Graphics card driver keeps crashing

D3LL · 29 Dec 2012

My Nvidia Geforce 470 driver keeps crashing when I am in game. I have tried down grading and upgrading to all different driver versions but it hasn't worked.

It only seems to be in games as well, I have tried torture tests etc on my graphics card and it works fine however when launching a game and playing it for 20 minutes or so it will crash?

Event viewer giving me this error:

Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding and has successfully recovered.

Can anyone help me please?

bassfisher6522 · 29 Dec 2012

Are the specs listed for the current PC in thread (signature area) for PC with issue or for the system listed in the system specs area of your profile?

To start, check to make sure the the GPU is fully seated and that the power connection(s) are firmly seated.

D3LL · 29 Dec 2012

Its the one in my signature.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 6 CPUs 4.04GHz
Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair IV Formula S-AM3
RAM: 8GB DDR3 Corsair Dominator
PSU: Corsair AX 750W (Fully Modular)
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 470

I have also already tried re-seating the card and re-inserting both power connectors.

Derek10 · 29 Dec 2012

Check temps of CPU/GPU/mobo also does it happen on many games

D3LL · 29 Dec 2012

CPU is around 28C and GPU is around 60/70 which is fine for a 470 as they like to run hot.

yowanvista · 29 Dec 2012

Since when did this start happening? I once had this exact problem with an older 9600GT and it turned out to be video-bios related, for some reason the card fan would remain stuck at 30% and when under load the card would stop responding hence causing the dreaded TDR error. Few have also reported overheating issues and manufacturing defects in the video ram itself. The best solution is to replace/RMA the card.

Firstly stop any overclocking if any, reinstall your Nvidia software package but make sure only the Display Driver and PhysX are selected, make a clean driver install.

Possible causes are:
- Defective or overheating video card (Faulty GPU or defective Video Ram)
- Bad system RAM (Test: RAM - Test with Memtest86+ )
- Display driver incorrectly adjusting 3D clock speeds in intensive Apps
- Badly installed display driver (highly unlikely)
- Insufficient power or defective PSU (unlikely)
- Driver conflict especially with Realtek audio drivers

I would recommend an OCCT test, it'll run a bunch of stress tests on both the GPU and the Video RAM. Any defects will be logged.
NVIDIA/AMD Video Card - Test with OCCT

D3LL · 29 Dec 2012

It started happening for a while but I haven't really played games that much. However I have now started playing games a lot more and started to notice this annoying issue.

The fan does not get stuck as I can hear it ramp up to a suitable speed + I can see the temperatures in game and they are fine.

I have done a Memtest last week and all my RAM was fine and passed.

I do however have a Realtek audio driver. But I am not sure it could be this?

I will run the test now and get back to you.

EDIT:
I have uninstalled MSI Afterburner and it hasn't crashed YET! However my Graphics card will overheat as that is what is used to control the fan speed...

kbrady1979 · 29 Dec 2012

Try to get the latest version of Afterburner, install it and see if you can duplicate the crash.

D3LL · 29 Dec 2012

It was the latest version lol...

essenbe · 29 Dec 2012

Nvidia has a HDMI driver, which no one uses, that can cause conflicts with Realtek. Try this, it seems like a long process but it can be done in less than 5 minutes.
Download the driver you want from Nvidia's web site.
Disconnect your computer from the internet to keep Windows from installing a generic display driver. It will install a displat adapter, but that's OK.
Go to C:/Nvidia and open the folder, you will find a folder called displaydriver, open that, inside you will find folders with the driver names of all the drivers you have installed. They will be named 306.23, 310.68 for example. Delete all of those folders, but do not delete the displaydriver folder. Go to control panel-uninstall programs. Scroll down and find Nvidia. Uninstall all of the drivers (except chipset driver if you have that) but be sure to uninstall Display driver last you will be prompted to reboot, do so. When you come back online Windows will install a display adapter but not the display driver because you are disconnected from the internet. Open the new driver you downloaded, agree to terms and select custom install, make sure the 'clean install' box is checked, uncheck everything except the display driver and PhysX. Those are the only ones you want to install. Install them, when finished reboot, reconnect to the internet and you should be OK. That is as clean an install as you can get. If that does not resolve the problem, it is not a driver problem. When you are in uninstall programs, you should see PhysX, HDMI, USB and display. Uninstall them all but again uninstall the display driver last.