Guild Wars 2

I really really hope that someone here can help me figure out what’s going on with my PC.

Im snot tech savvy at all. Im pretty much as tech brain dead as you can be while still loving games..lol I’d appreciate any help…..

This is my first PC game (playing since launch) and first PC for gamming, although probably not that great a PC. It was a bare bone kit PC which my buddy put together for me.

Its been about 3-4 weeks that my PC crashes, not just the game but the entire PC freezes at whatever screen I was in. A loud screeching / static sound starts and I basically have to do a hard shut down. I can’t press any botton, complete failure. Its been happening more frequently and now its been about a week I’ve had to do it 2-3 times a day usually during moments with a big battle in PvP, or WvW which sucks after waitng for queue. But to clarify, its not a lag thing, with all the hours in play in WvW I kinda got used to the lag. This is different.

I used to be able to play on high appearance and not feel a thing in PvE and dungeons. During WvW I usually just drop it to best performance since the lag is pretty harsh at times. Since this started, I only keep it on best performance and hope for the best, it still happens 2-3 times in a day.

These are my PC specs:

GPU: Zotac Geforce GTX 550Ti
CPU: AMD Penom™ II X4 965 Processor
Momory: 8.00 GB RAM
Current Resolution: 1920 × 1080, 60Hz
Driver Version: 331.65
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64bit)
Screen: Sync Master S22B350

I upgraded the power supply since I was told you could never have enough so its kitten Watt (Ultra LS 55 Black lifetime series) as opposed to the the 400-450 that came with it.
Motherboard: Asus M5A 78L-M LX plus
Ohh, I have Bit defender (the highest version of it)

Any info would be super greatly appreciated..

PS. I kept this error message, its one of many but I just decided at that point to save it..not sure if it helps

November 13/2013 4pm

—> Crash <—
Assertion: false
File: ..\..\..\Core\Platform\Common\MemAllocatorBase.cpp(107)
App: Gw2.exe
Pid: 3604
Cmdline:
BaseAddr: 00400000
ProgramId: 101
Build: 26077
When: 2013-11-13T20:57:49Z 2013-11-13T15:57:49-05:00
Uptime: 0 days 1:49:38
Flags: 0

This just happened right now in WvW.. no action around me, just walking around without a NPC or player in site..

• Crash <—*
  Exception: c0000005
  Memory at address a544d708 could not be read
  App: Gw2.exe
  Pid: 4736
  Cmdline:
  BaseAddr: 00400000
  ProgramId: 101
  Build: 26150
  When: 2013-11-22T16:30:31Z 2013-11-22T11:30:31-05:00
  Uptime: 0 days 0:20:22
  Flags: 0

Ten minutes later..lol this is ridiculous.. I was just standing at a wp…lol I won’t post anymore of these messages, probably getting annoying to read.. Any help would be greatly appreciated…

• Crash <—*
  Assertion: space
  File: ..\..\..\Services\Space\Space.cpp(185)
  App: Gw2.exe
  Pid: 4332
  Cmdline:
  BaseAddr: 00400000
  ProgramId: 101
  Build: 26150
  When: 2013-11-22T16:40:35Z 2013-11-22T11:40:35-05:00
  Uptime: 0 days 0:08:43
  Flags: 0

bump for any help. : )

I’ve been having the same exact issue. Here is a link to my thread:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/Complete-PC-Freeze

However, it has not been resolved yet. I have been using MSI Afterburner to underclock my GPU, and that has done the trick, but in doing so, I lose ~20% of my fps.

To summarize the steps I have taken, I have tested the RAM multiple times with no errors found, rolled back GPU drivers to 314.22, reinstalled windows, reseated GPU many times, applied new thermal paste… pretty much the works.

As stated on that thread and on the nVidia forums, 314.22 is the last stable driver for 400, 400m, 500, 500m, 500, and 600m series GPUs, like both yours and mine. I would try rolling back to these drivers to see if they fix your problem.

Otherwise, check your ram for errors. This can be done through memtest, prime95, or your BIOS.

And this should go without saying, but check your temperatures. I personally use HWiNFO64. As a bonus, it is the only program I have found that allows me to manually control my fan speeds since I play on a laptop.

If none of that works, I don’t know what will. I’m still working with support through a ticket to try to get the issue resolved, and can let you know the results of that. At this point, however, I suspect the issue is that my GPU has degraded over the 2 years I have had it, and I will need to either RMA it or purchase a new one… leaning towards getting a new one over the holidays.

Also, check to see if this is happening in other games. This has happened to me in every other game, from Starcraft II to Team Fortress II, and even Minecraft. If it doesn’t happen in other games, it might be an issue with GW2, but your problem sounds similar enough to mine that I would bet it happens with all of your other games.

Good luck, and yeah, PC issues suck

“However, it has not been resolved yet. I have been using MSI Afterburner to underclock my GPU, and that has done the trick, but in doing so, I lose ~20% of my fps.”

You GPU is unstable at stock speeds (also known as ‘defective’). You have found the problem and it has nothing to do with the game coding.

Oh, I know it has nothing to do with game coding. I’m trying to find out if it’s a problem with something other than my GPU before I decide to RMA it. For example, it may be a driver issue, memory issue, even a disk issue. I don’t want to RMA my card or buy a new card until I know for certain that my card is defective.

And if it is defective, that would be extremely weird, since I have never overclocked it, and it only recently had these issues after about 2 years of solid performance at stock clocks. There were never intense heat levels, either.

