Re: OT: Hardware problem?
 

I doubt power supply is the issue. Put in a new 500W PSU recently, so there's plenty of juice to go around. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif
I took the side cover off and ran the most graphics-intensive game I could think of. It ran stable for the hour I spent on it, whereas it usually would have crashed well within that hour. Idle temperature of the card was 66C, after the hour it was hitting 85 or so. I think it'll be alright, as long as I leave the side panel off. Hopefully. We'll see. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Hardware problem?
 

If you have to have the side panel off to get stability, you have a bad cooling system. Your system should really be cooler with the side panels on than off, if you have a good cooling setup. Install more or better case fans and such, as posted previously.

Also, make sure all the cables are tied up and off to the sides, so they are not obstructing air flow.

Re: OT: Hardware problem?
 

True, but having the side off works as an interim measure. I have one case fan (120mm) which moves a lot of air, but I guess it's not enough. Either that, or cables are interfering since I do have a few of them sprawling around...

Re: OT: Hardware problem?
 

I have ran my HP POS with the side cover off for a long time. The reason for this was simple, to let the hot air out. With the Video Card, extra HD, and the lack of cooling offered on stock models from HP, it seemed like the right thing to do.

My average temp is 140 to 150 degrees. I put the case cover back on, and now my temp, after an hour of idle time, is 136 degrees. I don't know, perhaps it does help to have the case on. I am still going to install a second fan, but wanted to know, if I have one fan sucking air out of the system, don't I need one sucking air in?

Re: OT: Hardware problem?
 

The air pressure in the case isn't going to change signficantly. Any air which is blown out, will be replaced by air coming in through all the little vent holes in your case.

Not to say that having an IN and an OUT working together is bad or anything.

Re: OT: Hardware problem?
 

If the second fan is on the front of the case, you will probably get better airflow with it sucking air in, and the back fan sucking air out. Easy enough to check the temperatures and compare.

The goal is to get air moving past the heat sinks and hot devices. You've got to take heat away from them. If the case is off, the case fan on the back is no longer doing much of anything, since it is not necessarily moving the hot air coming off the CPU, but just air in general. This is not to say that your computer will always run cooler with the case on, of course. It all depends on the setup and the ambient room temperature and humidity.

Poor ventilation (from crappy fans or poor case design overall) will generally increase the temperature inside a closed case from not having enough air moved around.

Re: OT: Hardware problem?
 

Fixed the crashing problem!

Opened the case, removed the graphics card and cleaned all the dust off the heatsink. It wasn't horribly dusty, but every little bit helps.

Then I took off the CPU fan to take a look at the CPU heatsink. Absolutely covered in dust. Cleaned all that dust out, put everything back together, and the crashes have stopped! Ran FarCry for 20 minutes without issue, before it'd crash within 3-5 minutes. So I should be good!