Graphics Cards Overheating?

you can use the nvidia driver program to check the temp.
but it sounds like a power supply issue.
"Jeffrey Willis" <jwillis44 DeleteThis @earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:%Ptzf.9530$ZA2.9315@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> After running a new computer for about a month without problem, I have
> suddenly started experiencing myriad difficulties. The computer runs
> normally for the first three hours or so ... then, various application
> programs just close down without warning. There are no error messages,
> but eventually the screens just freeze. The computer then becomes
> impossible to reboot - I then get myriad error messages about various
> applications failing to initialize. I let the computer sit for an hour or
> two, then she reboots fine. My initial reaction was virus. But used 3
> different scanners to examine machine - came up clean on each. Then it
> occurred to me ....
>
> Could one or both of my graphics cards be overheating?
>
> I have 2 cards installed .....
>
> GeForce 5500 and GeForce 6600. They run two monitors each ... 19" LCDs.
>
> I am not a techie, but am fairly proficient at troubleshooting some
> hardware issues ..... can anyone tell me in simple English how I can
> determine if I have an overheating problem with my graphics cards?
>
> Thanks.
>
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

Thanks Chuck. But, I'm focused on the graphics cards first. Is there a
simple way to tell if they are overheating? Is there software that will
track this? Does XP or Nvidia have a little hidden tool somewhere that
will spit back some info for me to assess if the grpahics cards are
overheating?

Thanks again.


"Chuck" <Chuckk2nospam RemoveThis @cox.net> wrote in message
news:vZuzf.7169$bF.2046@dukeread07...
> You are correct to suspect hardware. In addition to the graphics cards,
> you
> should consider the power supply, motherboard, RAM, and cooling fans. It
> may
> be that the power supply is under rated, or the original cooling
> inadequate.
> Finally, early life failures do occur in the time frame you mentioned. I
> would consider returning it for warrenty repair or replacement.
>
> "Jeffrey Willis" <jwillis44 RemoveThis @earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:%Ptzf.9530$ZA2.9315@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>> After running a new computer for about a month without problem, I have
>> suddenly started experiencing myriad difficulties. The computer runs
>> normally for the first three hours or so ... then, various application
>> programs just close down without warning. There are no error messages,
>> but eventually the screens just freeze. The computer then becomes
>> impossible to reboot - I then get myriad error messages about various
>> applications failing to initialize. I let the computer sit for an hour
>> or
>> two, then she reboots fine. My initial reaction was virus. But used 3
>> different scanners to examine machine - came up clean on each. Then it
>> occurred to me ....
>>
>> Could one or both of my graphics cards be overheating?
>>
>> I have 2 cards installed .....
>>
>> GeForce 5500 and GeForce 6600. They run two monitors each ... 19" LCDs.
>>
>> I am not a techie, but am fairly proficient at troubleshooting some
>> hardware issues ..... can anyone tell me in simple English how I can
>> determine if I have an overheating problem with my graphics cards?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

"J W" <jwillis44.RemoveThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:F7vzf.9562$ZA2.148@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Thanks Chuck. But, I'm focused on the graphics cards first. Is there a
> simple way to tell if they are overheating? Is there software that will
> track this? Does XP or Nvidia have a little hidden tool somewhere that
> will spit back some info for me to assess if the grpahics cards are
> overheating?
>
> Thanks again.
>
>
> "Chuck" <Chuckk2nospam.RemoveThis@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:vZuzf.7169$bF.2046@dukeread07...
>> You are correct to suspect hardware. In addition to the graphics cards,
>> you
>> should consider the power supply, motherboard, RAM, and cooling fans. It
>> may
>> be that the power supply is under rated, or the original cooling
>> inadequate.
>> Finally, early life failures do occur in the time frame you mentioned. I
>> would consider returning it for warrenty repair or replacement.
>>
>> "Jeffrey Willis" <jwillis44.RemoveThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>> news:%Ptzf.9530$ZA2.9315@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>>> After running a new computer for about a month without problem, I have
>>> suddenly started experiencing myriad difficulties. The computer runs
>>> normally for the first three hours or so ... then, various application
>>> programs just close down without warning. There are no error messages,
>>> but eventually the screens just freeze. The computer then becomes
>>> impossible to reboot - I then get myriad error messages about various
>>> applications failing to initialize. I let the computer sit for an hour
>>> or
>>> two, then she reboots fine. My initial reaction was virus. But used
>>> 3
>>> different scanners to examine machine - came up clean on each. Then it
>>> occurred to me ....
>>>
>>> Could one or both of my graphics cards be overheating?
>>>
>>> I have 2 cards installed .....
>>>
>>> GeForce 5500 and GeForce 6600. They run two monitors each ... 19" LCDs.
>>>
>>> I am not a techie, but am fairly proficient at troubleshooting some
>>> hardware issues ..... can anyone tell me in simple English how I can
>>> determine if I have an overheating problem with my graphics cards?
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

There is a hardware monitor in Rivatuner that will allow you to monitor the
6600's core temperature. Not sure if the 5500 has a thermal sensor though.
You could quickly rule out graphics card problems by downloading prime95 and
running the 'torture test'. If it finds a hardware problem it will tell you,
usually within a few minutes, normally without crashing your machine.
When you say the machine won't reboot, do you mean it's completely dead, or
do the hard drives / fans spin up?

