so if my vid card starts showing blue boxes while i'm gaming, should i assume it's overheating and about to shit itself?

funny thing is, i can still kick people's asses with the blue boxes all over the display and they get all pissed off and leave haha

anyone know any good deals on mid-range vid cards?

11/9/2005 10:10:23 PM

check out the fan on the card
also airflow in your case

11/9/2005 10:12:04 PM

my case is open lol

roomtemp is kinda average for the season - 70-77

but the card is burning up to the touch

it doesn't lock up the system or anything, just shows these artifacts.

time to get a new mid-range agp card probably. upgrading the drivers didn't help. any deals?

11/9/2005 10:15:25 PM

get some compressed air and blow out the heatsink fan on the video card
is it turning at full speed ?

11/9/2005 10:18:01 PM

well ur case should never be open if u want proper cooling. with an open case, the air flow gets fucked up and doesnt do what it should. i would get some canned air, do some cleanin and close the case.

11/9/2005 10:22:21 PM

^ and make sure the fan on the card is actually working.

11/9/2005 10:45:02 PM

Is it still under warranty? If it is a built by ati card then you should be able to get it replaced. I had the same problem, but I requested a new revision 3.0 9700 pro, and got it.

11/9/2005 10:49:00 PM

Quote :

"ell ur case should never be open if u want proper cooling."

Really? I have mine open because I assumed that having everything exposed to the open air (70 degrees) was better than closing it of for the fans to recycle the same (above room temp) air. The radeon pulls air into the fan from inside the case. With it open isn't it working with cooler air?

Does a closed case create a better vacuum?

[Edited on November 10, 2005 at 9:09 AM. Reason : -]

11/10/2005 9:03:45 AM

well as long as there is a fan pulling air into or out of the case you are good to go

11/10/2005 9:47:04 AM

the airflow in the case will not be regulated properly with an open case. the case closed creates an obviously closed in container. with the fans pulling and/or venting air, the flow will be more uniform and less chaotic, like it would with the case open to the atmosphere. it's a simple thermo/fluids analysis really, but bein an ME it's like second nature now to be able to analyze that and understand it..lol. btw, with my system i have done tests to see the difference in temps from closed versus open and the closed definitely were lower.

[Edited on November 10, 2005 at 9:52 AM. Reason : .]

11/10/2005 9:51:23 AM

Well, I'll have to close mine when I get home today. Although I'll miss having a mini-radiator in the 'office' for these winter months.

11/10/2005 9:54:26 AM

Like someone said above, having your case completely open screws up the airflow and makes it worse. When your case is shut the fans suck in air from the outside and blow it out so that it's a constant flow of air which is how it's designed. Although having the case completely open seems like it would cool off the inside components, it really disrupts the air flow.

11/10/2005 10:00:03 AM

well in my pc if i open my case, i can play the game longer than if it's closed. weird but i don't think my case's airflow is all that good anyways if this is the case.

no, it's a refurbed crucial 9700 pro so i don't think it's under warranty.

i'll get a can of compressed air and clean it out.

11/10/2005 5:18:24 PM

Check the airflow in your case because it seems like a heat problem. As for a mid range card the nvidia 6600GT is a good buy at right around $140.

11/11/2005 10:20:04 AM

Hey, let me the 5th person to say it:

an open case screws up your airflow rather than helping it!

11/11/2005 10:22:36 AM

well the fan on the vid card is working and there's no dust but still the artifacts when i launch america's army or sometimes a few hours into it - it's really random.

then if i let it sit there they'll go away.

it's definitely the heat but i don't know how to cool it better than this without buying a new case.

[Edited on November 11, 2005 at 11:44 PM. Reason : .]

11/11/2005 11:44:10 PM