Here what's happening.. When i'm playing games, my monitor goes sleppy and sound goes nuts, but the pc sounds like its running. I've updated all motherboard and video drivers recently to try and solve it, but it didnt work. Any ideas on what might be wrong? Plz! Plz! Help me!!!
I'm running Windows Xp. And i know monitor isn't the problem cause i've tried more than one!
No new hardware and it's been a couple of months since the last time I formated it.

Without the sound problem i'd say your video card was overheating. but that's just a guess. I'd start by cleaning out your case, get some compressed air and blow it out real good and see where you're at.

Lets stress test your system

1. Please download Prime95, and save it to your desktop.
2. Double click the file you just downloaded.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to install Prime95.
4. After installation, Prime95 will open.
5. If asked to join GIMPS, select "Just Stress Testing".
6. Go to Options -> Torture Test.
7. Make sure the "Blend" radio button is selected, and press ok.

This test will stress test your systems CPU, system bus, and RAM.
This test runs forever if uninterupted. Please let the test run for between 6 and 24 hours.
For more information on Prime95, see this article.
When the test is complete, post a reply here with any errors encountered, if any!

Billy3

EDIT: Fixed typo

What kind of computer are you using? Be specific with brand name and model numbers. Especially the Motherboard, and video card.

Hey, thanks for the replies! I tried the prime95, n when i stressed it the CPU temp went up to 70ºC. I know little about this things, but i'm guessing it's high. So that explains it.. I just dont know why is overheating, the fan above the CPU it's working and i clean the computer 4 days ago like smurfgod said.

Well, thanks y'all!

That may not be high. What CPU model do you have? Laptop or desktop?

Billy3

Humm..
My motherboard is a MSI intel 915P/G Neo2 Platinum.
My video board is a ATI X600.
Oh, and it's a desktop..

I'm using speed fan to check the temps, but i'm not that sure which temp belongs where.

My cooler was kind of stuck to the cpu thing, does that mean anything?

No, just the processer itself. I.E, Pentium 4, 2.6GHZ or Core 2 Duo e6600.

Billy3

Oh, sorry.. It's Pentium 4 3.0GHz.

And now it's at 82ºC.

I think smurfgod and Sneakycyber are on the right track because if your CPU were/is overheating, it would affect more than your monitor going to sleep and the sound acting whacky. Now, some video cards have tie-ins to the sound drivers and I know for a fact that some ATI graphics cards have associated sound drivers that you can (or don't have to) install, so why don't you start out by telling us the make/model of your video card so we can see if there is any sound connectivity involved.

ATI Radeon X600 is a video card, right? If it is, that's what i got.

Yeah... that's a video card alright.. guess I just missed it with all the stress testing results being thrown into the mix and you buying into the fact that your CPU is now bad. So, will you let us know if your problem is fixed once you replace your bad CPU?

OMG! I have to buy a new cpu? That's what u mean?

No, I never implied that at all. I was just making that assumption based on your own response to the results of your "stress test." This chart will give you some idea regarding your CPU's thermal limits:
http://users.erols.com/chare/elec.htm

Oh, I forgot to mention that some ATI x600 models have direct tie-ins to the sound drivers and as far as I know, there are 3 different ATI cards that have x600 in their name. Here's an example of one of them that caused sound problems: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic100600.html

I was looking for that, ty! So it's definetly over the limit. But why, if the cooler is working? Maybe it needs a little of that grease u put between the cooler and the cpu?

But i do think ur right, the problem must be with the video card.

First off, I really don't believe your CPU is that far over the limit or your PC would be in "thermal shutdown." So, with that I ask "what are you using to measure the cpu temperature?" and "are you sure it is accurate?" And forgive me again if I missed something earlier but didn't you say somewhere that you were using Speedfan and you weren't sure "which temps belong where?" Now, if that is true, it is more likely that your graphics card is running at that temperature than the CPU (just my opinion) based on what I thought I read. Oh, and by the way, I have the same CPU as you so I am somewhat familiar with it's operational characteristics.

I check with the cpu temp from BIOS, so it's right.. But even if it is the video card that's making this, i still dont know what is wrong with it, i have another cooler (working) on that too.

Ok; That should be a reliable source but I don't see how your P4 3.0 can be running smoothly at 82C... by rights, your PC should be in "hexadecimal heaven" right now.

lol It's not the fastest computer ever but it's running.. Well, if u have more ideas...

"lol It's not the fastest computer ever but it's running.. "

Hey... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" I always say. Cheers!

But this keeps happening!! There r noobs out there to be pwned!!

So, i ran prime95 for 13h and it showed 0 errors and 0 warnnings... That's good, but now what?

My guess is that your GFX card is the problem. Prime95 stresses the motherboard, the cpu, the ram, the power supply. The only thing it does not stress are things on expansion busses (PCI, AGP, PCI-X, PCIe, etc).

Do you have an aftermarket heatsink on your card? How old is the card? What make and model? Is it overclocked?
You may want to try to see if airflow in the card's heatsink is blocked by dust.

But if Prime95 passes, you know whatever's wrong is on an expansion bus.

Billy3

Yes, I do. It's about 4 years old. It's an ATI radeon X600. No, it isn't overclocked. Cooler is a b**** and i cant take it off, but i do feel the airflow.

My guess is that the cooler is clogged. Even if you feel airflow, that does not mean that it is enough airflow. The only way to know for sure is to blow out the sink (reverse direction), and try to play your games again.

Billy3

Uuuhh, i think i broke my cooler now. But u r probably right, cause now the thing happens when i start the PC.. I'll tell u how it works out once i get it fixed or i get a new one.

cooler was the problem... ty