I think it's the graphics card...

[Shoeberto]

Another good way to check the CPU temp after a crash is to just boot into your BIOS right after it happens and see what it reports. I had it happen with mine a while back and it showed really high temperatures.

When it happened to me it turned out there was gunk (dust and hair) all built up over the heat sink, preventing heat flow. Unscrewing the fan from it and running over it with a q-tip to clean it off helped.

[Rostum]

Hmm, well what I did didn't end up fixing it. So... I'll try cleaning the heat sink.

I could even try just putting on the cooler that came with the CPU, but it didn't come with any thermal paste (like the one I bought), not sure if it needs it but I have no thermal paste.

Hmm...

Edit: Here's the nVidia monitor while playing FFXI in Windower 3.3 with DrawDistance set to 15 and background texture resolution set to 2048x2048. The CPU is at 50% in whitegate but something like 17% in most other areas.



Edit:
Just crashed, went into the Bios straight away and CPU was at 35C. So I don't think that's it... Hmm...

[Rostum]

Okay so I formatted my computer and installed all the latest drivers for the XFX nVidia 7800GS AGP card that I have, as well as new bios and drivers for my ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA motherboard.

At first Final Fantasy XI was working fine, but then it started to crash again... I really don't have the money to go spend on a new PSU, or a new GPU or a new motherboard, or new RAM, when I don't know for certain which is going to fix it.

I had a thought, reading through the motherboard's manual. The AGP slot it has is a 1.5V and they specifically say not to use a video card with 3.3V. Now, I can't find anything that says what the voltage is on my card, not even in the manual... Which is incredibly weird. Also, what if it is 3.3V? Is there a flash bios to make it 1.5V? Is that safe? Hmm.

Any help would be appreciated...

Also... It says for system requirements "An aGP 2.0 compliant motherboard, and an available hard disk drive power dongle (only for AGP)". I have no idea what they are talking about here!

[Rostum]

Hmm, well XFX Force (the manufacturer's of my nVidia graphics card) said that it sounds like I have a faulty card and are sending me a replacement.

I also thought that I could buy some new RAM (running some old cheap DDR400 RAM and can get DDRII 667 RAM). I am thinking that there are only two slots but I could get 2x2GB DDRII 667 RAM although I am not sure if the motherboard supports more than 2GB...

The manual doesn't say anything about limits, but I am still not sure. Will it be fine to get the 4GB RAM?

I was thinking of these:
Kingston 4096MB (2 x 2048MB) PC2-5300 667Mhz DDR2 RAM - CL5 (68274 | KVR667D2N5K2/4G) | Techbuy Australia
Or
Corsair 4096MB (2 x 2048MB) PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2 RAM - CL5 - Value Select (81416 | VS4GBKIT667D2) | Techbuy Australia
Or their 2GB counter parts if 4GB is a no-go...

Any help would be appreciated, cheers.

Edit: Motherboad is 4CoreDual-VSTA incase anyone wanted to double check for me or something.

[o_O]

Yes, you should be fine to get 4GB of RAM - it mostly depends on your CPU. If you only have a 32bit CPU then you won't get above 4GB, and if you're on XP you won't get above 3GB. I would personally go with Corsair RAM as it's one of the top brands, but it certainly doesn't come cheap.

All signs so far are pointing to faulty hardware, but keep in mind that it may not be the GPU. Your CPU and GPU are clearly not overheating, so my guess at the next thing in line would be your PSU. What power is your PSU, and what devices do you have that are drawing decent amounts of power (drives, graphics, processor)?

[Rostum]

[strike]But there shouldn't be a limitation from the motherboard if the manual doesn't mention it?[/strike] I'll go with that Corsair one. Edit: Ah it says it's "Max. capacity of system memory: 2GB" in the memory specs on ASRock's website.

I have an eXtream 430w/350w Cooler Master that connects to a CPU, GPU, 250GB HDD, DVD/CD writer drive, and USB drivers (tablet, micro hi-fi system, and mouse) and the rest is just an ethernet port and a keyboard port.

Well I'd like to get new RAM anyway, but will have to think about the PSU. I was told that the PSU's power should be absolutely fine but maybe it's not enough... If it's not, is there anything you can suggest for me?

[Citizen Bleys]

Recap: Remember I was having what sounded like the same issue as you on both a desktop and a laptop pc.

Update: I replaced the graphics card on the PC and haven't frozen since. I suspect your RMA card will resolve your issue similarly.
Getting a cooling pad for my laptop did precisely bugger.

[Serapy]

Do you have the same problem when you run a different game?

[Rostum]

Bleys: Perhaps I should wait until I get the new card before buying a new PSU and memory.

Serapy: Yes, as I believe I have stated (if not my apologies).

[o_O]

If they're sending you a replacement graphics card under warranty then yeah, definitely wait. If you can get your hands on compatible parts for testing then you could try swapping them out while you're waiting.

[Rostum]

Alright well thanks for the help so far guys! I will tell you all how it goes once I get the replacement card and test it out.

Cheers!