Computer Issue and Compatibility of Geforce GTX 570

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prindacerk

Member
Hi,

I currently have a Quadcore Q660 PC that I have been relatively satisfied with. My Graphic card is nVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT 1GB. And my memory is 4GB. I bought this computer 3 yrs ago.

I managed to play most of the games without any difficulty (Crysis had to be played in medium settings because high settings made the game drop it's frame rate) until now.

Recently I have been having some issues with my graphic card. I'm not sure exactly what is causing this. Whether it's the graphic card or my DirectX or my Windows update or my memory cards.

I recently started playing Mass Effect when I I have noticed framerate dropping from 20+ FPS to 2-3FPS for a few minutes before going back to normal. It stays that way for a few minutes and then drops again. This issue started to happen when I watch DVD too.

Then I tried to run Crysis (same installation that I left installed in the comp) and encountered severe frame rate drop right from the beginning.

Now I know something is wrong. I don't know which one is at fault here. I had installed DirectX 11 a while back and I have updated my Windows 7 64bit to SP1. No changes in my memory or graphic card.

If it is the graphic card that is at fault, can I put GTX 570 into my motherboard (Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H)? The motherboard spec says it has 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, 1 x PCI Express x1 slot. Is that the same as PCI-E 2.0 x 16 that GTX 570 requires? Or is it different?

I would really appreciate it if someone can give me some insight into my problem. It would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance.
 
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prindacerk

Member
I've identified what the problem is. Now all I need is some advice on how I can fix it. I'm not a hardware expert and I have not done any motherboard configurations or cooling installations. My skills are limited to knowing what is what and connecting hdd or memory or other expansion cards.

The problem seems to be that my Graphic Card's GPU is very hot. While the temp is below 115C, it works fine but when it jumps to 125C, the framerate drops. It takes a while for it to cool down and then it heats up again.

Any solutions pls?
 
Fear

Fear

Prolific Poster
Yes i would firstly remove the graphics card and give it a really good clean with some compressed air and see if the fan cooler is actually able to spin aswell, your graphics should not run that hot at all maybe late 80's - mid 90's at most. Your card will not support DirectX 11 infact i think it will only support 9 but even if you install the latset version from microsoft it installs all but your GPU will only show the version which it will run at as far as i know anyway (someone can correct me if i am wrong)
 
Fear

Fear

Prolific Poster
No what i am saying is it might install it but your graphics card will only use the versions it is capable of and i think the old 8800 series were just DX9.
 
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prindacerk

Member
Just checked online. It supports DX10. But not DX11. Still I know for sure it's the heating now. The GPU even when I'm not playing any games is at 114C. :( Must do the cleaning.
 
Fear

Fear

Prolific Poster
prindacerk said:
Just checked online. It supports DX10. But not DX11. Still I know for sure it's the heating now. The GPU even when I'm not playing any games is at 114C. :( Must do the cleaning.
Click to expand...

Your lucky it's still alive running at that temp.
 
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prindacerk

Member
Wow. The card is burning HOT. Can't touch it with fingers to remove it. Seems like fan is not rotating. I think it happened recently. The weather change must have made it hotter

Now I must buy some compressed air tomorrow to fix this.

Thanks.
 
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prindacerk

Member
Ok. Question. The graphic card's fan should start running as soon as the display starts right? It doesn't have to wait until I run some game or graphic requiring app?

If that's the case, then I've deduced what's happening. When I start the comp, graphic card's heat is at 67C. Then when I play a DVD or a game, the heat goes up. When it goes above 115C, then the framerate drops until the heat comes down a bit. Doesn't go down to the initial 65-70C temp after that.

And the fan is broken. Tried cleaning it up and still it doesn't seem to rotate. Feels a bit stiff compared to other fans in the comp (I have 3 more).

And what's worse is that the card's heat build up seems to affect CPU's heat too. Current CPU temp is at 40C and I noticed before while playing the game that CPU's temp was around 65-70C.

What would you guys advice? Replace the fan only in the current card or replace the card? If replacing the card, will GTX 570 be supported by my motherboard?
 
Fear

Fear

Prolific Poster
Yeah i am pretty sure it should support that card but you might want to wait until someone else confirms that as i am not 100%, something else though have you got enough room in your case and a high enough power supply for that card if it is compatible.
 
Fear

Fear

Prolific Poster
Erm i really would not use the pc if the fan is not working, but if you have to do not play any games or videos because without cooling the card will burn itself out and you risk damage to other components, with regards the gtx570 you will have to wait for someone else to give a definate answer on that.
 
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prindacerk

Member
Space is no problem. I only have my graphic card in my expansion slot. Rest are empty (after I removed my useless TV card). Power Supply should be ok I think. Must check but I don't think my CPU is draining a lot of power and I have only 1 HDD fitted internally.

And what would you advice? replace the fan or replace the card? Reason why I'm considering replacing the card is because I don't know the extent of the damage it may have had because of the heating. So if I end up buying a £50 heat sink instead of a £300 new card and then find out that the card is damaged, then I would have to buy the new card as well.

Trying to avoid unecessary expense.
 
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prindacerk

Member
Fear said:
Erm i really would not use the pc if the fan is not working, but if you have to do not play any games or videos because without cooling the card will burn itself out and you risk damage to other components, with regards the gtx570 you will have to wait for someone else to give a definate answer on that.
Click to expand...

Using my mobile and laptop. Left that comp alone. :)
 
Fear

Fear

Prolific Poster
I would replace the card as you just don't know if it has caused any damage to it or not, with the size for how much room the 570 will need is more to do with the length and width of the card than how many slots it takes up.

Don't forget wait till someone else confirms about the card being suitable with the motherboard better to be safe than sorry.
 
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prindacerk

Member
Fear said:
I would replace the card as you just don't know if it has caused any damage to it or not, with the size for how much room the 570 will need is more to do with the length and width of the card than how many slots it takes up.

Don't forget wait till someone else confirms about the card being suitable with the motherboard better to be safe than sorry.
Click to expand...

I looked it up and it's not that bigger than my existing card size.

And I read some other forums about the difference between pci express x16 vs pci express 2.0 x16. They say that a pci express 2.0 graphic card will work with 1.0 as long as they are both x16. However, the card will not be performing to it's max capability. So I will get the max my motherboard supports.

Must think before I place the order. If anyone believe I'm wrong, please correct me.
 
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