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  1. #1

    SC2: A cautionary tale

    SC2 melted my PC. I haven't had a chance to really dig into it yet, but it seems my nVidia 295GTX has melted. My PC boots up just fine, but as soon as I ask the card to do some 3D processing (ie start up a game like WoW) the PC crashes.

    Cautionary info so you good folks can avoid the same problem:
    1. nVidia released driver version 196.75. This driver has since been withdrawn because it stops the fans from adjusting to keep the card cool. If you are running nVidia's 196.75 drivers ROLL THE FUCK BACK NOW

    2. SC2 has no frame rate or rendering speed caps. This means the menus and the static scenes between missions, despite their simplicity, stress your graphics card harder than Crysis. The bigger problem is when playing the game without much going on. Basically if you have a big old army it works the processor and such, and the graphics card gets throttled by a lack of system resource. If you don't have a big army then all resource goes to the graphics card, it renders things so hardcore that it goes insane and melts. So if you are playing SC MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BIG FUCKING ARMY (and/or use the below workaround from Blizzard).

    In my case I was not using the bad nVidia drivers afaik, but I did have a very small army. I have a GTX295, it is not over-clocked, and my PC is liquid-cooled.

    Blizzard's explanation:
    _________
    "Certain screens make your hardware work pretty hard. [For example], screens that are light on detail may make your system overheat if cooling is overall insufficient," Blizzard rep "Martyt" wrote in an official Starcraft 2 forum post.

    "This is because the game has nothing to do so it is primarily just working on drawing the screen very quickly. A temporary workaround is to go to your Documents\StarCraft II\variables.txt file
    and add these lines:

    
frameratecapglue=30
    frameratecap=60
    ________
    Last edited by Asaron; 2010-08-12 at 10:40 AM.

  2. #2
    Whoa, that's fucking crazy! I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get some kind of compensation from Blizz for that. If not they might be looking at a class-action suit.

  3. #3
    High Overlord Toxcat's Avatar
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    Can't you limit the game graphics within your Nvidia control panel? Even though the game may run without frame or render speed caps you should be able to dictate what the card itself does or does not permit in terms of stress from whichever application it is that you are using?

  4. #4
    They won't compensate for anything, and will say that they aren't responsible for lack of/bad cooling in your comp or not correctly designed cards.

    Now, the problem lies in the fact that Blizz made a terrible (and useless) choice of grpahic/ressource use design, but it won't be acknowledged (they refused to recognize it for days until someone posted the fix on his own and it solved *^most* of the people's problems).

    SC2 is like 90% of the games out there, not finished, rushed out, late as hell, and overall full of bad designs that are the result of pure lazziness by the dev, considering people have to cope with their mistakes and it's not their job to make things easier for all and the hardware.

  5. #5
    Mechagnome Ashrana's Avatar
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    Yeah this has been reported a lot on the SC2 forums. Just add those lines and you'll be fine. To bad your card already melted
    Forget everything you know about everything.

  6. #6
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    My videocard is also not liking SC2 and i do have a good vidcard too. Thanks for the workaround, see if i won't crash every 30 minutes or so.

  7. #7
    Nope I don't imagine I'll get any compensation from Blizzard. It may be bad programming causing unnecessary strain on the card, but if a card has the potential to work itself to death that's a failure on the manufacturor's part.

    I think the standard warranty on nVidia cards is 3 years, so maybe I'll have some luck with that if I can remember where I bought it. The post is mostly just to help other people avoid the issue (i've already vented the rage in my own way lol).

    I still recommend SC2 despite the death of my PC. I was enjoying it!

  8. #8
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Asaron View Post
    SC2 melted my PC. I haven't had a chance to really dig into it yet, but it seems my nVidia 295GTX has melted. My PC boots up just fine, but as soon as I ask the card to do some 3D processing (ie start up a game like WoW) the PC crashes.

