Video crashes on multiple systems

cbraham said:

I am having this exact same issue (same system almost) and here is what I have found (still haven't fixed it on original system).

I have updated drivers for the video card to the latest: no effect
I have placed the video card in a different computer with the same motherboard: Same problems appear with that computer
I have placed the video card in a computer that does not have the same motherboard: No failure in that system.
*I have placed a different video card in the originally crashing system and it works flawlessly.
I have wiped windows and started fresh: system works until I install updated graphics drivers.


My theory is that something is wrong between the graphics card and the motherboard but I can't seem to understand why this problem wasn't occurring from the beginning.

Any ideas?

Hello,

I'd suspect the graphics card itself is faulty. I recommend you return it, if it's still under warranty.

Interestingly I have gone through some more trouble shooting and found that an older January NVidia Driver has been keeping my system stable for 4 hours so far.

I am not quite sure what this means because on other systems I can use the latest drivers with this EXACT card but on this system and another system with the same MOBO model it will BSOD every few minutes with the latest drivers. After I downgraded the drivers everything seems to work but I have only had it fixed for a few hours.

I am still interested in what is causing the issue. For now I won't return the card because gigabyte (still a GTS 450) requires you to pay shipping on their RMA requirements. I don't want to risk paying shipping both ways and not get anything but my same card back.

cbraham said:

Interestingly I have gone through some more trouble shooting and found that an older January NVidia Driver has been keeping my system stable for 4 hours so far.

I am not quite sure what this means because on other systems I can use the latest drivers with this EXACT card but on this system and another system with the same MOBO model it will BSOD every few minutes with the latest drivers. After I downgraded the drivers everything seems to work but I have only had it fixed for a few hours.

I am still interested in what is causing the issue. For now I won't return the card because gigabyte (still a GTS 450) requires you to pay shipping on their RMA requirements. I don't want to risk paying shipping both ways and not get anything but my same card back.

What else is the same between the systems with the same boards? PSU? BIOS version?

You may try flashing the BIOS to the latest version, if not done already.

cbraham said:

Interestingly the two systems that the card causes crashes on are identical. The system the card works on has nothing the same and is my HTPC I build 4 years ago. I built two computers with the same hardware except the graphics cards because I wanted higher power graphics. Every other piece of the system is the same, (case, psu, ram, mobo) One system has a few more HDs and no CD drive (the one that was stable to begin with).

Oh and an update... the driver revert didn't fix the problem but it helped. Crashed sometime after I posted, I was away when it happened. Now it BSOD's every time I log in within seconds.

Does Win 7 update drivers without your permission?

Every now and then, driver updates will be released on Windows Update, in the Optional Updates section. Typically, a driver will never be updated without your express permission.

Have you tried flashing the BIOS on the problem machines?

Have you tried every driver for that card, if necessary going back to Vista?

Have you tried reinstalling the card again one more time?

Have you tried swapping out the card, even temporarily, to see if it solves the issue. Then you at least have certainty.