# Computer freezes when playing games or watching videos



## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi, Im not really sure what is wrong with my computer, but I will post it in this forum because it very likely could have something to do with the video card. 

My specs are: 

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Acer Aspire M7720
i7 CPU 
2.67 Ghz (8 CPUs)
6.1 GB RAM
Direct x11
ATI Radeon 4800 Series



Its still a decent computer, as it can run anything on the max settings without any problems. However, about one month ago the computer started to freeze ( the monitor switching digital-analog, I tested the screen with another computer and the screen is fine) when I was playing Starcraft II.

It didnt happen every time, but every once in a while. It started to occur more frequently eventually, and about one week ago, the computer also started to freeze when playing other games and when watching movies in fullscreen mode. And right now, the computer always freezes when playing games, and it usually freezes within a minute if Im watching movies in fullscreen mode. 

When it freezes, the screen sometimes just turns black. However sometimes, bars will appear on the screen and the computer makes a monotous noise.

I tried to do a system recovery to before the problems started to occur (didnt help) I updated all my drivers (didnt work) Finally I opened the computer and got rid of all the dust in the fans. Surprisingly, this fixed the problem for a few hours but after that it started to freeze again. 

Tomorrow, I will deinstall all my programs and reinstall them. If that doesnt work, Im afraid something really is broken.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

This is usually down to faulty ram, power supply or overheating.

BTW you do not have 8 CPUs you have 8 cores which is very different and how do you have 6.1GB RAM


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## n8af (Sep 1, 2011)

Hey Kazario and welcome to TSF,

The issue you are having sounds like it is either one of two things: Heat, failing GPU.
Considering that it just started happening and i'm assuming the video card isn't brand new. 
Double check that the fan on the video card is spinning and all your case fans are spinning to ensure proper air flow through the case (you can add additional air flow with a house fan blowing in the side of the case with the door open to see if it runs longer).

Sadly, if it is a failing GPU it is only a matter of time before it completely fails. If it is still under warranty, the manufacturer can usualy replace it.


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi,

Thanks for your quick reply. The computer is indeed under warranty, but I just would like what is wrong with it. I believe my fans are spinning but Im not sure how to check it. I will try the house-fan thing to see if that works, but am I supposed to see the fan spinning from the outside?


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi, 

According to Dxdiag I do have 8 CPUs. Quote:

''920 @ 2.67GHz (8CPUs) ~2.7Ghz''

And the computer is still quite new (less than 3 years old) It does have 6.1GB DDR3 RAM

I took a look at Bios earlier this week and nothing indicates that something is getting too hot. My father, who also have built his own computer a while back, suspects the processor is broken


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## n8af (Sep 1, 2011)

Kazario said:


> Hi,
> 
> Thanks for your quick reply. The computer is indeed under warranty, but I just would like what is wrong with it. I believe my fans are spinning but Im not sure how to check it. I will try the house-fan thing to see if that works, but am I supposed to see the fan spinning from the outside?


Obiously if you can't see through metal, no you can't see it on the outside:tongue:

If it doesn't void the warranty, you can take off the side panel and look inside to see if the fans are spinning.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

well its not 8 CPUs its 8 cores.

Are you running onboard video?


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

greenbrucelee said:


> well its not 8 CPUs its 8 cores.
> 
> Are you running onboard video?



Sorry, what is an onboard video?


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

You have a four core that with hyper threading enabled makes 8 logical cores to make your 8.

The Return Of Hyper-Threading : Intel Core i7 (Nehalem): Architecture By AMD?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Are you using Onboard Video or a dedicated GPU?
Does you monitor connect to the back of the PC Vertically or Horizontally?


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

n8af said:


> Obiously if you can't see through metal, no you can't see it on the outside:tongue:
> 
> If it doesn't void the warranty, you can take off the side panel and look inside to see if the fans are spinning.


It says on a sticker that only if you open a seal it will void the warranty (I have no idea which seal they mean) EDIT: It actually isnt under warranty, but it has insurance.

The computer isnt completely closed, so maybe I can see the fan spinning. But I highly doubt overheating is the problem, a few days ago I checked the Bios and nothing indicates that some parts are getting too hot. The temperate is around 30-35 degrees Celsius.


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

Tyree said:


> Are you using Onboard Video or a dedicated GPU?
> Does you monitor connect to the back of the PC Vertically or Horizontally?


I know I have a GPU , but I dont know if its dedicated or not.
The monitor connects to the back of my PC horizontally.


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

I just checked, and the fans work fine. So overheating definitely isnt the problem. I cleaned the thing two days so there also isnt any dust on it.


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## n8af (Sep 1, 2011)

Do you have a spare video card laying around that you can plug in?

If not, there is a GPU testing utility here Run a couple stress tests on it and see how it goes.


