Every game results in a graphical meltdown. FIXED! LOL READ.

[srredfire]

First off, fuck. FUCK.

Alright, so, this started today. I woke up, decided to play some Far Cry 2 since I got that shit on sale, and all is good, but as soon as the level loaded it was like FAOSIFHOASIFH. Like this:



So I laugh, thinking it's just bad luck, reboot, go to play some L4D2 instead. Same thing.

So I'm like wtf. I update all my drivers, check the temps, which are all fine, and it's all good. I start up SAW.



You can still see the image of the game sorta there. So yeah. It was working last night around 4 am fine. Woke up at 12:30 pm and this happens. Been doing it all day. I tried doing system restore and that didn't help either.

TL;DR: Drivers crashing, no overheating, tried system restore, new drivers.

Oh, and if you try to alt-tab, ctrl alt delete, nothing works. Eventually the screen just goes black. Everything is frozen. The computer isn't though, music still plays, etc. It's just the graphics fuckin up.

[zombie@computer]

possible locations of borkedness

Hardware
1) CPU (faulting, overheating, clocking)
2) RAM (faulty)
3) MOBO (faulty)
4) PSU (low voltage, check voltages during event)
5) GPU (overheating, overheated(=already allmost dead), plug)
6) CABLE (loose contact, semiloose contact)
7) MONITOR
Software:
a) GPU drivers
b) Misc drivers
c) OS

5c,6,7,b) and c) are improbable because it only seems to happen in 3d environments. a,b,c are improbable if nothing special was installed or updated prior to start of problems
a) has already been replaced (did you correctly uninstall old drivers first?)
1) can be tested using a cpu stress test
2) can be tested using memtest
3) cant really be tested, but if 1 and 2 come up fine its an unlikely cause (though still possible!)
4) if you cant check voltages, try removing any 12V rail devices (eg extra hdds, cd) to see if that fixes it. Trying another psu is better, but most likely a lot more work!
5 a and b are best tested in another computer not known with these problems
6 and 7 are easy to test if you have another cable and monitor around
a,b, c are best tested on another OS install, though thats a lot of work. You can try using a linux booted from cd and running a 3d app, or a temp OS on a second drive or same dreve after backup.

i dont think i forgot any options here

[MELVIn]

here's what we tried yesterday:

- he used GPU-Z to check for any strange values in both temp and general readings, nothing weird there.
- he ran super-pi to make sure it wasn't the CPU overheating.
- he checked voltage on everything (hopefully durring load) and nothing wrong there.
- I told him to open the machine and check all plugs, vacuum it etc, though I'm not sure he did.

And that's all I can remember for now.

[Psy]

Looks to me like your GPU has borked itself.

[RefaelBA]

Looks to me like your GPU has borked itself.

[xoqolatl]

- he ran super-pi to make sure it wasn't the CPU overheating.

superpi is one of the less heating programs. Run Orthos or Prime95 or Wprime (or OCCT or Linpack/LinX/IntelBurnTest if your are into non-real-world-scenarios) to heat your CPU.

To me it looks like failing GPU (or NVIO if your VGA card is a recent Nvidia model with separate NVIO).

[srredfire]

Okay, so it's been uh... 22 days. But I finally fixed my PC yesterday. Holy fuck. Here was the process if anyone is interested in laughing at my demise:

1. Restart Computer
2. Test GPU/CPU/Memory/etc
3. Check Temps
4. Come to conclusion it's the GPU.
5. Submit questions to EVGA
6. Get answers.
7. Submit More.
8. Get more.
9. Send in RMA request.
10. Approved.
11. Ship in GPU.
12. Wait a week or so.
13. Get new GPU via RMA in the mail.
14. Install.
15. Screen is tinted green. Won't display above 1280 x 800 correctly.
16. Research, find perhaps it's the motherboard and a broken PCI-E Slot.
17. Buy new mother board.
18. Install motherboard.
19. Mother board doesn't work, keeps tripping the surge protector. Won't get past first test LED.
20. Assume the motherboard is a dud.
21. Disregard that, and think there's a short in the PSU.
22. Install old motherboard back in.
23. Take PC to local computer shop. Have them install test voltages and install new PSU
24. Wait 4 days. ( Because they're fucking stupid )
25. Pick up.
26. Take home. Won't power on. Sound card loose. ( Because they're fucking stupid )
27. Take back next day to have them fix shoddy work.
28. Pick up later same day.
29. Plug it in at home. Green tint.
30. Contemplate suicide.
31. Assume it's the monitor.
32. Chat online with Dell warranty folks.
33. Approved.
34. Wait 2 days.
35. Receive replacement monitor in mail.
36. Plug in, green screen.
37. Sit in the tub with shotgun.
38. Wake up next day with smartest idea ever.
39. Go buy a new DVI cable
40. Take off old DVI cable, put on new one.
41. Fixed.

Couple 100 dollars later and almost a month and it was a DVI cable.

But I'm assuming something was wrong with the GPU in the first place, just after that it was just the DVI cable.
I never stepped back to look at the small things first. :\

Thanks to everyone that tried to help in the beginning.

[vcool]

...Wow

I think we are all so used to having the important shit breaking that we never considered it to be the little things.

[srredfire]

...Wow

I think we are all so used to having the important shit breaking that we never considered it to be the little things.

Yup. It was one little bent pin. D:

[Psy]

Oh god. Haha!

[MELVIn]

This is one for the books.

[MayheM]

Wow, this sounds like a MasterCard commercial...

Finding out its your DVI cable... Priceless!

[Chopium]

Oh god Red, I would have melted down and bought a Macintosh halfway through. Good thing you're so tenacious.

[popcornjake]

And now we will have to make a short horror film about these proceedings, with plenty of dramatic music and close-ups of your agonized face. What a story!

[Phott]

That's fucking hilarious, well... That the problem was so simple that is.