PC hardware malfunctions?

3694 Views 14 Posts PC Hardware

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Hey everyone

got some problems with my desktop which has been used as a family computer for a fair while now but I recently got a new desktop so I've claimed this one back as my own.

The screen starts shaking the outline of objects on the screen shake left and right in a purple outline and then it sometimes resets the signal to the screen or sometimes it just bluescreens lol.
My brother said it was starting to do this when he was using it and no its just gotten a hell of a lot worse and is basically just unusable now.

I've tried installing win 7 onto the harddrive to wipe everything previously on it but thats not working because it keeps dieing..

What sounds like is wrong with the system?
The video card perhaps?

Here are the known specs:

• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz
• 2.00 GB RAM (ddr2)
• 300gb HDD
• NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS

Thanks :)

31/05/2010

North Coast NSW

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Skarteh

Yeah that sounds like either a GPU or Screen issue, one of them is easily knocked out; try it on another screen. If not that, then I would put money on it being the GPU :(

My 8800GTS did some dodgy shit like that when it fried. Got a bunch of diagonal lines when it started heating up followed by a freeze (mine was overheating issues so when it got bad it just crashed).

I have to say the screen shaking part actually sounds like a screen...

31/05/2010

Melbourne, Victoria | Walk with me in hell

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jotendo

Skarteh said: Yeah that sounds like either a GPU or Screen issue, one of them is easily knocked out; try it on another screen. If not that, then I would put money on it being the GPU
My 8800GTS did some dodgy shit like that when it fried. Got a bunch of diagonal lines when it started heating up followed by a freeze (mine was overheating issues so when it got bad it just crashed).
I have to say the screen shaking part actually sounds like a screen...

Its not the screen cause I've been using it with my laptop lately and it works fine.

Damn i was hoping it wasnt the gpu cause thats the only decent part i have in it [Rage]

31/05/2010

North Coast NSW

Kudos: 96,310

Skarteh

Yes that is a mighty stallion of a GPU :) I guess it could be something else but it sounds 100% like a screen or GPU prob. Assume you used the same cable on your laptop? As long as you can rule out the cable too, I'd say it's a given that the GPU has crapper itself.

Is it freezing? I'd expect at that stage it should be :s

31/05/2010

Melbourne, Victoria | Walk with me in hell

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Desi

jotendo said: Damn i was hoping it wasnt the gpu cause thats the only decent part i have in it

Lol! My 8800 did the same thing as both of yours; artifacting and then freezing. It's time you upgraded anyway. I bought a 9800 for $120, which is pretty much the same thing as an 8800 but it is smaller and runs cooler. I can still run all the new stuff, often on High.

31/05/2010

And I love starting sentences with conjunctions! >=D

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Skarteh

Rofl how could you stand to upgrade such a small amount! Your willpower and maturity sickens me sometimes desi :p you're inhuman [WTF]

You and Doles!

31/05/2010

Melbourne, Victoria | Walk with me in hell

Kudos: 40,744

Desi

Skarteh said: Your willpower and maturity sickens me sometimes desi :P

Hehehe well being Asian helps. :P

But really, the answer is that I buy all my major upgrades at once, whenever I replace my motherboard, and that I deliberately stay behind the curve to save money without losing too much performance compared with the newer stuff. Nobody except Crytek makes system-breaking games on purpose, and even they might change their practices now that they're not PC-exclusive.

01/06/2010

And I love starting sentences with conjunctions! >=D

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Skarteh

Yep I'm fairly certain Crysis 2 will not live up to the legacy. I certainly hope it will, it was a fail game so it needs to make up for it by testing GPUs XD

01/06/2010

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skids-undi

Skarteh said: Yep I'm fairly certain Crysis 2 will not live up to the legacy. I certainly hope it will, it was a fail game so it needs to make up for it by testing GPUs XD

But it's also on consoles [Facepalm]

01/06/2010

Padstow ,Sydney,Australia

Kudos: 96,310

Skarteh

Lol that's why I'm fairly certain it won't live up to Crysis :p it's going to be a long time before something does what Crysis did, PC isn't a big enough market now, unless a game is PC exclusive or at the very least PC primarily, it won't push our systems. I mean half the stuff coming out now is only challenging it because the coding is shoddy. It's like the exclusive titles on console, they always look MILES better than the multi platform releases.

Crysis was our last hardware pushing exclusive I guess.

But, Crysis 2 is supposed to pimp tessellation. If it includes nice multi core/multi gpu support + DX11 it will probably be moddable to something extreme. Crysis was stunning but shit on hardware, Crysis 2 will potentially be even more so and easier on hardware

01/06/2010

Melbourne, Victoria | Walk with me in hell

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Doyl

bringing the thread back on topic.

jotendo, would you be able to either
• grab/borrow another graphics card just test it out, or
• grab/borrow another monitor to test it out?

Another thing, do you have on board video? (look on the back, there will be at least a VGA port if you have onboard) if you do, try plugging the monitor into that, making sure to completely take out the graphics card from the computer before turning it on.

01/06/2010

Perth - pew pew

Kudos: 40,744

Desi

DoYL said: bringing the thread back on topic.
jotendo, would you be able to either
• grab/borrow another graphics card just test it out, or
• grab/borrow another monitor to test it out?
Another thing, do you have on board video? (look on the back, there will be at least a VGA port if you have onboard) if you do, try plugging the monitor into that, making sure to completely take out the graphics card from the computer before turning it on.

You may need to go into BIOS and enable onboard video.

04/06/2010

And I love starting sentences with conjunctions! >=D