screen freeze with high pitch squeal 7800GS

[jvsoup]

1 month ago I upgraded from X800Pro to Evga GeForce 7800GS CO edition. For no reson I have found yet, the screen will often lock during gameplay on/offline. This is accompanied with a high pitch squeal or a repeating audio stutter. I have varied my graphics from medium to excellent to perfect. It is just as liable to crash with medium settings. Currently my card is set at global settings. When the screen locks the only way out is a reboot. The card was installed on a clean install of Windows. I am open and desperate for ideas to remedy the problem. I have just started online play and I need a stable platform. Please send help!
AMD 64 3500+, 2 Gig RAM, Audigy Platinum v5.12,GeForce 7800GS 8.4.4.3 driver,new Thermaltake TR2-500 PS

[madsarmy]

I had the same problem a few years ago on an old rig. It turned out to be a heat issue. Make sure the fan is working ok & try running with the case side off. If not it could also be a driver problem. try a reinstall of the graphics drivers.

You could also post your DXdiag for the smart people to look through.

Hope you get it sorted soon.

[foxyboy1964]

Does the squeal come from your speakers or is it coming from your case? The last time anything like that happened to me it was the fan on my grfx card giving up the ghost. The squeal sounded like a tiny human was inside the case. Does it sound anything like that? I suggest making sure the noise is NOT coming from the case.

[-HH-Quazi]

Been there, done that for eight months solid. I trouble shot it all except for trying a different mobo. I was shocked when I found out what was causing it. I was overclocking my X850XT. When I clocked it down to factory stock speeds, it quit.

If you get on eVga's forums, you will fing that certain batches of their cards in the 7800 GS CO, especially the ones that were factory oc'd over stock 7800 GS speeds, nearly all had this same issue\problem. And when m8s would de-clock their cards clock speeds down, the screeching crashes stopped happening. There is even an eVga rep. that has acknowledged the problem and offered to even pay for shipping back to their factory to exchange a card having issues with a brand new one. Not sure if this is still the case though.

I went ahead and purchased my eVga 7800 GS CO Superclock in the hopes that I would be one of the m8s that didn't have issues. And so far after about 6 weeks, all has been fantastic with this card. One of the reasons I decided to go with eVga despite these issues that were being discussed in their forums is because of their no questions asked policy on their lifetime warranty. This this the only company that flat out tells you that if you want to water cool, go ahead. That as long as the card doesn't show an outside damage such as a chipped\cracked PCB or a burn scare, then they will honor the lifetime warranty for as long as the original purcgaser owns the card. I even emailed them and asked straight up, told them what I was planning to do as far as water cooling and using ram sinks, and their response was the same.

So try cloking it down a bit and see if the screeching crashes stop. If they do, RMA the card.

[jvsoup]

I do not know the procedure for slowing the 7800GSCO down, could you explain or point me to instruction? Also , in your dark days did you ever suspect audigy drivers?
The squeal is definitely not mechanical, just in the audio.

[slipBall]

Originally posted by jvsoup:
I do not know the procedure for slowing the 7800GSCO down, could you explain or point me to instruction? Also , in your dark days did you ever suspect audigy drivers?
The squeal is definitely not mechanical, just in the audio.

I'm using a ATI, so I can't be specific, but you would turn down using the display software. In 3d settings, or performance settings, look for a setting possibly labled Balanced, and select that. Balanced meaning between performance, and quality

[DuckHawk]

I also have a 7800GS, and noticed a squeal was coming from the video card as a result of the 4-pin power connecter not being connected properly. I think this may be a built in warning.
-duckhawk