Dr.White.
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

In message <%Ptzf.9530$ZA2.9315@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net>,
Jeffrey Willis <jwillis44.TakeThisOut@earthlink.net> writes
>After running a new computer for about a month without problem, I have
>suddenly started experiencing myriad difficulties. The computer runs
>normally for the first three hours or so ... then, various application
>programs just close down without warning. There are no error messages,
>but eventually the screens just freeze. The computer then becomes
>impossible to reboot - I then get myriad error messages about various
>applications failing to initialize. I let the computer sit for an hour or
>two, then she reboots fine. My initial reaction was virus. But used 3
>different scanners to examine machine - came up clean on each. Then it
>occurred to me ....
>
>Could one or both of my graphics cards be overheating?
>
>I have 2 cards installed .....
>
>GeForce 5500 and GeForce 6600. They run two monitors each ... 19" LCDs.
>
>I am not a techie, but am fairly proficient at troubleshooting some
>hardware issues ..... can anyone tell me in simple English how I can
>determine if I have an overheating problem with my graphics cards?
>
>Thanks.
>
>
Most of the 6600 based cards I've encountered have a temperature sensor.
Click on the Geforce tab in the display settings / advanced panel, it's
an option in there to see the temperature.

No idea how this works if you have more than one card, I don't know if
your 5500 has a sensor either.

Alternatively, on some hard disk caddies with fans / sensors, etc. there
is a second sensor cable to measure system temp. If you have one of
those put the end of the sensor cable under the edge of the graphics
cooler heatsink as close to the chip as possible.

Good luck

--
Neil J Bundy
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

Jeffrey Willis wrote:
> After running a new computer for about a month without problem, I have
> suddenly started experiencing myriad difficulties. The computer runs
> normally for the first three hours or so ... then, various application
> programs just close down without warning. There are no error messages,
> but eventually the screens just freeze. The computer then becomes
> impossible to reboot - I then get myriad error messages about various
> applications failing to initialize. I let the computer sit for an hour or
> two, then she reboots fine. My initial reaction was virus. But used 3
> different scanners to examine machine - came up clean on each. Then it
> occurred to me ....
>
> Could one or both of my graphics cards be overheating?
>
> I have 2 cards installed .....
>
> GeForce 5500 and GeForce 6600. They run two monitors each ... 19" LCDs.
>
> I am not a techie, but am fairly proficient at troubleshooting some
> hardware issues ..... can anyone tell me in simple English how I can
> determine if I have an overheating problem with my graphics cards?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
what are the case temp and the room temp, also are the graphics
card s clean ? dusty ?
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

The quickest way to check is to give the cards more cooling - i.e. open the
side of the case and point a household fan at the cards, and see if the
problem still occurs.

The culprit could also be a dead or dying power supply fan, but that's easy
enough to check visually.

With regards to temperature monitoring. Do you know how hot is too hot? Some
users have reported running at 80 C without signs of instability.

--
"War is the continuation of politics by other means.
It can therefore be said that politics is war without
bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed."

"Jeffrey Willis" <jwillis44 RemoveThis @earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:%Ptzf.9530$ZA2.9315@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> After running a new computer for about a month without problem, I have
> suddenly started experiencing myriad difficulties. The computer runs
> normally for the first three hours or so ... then, various application
> programs just close down without warning. There are no error messages,
> but eventually the screens just freeze. The computer then becomes
> impossible to reboot - I then get myriad error messages about various
> applications failing to initialize. I let the computer sit for an hour or
> two, then she reboots fine. My initial reaction was virus. But used 3
> different scanners to examine machine - came up clean on each. Then it
> occurred to me ....
>
> Could one or both of my graphics cards be overheating?
>
> I have 2 cards installed .....
>
> GeForce 5500 and GeForce 6600. They run two monitors each ... 19" LCDs.
>
> I am not a techie, but am fairly proficient at troubleshooting some
> hardware issues ..... can anyone tell me in simple English how I can
> determine if I have an overheating problem with my graphics cards?
>
> Thanks.
>
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

"Some users have reported running at 80 C without signs of instability."
........... And how did they determine the temp of their cards?

