Annoying game freezing.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:04 am

Ok, short and sweet.

My vid card is suddenly locking up in many games for no particular reason.

I have a 7600GT. Apparently, there is a problem with the 6000 and 7000 and some kinda infinitely memory loop. This is the first I've encountered it or heard of it.

It revolves around a dll - nv4_disp.dll

All my drivers are current. This literally started out of no where.

Nothing is over clocked.

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Time of this report: 4/20/2008, 00:29:39
Machine name: ME
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.2GHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 311MB used, 3628MB available
Windows Dir: C:\\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found

JMEaT · Post by **JMEaT** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:22 am

Can you monitor the temp when it locks?

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:44 am

Yup, first eliminate heat as a potential cause. For nvidia video cards at stock clocks and stock cooling in a sealed case, if you get close to 100C you probably want to clean it out. I've seen most of my nvidia cards run into the mid to high 70C range on stock cooling in a well ventilated case when under load and usually idle around 45-55C.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 12:06 pm

no i can't.

..wait, found some software.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:47 pm

It's getting warm but not over 85C. (critical is 127).I ran a stress test and it failed due to a memory over run.

TechPro · Post by **TechPro** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:08 pm

\"memory overun\"? What did you use to perform a stress test? Has the stress test stuff worked for you previously?

If not, I'd say your game freezing problem is due to software hanging when encountering a memory problem. Just a guess.

DigiJo · Post by **DigiJo** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:55 pm

are you sure about critical temperatures for this microchips? usually silicon based uC´s max operation temperature is around 85°c and thats already critical. really.
i would be already concerned if that thing is in the 75+, thats like running a family car with 7000 rpm

just for the record, the cpu-internal temp-sensor is not really a precise measurement unit, its more like a raw guess when it goes into the upper and lower range limit.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:59 pm

TEch, that was a message i got before running the stress test. I got it while playing Halo.

At any rate.. I found the issue. I have a blown capacitor. It's a smt barrel cap. :\\ I yanked the card to check the heat sync for dust etc and found it. It also looks like one of the micro diodes didn't weld right to the pads. The contact is floating on top of the solder but there is no wetting. So you get some contact, but it will eventually fail.

I know when the cap went off once i thought about it too. I heard a LOUD electrical \"Crack\" the other night, but thought it came from the TV. ...so... I'm off to see what kinda RMA options i have. ...if any.

Thanks guys. oh, btw. Nvidia's software was saying that 127C was the critical threshold, but I know things will start melting if it was ever to get that hot.

captain_twinkie · Post by **captain_twinkie** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:05 pm

Try this link here
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=4432

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:17 pm

captain_twinkie wrote:Try this link here
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=4432

dude. I have a blown cap. thanks though, i'll give that a look over.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:30 pm

i have a 7800GS from eVGA i wonder if this applies to it aswell.

lately ive been having issues with not just random freezing, but hard crashes and total lockups.

no BSOD's no nothing, just locks up and plays sound in infinite loops till i force it off with the power button

captain_twinkie · Post by **captain_twinkie** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:34 pm

Duper wrote:
captain_twinkie wrote:Try this link here
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=4432
dude. I have a blown cap. thanks though, i'll give that a look over.

Doh! thats what i get for not reading the end of the thread, but if you didnt have a blown cap, ive seen that fix the issue.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:40 pm

lol yeah. This was something i ran across earlier but I failed to find a reliable fix.

Thanks!

BUBBALOU · Post by **BUBBALOU** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:58 pm

AceCombat wrote:i have a 7800GS from eVGA i wonder if this applies to it aswell.

lately ive been having issues with not just random freezing, but hard crashes and total lockups.

no BSOD's no nothing, just locks up and plays sound in infinite loops till i force it off with the power button

Is this happening while your watching DVD movies?

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:39 pm

no its happening while im playing BF2 and AAO,

just for what its worth, ive already ruled out overheating, temps never go above 78, drivers are updated to 169.21 which is the latest public version. already tried re-seating the card, cleaned out the case.... ive run out of ideas on what could be wrong.

it wont do it on FSX though

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:14 am

Check the caps on the board.

if one is bulged or cracked (or both) then that's your problem.

Check that link that twinkie offered up. It's for a documented problem.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:17 pm

yeah i did that, everything is normal physically. i checked out that link, good info there.

what gets me is that it does this for BF2 and AAO, but not for FSX

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:35 pm

Duper wrote:oh, btw. Nvidia's software was saying that 127C was the critical threshold, but I know things will start melting if it was ever to get that hot.

Your 85C is already too hot for that card. I have no idea where nVidia pulls those threshold values out of but that are alway about 50C too high.

As for temp monitoring (and other nifty things) use RivaTuner.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:09 pm

Oh.. ok. Thanks Gren. Will do.

I'll also be returning the card on an RMA. EVGA did good. Apparently, after talking to one of our purchasers, a Manuf. in Taiwan went on a spree of selling bad smt parts. a lot of folks in the industry (anyone that used smt caps) got hit.

this might have been part of that. All the same, i'll be watching the temp on the replacement.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:15 pm

Grendel wrote: As for temp monitoring (and other nifty things) use RivaTuner.

Riva will lock out my card and prevent XP from even booting!

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:23 pm

AceCombat wrote:
Grendel wrote: As for temp monitoring (and other nifty things) use RivaTuner.

Riva will lock out my card and prevent XP from even booting!

WHAT YOU SAY?!?!?!??

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:56 pm

User error

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:52 pm

user error my ass!

im telling you, my eVGA 7800GS AGP will not work if Riva is installed

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:40 pm

Ouch.

at any rate. Evga is replacing my card with a 8600 GT. (a lower end one) so I should be up and running in a week or so.

Oh, and I was wrong, these are through hole caps, not smt. ..weird. oh wait. .. I bet these are pick and place through hole parts instead of hand stuffed.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 6:38 pm

you gota 7600 PCI-E or AGP?

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:39 pm

that was a PCi-E.

I'm wondering if Q20 should have been there. :there is a diode near the bottom of the first that is a bit skewed but it is soldered.

dunno. weird.

Annoying game freezing.

Annoying game freezing.

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