Problem

[Ol'digger]

Help..............

My system has locked up twice after playing new sniper maps requiring a complete re-start.

I then get a NVIDIA graphics card error, which says that my NVIDIA powered graphics card is not receiving enough power.

When I troubleshoot this I am told....
Ensure your supplementary power connection is attached and that the power supply in your computer must be able to supply ample power to all the attached peripherals in addition to this extra connection.....

1) I don't have any peripherals running off my computer everything has seperate power supply.
2) It has never done this before.........been running this machine for over 12mnths.

Therefore is it the new maps that are causing my card to try and do too much? It is a GeForce 6800GT 512mb, Or is the card about to fall over?????

And what is a cheap solution...........a new graphics card runs to about $700 Aus = $600 US......which I do not have at the moment.

Suggestions or ideas please...................

[Macaroni]

what graphics card do you have now?

I wonder if it is overheating.....


what size power supply do you have?

[Mad Celt]

You probably already tried this, and I am being the champion of the obvious, but for what it is worth try updating driver. Often the driver issued with the card is 6 months old or more, and is really a glorified Beta version.

Other than that, How big is your Power supplY, These new Video cards are Power hogs

Hope it works out fo r you, let me know

[SgtChopper]

Your power supply might be going bad. Have your tried playing on other servers.

[Ol'digger]

Answers in order................

It's not overheating I did a check and it is running at 58 deg, the rest of the machine is running at 54 deg.....the peak rating is 115 deg.

Card = GeForce 6800GT 512mb

Power supply = plugged into wall...........how the hell do I know????

The driver is current.

???????????????????

[mike]

Sounds like you need a more powerful PSU. To start off, open up you PC and take a look at your PSU, give us the wattage and amperage information on the sticker

[Yourself]

I highly doubt (but I don't know) that a single or particular map will cause that type of an error.

It is possible, however, that a map is putting much more of a demand on the graphics card by doing more graphically.

What resolution are you running at?

Can you predict when it's going to happen?

Does it happen in any other game?

If you have some kind of idea when it happens, try turning down your graphics settings (back off the visual quality and lower the resolution) and see if you get the same type of error.

An error like that (assuming you're not getting some type of bogus error message) is hardware related. Since you've never seen it before, my guess is the video card is starting to go bad.

It may also be dirty. Look at it with the system running, and ensure that the fan on the video card is running.

It's possible that the power supply is also going bad - I'm not familiar with that card, but I assume it has a separate power connector.

Do you have another card you can try in that system to see if you get a similar error? Can you try that card in another system to see if that system generates the error?

Doing a quick search, I found this 8600 GTS 256 meg for AU $199.95 (http://www.shoppingsquare.com.au/p_798_PALIT_NVIDIA_GEFORCE_8600GTS_256MB_VIDEO_CAR D)

Here's a quick comparison from Tom's hardware (http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=721&model2=1058&chart=301).....apparently, the 8600 GTS is quite a bit faster than the 6800 GT.

That's a 256-meg 8600 GTS, but it shouldn't have problems with a gaming resolution of 1280 x 1024 or lower.

I haven't worked with either, so I can't directly compare them.

Here's a link for a 512-meg 8800GT for AU $289.95, (http://www.shoppingsquare.com.au/p_2938_PALIT_NVIDIA_GEFORCE_8800GT_512MB_DDR3_PCI_ EXPRESS_VIDE) which will blow just about anything out of the water at resolutions below 1900 x 1200, and is a MUCH better choice than ANY sub-8800 series. In my opinion, the 8800GT is well worth the extra $100, but it's not my money.

Here's a link comparing the 8800GT vs. the 6800 GT (http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=721&model2=1057&chart=301)...as you can see, there is absolutely no comparison. It is also almost 3x faster than the 8600GT.

I've never shopped in Australia, so I don't know anything about the companies in those links.

Yourself (Dave)

[Ol'digger]

Thanks all,

The biggest problem I have is that the machine I run for gaming is on lease.......(read TAX DEDUCTION) I can't open it or play with the inside unless I get the shop that built it to do it.

I also have the drama of not having the machine for up to 3 weeks to have it checked...let alone up-graded.

The error only occurs after 1 sniper map.............it never happens during R+G even with 48+ players.....???

I will ring the guys that built it and see what the upgrade will cost and ask if they can check the machine for power issues...

Thanks again

[Yourself]

Sniper maps are generally longer viewing distances, which can bring in many more graphical objects.

I'll assume from your comments that it is limited to sniper maps - what resolution do you game at?

Does it also error when you snipe at a lower resolution and/or lower graphical settings?

Yourself (Dave)

[Ol'digger]

Dave,

I am running the suggestions for settings that you gave me when I first set the machine up............

1280 x 960

with a 60 fp refresh ??

It has only happened with 1 map.............twice.

I have asked for a quote for new graphics cards and they are all around the $500 mark as the computer shop obviously don't discount like the ones you so kindly found.

Can you recommend a good brand or card.....?
There are so many that seem to be very similar......and I don't understand the differences between them all.

