Guild Wars 2

Ok, first I thought it was my Graphic Card, since the problem used to get better/worse as I changed the driver, so I bought a new GC and the problem still here. Formatted computer, using the last driver available, installed ONLY GW2 (and the graphic driver) but the problem persists. It isn’t overheating, I monitored everything GC don’t get more then 59ºC and CPU 45ºC.

Problem: The hole computer freezes while playing GW2 so I’ve got to reset the power manualy, most common to happen in Lion’s Arch and Fractals of the Mists (Urban Battlegrounds Fractal almost everytime). Since the Power Supply upgrade (like a month ago) and the 13.1 GC driver it occurs randomly in any part of the game, from 5 to 30min after started playing. Some times I can play for 2 to 3 days without getting the bug, but then it comes back.

Currently I’m running only GW2 and the OS system trying to find something that indicates the problem (msconfig -> Service -> hide all microft -> desactivate all) Obs: activating the AMD stuff doesn’t change the problem.

Computer Spec:
MB: M5A88-V Evo (Default config -> http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3Plus/M5A88V_EVO/#specifications )
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 (3,2Ghz per core -> http://products.amd.com/pages/desktopcpudetail.aspx?id=532 )
HD: Maxtor STM3160215AS (SATA 500Gb, 7200rpm, 2mb buffer)
GC: Radeon HD 7850 (2Gb memory, 256 bits -> http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1160&pid=1654&psn=&lid=1&leg=0 )
RAM: 2x Corsair Vengeance 4Gb DDR3 (1600Mhz -> http://www.corsair.com/vengeance-4gb-single-module-ddr3-memory-kit-cmz4gx3m1a1600c9.html )
2x G.Skill Ripjaws 2Gb DDR3 (2000Mhz -> http://www.gskill.com/products.php?index=227 )
OS: Windows 7 64bit
Power Supply: Cougar CMX v2 700w ( http://www.cougar-world.com/us/products/power_supplies/cougar_cmx_v2.html ) – Previous was Huntkey V-P Power 500w

It only occurs with GW2, but since it’s the only thing I play in the computer after GW1 or some League of Legends (that I dropped once GW2 launched) I can’t give a comparison.

Any ideas? I don’t know how to do Over Clock, so If my motherboards does it automatically let me know. (first thing everyone asks me about, but everything is on default)

I saw Ashley Segovia post about Game Advisor in the other topic, so I gave it a try, don’t know if this will help:

Edit 02/17 – Updated the specs and infos

• Should update your directX
• Stress test your system for stability issues. (see Part 5.1)

Alright, I updated the Direct X using the [DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer] I’ll run some tests again… I was able to download Prime95, OCCT and FurMark. Runned the first 2 for one hour (I didn’t changed the configurations of the test), but since FurMark warned me about forcing my Power Supply I had to avoid this, since my PS will burn if I take more than 80% of it (tests ran by Clube do Hardware → http://www.clubedohardware.com.br/artigos/Teste-da-Fonte-de-Alimentacao-Huntkey-V-Power-550-W/1703/7).

I know, one hour stressing my CPU isn’t near enough, but since the freezing problem can occur in 5min of gameplay, I’m quite sure that this isn’t the problem (by the way, this Prime95 made my CPU get at 51ºC ! Very interesting program…).

Ran the chkdsk and no problems found.
I’ll try to freeze the computer again. Should be back in no more than 2 days. (luckily it was Direct X problem…)

hello,

The most common causes of this are overheating, memory and power. It seems you have eliminated overheating for the CPU but it would still be worth checking GPU temps whilst in-game.

Memory – It’s worth checking through your BIOS at the memory settings and running several loops of Memtest. As you are running two sets of ram I notice they have:
a). different speeds
b). different timings
c). different voltages

This is a bit iffy, as you will have to run one set of modules above the stock voltage although no doubt this will be fine but I havn’t checked the full specs and how the corsairs are at 1.65v or alternatively if the g-skill can do 1600 at 1.5v. So for testing purposes you are looking for 1600mhz, 9-9-9-27, 1.65v but will need to research your options here. Also running a full set of modules on some boards can cause issues due to the stress put on the memory controller.

If the memory checks out, it’s likely to be the PSU which as you have noted isn’t too good. It’s ~430w when new with low amps which will only get worse the more it’s used.

Hey there guys, I thought about the RAM too, so I run some tests with it today, the Memtest86 didn’t accused any failures, tried to play the game with only one pair at time, and tried every slot with them, didn’t worked.

I’ll try to get a friends PS to test this variable, the one I bought will take some time to arrive. Any other ideas I could try? Any program to stress the motherboard?

Oh yea, by the way, is there any program that can read the RAM temperature?

I’ve been experiencing the same thing. Some days it might happens a dozen times in the day, other days it can go for many hours before it happens. I thought it was my pc, but I have my doubts now. It doesn’t seem to happen when not gaming, or when in a different game. Granted, the pc is used primarily for GW2, so other stuff doesn’t get as much “testing”. But still, I never seem to have issues going for hours on other games, netflix, etc. But in GW2, it never fails, I’ll be fighting a champion or something and my screen just freezes and the computer is completely unresponsive until I force it off, and turn it back on. I went as far as to completely wipe my Win7 (it was having some other issues anyway), and installed Win8 and re-downloaded gw2 from scratch (I had previously still be on the same .dat file since beta). But sure enough, the gw2 freezing issue is exactly the same as before.

