Disaster!!!!! Please Help ME

Vegeta

Hey I hope you can help me. I have a computer with the following specs, AMD processor, 128Mb ATI graphics card and 1gig of ram. I was playing guild wars last night on my computer and the game screen froze, sound kept playing, then monitor went to stand by......but I also got a slight burning smell.

I restarted my computer manually, i.e. held the power button until it turned off. When I turned it back on I went surfing the net and after about 10 minutes the same thing happened again, the screen froze completely and then my monitor went to stand by mode on its own.

I then took off the case and turned it back on again. I cleared the small amounts of dust from the fans on everything and turned my comp back on again. All fans were spinning so no problem there. My friend began playing guild wars again and I investigated the inside of the PC. The graphics card was very hot (but that's just natural really). The heat sink would burn my finger if left on it long enough. After 20 minutes of him playing the same thing happened. Screen froze and then monitor went to stand by.

So my question to you guys is what's going on??? Obviously it looks like my graphics card is fried but I don't want to go away buying a new one if there is another problem causing my graphics card to break. cos then the new one will just suffer the same fate.

Is there any diagnostic software that I can run or any test programs. Its not just games that cause it to freeze, it also froze using internet explorer so 3D mark or any of those isn't gona work. I want to ensure that my PC is ok before I buy any replacement parts. Would really appreciate your help guys as I am a gaming nut and my comp was my life every day after work.

KdjaCL

Install http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/ and underclock your graphics card, it has a montior to tell the heat of the GPU.

kdjac

mukki

have you got the latest drivers, i know the standard xp drivers used to cause geforce 2mx (okay it had no heat sink) to over heat

pontovic

That burning smell seems to be your graphics card overheating. If that happens, it's fairly common for your computer to crash as well. What kind of graphics card have you got ? In the computers BIOS, have a look at the temperature of the CPU and the motherboard, with the case on, just to make sure everything else is ok. I dont know entirely how to do this, maybe someone else here could help with that ?

Vegeta

I have a 128 Mb ATI powercolor, think its the 9800. My mother board came with a thing (third eye or something like that) that tells me the temp of the processor, inside of the case and the power supply and they're all normal!! I do have the latest drivers as well. I am not at home at the moment I am at work so I cant try underclocking the graphics card but I'll take that on board.

Vegeta

Any idea what temperature a graphics card should be running at, and what are dangerous levels

ambro25

Sounds like your gfx card is overheating and calling it quits, as and when temp gets critical and trips it.

I had same problem with a 9700 Pro, solved it with extra cooling on the gfx card courtesy of Zahlmann