x800 PRO overheating hl2 and other games

[-h2o-]

Hi there, I am having major issues at the moment, my Sapphire x800 PRO (not the TOXIC version) seems to keep over heating.

because the x800 PRO is quite a powerful card i tend to run all games, such as Call Of Duty, Unreal Tournament at least 2x AA and Counter-Strike Source 4-6x AA and 8-16x AF. My card however seems to be getting to hot and crashes. Half-Life 2 seems to crash with "cant read memory" errors or just crashes with no error mesages. Like i said this crashing is not only with half-life 2, but half-Life 2 crashes more frequently.

Obviously my main concern is that my card is damaged. I overclock none of my computer specs however it still seems to be getting too hot.

I am not sure how hot a graphics card should get however the temperture of my card is deffenitly producing a uneffecient amount of heat. I have updated to latest versions of the catylst however there is still no hope.

To try and fix the problem I have taken both sides of my case off however this does not seem to help either. I have also connected one case fan however it vibrates allot and moves my graphics card forcing it to crash and occasionaly produce currupted textures. obviously i have removed the case fan.

Mabye i need a case fan, however with 1 cpu fan, 1 mother bored fan and a large graphics card fan and heatsink, i would of thought that my card should be cool. This is why i am concerned that there might be a major problem with the graphics card.

I am considering in purchesing a case with 5 case fans. Will this fix the problem?

If any one knows some kind of utility which allows me to view the temperture on my card ( i think my card does not have a thermonitor) i would be greatful.


I am desprate to use my card without loosing image quality. Is there any extra fans i can place onto my card without effecting perfomance?


I hope this made sense. Like i said i am desprate to play Half-Life 2 well without frequent crashing. I have listed my specification of my computer below. Any help would be greatful

3200+AMD XP
ABIT NF7-S motherbored (nforce 2)
Sapphire X800 PRO
2x 512mb RAM (1024mb Ram)
FANS: 1 cpu, 1 motherbored, 1 graphics card.

Problem: graphics card is overheating....i think

 

[azz0r]

I had the same problem, I now have the side off my case and I turned down my FSAA.

 

[cameljock]

The memory read errors, I believe, arent due to your hardware. I'm pretty sure that HL2 crashes from that error due to access rights somewhere in Windows operating system. This error occurs on my computer also and i have 9000 pro 128 w/AMD 3200, Shuttle mobo, etc. I dont think Valve will plan to adress this issue for another few years until they hire an actual progammer who has time and a decent mind to help us out.

 

[Bobcat]

I have the same card, I run at 1290x960x32, 4x FSAA and 8x AF (can get a little slow some times), and I have never come across any problems at all related to overheating.

I don't exactly have any real airflow either, and my room tends to be quite hot (during LANs it gets really hot as we forget to open windows)...

Read memory doesn't have to be graphics card related, could just as well be your RAM that might have a faulty spot. Seeing as they are easier to work with, I would recommend taking finding an area in which the problem occurs frequently, save. Remove 1 memory stick, return to area and toy about for an hour, exchange the stick with the one removed and repeat, and after that you should consider the graphics card.

Yes I know half the memory will kill that one single stick during HL2, but you're supposed to pressure it, right?

If the card is likely the problem, the addition of more fans certainly isn't too expensive and impossible to do.

 

[Chug a Bug]

I have an X800XT and I've never had any problems. Have you checked that the fan on the card is running ok and that there are no obstructions to the airflow around the card. Have you tried running the PC with the side panels removed to aid cooling? Does this fix the problem? If not theres some other problem with the card, if indeed the card is the problem. If it does solve the problem then some case fans would be a good idea. They're very easy to fit. Are you running the the latest catalyst drivers? Right click on the icon in the system tray, select the settings>ATI Display Settings tab, on the Plug and Play Monitor window that pops up click the Overdrive tab and there you'll see the temperature of your card. So long as it's not in the red zone there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[LOOKING]

You should use a slot blower they work wonders.