Hey guys, before i start i just wanna say that this forum has helped me out a lot with a bunch of different problems in the past. I still come to the forums all the time for guides and tech news. It is by far one of the best forums out there.
Last year in march of 08 i built my self a new HTPC. I was really excited to build my first computer and all went well. I finished it, booted it up, and everything has gone smoothly ever since. Just recently about a week ago I started getting issues. The LCD monitor will like show a pattern of lines on the screen like if i were to crack it how it has a bunch of cracked lines and the monitor turns like 2 colors. Except its not cracked. I'll be watching a dvd on my computer and after about 10+ mins the monitor either goes black and then displays the pattern of lines with 1 color in the back ground or it goes str8 to displaying the pattern.
I have noticed this seems to happens only when i watch videos. If i'm on youtube this seems to happen also about 10+mins into it. I have left the side of my pc case open for months now and i doubt this is the issue. Out of curiosity i touched my video card and i noticed my video card is SOO HOTT i can't leave my finger on it for longer then 2 seconds and i mean HOT! If i were to leave my finger there for 20 secs i bet i would get a first degree burn ATLEAST. You guys should note that when i built my PC all the parts were new (the mobo, HDD, RAM, etc...)except my video card, it is a GeForce 6800 that i took from my old PC ( so i could save $100) which was used for 3-5 years and left on for days at a time.
Anyways this is what i think is happening. Every time the video card gets overheated the screen goes berserk. What do you guys think is happening? Are there any programs i can use to check the condition of my PC's hardware or at least my video cards condition?
A program called Everest can monitor the various temp sensors in your computer, but it does sound like the video card is on it's way out.
You could possibility purchase a larger heat sinc for it, I have a friend with a 6800 who bought a very large passive cooling sinc and it runs much cooler since then. Keeping it cool may extend its remaining life, but in all likelihood it probably does not have much longer.
what is considered overheating temp for graphic cards? or will the program tell me its overheating? i guess i'll start looking at the features list for now