No ... I don't know how hot is too hot .... because I still am not able to
figure out the temp of my cards. Is there a software package I need to
buy? Is there something on Nvidia's website I need to download and
install.? I don't have a friggin clue how to get a handle on just how hot
my cards are running.

And my problems with my computer persist. Periodically, applications will
just crash out of the blue. But I turn my machine off and let it cool down
for awhile ..... turn it back on and it'll run fine .... for awhile.

I just need to know if it's a problem with the graphics card overheating.
Surely .... surely .... NVIDIA has a way of helping AVERAGE JOE determine
if graphics card overheating is a problem ....

ESPECIALLY IN A MARKET MOVING RAPIDLY TO MULTIPLE GRAPHICS CARDS TO HANDLE
MULTIPLE MONITORS.

Sheesh NVIDIA ... this shouldn't be rocket science.

Signed .... a consumer who BADLY wants Steve Jobs to buy Nvidia and instill
some common sense in product design and software development.


"First of One" <daxinfx DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:tZidnTRznr2XS1PeRVn-hw@giganews.com...
> The quickest way to check is to give the cards more cooling - i.e. open
> the side of the case and point a household fan at the cards, and see if
> the problem still occurs.
>
> The culprit could also be a dead or dying power supply fan, but that's
> easy enough to check visually.
>
> With regards to temperature monitoring. Do you know how hot is too hot?
> Some users have reported running at 80 C without signs of instability.
>
> --
> "War is the continuation of politics by other means.
> It can therefore be said that politics is war without
> bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed."
>
> "Jeffrey Willis" <jwillis44 DeleteThis @earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:%Ptzf.9530$ZA2.9315@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>> After running a new computer for about a month without problem, I have
>> suddenly started experiencing myriad difficulties. The computer runs
>> normally for the first three hours or so ... then, various application
>> programs just close down without warning. There are no error messages,
>> but eventually the screens just freeze. The computer then becomes
>> impossible to reboot - I then get myriad error messages about various
>> applications failing to initialize. I let the computer sit for an hour
>> or two, then she reboots fine. My initial reaction was virus. But
>> used 3 different scanners to examine machine - came up clean on each.
>> Then it occurred to me ....
>>
>> Could one or both of my graphics cards be overheating?
>>
>> I have 2 cards installed .....
>>
>> GeForce 5500 and GeForce 6600. They run two monitors each ... 19" LCDs.
>>
>> I am not a techie, but am fairly proficient at troubleshooting some
>> hardware issues ..... can anyone tell me in simple English how I can
>> determine if I have an overheating problem with my graphics cards?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

"J W" <jwillis44nospam RemoveThis @earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:CFBzf.2560$vU2.651@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> And my problems with my computer persist. Periodically, applications
> will just crash out of the blue. But I turn my machine off and let it
> cool down for awhile ..... turn it back on and it'll run fine .... for
> awhile.

Modern graphics cards don't overheat by just idling for 2-3 hours. Normal
office apps, Photoshop, playing videos, etc. do not stress the card at all.
(In fact, in an intense 3D game, under stress, the GPU can see its temps
rise by 10-20 C.)

Reputable card manufacturers (BFG, Asus, eVGA...) test their cards in
environmental chambers, in 40 C heat under full load for days at a time.
Other components in your PC (like a no-name power supply) don't receive
nearly as much testing. Yet, without any real evidence, you seem convinced
the graphics cards are causing the instability.

> I just need to know if it's a problem with the graphics card overheating.
> Surely .... surely .... NVIDIA has a way of helping AVERAGE JOE determine
> if graphics card overheating is a problem ....

The AVERAGE JOE doesn't need to worry about his graphics card overheating.
For the enthusiasts, Google for the "Coolbits" registry edit. It'll unmask
an extra control panel in the nVidia drivers to allow clock speed
adjustment, temperature monitoring, thermal throttling threshold, etc.

> Signed .... a consumer who BADLY wants Steve Jobs to buy Nvidia and
> instill some common sense in product design and software development.

Now, if he could only figure out how to get more than 0.2% of the world to
use his computers, he'd have enough cash to acquire nVidia...
--
"War is the continuation of politics by other means.
It can therefore be said that politics is war without
bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed."
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

In article <vZuzf.7169$bF.2046@dukeread07>, Chuck says...
> You are correct to suspect hardware.

Why? A memory leak on a badly written program can cause this.


--
Conor

Windows & Outlook/OE in particular, shipped with settings making them
as open to entry as a starlet in a porno. Steve B
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating? 

Sounds to me like you've got your cpu pegged.

johns
 >> Stay informed about: Graphics Cards Overheating?