SD on 6/9/2010 at 00:48
Sounds bizarre, but it's happened twice now.
I'm on the fourth (I think) level of Far Cry. I operate the fixed mortar near the hut, fire it at a mercenary on the beach below, and as soon as the shell explodes, my computer shuts down. Not just the program crashing, the entire PC shuts down.
I figure it may be something to do with my graphics card, which has always been a little on the temperamental side. It's a 3800 series Radeon (3870 I think).
Perhaps the mortar explosion utilises some graphical effect that my 3D card has issues with? Perhaps I ought to turn off anisotropic filtering or something like that? I really have no idea whatsoever. If anyone has any suggestions please fire away!
inselaffe on 6/9/2010 at 01:25
Sounds like power supply struggling to be honest. Either that or some hardware problem with your graphics card.
Vernon on 6/9/2010 at 05:37
Have you checked event viewer to see if it logged what happened at the exact moment it shut down?
SD on 7/9/2010 at 01:37
Event Viewer shows nada. I have a feeling I may need a new PSU, which I'm not looking forward to as they seem to be a nightmare to install. The current thing is an FSP350-60MDN and 20-pin ATX, so will any 20-pin ATX PSU do?
Thanks for reading and replying guys.
Renzatic on 7/9/2010 at 04:05
Power supplies aren't difficult to install at all. Even if it's your maiden voyage, it shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes, and that's assuming you're paying extra special attention to what goes where. Just remember, the 20-24 pin goes into the big slot, the 4 pin goes into the 4 slot, and the 6 pin goes in your graphics card (if you have a higher end model). The rest fall in place from there. And no, I'm not being pedantic and talking down to you. It really is that easy.
What you need to worry about more is getting a good brand name 500-600 watt PSU. Most you get nowadays have the 20-24 pin bar split, so they're interchangeable with any mobos (still a good idea to double check though). Anyway, from the looks of it, your current power supply is a bog standard shipped-with-the-case PSU, so anything you get will likely be a big upgrade. Try to find something from Corsair, Antec, or Cooler Master, and slap it in. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you'll be set for a couple years at least.
june gloom on 7/9/2010 at 04:59
DO NOT BUY COOLMAX.
Brian The Dog on 7/9/2010 at 09:54
Agreed - the PSU is one piece of kit you don't want to skimp on. If it has problems it can damage any bit of your PC it's plugged into, and due to the large voltages at various points, a short can have big problems.
I have a Corsair PSU, most of my friends who are into computing have gone for the Arctic Power ones as they're quite cheap, quiet and still a good build. But any by a reputable manufacturer should be fine.
Ostriig on 8/9/2010 at 02:32
Quote Posted by SD
The current thing is an FSP350-60MDN and 20-pin ATX, so will any 20-pin ATX PSU do?
Okay, the only hits I'm getting on Google suggest that's a made-on-a-boat 350W model, right? It would be best if you posted the rest of your system specs to make sure, I guess, but assuming the rest of your PC is from about the same time as the graphics card you mentioned, and you
don't plan on upgrading or reusing the new PSU for an all new configuration later, you could get this (
http://www.corsair.com/products/cx/default.aspx) Corsair CX 400W unit. I got one on recommendation two months ago and it's humming along just great for me. £32 (
http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-017-CS) on Overclockers.
Of course, this is all assuming it's indeed the PSU that's giving you crap.
Vernon on 8/9/2010 at 07:33
Antec
