I'd go with the suggestions mentioned earlier and down clock your memory, even below what is default. If that doesn't help, try a different Power Supply.
I had the same problem with my MSI 8800GT OC. Crysis ran just fine even with the Very High hack. 3DMark03 and Bioshock, however, used to give me red artifacts followed by a freeze and a restart. Returning the memory clocks to 900 solved the problem (the factory OC was 950). I know I could have RMAd it, technically, but there are so few 8800GTs to be had in Serbia, that it's not sure I would have got a replacement any time soon. My GPU, on the other hand overclocks very nicely. So far I've tried it at 720MHz and it is rock stable.
To be honest it sounds like a power supply issue. Looking at your PC specs, you only have a 530watt power supply. You are running a overclocked E6600 @ 3ghz, 2GB of ram, and a 8800GT that consumes about 150 watts during load. Try upgrading your powersupply to a 600watt+.
I am running a similar setup on 550W and a lot of people with similar rigs are happy campers with ~450W PSUs. There's too much PSU panic these days and people should look around a bit before suggesting expensive solutions and before exhausting cheap and free possibilities. His 530W PSU is the least likely cause. The red artifact issue is a well-documented one and it most often has to do with faulty/excessively overclocked VRAM. In some cases this is best solved by lowering the RAM clock in others by RMAing the card. @phelaphant Although Crysis is easily the toughest test for a graphics card other games stress the card differently (mine ran with Crysis just fine, but crashed with Battle of Proxycon from 3dMark03!!... go figure). You should try running Crysis yourself and if it crashes the system, then try borrowing someone's higher-rated PSU and testing the rig again. If, on the other hand it doesn't crash with Crysis, then it is definitely not a PSU issue, since Crysis causes the highest power drain on your system (as far as I know, anyway). In that case you should go back to your retailer and ask them to test your card with games you know will crash it.
Yeah Crysis was one of the first I tested! Crashed intermittently, after 5 mins, after 30 mins! Every game is pretty much the same situation! Im gona try and test the rig with a mates PSU. I read somewhere the GT's require 30A on the 12V rail, where as my PSU only outputs a max of 28A! Also, it seems to be very hot all the time, Pc wizard tells me the power/aux temp is 84-86c!
Ok, Just got back! Tried a PSU that has been running an 8800Ultra - same red/green artifacts Tried different RAM - again same red/green artifacts. Tried both the RAM and PSU at the same time but same results unfortunately!
It's RMA time. Take the whole computer to the shop if necessary and tell them everything you've done. Don't take no for an answer! These guys can be so lazy sometimes that they'll tell you they tried the card and that it worked when in reality they did nothing because they couldn't be bothered.
Yeah Im trying to get something sorted out. Spoke to someone from XFX live support - said I should contact the supplier... Spoke to someone at Scan - said I should contact someone at XFX! If I send the card back again to Scan and they don't find any fault Ill once again have to pay for return carriage. I thought there was a lifetime warranty on the XFX cards? The support guy never once mentioned Sending it to them! All in all I have to say Im pretty disappointed! There is clearly an issue with not just my card but many other Alpha dog editions too. But there is no official word from XFX. Its the first time ive spent £200+ on a graphics card, I should have stuck to my trusty old 7600GT!
I haven't heard anything back from XFX after writing more tickets. I was hoping with a lifetime warranty they'd be really generous with any replacements, but I get the impression that won't be the case. I'm regretting getting the overclocked edition now. Really doesn't seem worth it if can't play a 3 year-old game without crashing every 30 minutes. Could be worse though, at least it's the case for every game. Just Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, and the Ntune stability test (which I'm told is really buggy).
Well I seem to have solved the problem...... I got another card! Bought an Inno3D 8800GT - ok its not as fast, but it plays everything flawlessly! Been playing Oblivion - everything on high detail and getting 60 FPS on 1280 by 1024 resolution! Pro Evolution2008 - perfect Crysis - Perfect COD4 - perfect! Thank you too everyone that helped anyway! Shane
I am very glad you managed to solve your problem. The 8800GT is an awesome card regardless of the manufacturer. Enjoy it
