CyberPowerPC - Unleash The Power

Okay,
I received the computer roughly three days ago. The issue I am having is in regards to gaming and specifically the GPU. When I initially ran Shogun 2, while I was at the main menu, the computer shut down completely, first the monitor turned off and then about 15 seconds later the tower turned off. I booted the computer up again and ran BFBC2. I had the same issue, the computer shut down after about 5 minutes into the game. I booted up and checked Event Viewer. There were some warnings and errors, but the most particular one was: "System shutdown due to graphics card overheating."  I took a look at the Catalyst controls to see what was up. I was running Crossfire, so I checked the settings. I found AMD Overdrive to be turned on, so I turned it off thinking it was running my GPUs harder than needed. I then ran BFBC2 in windowed mode so I could monitor the GPU Temps via Catalyst. In over an hour of game play, the temps stayed below 78 C and the fan ran under 78%. I figured I had solved the issue. I left the computer and came back an hour later to run Shogun 2 again. After booting up, I got further into the game before the computer once again shut down completely with no warning. I booted up and checked again and found only the following warnings in Event Viewer:
-"The previous system shutdown at 12:24:04 AM on ‎8/‎14/‎2011 was unexpected."
-"{tid=9BC}
-------------------------------------------------------- Initialized client log (C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Application Virtualization Client\sftlog.txt)"
-"Event filter with query "SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA "Win32_Processor" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99" could not be reactivated in namespace "//./root/CIMV2" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected."

The issue seems to be with the GPUs temps. The room temp is around 75 F, the HDD temp (according to the case) is 88 F.

Any and all advice is appreciated. I am at this point leading towards the GPUs being faulty, but this issue combined with the lack of a response in terms of the rebates does not create a satisfied customer.

Specs:
CAS: * Apevia X-Plorer 2 Mid-Tower Case w/ Side-Panel Window and MultiMeter Display [-52] (Black Color with 200mm UV Blue LED Fan)
CASUPGRADE: None
CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CPU: AMD Phenom™II X6 1100T Six-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+24]
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
FREEGAME_VC02: FREE Game - Shogun 2 Coupon: Total War [+0]
HDD: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-41] (Single Hard Drive)
MEMORY: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module [+10] (Corsair XMS Gaming Memory with Heatsink Spreader)
MOTHERBOARD: Asus M4A87TD EVO AMD 870 Chipset CrossFireX Support DDR3 Socket AM3 ATX w/ 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1, & 3 PCI
MULTIVIEW: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card
VIDEO2: AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card


**Update** It seems running the programs in window mode seems to alleviate the issue, but full screen still causes issue.

**Update** Ran Shogun 2 in DirectX 9 in window mode, no problem. Ran BFBC2 with Crossfire off, full-screen, no problem. I am thinking one of the GPUs is bad, not both.


Edited by MadMaverick - 14 Aug 2011 at 2:05am

ur power supply sucks switch it out with a corsair 850w

Called CyberPowerPC, contacted them via email, and also attempted "Live Chat" all to no avail.

Issue still exists, although I am leaning towards the PSU as the culprit. I must say though that I am still a bit disturbed about the "System shutdown due to graphics card overheating." Part of me thinks I have both bad quality(?) PSU and a faulty GFX.

Originally posted by vegence sounds like a power supply failure..... cyber power always recommends the xtremegear brand power supplys. they must have some partenership or something with them. however, xtremegear is utter crap. over half the problems people come here with are directly related to xtremegear power supplys. they do not provide the watts they advertise and have no ripple supression parts. if you notice, the xtremegear power supplys are alot cheaper than most any other brand for what they advertise as a comparable watts. this should tell you something. you really do get what you pay for. personally i wouldnt even cut the machine back on until i changed that power supply. you could RMA it back to cyber power but all they will do is put another xtremegear power supply back into your rig. it might last a day. it might last a year. but it will eventually damage the rest of your components. and ultimately shorten the life of your computer. id recommened doing as hunter said and go to newegg or tiger direct and buy a corsair branded 850 watt power supply. you could also look into coolermaster and thermaltake (toughpower) brands. there are many other good brands and models also. if you go this route then come back here and list what you will buy and we can look into wether its a realiable choice.

Well I was able to get in touch with CyberPowerPC Live Chat. The tech had me swap the gfxs and ram around. The computer seemed to work fine after that. Then the temp spiked, and the test I was running (BFBC2) crashed as well as the OS, although the computer did not shut off this time. I then got back on Live Chat, the same tech had me move the ram to the "correct" slots. I have been running the computer since with no issues, the temps seem to be good. Although I must say the 90-95 F internal case temp bothers me considering it starts around 78 F and goes higher from there.

Also after I re-seated the ram, I was running BFBC2 with no issues until I noticed the game screen started to flicker a bit at some parts, I moved the computer slightly to improve airflow and the issue went away. Although I figure the flicker could be a heat issue or more than likely just a software/driver issue.

Anyway, the computer seems fine for now, I am looking into an OSZ PSU. Although I would really like the quietest/coolest (temperature-wise) PSU I could get, so recommendations are welcomed. I keep the tower in a 2'x10"x2" enclosure, so having anything to help keep the heat out would be great. Also the tower exhausts heat out the back, which is about 10" from the wall.

Keep an eye on temps in that case. It seems real compact and not that great of airflow for a crossfire or sli setup. The side panel fan looks to also blow more towards the top end of the motherboard, avoiding the video cards. A different psu with a better fan on it may lower your temps. With mid towers, your video card is gonna be sitting right on top of the psu so if your psu is running hot, that heat is going to rise right onto the video cards.