Please help w/new graphics card & system build

(26) Re: Please help with new graphics card

It sould be OK. I'd check cabling, contacts (RAM, heatsinks), clean dust before another gaming session.

 

(27) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Thanks! I'll take another look at the connections. I replaced 2 ribbon IDE cables with round one's at the same time I installed the GPU. Maybe one of them didn't get seated properly.

 

(2 Re: Please help with new graphics card

Hehe looks like a sting ray.

The wire in the back and 2 sides

Wow 8800 GTX. You can probably play crysis?

 

(29) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Innerpeace,

If your temps were 80c and 62c AFTER play,then they were certainly a lot higher whilst playing and maintining that high temp.
Could well be the BIOS shutting down because of the high temps.

I know these temps are considered almost normal at times by some,but depending on your other hardware and the case cooling capability,may well be too high for you.

If it happens frequently,would seriously consider better cooling-solutions such as an external fan pointing at the case,removing a slot cover etc,have no effect.

Probably not a worry at all until stressed.

 

(30) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Hairy Coo,

I'm ok with the temps when not gaming. The 80C (GPU) and 62C (CPU) while gaming bother me a little. The reason is it's not an extended play like for over an hour at a time. I definitely want the temps down some and I'm experimenting with the external fan which helps a little. I'll also consider removing a slot cover and I need to find out more of how to increase my case fan speed. I only installed Speedfan as a cautionary measure and I know nothing about how to use it and which fan is which.

About the BIOS shutting down. I thought about that too, but I let the temps come down to normal before I rebooted. But I guess something could have been triggered to shut down. I also notice that the BIOS screens at boot are appearing and disappearing much faster than ever before. I may have messed something up when trying to get the computer booted when it wouldn't. Another reason for quickness may be due to the 128MB freed up by installing the GPU. My factory onboard graphics was using the 128MB. I may just decide to reinstall XP again and this time make an clean image before I install my drivers. I didn't do that last time .

By the way, how do you control your fan speeds?

 

(31) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Innerpeace,
External fan and removing the slot cover dont help at all to any practical extent-pointless reinstalling XP for this-dont worry about the BIOS screen disappearing etc.
In your case -just turn your fans to max.
If your CPU isnt powerful-it may now be stressed beyond its normal capacity and causing the BIOS to shutdown
If you are happy just to leave as is until the shutdown happens next time ,this may be best,but if this happens often you may need additional fans INSIDE the case,unless you have detected some other hardware fault

 

(32) Re: Please help with new graphics card

I think you could be right. Someone else mentioned that my processor might end up being the bottleneck. I only have a AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.2GHz) and 1 Gig of DDR PC3200 CAS3 RAM. I'm also running the original BIOS, DX9c, drivers etc. that came with this machine (2 1/2 years old).

My computer sits 6 inches off the floor and it's always cool. The floor is carpet sitting on concrete. It's also Winter here in the US, so my computer temps aren't going to get any better. I'll see what I can do to decrease the comps temps. I'm also going to start collecting parts to build my first machine. One that can handle the card or a slightly better one. It will be a budget build.

 

(33) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Check this one. A cheap, but powerful rig for everything but the most demanding task

 

(34) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Maybe you have plenty of power etc-check the minimum specs for the card.
In the meantime dont worry unless it happens again.
Pretty cold in West Virginia?

 

(35) Re: Please help with new graphics card

That smell is probably from the thermal paste heating up so much on the gfx/c making you dizzy. Collecting Parts? get a great case that is designed for cooling on your next build like an Antec case.

@Dieselman
The Thermalright Ultra gets a higher rating than the Zalman cooler.

 

(36) Re: Please help with new graphics card

P182 to be exact,my duo core is running at 27c.

 

(37) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Thanks for the link. Hmmm, I could use my ext. Seagate HDD, my new Pioneer burner and my new GPU and it would be under $300. I do like the Antec boxes, they look very well built.