My computer shop is pushing these at me.......

XFX GeForce 8800GTS, 512MB 256bit DDR3, Dual DVI, HDCP, RoHS, HDTV , SLI (PV-T88G-YDF4)
$515

XFX GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3, 625MHz, PCI Express, SLI, Dual DVI, HDTV, HDCP, RoHS (PV-T88P-YDQ4)
$555

XFX PCIe 8800GTX Ultra 768MB - PV-T80U-SHE9 - 67070
$700


And I have booked the machine in for a check up in a week or so.

Thanks again

Brett

[Zaitsev]

I went with the 8800GT 512MB 675MHz, but the price was less than $300 USD. It was the best bang for the buck!!!

[Yourself]

Try dropping the resolution down to 1024 x 768, and all graphics settings on low - see if it still continues to give you the problem.

I know that'll look bad, but suffer with it to see what happens.

As to an actual brand, I don't know that much about the different brands - each manufacture has the reference chipset (from either NVIDIA or AMD), and they implement it according to their own standards - some slightly overclock, some offer more memory, some just add items to the card and sell it as a "bundle" (extra cables, games, etc.).

Pay attention to the warranties on the cards - that is what I usually use as a distinction (that, and what comes in the bundle - not having to buy a cable or an adapter will save you a bit of money).

For the most part, computer equipment GENERALLY either dies right away, or after a long while (assuming you're not stressing it by significantly overclocking or overheating it), so that's why I recommend "burning in" a system - leaving it running the first few days with something graphically intensive and something that tests the disks (sometimes, just multiple defrags if it's not a new Windows installation).

Other than that, some companies have a lifetime warranty, and some offer a "step-up" program, where you can trade the video card in for a more powerful one at some future date, getting full credit for your original purchase price.

At 1280 x 1024, any of the NVIDIA-based 8800 series or the AMD-based 38x0 series (3850 or 3870) will give you the best bang for the buck.

Of those series, the 8800 is the fastest, but all of them (8800 and 38x0 series) are heads and shoulders above anything else offered before.

So, you should be able to buy based on price among those - you will be happy with any of them (assuming it is your video card and you do have to replace it).

A game should not be able to generate a hardware problem in your machine without somthing being actually wrong.

I don't remember when you purchased the machine - is it still under a warranty?

Yourself (Dave)

[majorpete]

i had the same problem with one map and getting the blue screen of death up.

I went to my usual pc shop MPLEX and told him the problem, he said it was to do with HD.

He then suggested the the ATI Radeon HD 2600 pro AGP which cost £95

I put this in the system and have had no problems since it also has 2 independant fans built on the graphics card so im not sure whether it was an overheating issue or like he said a HD issue

[Ol'digger]

Dave,
I purchased an extended 3yr warranty when I bought the machine so that is not a drama..........as far as repairs are dconcerned.

The upgrade in video card.......if necessary, will be my expense.

I will go with an 8800 series just not sure which one at this point.

Thanks for the help.

Brett

[SolidSnake]

Stay away from the GTS versions they were the first ones to come out and are underpowered, here in England they say the best value for money card at the moment is the 8800GT CLUB but you can get other 8800GT that are overclocked and a little bit more expensive.
Its cheaper than the GTX and is not far away from it on performance.
One question though: Why buy a card from a shop when the best deals and selection are on the web.
I get all my hardwear from a site in the U.K called Scan.Computers, they have all the 8800GT you can want, take a look just to get an idea of the versions and prices.
If money is no object then the 8800GTX Ultra is the best at the moment but very very overpriced.
I am using a 7950GX2 at the moment but will upgrade to 8800 when i get the cash.
The problem is that as soon as you buy a card something better comes out and you get cheesed off lol

[Ol'digger]

Thanks Solid,
Unfortunately any alterations to the machine must be made by the shop or the entrie warranty is void.

They will only install a product they supply........

Hence the limited choice in cards and cost.

[UncleFester]

I don't think you mentioned which map this was occuring on but I am pretty sure it is one that has alot of FX being called for, which is stressing your video card causing it to act up.

[Yourself]

Don't go replacing your video card yet until you're sure that's the culprit.

Have you tried going down in resolution and graphics settings to see if it still crashes?

If it's not the video card, replacing it may not solve the problem.

Also, there are two versions of the GTS - pre GT and post GT.

The pre GT versions are 320 and 640 meg, the post GT versions are 256 or 512 meg - they are the ones to get.

As mentioned (by Uncle Fester and me), it may be a heavy graphics load that is stressing the card on a few maps. If that's the case, your options are to lower your settings, or to upgrade the card.

Yourself (Dave)

[Ol'digger]

Thanks Dave................

As yet is hasn't done it again.........however as I previously stated I will get the machine checked out prior to any purchase.

I am slowly checking all the maps to find which one it was as I had to delete them all to resolve a .iwd error.

Cheer

[Yourself]

Good luck checking them all!

Post back what you find out.