Kartel.2561:

I’ve been experiencing the same thing. Some days it might happens a dozen times in the day, other days it can go for many hours before it happens. I thought it was my pc, but I have my doubts now. It doesn’t seem to happen when not gaming, or when in a different game. Granted, the pc is used primarily for GW2, so other stuff doesn’t get as much “testing”. But still, I never seem to have issues going for hours on other games, netflix, etc. But in GW2, it never fails, I’ll be fighting a champion or something and my screen just freezes and the computer is completely unresponsive until I force it off, and turn it back on. I went as far as to completely wipe my Win7 (it was having some other issues anyway), and installed Win8 and re-downloaded gw2 from scratch (I had previously still be on the same .dat file since beta). But sure enough, the gw2 freezing issue is exactly the same as before.

Since you installed new OS cleanly and still have the same freezing issue, I suggest stress testing your system. (See Part 5.1)

Alright guys, after many, many and many weeks with this problem (yea, since launch…) I’ve been FINALY able to solve it out! So may the Raven watch over this post for every single soul that comes to find itself in the same problem.

It ended up being my monitor ! For the craziest ideia I had, I was stuburn about the graphic stuff so I started to change every single piece possible in my computer to find it out…. Monitor and sound speakers for last. When I changed my monitor the bug disapeared…. Tried to reproduce the bug in the computer I placed it, but I was unable to… Replaced the monitor back in my computer, no more freezing…. I realy have NO IDEIA what it was, I supose it could be a cable slightly disconecting from the monitor (since I placed and replaced the GC end many times), but no way to say it!

I’ve successefully made 5 FotM’s, no LA crashes, no PvP crashes, no WvW crashes, seems normal now!

Thankyou for all the help and the ideas for solving this ^^. If I ever get that again, I shall be back =P (hopefully, no more! XD)

So you just took your cable out and put it back in again?

I have the same problem, my whole computer crashes now. Just installed a new motherboard and processor.

Whats up with the mismatched memory one is 1.5 V the other is 1.65V

@ExCentya.
No, I just exchanged the hole monitor and cable for my brother’s monitor and cable. Game didn’t crashed her or there, so I took back the monitor and cable and no crashes here now ^^ (no, his computer isn’t some kind of debugger xD).

@zerk.
They have different frequencies, but my motherborad makes them all 1.333mhz. They were not the problem, I’m still using those 4 RAM pens.

So, guess what, the problem is back! Annnnd is not my monitor after all, I used my brother monitor again and it gave the same problem, this time in Snowblind Fractal. Couldn’t pass through it, and I’ve got it every single time ¬¬.

A friend of mine said that it could be a problem of conection between the graphic card and the motherboard, since he got the same problem other day (he was helping me with this, so he knows what it is xD) and that was the problem.

I’ll keep the tests and….. If I get any information I’ll come back to add.

REPLACE YOUR MEMORY WITH A MATCHED SET.

seriously, i don’t know how many times i see people doing silly things like running mismatched timings and voltages and expecting it to work properly.

That’s not the problem, but thankyou for the suggestion, it had already been tried.

I’m curently waiting for my new power supply to arrive, I’m out of ideas for testing the computer on, but if anyone have a crazy/stupid/NOTdangerous ideia, give it to me that I’ll try….

I’ll give 5g to one who solves this problem! – And yes Developers, you’re up to it too, so help me out here =D

PS: The missconection between the MB and the GC wasn’t the problem, it seems that it can make it better or worse for some reason, my friend’s guessing that there might be 2 different problems causing the same freezing stuff, and one of them was the GC-MB conection. But no way to prove that…

So I finaly got the new power supply and the problem seemed to had been a bad distant memory (had been trying to reproduce the crash all this time), but today I’ve got a update for the Catalyst driver from 12.1 to 13.1 and, well, the problem came back!!

So I’ll revert the driver to the previous version and…. I’ll come back to add any relevant information.

simply do a clean install of 13.1

the issue is not the driver.

It might not be the driver itself, but the problem is DEFINITELY driver related since the problem get’s better/worse as I changed the driver for my old GC. And the fact that I didn’t had the problem after changing the power supply but got it 3 times in 1 hour of gameplay after updating the GC Driver proves it is related to it.

Going for the previous driver didn’t worked out, something changed with the driver update and I don’t know what. Squall, how do you sugest for a “clean” instal of 13.1 driver? Nvidia has a clean option when instaling, but Catalyst doesn’t.

set the driver installation settings (system settings > advanced > hardware) so that drivers aren’t installed from windows update, then completely uninstall catalyst from programs and features

windows should install its own stock version of the cats instead of the version from windows update afterwards, then you can just install 13.1 over the top.

Unfortunately it didn’t worked =S. But definitely improved the ratio in which the game crashes. Sometimes I’ve got to play 1h straight without it happening ^^.

Any other idea that I could use?

could it be a bad motherboard ?

Maybe, but I don’t have a spare motherboard to test it =S.

I have to say that my new PC, that I built for gaming just one year ago, is doing the same thing. It didn’t start doing this until the latest patch. As an IT professional, I’ve checked what I can on my PC (temperature, etc.) Since my PC is only a year old and built for gaming, and it doesn’t crash on anything else but this (it plays RuneScape and SWTOR and Rift with no issues), I can’t help but feel that the issue is with the game. Possibly the newest patch caused some driver conflicts. I don’t know. But so many people seem to be having the exact same issue, so unless everyone is running an older PC with only a gig of RAM or something, I’m not sure the issue is collectively all of our PCs.