Very! How's -13C sound

Thanks, the smell isn't as bad tonight. I've been looking around at NewEgg and the Antec cases are sweet.

 

(3 Re: Please help with new graphics card

if it -13 i surprised you getting high temps just stand the pc in the doorway lol. what is the ambient air temperature outside your case? that antec P182 is the original classic it should be very cheap now but theres others that just as good and better design and a few are budget. goto the Antec site. next month a new Intel motherboard chipset comes out, X48 which is what the X38 chipset should of been. so prices should drop on alot boards and Intel cut there prices on cpu chips in April so price falls again. A good time to buy.

 

(39) Re: Please help with new graphics card

A polar bear might eat it

 

(40) Re: Please help with new graphics card

I know but I didn't like the Thermalright.

 

(41) Re: Please help with new graphics card

In the last winter (July) we reached that wind chill (temperature of -7º C). That was the coldest winter in fifty years and we saw snow for the first time in forty-one years

 

(42) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Standing on the Eiffel Tower?

 

(43) Re: Please help with new graphics card

I'm not French

 

(44) Re: Please help with new graphics card

[FONT=arial, helvetica] What do polar bears like to eat in the cold?

A brrrrrr grrrrrr

I experienced the first earthquake in my life 2 days ago. It was magnitude 5.6 first one in 25 years.
[/FONT]

 

(45) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Ambient temp around the case is probably in the mid 60's F. I have a lot of cool air leaking into my apartment 24/7.

Waiting a while before getting a MB or chip sounds like a good plan plus it gives me time to learn more about the processors. I like the idea of saving money too .

LOL, no polar bears here, only black bears. A deer may nibble a bit on the case though.

 

(46) Re: Please help with new graphics card

thats the problem with air cooling your pc temp is always higher than the ambient air temp around it. if you could somehow funnel that cold air from outside into your case that be great. heat rises so cutting a hole at the top would help the heat escape. if you smoke you could blow some smoke into the case to see how the air circulates and have better understanding of how the airflow travels and then adjust your fans in a better position. i now understand the meaning of your avatar in such a cold place. not robot but frozen man. 120mm fans are always useful even if you just point them downwards at your motherboard that helps cool the NB too as in Hairy Coo too. The gfx card giving off so much heat its heating up the inside of the case so much. Have you tried taking the lid off the case?

 

(47) Re: Please help with new graphics card

I just took the side off my case 5 minutes ago and the GPU temps went 56C to 50C and the CPU from 40C to 34C.

I don't smoke either, but thats a good trick

 

(4 Re: Please help with new graphics card

All as markymoo said ,seems like that hot air is being trapped so the best long term solution is to cut that hole in the case top,ideally mount an exhaust fan there, powered from inside the case .

Try to upgrade your internal fans to something larger.

A quick solution would be to buy an Antec p182 case and transfer the hardware-it comes with 3- 120mm fans and two more can be fitted!

You can always keep the case for when you upgrade

 

(49) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Yes, you all are right. The air is being trapped. Temps have now declined to as low as 48C GPU and 29C CPU. The P182 Antec case is nice, very nice but it's $150 on sale at the site I shop at. The cheapest Antecs are $89 (P180 w/3 fans) and $79 (Solo w/1 fan). I think the Solo is the one I can get at the same price ($79) with the Antec 380watt PSU included. It's the one in the link that Lucas posted.

I will figure something out. Everyone gave very good advice and I have learned a lot. I will do a little more experimenting with the advice given. I'll look at adding a fan first and then go from there. Thanks to everyone that posted, your support is invaluable.

innerpeace

 

(50) Re: Please help with new graphics card

Review here

Buy the Antec 180-basically the same (and the prior model to the 182) except for a few details which dont effect the cooling(ability to hide cabling,external fan switches)-its the one I'm using-looks the same too.
My CPU is 26c-ambient about 24c.
Use your existing PSU.
Its also quite silent-insulated sides.

another review here