New 9800 Pro locking up- do I need a new PSU?

[Jim Robb]

Hi all,
Last week I replaced my GEF3 with a Crucial 9800 128mb Pro. I ran
Driver Cleaner prior to install and re-installed Via 4-in-1 drivers.
Problem is that every game I try to play locks up after about 40 mins.
Sometimes a report for Microsoft is produced which says the ATI device
driver failed and suggests up-dating the ATI driver. I'm using the Cat
3.9 drivers. Other times the machine simply freezes and I've got to
manually power down to get the machine back up.
Its been suggested to me that the problem might be an inadequate power
supply. But I've got a 350w PSU and Crucial and ATI both suggest 300w.
Is there any point in trying a 420w supply or should I simply return
the card to Crucial for replacement?

TIA

Jim

My specs:
Athlon 1900+
Soltek sl-KT400-C motherboard
Crucial 9800 128mb pro
SB Audigy
1024mb DDR Ram
Maxtor 7200 HDD
Pioneer DVD Rom
Pioneer DVD Writer
BP CD writer
Win XP Pro SP1

 

[Randy]

First look for a heat problem. Do you have adequate air flow? Enough fans.
The 9800 needs to stay cool. Then go for the PS, that was what I had to do
and I had a cheap 325w ps and put a 400w antec..

Randy

 

[S.SubZero]

On my R9800 Pro, the fan died after a month. Upon dying, the card
*immediately* locked up. The fan is apparently extremely crucial to the
card's operation. This is despite a well-ventilated aluminum case. I got a
new card under RMA, and replaced the fan anyway with a VGA Silencer. The
card really needs strong cooling and the stock hestsink/fan unit does a very
minimal job.

 

[Jim Robb]

First look for a heat problem. Do you have adequate air flow? Enough fans.
The 9800 needs to stay cool. Then go for the PS, that was what I had to do
and I had a cheap 325w ps and put a 400w antec..

Randy

Thanks for your input. I don't think it can be a heat problem as I've
got a Lian Li ally case, which has a load of fans and excellent air
flow. I guess I'll haul it down to the local computer repair place
tomorrow and get them to up-grade the PSU.

Jim

 

[Sean]

Thanks for your input. I don't think it can be a heat problem as I've
got a Lian Li ally case, which has a load of fans and excellent air
flow. I guess I'll haul it down to the local computer repair place
tomorrow and get them to up-grade the PSU.

Jim

Why not buy a PSU from newegg.com and install it yourself? Lian Li's are
one of the easiest cases to work with when upgrading.

 

[Bob Johns]

Hi all,
Last week I replaced my GEF3 with a Crucial 9800 128mb Pro. I ran
Driver Cleaner prior to install and re-installed Via 4-in-1 drivers.
Problem is that every game I try to play locks up after about 40 mins.
Sometimes a report for Microsoft is produced which says the ATI device
driver failed and suggests up-dating the ATI driver. I'm using the Cat
3.9 drivers. Other times the machine simply freezes and I've got to
manually power down to get the machine back up.
Its been suggested to me that the problem might be an inadequate power
supply. But I've got a 350w PSU and Crucial and ATI both suggest 300w.
Is there any point in trying a 420w supply or should I simply return
the card to Crucial for replacement?

TIA

Jim

My specs:
Athlon 1900+
Soltek sl-KT400-C motherboard
Crucial 9800 128mb pro
SB Audigy
1024mb DDR Ram
Maxtor 7200 HDD
Pioneer DVD Rom
Pioneer DVD Writer
BP CD writer
Win XP Pro SP1

Which games? There is a known issue with OpenGL games where lockups
occur, especially with the 3.9's.

If the lockups are also occurring with DirX games it may be a heat or
overclocking issue.

Bob J.
Guam U.S.A.

 

[anthonyi]

In addition to the potential causes mentioned by other respondents, you may
wish to look at how the 9800 is hooked up to your PSU.

When I originally installed my Crucial 9800 Pro, I had used the pass through
connector and the graphics card was powered in conjunction with a HDD (as
suggested in the manual that came with the card). I had all sorts of lockups
in 3D applications that disappeared as soon as I changed the power
connection to a dedicated one (ie no longer using the pass through
connector).

Worth a thought, maybe...

AI