so i made this thread: message_topic.aspx?topic=542926 a little while ago
basically increasing the memory voltage and relaxing the timings fixed blue screens and everything was working like a charm.

my setup:

Quote :

"Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8500 @ 3.16GHz (2 CPUs), ~3.0GHz Memory: 8190MB RAM (CORSAIR DOMINATOR with DHX Technology TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF 4GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) DDR2 Memory Retail and 4 GB of something else) Hard Drive: 300 GB Velociraptor main + TBs of backup Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4870 Monitor: Dual 21" Sound Card: X-Fi sucks, using onboard sound Speakers/Headphones: Shure SE530 Keyboard: Logitech G11 Mouse: Logitech G5 Mouse Surface: Cheap foam pad Operating System: Windows Vista™ Ultimate (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612) Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard Computer Case: Antec P180 Poser Supply: Corsair TX 750W ATX 12V Power Supply - CMPSU-750TX"

my problem:
my computer had been on for at least a week and I was playing COD4 when all of a sudden my monitors blanked out and I looked down at the computer and the fans were still spinning but all the power lights had gone off. I had to press and hold the power button to get the fans to turn off.

So it seemed like something was overheating so I restarted the computer, turned down the resolution of COD4 and tried again - this time it did the same thing within a matter of minutes.

I turned it off, let it cool off for a few hours, and came back to it just now. When I booted, my BIOS settings had been cleared and I had to set them all again - I went in to see the CPU temps and they all seemed fine - <100 Fahrenheit. So I booted up - I can get into Windows but then after like 30 seconds or so (always different) it locks up, throws a different error message at me from whatever it is trying to start up at the moment, and does the same thing - monitors blank, fans spinning. The case is still open at the moment and it's like 65 degrees in the room so it's definitely not overheating.

Safe mode does the same thing - I can play around for a minute or two and then the monitors go blank and fans keep spinning. I can still control my keyboard and mouse (numlock on and off and the DPI settings on the g5 - which is odd because when it's locked up I usually can't - so it's not freezing, but it's something else). I really don't know what it could be - any ideas?

edit: an odd development...

so when the monitors go off, i can press the power button on the case and it does the shut down routine - i can see the activity light flickering, i can hear the crunching, and it completely powers off after a few seconds of having pushed the button. wtf could it be?

[Edited on February 15, 2009 at 1:27 AM. Reason : .]

2/15/2009 1:26:01 AM

Start the process.

Remove everything in the system not needed.

1 stick of memory, cpu, video card, cd drive

boot up on a live cd, set everything in the system to bone stock settings.

see if the problem persists. if not, start adding components one by one.

run stress tests on the cpu, memory, stick by stick.

run stress tests on the video card, at a bare minimum system configuration.

--------

If I had to guess, you are undervolting causing brownouts. but that is a total guess. you have a system absolutely maxed with devices, and have a fairly common PSU.

2/15/2009 2:23:33 AM

so i took everything out cept the basics, which i ALWAYS hate doing

and it did it again

so i was reaching for my sound card to take that out too when i burned myself on the video card. that thing was about to just self-combust or something...

so i go to newegg and look up when i bought it and go to the product page and see the rankings have plummeted. everyone's fans have been dying

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16814121276

gg asus

FUCK MY LIFE

2/25/2009 7:17:31 PM

jeez, is a $10 fan replacement really a "fuck my life" moment

2/25/2009 7:51:20 PM

yet with all the negative feedback regarding the fan breaking, you still ended up buying it.

2/25/2009 8:10:13 PM

it wasn't there before lol - everyone's fans have been dying since then

i bought it back in october

i would definitely not have bought it if that was listed

2/25/2009 11:33:22 PM

2/25/2009 11:42:06 PM

your hdd cable is loose LOL

2/26/2009 12:22:41 AM

You took out everything except the basics... then you reached for your sound card to take it out... and burned yourself on the video card in the process.

2/26/2009 7:46:27 AM

i lied

i only took out the extra sticks of RAM and hard drives

i tried pulling out the power to the optical drives but it was wedged in tight so i said FUCK IT
and i didn't want to unscrew my sound card and tv tuner so again, FUCK IT

basically, i lie and exaggerate.

/thread

2/26/2009 8:59:10 AM

fuck

i did a rebate on the video card so without the UPC newegg won't replace a defective item

asus RMA process wasn't as bad as i remembered it to be a few years back. wow

[Edited on March 4, 2009 at 5:55 PM. Reason : .]

3/4/2009 5:37:56 PM

wow so i just got my card returned to me Friday with a working fan installed now
pop it in my system and it works fine and then last night while i was sleeping it randomly shuts down due to graphic card overheating - no games running or anything, just idling
and it does it again just now watching a tv-rip...

fucking asus and their video cards. i don't know how pissed off to get when i call them tomorrow. they better fucking pay for my shipping, give me an UPGRADED card without all this terrid-ness, and grovel at my feet for my forgiveness.

3/30/2009 2:55:08 AM

For all the money you're spending on shipping you could just pick up a decent aftermarket videocard cooler.

If you really wanted to get things rolling you could upgrade to an antec 900 or something with a ricockulous number of fans.

Really though, you'd probably be fine just installing an aftermarket cooler. Sure, it voids the warranty, but if you keep the old heatsink and install it back correctly asus isn't really going to be able to tell the difference if you send in a dead card (unless you don't do a good job matching thermal pastes and such).

3/30/2009 6:02:51 AM

i don't know anything about aftermarket video card coolers - plz2help <3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000110576%201375726620&name=VGA%20Card%20Processor#

they've paid for the shipping this time - let's see how badly they fail and in the meantime i'll get a decent aftermarket one in case

3/31/2009 2:30:10 AM

yeah so i got it back and tested it again

same shit - the fan works when i first put the card into my PC but then after a few days, it randomly shuts down for overheating issues and from then on, it shuts down repeatedly and much sooner and the fan is no longer working.

so what should i do? it's clear they're incompetent but you think if i keep making them take it back and pay for shipping, they'll just give me a better card?

4/18/2009 12:25:47 AM