Video Card Problem

Hi !, Can someone please help me.
I have a P4 3.2 Ghz
1Gb ram
Nvida 6600Gt 256mb
Hyper power supply
Soprano Case Tower ( 1 incoming fan, 1 big one for outlet

in 3 months ive had the computer the video card has been replaced 3 times.
after playing GW for about 2 hrs or so the screen freezes and starts making long continous beep. Now when i turn on pc it load windows i log on and within 10-15secs the screen freezes and long beep starts and pc switches itself off. Sometomes when turning pc on get no monitor synch no single beep.

Any1 have any ideas??

Is it a system beep or does it sound like the sound freezes? A system beep would come out of the case typically and a sound freeze would come from the speakers.

If it is a system beep and you've replaced the video card there could be numerous alternatives. It could be as simple as RAM timings or incompatable RAM type or a bad RAM chip. Or it could be as complex as a mother board component going bad. Did you build this machine or is it pre-made? Do you know how to check your error log in windows (when it does boot)?

Sounds like a power supply problem to me. I'd return the PC to wherever you got it and make them check it out. If you're the one who built it, try swapping out the power supply (if you have a spare) or google search for a test procedure. I'd also make sure the power supply is putting out enough for what its running.

The Soprano is a case made by Thermaltake, so this is a custom built PC. I would also check the RAM first. But I have a few questions, if they are known:

What wattage is the Power Supply
Who made the Video Card and Motherboard.

One problem could be the power supply is not pushing enough juice. Another could be either video card overheating, or buggy hardware (this is where knowing the manufacturer helps).

Myself, I would be taking it back to whoever built it, and have them fix the thing. That is how you can tell the difference between legitimate computer people, and the fly-by-nighters that simply want to take your money and have you go away.

My money is on the PSU not supplying enough wattage... hedge bet on the RAM but I don't think his computer will stay up long enough to test it.

Borrow a PSU that is at minimum 25% larger in terms of wattage to test if it really is the PSU. Or best bet pull the plug on your video card and drop something else in that doesn't need that much juice (or remove components to the bare necessity) to test it out if you can't get another PSU.

Most likely if it's anything built in the last 2 years, a power supply issue will just shut the machine down. Although some very minor issues with power may cause the machine to system beep (a warning if voltage drops or spikes), most mobos will immediately shut down if power is not in tolerence and if you keep rebooting the comp anyway, eventually the supply will just short. My bet's on RAM timings or a bad component.

It wil not be the PSU to fault, it's a Hyper type r, so its at least a 480 watt one, these are very stable on the voltage rails, I would if you can check your motherboard manual, as 1 beep generally denotes a CPU failure, but it is dependent on manufacturer. If this was built custom for you then return it for them to look at.

Thanks for the replys guys.
Motherboard is GIGABYTE GA8N SLI PRO
Powqer supply Hiper Power Supply - 550W
Now when i switch pc on it logs onto windows then after 20-30 secs just ffreezes again, switch it off try again no synch on monitor pc doesnt seem to make much noise from PSU (normally louder), switch it off again leave for a while then logs onto windows and freezes again making contiuous beep from case and switches it self off. I ve never had a problem like this with a new pc in last 10yrs, is it normal if it dont work that after 3-4 months they dont have to give a refund?

Again your replys appreciated

Also i got a Laptop - Toshiba Qosmio G20-139 Pentium M 1.86GHz, 1GB RAM Vid card Nvida geforce go 6600 128mb. is trhis ok to play GW

Also i got a Laptop - Toshiba Qosmio G20-139 Pentium M 1.86GHz, 1GB RAM Vid card Nvida geforce go 6600 128mb. is trhis ok to play GW

Knowing that, I would now start to question the Motherboard.

Gigabyte has never been a "high end" motherboard vender. And off and on over the last 2-3 years they have been plagued with Quality Control issues. We stopped selling them where I work about that time because of this. We had to many instances of motherboards arriving dead, and the sound and/or video dying within 6 months. And of course, the issue of exploding caps. Gigabyte and Biostar were both plagued with that.

Myself, I tend to recommend Asus-Asrock, MSI, or Tyan. We have had a failure rate of less then 1 system a year with those boards. Although to be fair, I do not place Gigabyte at the bottom. That spot is reserved for companies like Epox, Mercury, and the infamous "PC Chips".

And good luck getting your money back. Gigabyte will not do much for you, other then sending you a reworked board. Your best bet is in trying to get the people who built it in the first place to either fix or replace the motherboard. If you are not willing to stand behind your products, you have no place in this industry.

Yep, I have a toshiba sat with a go FX5200 and it plays gw fairly decent. Not the best frame rate but it's playable.

Knowing about your board now, I have to agree with mushroom that giga-byte's, never had a decent board from them, EVER. But, yes, you should have a warranty. i took back a shipped *tester* gag-a-byte board (that blew-up) to fry's and got a refund which i used to get an ecs board So, yeah you should be able to take it (or sent it) back to whence it came for a refund or a re-worked board.

probably a stupid question but just in case...my 6600 has its own power connecter that takes a normal hard drive power cable. Does yours? is it attached correctly? Have you tried swapping power cables to it? If you had to split an existing power cable with a y adapter have you tried powering it directly?