GPU and game questions

[AdrianCC100]

Will a game that is not optimized for 512mb cards overwork a 512mb card to the point of overheating it?

[Evilmaniac]

If a program runs out of video ram it'll start utilizing your physical ram. If you run out of physical ram as well then you will run into computer errors. Other than that your video card will have no problems unless it's already overheating due to poor ventilation and other things so you have nothing to worry about.

[AdrianCC100]

Then I must have a poor ventilation for my cards. The one game that has my interest levels at 100% pushes my 8800GTS cards to about 88 to 90C.. Only game that does it.. Maybe it's the game, maybe it's my PC.. But if it is the only game I have out of Civ 5, Rift, and Arma 2... Maybe it's the game?

[Evilmaniac]

Could be what game is it? If it's overheating I guess you do have something to worry about XD.

[Madcaptn]

I have the same video card & when I play Civ5 I have to make sure the fan on the card runs at like 85-90% speed to keep my card at around 90C otherwise it goes way up to like 104C which is the max it can go at I think then you risk frying it.

I think it's just the video card that's old & just can't handle those games.

[AdrianCC100]

Could be what game is it? If it's overheating I guess you do have something to worry about XD.

Dawn of Fantasy

---------- Post added 2011-06-20 at 06:25 PM ----------

I have the same video card & when I play Civ5 I have to make sure the fan on the card runs at like 85-90% speed to keep my card at around 90C otherwise it goes way up to like 104C which is the max it can go at I think then you risk frying it.

I think it's just the video card that's old & just can't handle those games.

Civ 5 runs my card to about 66 to 68C. Dawn of Fantasy runs my card to 88 to 90C. LOL

[Evilmaniac]

Best thing you can do right now is report the temperature to the creaters of the game since it's possible the game is having a compatibility issue and stressing your gpu more than it should.

[AdrianCC100]

Best thing you can do right now is report the temperature to the creaters of the game since it's possible the game is having a compatibility issue and stressing your gpu more than it should.

I did exactly that. They also have on the beta forums that the game is not fully optimized for performance with 512mb cards.. I am assuming that would be the reason, waiting for a developer over there to answer my question.

[blackblade]

obvious first bases to cover:
Ensure the video card's drivers are up to date.
Ensure there are no reported problems between said game and your specific version of driver (if it is up to date, a rollback or older driver may be required)
Ensure the card isn't clogged with dust (a can of compressed air will remedy this. you can get them at your local computer parts shop or hardware store.)

--
obvious stuff aside.

Try googling a video card tool that'll allow you to max your fan speed while playing that game. (keeping in mind that running your fan at full tilt for prolonged periods of time will shorten it's lifespan (though i generally replace the card long before its a problem to keep up to date.) you can tweek and fine tune from there (if it even helps at all, as it might be running at max already.)

[AdrianCC100]

Why are all my computer questions moved to the games section?

And if I knew running the GPU fans for long period of time would shorten life span... I wouldn't have. LMAO I have been turning my fans on 100% for about 8 months or so now.

[Samoflange]

Memory has very little to do with whether or not a video card overheats. It's usually more about how hard the GPU is working that causes overheating issues. If that game you're playing doesn't have a FPS limiter and if your computer and video card are relatively good, your video card can overwork itself by rendering at extremely high FPS rates, which doesn't do any good since you don't reap any extra benefits from having 200+ FPS. You just get higher running temperatures which decreases the lifespan of your video card. You could try to limit your FPS if it doesn't have an option in game by forcing vertical sync.

[AdrianCC100]

How do I force a FPS limit if the game doesn't have that option? Because this game I am playing doesn't have the Vertical Sync option.

[Samoflange]

You should have some video card control console you can access by right clicking your desktop or icon in your task bar. You should be able to force vertical sync from there, which forces the framerates to stay the same as the refresh rate (60 FPS if you're using a standard LCD screen).

If you have an ATI card, go into: Catalyst Control Center>Gaming>3D Application Settings>Wait for Vertical Refresh (pick "Always On")

I'm not sure about Nvidia, but it shouldn't be too different.