Well, sometimes electronics will suddenly fail even without overheating or overclocking. I just repaired a laptop that had been fine the day before. It would no longer boot and there was no video. I suspected the GPU (BGA mounted, which is a horrible design in my opinion). I was able to re-flow the solder connections by heating it with a torch to 395 F. I’m not recommending that you do this, just showing an example.

Your issue is very unlikely to be anything else. The power difference required for under-clocking vs. operating at stock speeds is so minor that I think I can safely say it’s not a power supply issue. Drivers don’t suddenly fail (excluding file corruption, etc.) unless there’s a hardware problem. So, in my opinion your GPU should be replaced.

Thanks for the responses

“Dreary Yew”. I like that you gave me options. I’ll be honest, I only really understood one of them which is to change the driver to 314.22 which I’m going to do. Im not really tech savy so after that im gonna have to google you answers..lol but at least I have somewhere to start. : )

thanks

I forgot to ask something. I have the more resent driver..Do I have to uninstall that driver or delete it before installing 314.22.. or can I just install 314.22

Sniper.3487:

I upgraded the power supply since I was told you could never have enough so its kitten Watt (Ultra LS 55 Black lifetime series) as opposed to the the 400-450 that came with it.

Who ever told you this knows nothing about PSU’s. Ultra is known for having some really kittenty PSU’s, and I would tell you who makes them for them, however Ultra is so shotty of a PSU reseller, that they often put fake part numbers on their PSU’s to seem like they are made from a better 3rd party, but you take them apart and look at the build quality and it is clear they are not good. Their 750W PSU’s have been tested and many sites have had them fail when trying to pull only 400W from them. Also, the 12v rail is rated for 23A at only 25C, which is laughable to think a PSU is going to run at 25C, most PSU’s under load will be closer to 40-50C, not to mention that 23A is low to start with as other quality PSU’s push that many amps and more on PSU’s as low as 350W. Watts are marketing with PSU’s, it is ALL about rails and amps and build quality. Do you still have the PSU it started with? What brand is it? Can you get a photo of it or the sticker thats on the side for rails and amps?

I would be more willing to bet the PSU is crapping out. DL OCCT and run the PSU test, it’s for sure fire to crash if it is the PSU, but if it does its a good sign it is.

Here’s what I would try…pull your RAM and, if 2 sticks try one at a time to see if the issue occurs with either stick. If one, clean the contacts.

As for the comment on Ultra PSU’s, I’ve only used Ultra myself. Had an original XConnect series that was hit by lightning and only lost it. Ultra replaced it with an X3 600 which works great. I will point out that unlike most PSUs the Ultra series will only pull what it needs when it needs it. ie: If my computer only needs 400-500w at one time the PSU will only feed out that amount. They are just designed to do that.

But back to the OPs issue, from my experience that sounds like a RAM lockup. Try cleaning the contacts and it should work out. Also check your wiring for your HDs as well. I had a similar issue that was caused by a miscommunication in the RAM due to bad contact and a faulty SATA cable.

Anyway, hope it helps.

ALL power supplies provide power as it is needed. They are switching (pulse width modulated) and will adjust themselves depending on load. They don’t pull their rated power constantly from the AC line.

As Tink said, it’s important to pay attention to the rail(s) current rating. I recommend (at least for the 12 volt rail) a minimum of 32 Amps. Is that the OP’s problem? I don’t know for sure in this case, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to get a better PSU – such as Corsair.

Another thing that’s important to look at is switching noise (ripple). If it’s too high it can cause some very strange problems indeed.

moonstarmac.4603:

I will point out that unlike most PSUs the Ultra series will only pull what it needs when it needs it. ie: If my computer only needs 400-500w at one time the PSU will only feed out that amount. They are just designed to do that.

PSU’s don’t push their rating at all times, my 800W PSU, under normal use, pulls 340W from the wall, so less than 250W after taking into account AC to DC losses and UPS losses.

abomally.2694:

ALL power supplies provide power as it is needed. They are switching (pulse width modulated) and will adjust themselves depending on load. They don’t pull their rated power constantly from the AC line.

As Tink said, it’s important to pay attention to the rail(s) current rating. I recommend (at least for the 12 volt rail) a minimum of 32 Amps. Is that the OP’s problem? I don’t know for sure in this case, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to get a better PSU – such as Corsair.

Another thing that’s important to look at is switching noise (ripple). If it’s too high it can cause some very strange problems indeed.

If you are running a dedicated GPU, 30A is easy to find on PSU’s today, even pretty common on 400W PSU’s, so there is really no reason not to, other than people buying into watt ratings, or “OMFG THIS PSU HAS OVER 9000 12V RAILS!! THAT MEANS IT HAS TO BE BETTER” it is sad what some people will fall for and even more sad that so many PSU resellers will market for it.

Noise and ripple can cause problems, as if they drop for long enough its the same as a brown out to the computer, it might not be enough to shut it down, but cause it to hang and the HW to crash.

It’s the one thing most people do so little research on, yet it is the thing powering everything else in the computer. Back when I did custom builds and repair, it was the cause of so many problems of people building their own computers. Some of the weirdest problems and errors, open up the computer and sure enough, some no name 800W+ PSU, swap it out for one of my back up 400W seasonics and what do you know, no more problems.

Sure, this might not be the OP’s problem, but when I see shotty PSU’s in a rig and its having trouble, it is the first thing I look at.