Graphic card problem?

[Péter Bártfai]

I have a problem and I think it might have something to do (well most probably) with my graphics card. I have an MSI N9600GT 512Mb that I've bought 2,5 years ago. In Race I had graphics problems and freezes before, but now it started to do it in other games too! F.e. in Oblivion I have strange glitches (like lines coming out of people and flickering), and sometimes (more often as time passes by) the graphics go away completely like it does in Race after a freeze. (Purple and pink everywhere, can't even read the menus... )
I also started to have problems playing Grid, and had graphics glitches in other games too like Titan Quest f.e.

Well I have searched for it and as I read it might have to do something with my video card memory overheating! But of course as I'm no expert on these things I would like to see the answer of somebody who is!

Whatever it is that causing the problem I would like to solve it, preferably without having to buy new hardware! (hopefully it is possible)

My PC's specs are:
Asus P5LD2 motherboard
Intel P4D 2,8Ghz
2GB DDR2 RAM @ 667Mhz
MSI N9600GT 512Mb
Realtek HD audio onboard

Btw I've tried many different drivers, including ones that I used before without any problems, and had the same problems. I'm really worried so I appreciate any help I get!

 

[Chris Butcher]

Sounds like it could be an overheating problem. Quick fixes might be running on lower settings which will reduce stress on the card, and therefore heat too. Just out of curiosity, does your graphics card have a heatsink attached to it? If so, the thermal paste between that and your card may have dried out and can't dissipate the heat effectively.

 

[Jim Cole]

Heat may well be the issue due to the amount of graphics load on the system. If you have the ability to attach a fan to the graphics card, try that and see what happens. Also, make sure that you are using the most current drivers as they do tend to make a difference and some driver updates included bug fixes for specific game issues.

 

[Javier López]

Have you checked the overheating? Do you use utilities like CPUID HWMonitor or MsiAfterburner (http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/download.htm )?

 

[Jim Cole]

There are a couple of tools you can use to check temps. First off I would see about using GPUZ. Very informative tool to see how things are going. This is made by the same people that made CPUZ which is used by a number of places that do overclocking to be sure things are running right. Give them a try.

Also, the UI that came with your card usually has a way to look at info on the card. If you are using ATI then the CCC should have an area where you can see the temps.

 

[John Bowman]

Clean the heatsink on the card, usually a couple of small screws will remove any cover and use a brush and hoover to clear up the clogged air ways.

I give my system a good cleaning out every 6 months to keep those temps down.

MSI afterburner will allow you to game while recording temperatures, when you exit game the graph will display what the temps have been during your gaming. If the temperatures are 90+ then you need to cool it down. Running around 80 is warm but shouldn't cause problems short term.

 

[Péter Bártfai]

Thanks for the help guys! I'll try everything

 

[Robert Walker]

Sounds like you are getting artifacts because the graphics card is working beyond it's working parameters. It is most likely due to heat. Don't know how often you clean the inside of your case. But sometimes a can of compressed air can work wonders. just make sure you get all the dust out of the heat sink. That would be the first place to start. As others have said. Get some software that monitors the temps and do a before and after comparison.