Messed up graphics

I'm having a very, very bad problem, I searched and about three other topics where made like this most (I think were last year and I didn't want to drag them back up), but they were never answered . Maybe in a year someone found an answer. Whenever I play after about 15-20 min. the screen gets all fuzzy and the textures run everywhere. and I have to restart the game, which eats up my memory :x . I have ver 1.074 whatevers the most recent, and running Hard Arcanum, but even if I switch back to the normal Arcanum it still messes up. My color depth is already 16 (that was I solution to another problem like this), I tried a re-install, but I don't think it is my comp, I have 2.4GHZ, 120 gigs, 512 RAM, and a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (YAY ). I would love to play Arcanum more, but I can't :-x . Any ideas would be apreciated(sp?). (Wow that's long)

 

Yeah it probably is overheating, I have an emachines that overheats like crazy :-(. Is there anything that I could do that doesn't invovle taking my computer apart (my dad doesn't trust me) to help cool it down?

 

put it in a colder room. ( ) or move it away from the radiators.

 

Or invest in something like this:

 

Well, my computer is in my room, wich is on the top floor where its hot *most* of the time (although I could put it next too a window... ), and it's not by radiators. I might try the fan idea , but does it really work good, doesn't a lot of dirt and stuff get inside the computer?

 

You can use some blower. I don't know the correct term, but its this piece of machinery which is specially designed to blow air instead of sucking (like a vaccum cleaner). It's high speeds can blow away even the more entrenched dirt (except the one that gets inside a PSU).

 

With that cpu and the low RAM, I bet you have it in one of those dinky little microtowers. Those tiny towers get terrible cooling air flow for the cpu and they tend to overheat really badly, especially if that is a Pentium and not an Athlon. I build custom computers, so I pay a lot of attention to case design and system cooling when I build a new system. I generally put all my new systems in the full towers because you get better air flow and I put as many cooling fans as possible in them so you suck air in the front and blow air out the back. This it the ONLY way that you get efficient cooling of a system, unless you go to a water cooled system and those have some inherent drawbacks.

Also, you may have a poor quality or poorly working cpu cooling fan installed on the cpu chip itself. You may be able to check the way your system is working in terms of heat merely by rebooting it after it has been running for a while and going into the setup and looking for an entry that will look something like PC Health and will actually tell you the cpu temperature and fan speeds. Of course, that depends on your motherboard and the BIOS. To do a good comparison, check it when you first start your system and again after a couple of hours to see how much it has changed.

Also, check out Tom's Hardware Guide for more useful information online and reviews of cpu cooling fans and different cases. I don't agree with everything they say there, but they have some good information.

 

Let me just say that I know I don't know as much about computers as you, since you actually make them. I do know that 512 RAMand 2.5 GHZ is good for a $600 machine, maybe not good for a custom built one (but hey I'm a poor 14 year-old :-(). My CPU's an Anthon that's about normal size I guess :/ maybe 2 feet tall. But I heard somewhere that eMachines are overclocked when you buy them, but I'm not sure. I have one fan on the motherboard, one in a little box at the top, and one on the graphics card, they are all pretty small though, so I was thinking of getting some more fans installed or replaced, how many should I get (remember I'm poor!)? Thanks for all that, I'll have to check out that Tom's Hardware Guide.

[Edit]
How's this fan?
[/Edit]

 

that looks like a normal cpu fan. its probably the same as the one already on the cpu. you probably need something stronger. or one designed for your video card.

 

Ok, for starters, the size of the fan is not as important as how much air it moves. The next most important factor is whether you have a good path for the air to move ON and Through. You've already told me a lot by telling me you have an eMachines, so I now know that you DO have a minitower and no fan in the front of it to pull air into the case. The first thing you should invest in is a simple case fan to put in the front of your case like the one on the power supply to pull cooler air into the case.

The next thing you should probably do is take your computer and get a fan like the Thermaltake 10+ http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/volcano/si/a1671.htm installed on that cpu and you can probably get that done for under $20, including installation. There are other good fans out there, too, but that's a good, low priced model. that shouldn't set you back a lot of money and should do a good job.

If there is space, but I don't think there will be, I would put a second fan on the back of the case to pump hot air out of it. You might invest in one of those "slot fans" like the one reviewed here http://www.gamersdepot.com/oldsite/rev_super_slot_cooler.htm and put it next to your video card to pull hot air off of it and cool it down some.

I hope that this info is helpful. BTW, don't assume that because I build custom computers that I spend a fortune on each one of them. I build a lot of them for family members and tailor each one to fit their needs and their budget. A custom computer doesn't have to be more expensive, just better made and specifically made for what you want to do with it.

 

Alright! Thanks for all the help, now for the hard part, saving the money :cry:. Time to call Best Buy .

 

Actually, if you can get your Dad to go along with it, you can get the cooling case fan off eBay for about $5 and that's cheaper than you'll find it locally. Just watch out for shipping charges and get one that's priced so you pay about that for the fan WITH shipping. Also, check if you have any small computer shops in your city, if you live in a larger town, because they may have a better price on the cpu fan than Best Buy. It never hurts to shop around for the best prices.

 

Do you have any expirence wiht linux, Sinbad?

 

I'm sorry to say that I don't, MatahChuah. Most of my experience has been with Windows and DOS based PCs and before that with minicomputers and mainframes. I did a little work with UNIX way back when I was in college, but that was quite a few years ago. I also did some programming on the early Apples before IBM came out with the PC. I wrote a database program in Apple Basic that was used by the chemistry department stockroom of my college for at least 3 years after I graduated. But, no Linux yet. :/

 

Well, now I have a new problem :x . I know It's alot but oh well, I need your help again . Heres the problem. And yes, my name is Dudeman, the two most popular hippie saying brought together . The problem is mostly done, but could still use some help.

 

:thinkof: hmmmmm :rifle: aranoid: :minigun: LOL

 

I agree completely. :roll: