GPU Problem/Question

Recently if I go on any game e.g. OpenBVE or Flight Simulator, when playing it my monitor shuts off but the PC is still running. I reboot and check the temperature of my Graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 210) and the temperature is at 105 degrees which is very high, the temperature is normally between 50-60 degrees. Also, the fan noise got louder recently and the problems arised after this. I have had BSOD's in the past with smoke coming out of the back of the computer brain. Is this my graphics card overheating or something else? Replies will be appreciated. Just a note my OS is Windows Vista 32 bit.

with smoke coming out of the back of the computer brain.

This should NEVER happen, unless something is seriously wrong. Your graphics card may well be wrecked. Or even your computer.
To help keep cooling up to standard it is good practice to periodically clean out the dust which collects inside the PC casing, using a vac and perhaps a soft brush WITH THE MACHINE DISCONNECTED FROM POWER.


On the bright side, if the computer is b*****ed it gives you a golden opportunity to get rid of Vista when you replace it.

Definitely have a look at the fan, if it is full of dust, it will not cool down your GPU as needed. Clean, or if not possible, then replace the fan.

Safest to replace the video card. If it has been "cooked" then it will probably fail catastrophically, possibly wrecking the entire machine with it.

In this state and with mentioned temperatures, I'd strongly advise against meddling in there alone and would give the computer or at least the motherboard, the graphics card and the cards in adjacent slots to a competent professional to have them checked. There might be damage you won't see but s/he will. And damage undiscovered might lead to a further deteriorating condition of the motherboard, other cards - and the new graphics card itself, so in the end you'd still need to buy a new computer, but additionally you'd have lost several hundreds of € or indigenous currency on a graphics card before...

Thanks for the replies, replaced my GeForce 210 with a GT 430 which is considerabely better, cleaned out a lot of dust as well, temperature now is at a steady 30 degrees and all is working well for now...will keep monitoring temperature etc and will report back if another problem arises which is unlikely at the moment.

best thing to do is buy a can of air, air cleaners are used alot at work and really do give your Pc a good clean, i'd advise also something to cover your mouth and nose too

You can also make dust filters out of a pair of ladies tights and a rubber band, top tip taken from CustomPc magazine July 2012 issue.

Well, I would also love to replace my Graphic card, but I am not able to get hold of a nVidia 8500 GT. It's too old and noone offers it. Any suggestions?

Ebay, amazon

Or the best place is aria.co.uk, cheaper than most PC places and really are good on delivery times too

Derryck wrote:Well, I would also love to replace my Graphic card, but I am not able to get hold of a nVidia 8500 GT. It's too old and noone offers it. Any suggestions?

Why get an outdated graphics card? It's likely PCI-Express so upgrading should be simple*... What's your budget?

*obviously your power supply must supply enough juice

'cause I need to make sure it will work - I have tried Radeon 5450 and it was rejected...