Why do videocards lock up?

[FerrariF50]

First of all I don't want to hear oh it's the drivers or the video card is too hot. What makes the card just lock the computer up?

[Pinky]

This will probably be moved to video/sound, so don't be surprised...

Yes, 9 times out of 10 the card's processor (referred to as the GPU -- Graphics Processing Unit I believe) overheats, causing the constant video needed for any operating system to function to stop working... no video, no Windows (Linux, OS2, etc).

But if you don't want to accept that as the answer, it's really the FBI conspiracy to monitor you as you teach the PC some four letters words 8).

[Pinky]

Sorry, forgot to mention the gremlin chip Nvidia added to most of the geforce 2 and 3 cards... loads a bunch of memory resident gremlins that progressive grow stronger until all your PC are belong to them :).

This is not a flame, just want to be clear on that... having some fun, at least I'm luaghing :) :).

I often thought the same thing until I realized that most of my problems were either poor hardware of user error, mine! Once I learned the ins and outs and bought some named brand stuff, I haven't had to ask questions like that in a while. Stick around here for a while, you'll see issues come and go, and you'll come back to this post and say, "yeah, that Pinky was right... Poor Hardware or User Error :)."

PHUE -- new acronym!! (pronounced Phew!/what a relief!)

[FerrariF50]

so if it overheats then it just locks up? What happens if you chill it like -20F

[FerrariF50]

test! this board must be haveing problems now because it's not showing that I last posted here.

[cookedcomp]

well if you are overclocking, it is becuase the heat get's to the gpu and causes instructions and frames to be improporly rendered, which in turn causes video function to stop. If you are not overclocking then it is likely a lack of voltage or bad drivers

[cookedcomp]

FerrariF50 (Aug 04, 2001 12:28 a.m.):
so if it overheats then it just locks up? What happens if you chill it like -20F

if you go that low the next problem you will face is voltage

[FerrariF50]

Well my video card I have right now is a Savage4 I know it's not the best card and I know i'm not the only one that has lock up problems.... S3 thinks they can jerk us off by sending something like this out the drivers that came with the card would lock up most of the games I had like the game igi it would lock up at the main screen in less then a second. I can play max payne now if I lower the screen res. to 720x480 but it still locks up after awhile but not as bad as runing at 1024x768 it locks up in like 5 sec.

[Pinky]

In that case, it sounds like the 3D chipset sucks and just doesn't handle 3D instructions well...

Personally, I'd return the thing if you can or start saving for an upgrade.

[FerrariF50]

The chip it's self does not suck I get around 50 fps in Ut running in Metal mode the walls look great!! but S3 thinks that they can get away with this the same thing is going to happen for the savage 2000 and i'm not going to get burned by that!! so I'm going for a Nivida Geforce2 Mx it's low cost and I don't run my games above 1024x768 so it's good for me......