Black Screen after an hour of playing

[yhw22]

Hi,

Recently I got a new RIG. Installed with Win7 64bits, intel i7-2600 with GTX 560 gfx card. Motherboard is using Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3.

Presently, I only installed Civilization IV and V in the system. But both games since to go black out after an hour or more.

Note that the setting had been set to the max. I also added 2 new fans, as suggested by my friend maybe due to too hot. But it still having the same problem.

Anyone kind to help me with it? Thanks.

 

[tokala]

Sounds indeed like a hardware problem.

What's your PSU?

You should also check the development of CPU and GPU temperatures during play. Could be a heatsink that is not installed properly.

 

[Wilde]

Make sure airflow in your PC is balanced. Don't have all the fans blowing in on the hardware. Ideally, have two front fans on the front of the PC blowing in and two fans on the rear of the PC blowing out. Any top or side fans should blow out of the PC to help dissipate heat but also balance the CPU and GPU fans.

Have you checked the optimal playing settings on the Geforce site?
http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/OPS/Sid-Meiers-Civilization-V-GeForce-GTX-560-OPS

My guess is you are using DX11, can you see the same errors running under DX9? What driver are you using? Try the 266.58 driver if you are using a newer one (I have to use this one to avoid the black screen too).

To monitor your GPU's temperature, use TechPowerUp's GPU monitor.
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/2065/TechPowerUp_GPU-Z_v0.5.6.html

FYI: I have a new PSU coming tomorrow (800W) to see if I can put my Black Screen issue to rest too. My GPU is a 460GTX but does not exceed 49C in temp.

 

[Wilde]

UPDATE: Looks like setting the Leader Screen to 'Low' will avoid this issue. Other cards are seeing this problem too, where many 460 owners were seeing for a long time now. Hope that helps (it has been working for me)!