message saying my system doesnt meet the minimum requirements!!!!!.the following is my config
intel d945gcnl,p4 3.0ghz,1 gb ram,80gbHDD

i also used the memtest on the linux livecd.i found no errors for 7 passes.so is it defenitely my graphics card???.i shall check the cables and remove dust and try.

psu or gpu.. .

Try another PSu friends. But PSU probs shows up when system is at load, nd u said it happens sometimes there's not much load.
So more chance for GPU probs.


hi, just now i noticed, it was my 2000th post.

hey , will underclocking the gpu help ? wat do u guys think ?

hi
how can i check whether my gpu is at fault when i cant install my onboard graphics.it says my system doesnt meet the min system requirements!!!

download ati tool and stress test ur gpu and igp . it works for nvidia cards aswell

Mine is a zebronics 400W PSU. I've heard that the plugs can cause problems when they are loose.
How much does a new 400W PSU cost? I can exchange it too i suppose...?

i want to install my onboard graphics.but it says my system cannot meet the requirements.whats wrong with it???what do i do??

i want to install my onboard graphics.but it says my system doesnt meet the min requirements.whats wrong with it???what do i do??

look . the onboard gfx aint enough for that game . .use the software called "ATI tool " to stress test ur gfx card. and see if it happens while using onboard as well. .

^^^^no,i dont want the onboard graphics for playing but just to make sure that its my graphics card that is at fault.so why does it give that error if i try installing it???

installing wat ? ..

dont tell me u r unable to install the onboard gfx drivers ?

u can only install onboard gfx drivers if u unplug ur gfx card, nd connect monitor to onboard VGA.

@sagargv
dude i dont kno how to run ati tool but i selected 'find max core' and the comp hung after around 3-4 mins of scanning and also the next time i selected scan for artifacts and the comp hung after around 10 seconds!!!!!.

so its defenitely the gpu thats causing the problem.
Does it have ny warranty left? orelse i think its faulty, nd u ve no choice but to get a nw one.

yup,the gpu is the problem.i had no probs this time when i ran the game with onboard.thanks a lot guys

glad to be of help.

after i installed my onboard graphics,the sound is kind of distorted and slow.i have a creative soundblaster soundcard.how do i fix this.
i would also like to kno which gpu to buy(around 4000rs) and if my pci-e slot has a problem.thanks

extend budget to 5k and get a 8600GT . i'd advice to avoid XFX for this particular card only. . wichever u buy make sure its got gddr3 watever the size of the memory.

hi,
i found out the cost of two 8600gt cards (both 256 mb)-the first manufacturer is big byte corp(rs 4500+tax) and the second is the XFX (rs 5100+tax),which card should i go for .if not both,which manufacturer should i go for???

is the card from BIG having gddr3 memory ? if yes , take it. .i have had a bad experience from xfx 8600 , so for 8600 i recommend u to avoid xfx .. so i wud suggest BIG. besdies , wats ur budget ?

my budget is 5k-5.5k.thats it

^^^^-i just found out both the cards are DDR2.how much does a GDDR3 card cost anyway . and is sparkle a good manufacturer???

Point of View 8600GT has GDDR3 and 256 costs 4.9k. Its a gud one.

i think gddr3 cards are beyond my budget.and is ddr3 the same as gddr3.the zebronics one is rs4200(256 mb,ddr2),is it a decent one or should i go for sparkle or BIG.i am confused.does the manufacturer really make a difference??
PS-i live in bangalore,it would be great if NE1 can suggest a few good shops.

@raviramgopal-Though many suggested to go for XFX in the beginning, people are suggesting not to go for that. I say the same thing. I'm getting my 8600GT RMA'd. If you can get an MSI 8600GT, it's good. Try out Golcha computers on SP road. Only he seems to be stocking different companies and different models of graphics card. AFAIK, 8600GT 256MB has a DDR3 RAM, no matter which company you go for.

^^ i think 8600's come in 3 versions..
1. 256 mb gddr3
2. 512mb ddr2
3. 512mb gddr3

i would recommend picking up sparkle / BIG. .dont go4 the zebronics card.
i think sparkle uses zalman cooler which makes it pretty cool . .but between the two , i dont know which is better. i have heard that BIG is also fine.

those cards employing ddr2 use cheap mainboard ddr2 memory as the graphics memory in the cards they manufacture . .not much performance compared to gddr3.
undoubtedly gddr3 is leaps and bounds better .

256 mb gddr3 >> 512mb ddr2

please take a gddr3 based card even if it has lower memory size.