Yourself (Dave)

[bionic]

I have a 512 Radeon and had to make sure the power supply was sufficient. I had similar issues as well which turned out to be settings with my monitor and audio interface.

[Copydude]

Help..............

My system has locked up twice after playing new sniper maps requiring a complete re-start.

I then get a NVIDIA graphics card error, which says that my NVIDIA powered graphics card is not receiving enough power.

When I troubleshoot this I am told....
Ensure your supplementary power connection is attached and that the power supply in your computer must be able to supply ample power to all the attached peripherals in addition to this extra connection.....

1) I don't have any peripherals running off my computer everything has seperate power supply.
2) It has never done this before.........been running this machine for over 12mnths.

Therefore is it the new maps that are causing my card to try and do too much? It is a GeForce 6800GT 512mb, Or is the card about to fall over?????

And what is a cheap solution...........a new graphics card runs to about $700 Aus = $600 US......which I do not have at the moment.

Suggestions or ideas please...................

man where have you been shopping....the newest release from Nvidia the 9600 is only $199 US http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=512-P3-N865-AR
enjoy shopping.
also check yuour card.. you have where it plugs into your board AND, you should have an additional plug at the end of the card, are you plugged into it?
ALso the power is refering to your power source, what is it's capacity, becuase if you buy a new card you will have to upgrade that also and the can set you back an additional, $150 to $200.
good luck
Karl

[Ol'digger]

Thanks Solid,
Unfortunately any alterations to the machine must be made by the shop or the entrie warranty is void.

They will only install a product they supply........

Hence the limited choice in cards and cost.

Thats where I have to shop Karl............I don't have any choice.
The machine also has company seals which negate me even opening the tower to look inside...........
They only sell XFX Video cards........guess what are the dearest cards on the market ??????

Yes, I know stupid Ol'digger...........let a salesman talk me into what sounded like a top notch machine at the time even came with a remote cordless control for gaming like an x-box (not that I have ever used it)..........mind you it is nearly 16mnths old as was pretty high tech when I got it , the first of the duo core machines to hit the market.

And considering I bought it to play CoD2 never having heard of CoD4....it has done alright I suppose.

[Copydude]

You have had this machine over 12 months... how long is the warranty period.
and given the nature of computers upgrading every ohter month, is it worth you worring about a warranty,
also does your warranty cover the power supply?
I was thinking that it copuld be going out (getting weak) that would also explain the message that you got.

[Ol'digger]

The machine is on a 3yr tax deductable lease..............
The warranty is for the full 3yrs period.

I can upgrade at any time...........obviously at further expense but it has to be done by the shop that built it.

[Copydude]

lol, I had thought htis was a fresh post I have read the others and understand completely, as has been stated in other posts, I think your main problem is not enough power beign directed toward your card, wether, they have plugged in the auxerillery power on the card itself or, the power supply is inadequate to the power demands of the card, or the power suppl is going bad, all warranty issues.

good luck sounds like you are in a quandry.
Karl

[SolidSnake]

Whats the difference on the 9 series compared to the 8 series? Is it the core? Too many cards coming out now i can't keep up with it...new today old tomorrow...

[Copydude]

Thanks Dave................

As yet is hasn't done it again.........however as I previously stated I will get the machine checked out prior to any purchase.

I am slowly checking all the maps to find which one it was as I had to delete them all to resolve a .iwd error.

Cheer

there is never a need to delet ALL your maps to a iwd error, all you have to do is remove that particular map, an iwd error is when two maps of the same name are causing conflict with each other or another map, always the offending map is indicated when the error appears on your screen, just jot that down go to your custom maps folder in COD4 an deither delete the indicated map or just move it to your desktop, and that will fix it.
thsi used to happen alot to me in COD2 when I was floating from one server to another,.
Karl

[Copydude]

Whats the difference on the 9 series compared to the 8 series? Is it the core? Too many cards coming out now i can't keep up with it...new today old tomorrow...

follow the link, but in a nutshell (I think) is that more an dmore people are hooking up there computers to their media centers in their home and using it as a high end dvd player via the hdmi connection, these new cards are built for that stress and are true dx10 and HD all the while pushign more power and running cooler.
and getting cheaper in price it seems.
Karl

[Yourself]

Nice recap there, Karl.

I would like to point out that, as of yet, even the newest cards have major problems with DX10 at any kind of resolution.

But, the 9800GTX isn't out yet, so we will see.

Yourself (Dave)

[Ol'digger]

Well the computer gurus have checked out my machine and found two little issues that confused heck out of them...LOL

Someone designed my machine with (at the time) high end graphics and high end sound cards.......but left the standard power supply....they have now replaced the 300w with a 450w under warranty.

The second thing that amazed them....was how the heck I could run CoD4 on line with a XFX6800 512mb series card.....they didn't think it could do it.

And as there were no 8800 series cards available at the shop and are not expected for about 3-4weeks, I will keep using the old one by then maybe I will go to a 9800.

Along with a 800w power supply and 4gig more ram.......