    Cautionary info so you good folks can avoid the same problem:
    1. nVidia released driver version 196.75. This driver has since been withdrawn because it stops the fans from adjusting to keep the card cool. If you are running nVidia's 196.75 drivers ROLL THE FUCK BACK NOW

    2. SC2 has no frame rate or rendering speed caps. This means the menus and the static scenes between missions, despite their simplicity, stress your graphics card harder than Crysis. The bigger problem is when playing the game without much going on. Basically if you have a big old army it works the processor and such, and the graphics card gets throttled by a lack of system resource. If you don't have a big army then all resource goes to the graphics card, it renders things so hardcore that it goes insane and melts. So if you are playing SC MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BIG FUCKING ARMY (and/or use the below workaround from Blizzard).

    In my case I was not using the bad nVidia drivers afaik, but I did have a very small army. I have a GTX295, it is not over-clocked, and my PC is liquid-cooled.

    Blizzard's explanation:
    _________
    "Certain screens make your hardware work pretty hard. [For example], screens that are light on detail may make your system overheat if cooling is overall insufficient," Blizzard rep "Martyt" wrote in an official Starcraft 2 forum post.

    "This is because the game has nothing to do so it is primarily just working on drawing the screen very quickly. A temporary workaround is to go to your Documents\StarCraft II\variables.txt file
    and add these lines:

    
frameratecapglue=30
    frameratecap=60
    ________
    If you are getting artifacts (so your card is useless as it is atm), try dismantling it entirely and baking it for 8-10 minutes. Fixed my 8800GTX, it's running for 2 weeks now since I did that. Google it if you don't trust me, there's tons of threads and walkthroughs with pretty high succesrates Other than that, thanks for the warning.

  9. #9
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Asaron View Post
    Nope I don't imagine I'll get any compensation from Blizzard. It may be bad programming causing unnecessary strain on the card, but if a card has the potential to work itself to death that's a failure on the manufacturor's part.

    I think the standard warranty on nVidia cards is 3 years, so maybe I'll have some luck with that if I can remember where I bought it. The post is mostly just to help other people avoid the issue (i've already vented the rage in my own way lol).

    I still recommend SC2 despite the death of my PC. I was enjoying it!
    Good thing you know and acknowledge where the fault is at, all due respect for that. Thank you for giving the detailed information on how to avoid this issue, although this is the part where I go trollface IRL and link this to every Nvidia user I know while patting a Radeon 5870 package. Well, that last part is a lie, I don't own a 5870.
    Last edited by mmoc2e3dee3473; 2010-08-12 at 11:02 AM.

  10. #10
    unfortunately if your liquid cooling you wont be able to get anything back from anyone, your card manufactuarer will say its modified and thus not covered and blizzard will claim its not thier fault but the graphics card should have been capable of cooling itself : / fooked >< time to buy yourself a 5970? ofc dont try and run anything in crossfire in sc2 as all your units may randomly fall through the world yey for blizzards QC team.

    i love Blizz and all the games they make are truely awesome i just wish they paid as much attention to the technical side of things as they do to the play experiance ><

  11. #11
    Fortunately I didn't install the liquid cooling. I took the lazy option and used one of the many "select your components, we'll build it" packages online. The warranty is from them, covering the whole PC.

    Sticking the graphics card in the oven would probably void said warranty I like the idea though.

    I'm relying on the warranty as I don't really have the cash to splash on an equivalent value card right now. Still, curious to know which cards you folks would recommend if I do need to get one? I went to nVidia because the 2900XT was insanely loud, but I've heard whispers that nVidia lost the plot with the Dx11 range?

  12. #12
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Asaron View Post
    Fortunately I didn't install the liquid cooling. I took the lazy option and used one of the many "select your components, we'll build it" packages online. The warranty is from them, covering the whole PC.

    Sticking the graphics card in the oven would probably void said warranty I like the idea though.

