New Vid Card...lots of crashes

[jackhammer]

I have previously posted in a thread that is about 2 weeks old and thought this might be a better way to get some advice. I apologize for the redundancy.

I've just upgraded from a GeForce 5700 Ultra to a 256 Radeon 9800 Pro. I have an Albatron KX600, AMD 2400, 1 gig of ram, 100gig HD, 460 watt power supply. I just installed the new Vid Card right after Christmas and have been having problems with my computer restarting while playing games. I've been playing The Lord of The Rings Battle for Middle Earth. I can play for about 45 minutes or so and then my computer either restarts or the monitor goes into the power save mode like when you shut the computer down. After the restart, I can run the game for less time before it restarts. I have tried multiple monitors, different configurations with the two sticks of ram, completely uninstalled the Nvidia drivers and ran Driver Cleaner.

My CPU temp is 49C and my case temp is 37C. This is when idling, but is the same reading when I restart.

I'm really stumped on this one. Could I have a bad card? Is there a way to check the temp of the video card or a diagnostic program that I can use to check the video card?

Thanks for the help.

[TwoRails]

First, did you plug in the power connector to the vid card? (don't laugh, a lot of people don't do it as it's not a "habit" yet..) Have you updated your mobo drivers? The latest and greatest vid card drivers? Do you have any other problems while playing for that 45 minutes before you have trouble? I'm thinking PS off the top of my head: have you tried another?

[jackhammer]

I haven't tried the mobo drivers, but I do have the newest radeon drivers. I'll do that. And yes, I did plug in the power to the vid card, and laughed too...I really don't think it's the power supply, but I do have another that I'll try. It's only a 350 watt. Will that be enough juice?

I have no other troubles while the game is running. The card seems to be working fine. Graphics look great, smooth and fast.

Other suggestions?

[shadowbreaker513]

What brand are they?

[TwoRails]

Originally Posted by jackhammer I haven't tried the mobo drivers, but I do have the newest radeon drivers. I'll do that. And yes, I did plug in the power to the vid card, and laughed too...I really don't think it's the power supply, but I do have another that I'll try. It's only a 350 watt. Will that be enough juice? I have no other troubles while the game is running. The card seems to be working fine. Graphics look great, smooth and fast. Other suggestions?

If it's a half way decent quality, or better, PS, it should work fine for testing. If you have the room, I've even "mated" two systems together, meaning just unplugging all the power connectors and running them from the good, test unit over to the computer to be tested without pulling the PS out of the box. Saves a little time

[mountainking]

Maybe you just got a bad video card.. Sometimes it happens. With nvidia or Ati it happens for both so maybe just try your old video card again.. if you dont have the problems anymore then its just a bad video card.. return it and get a new one.

[jackhammer]

I'll try the old card and see if that works. I'm also going to try the new one in another computer.

I was playing around with the catalyst program today and found that under AGP it says that the AGP is currently at 0x. I set it to 8X and after restart it is back at 0X. I don't know if this leads to another problem, or if it could be the MOBO that is acting up on me. When I put in the NVIDIA card, how do I check the AGP?

I have also downloaded the updated BIOS for my mobo but can't flash because I do not have a floppy drive. Do I need to go out and buy one, or can I do the flash program off a CD or the HD?

I also have the current MOBO drivers that is listed on their website.

Thanks for all the help, guys.

[shadowbreaker513]

The AGP not running at 8x problem is because you didn't install all your mobo drivers off the disc.