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

n8af said:


> Do you have a spare video card laying around that you can plug in?
> 
> If not, there is a GPU testing utility here Run a couple stress tests on it and see how it goes.


Nope, I dont have a spare video card.

I did the test, and the temperate was around 72-75 degrees Celsius


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

That would be a dedicated GPU. Knowing the Brand & Model would prove helpful.
Brand & Model of the PSU? If you don't know, remove the case side and look at the PSU label.


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

Thanks for the help so far, but its getting a bit late here so I will go to bed. Tomorrow, I will deisntall all my software. If that doesnt fix it I will call a technician who can fix it (computer has insurance) and he probably can tell me what is broken. It most likely is either the power supply or processor, because there doesnt seem to be anything wrong with fans, video card, GPU, temperature etc.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Good Luck. Please post back with any results.


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

Yesterday my computer froze again while I was trying to watch a youtube clip, but this time it gave an error. The words:

''Not optimal mode: 1640x1280 60Hz'' 

appeared. However when I checked the resolution and Hz, the computer didnt seem to use the wrong resolution and hz. it already was running on 60 Hz with a resolution of 1640x1280


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

was that on the computer or the monitor that showed this error?


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## Kazario (Sep 8, 2011)

Monitor showed this error (black screen, and the Not Optimum Mode box) but I checked and there was nothing wrong with the resolution and Hz settings.

Also, I used a different monitor and my computer froze again so there is nothing wrong with my monitor


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

We need to know what we're working with to offer reliable advice.



Tyree said:


> That would be a dedicated GPU. Knowing the Brand & Model would prove helpful.
> Brand & Model of the PSU? If you don't know, remove the case side and look at the PSU label.


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## n8af (Sep 1, 2011)

Tempurature looks good. 70-80s is tolerable. 

Since you don't have another video card to isolate the issue and verify it, we may have to assume that the GPU is failing. 
I would get a hold of acer support and see about getting a replacement video card either under warranty (if you can sweet talk them into it) or under your insurance as you stated.

You can get to the acer support page here


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

is that 70-80 degrees c because that is not good that should be load temps not idle.


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## monere (Jan 18, 2013)

Well, I don't know if anyone still monitors this thread of if Op's problem was solved or not but I will post here anyway until further instructions 

I am having the same problem as the OP. Computer freezes only when watching videos (on or offline doesn't matter) and playing games.

Now, this madness started several days to a few weeks (sorry, I don't remember exactly when) after I bought a new graphics card in january 2012 (an year ago that is). As I said, several days to few weeks after I purchased the video card cause my older one (nVidia Gforce 8800 something) collapsed. And, coincidence or not, the new video card that I bought was exactly as OP's: ATI Radeon HD series (4650 in my case, 4800+ in his as I understood)

Now, I still have these issues 1 year after I bought the card only not so often as during the first few months after I installed the card. Yes, the card is still under warranty and yes, I can replace it whenever I want but I won't do it cause my PC is pretty old and I will get a new one by the end of the year anyway.

So, with these being said, if anything can be done about this issue and someone is willing to offer any help, it's fine. Otherwise it's still fine 

I am not really desperate to solve this problem anymore like I was when this freezing happened like freakin 10-20 times a day that I couldn't even work at the computer (yes, the freezing would occur back then even when I would carry simple tasks like reading email or working with MS-Office). Since then, even though I did nothing special to fix the issue (I didn't even reinstall Windows or something radical like that), it basically went away on its own, although a few days ago started to manifest again.

Oh well, I will see what and if I do anything about it. But I just created my account on this forum to reply to this thread specifically because I saw that the OP had the same make and almost the same model of graphics card like mine and in my simple mind this coincidence means that the graphics card is the culprit. Maybe others who will run into this same issue will read this and if they have the same brand of video card will at least know what to test 

Cheers everyone!

PS: I will monitor this thread for a few weeks and see if a solid solution/fix comes along and if not, not a big deal anyway. Imma getting a new PC soon, and I will probably pick another brand of video card cause instinctively I never liked ATI and AMD anyway ^^.

Don't ask me why cause I have no idea. I am not a techie type of guy, just my instincts say that ATI and/or AMD are not good, even though the companies may be perfect. As I said, it's just my gut instincts that make me look somewhere else for a new graphics card.

Oh well, this is getting too long and off-topic already. I think I made my point however.

PPS: I really have nothing against ATI or AMD so don't start bashing me for my personal preference. I have nothing against the folks at these companies


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

post your own thread please, if the OP responds it will be hard to help him and you.

Just because you have a similar issue does not mean the same answer will help you.


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## monere (Jan 18, 2013)

greenbrucelee said:


> post your own thread please, if the OP responds it will be hard to help him and you.
> 
> Just because you have a similar issue does not mean the same answer will help you.


No need to open another thread just for this little rambling I won't even post anymore. I just had to say that


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