    I'm relying on the warranty as I don't really have the cash to splash on an equivalent value card right now. Still, curious to know which cards you folks would recommend if I do need to get one? I went to nVidia because the 2900XT was insanely loud, but I've heard whispers that nVidia lost the plot with the Dx11 range?
    ATI has been in the lead for quite a while now, and we'll welcome you over with open arms should you choose to make the leap. ATI cards aren't all that loud anymore, and if you compare them to fermi cards, even the 2900XT would sound like a kitten purring anyways. But, yeah. If you DO need to save up for a new card, make that a radeon 5-series one. You won't regret it .

  13. #13
    Titan
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    Quote Originally Posted by Asaron View Post

    Cautionary info so you good folks can avoid the same problem:
    1. nVidia released driver version 196.75. This driver has since been withdrawn because it stops the fans from adjusting to keep the card cool. If you are running nVidia's 196.75 drivers ROLL THE FUCK BACK NOW

    And yet you want to point fingers at Blizzard? Get outta here.

    I don't have this problem with my Nvidia card, it runs smooth and speeds up.

    By the way, this is the wrong forum section for this.
    Last edited by Noomz; 2010-08-12 at 11:39 AM.

  14. #14
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Noomz View Post
    And yet you want to point fingers at Blizzard? Get outta here.

    I don't have this problem with my Nvidia card, it runs smooth and speeds up.

    By the way, this is the wrong forum section for this.
    Good job reading the whole post and his clarification on where blame is due before quoting him completely in context and replying to his point.

    Wait, no. No you didn't.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Noomz View Post
    And yet you want to point fingers at Blizzard? Get outta here.
    No. I'm not pointing fingers at Blizzard, and I quite like it here.

    Thank you for your contribution.

  16. #16
    I don't want to take away your obvious pain and grief after this huge loss in your life.

    But this has nothing to do with World of Warcraft, has it?

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by levitate View Post
    I don't want to take away your obvious pain and grief after this huge loss in your life.

    But this has nothing to do with World of Warcraft, has it?
    It has for me, I can't raid tonight!

    Fair point though, I probably should have put this on an off-topic forum. Fortunately I can live with the guilt.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by levitate View Post
    I don't want to take away your obvious pain and grief after this huge loss in your life.

    But this has nothing to do with World of Warcraft, has it?
    Obviously it doesn't, but its in the right forum to post it.

    But i heard about this a couple weeks ago, my friend posted a link of my facebook wall and I immediately changed the frame rate cap. I have been using a fan to keep the system cool, and it really doesn't get all that hot. Its a concern for me because my old hp dv9700 computer had the defective nvidia chip its in, the 8400 and 8600 series. So I had to buy a whole new laptop and have to take it to small claims court to get some money back. I don't have the cash to buy a new computer.

  19. #19
    Immortal seam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ashareth View Post
    Now, the problem lies in the fact that Blizz made a terrible (and useless) choice of grpahic/ressource use design, but it won't be acknowledged (they refused to recognize it for days until someone posted the fix on his own and it solved *^most* of the people's problems).
    Incorrect. The problem lies in the fact that people's video cards can't run at 100% without overheating due to bad cooling.

    Keep in mind, this 'glitch' makes the Video card run at it's max, it does NOT make it go over what is possible.

    So yes, it's 100% due to the cooling.
    Last edited by seam; 2010-08-12 at 06:22 PM.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by seam View Post
    Incorrect. The problem lies in the fact that people's video cards can't run at 100% without overheating due to bad cooling.

    Keep in mind, this 'glitch' makes the Video card run at it's max, it does NOT make it go over what is possible.

    So yes, it's 100% due to the cooling.

    Ding ding ding. If a card can't run at capacity without overheating it is not the fault of the software designer.


    http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/w...hics-card/7551 Here's a post about it unrelated to sc2.

    Holy fuck those drivers are from fucking march. The most recent are 258.96 from July. Keep your shit more up to date.

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