Random Crashes...

[rokclimb15]

The code that is failing in this case has been in Dolphin since 2011. This is either a driver issue or a bad card. I'd suspect the card's memory specifically, but it could be other components. It is requesting a D3D hardware operation at the point of failure.

Does that error reproduce consistently?

[Apache Thunder]

Well I tried Dolphin 2.0 and got a freeze in a manner similar to current version. Though unlike 4.0, no panic handle was generated nor did it crash. It just froze. (exits full screen and can't get back or interact with screen until I kill Dolphin in task manager)

I find it highly irregular that something would be wrong in my video card or drivers. Because I've played Battlefield 3 and even the BF4 beta and not had problems aside from the fact that they don't quite run at optimum speed due to my video card being on the low end, but I don't get freezes or crashes in them and they make use of the same features of the card that Dolphin uses. I haven't bought BF4 though. So I haven't played the crash ridden version. Odd that a retail version of the game would be less stable then it's beta... lolz


I guess Dolphin is just plain picky. I'll try and move the card back to the first PCI-E slot (even though it shouldn't make any difference) and see what effect that has. I did mention in a edited post that I used a program to test video card memory. So video ram is not at fault here either... I've completely uninstalled and did a clean install of the Nvidia drivers. No dice. Dolphin still mis-behaves.

As for when the error occurs. It's consistent and not consistent at the same time. Consistent in being the same error that causes the crash every time, but the timing of the error seems random. In GoldenEye 007, I would sometimes make it to the end of the training mission and other times it would crash before even getting through half of it. Heck it's even happened during the loading screen. Though the only consistent part of it thus far is that I have failed to make it completely past the training mission. Once the first real mission starts it seems to crash out more often. But alas it's hard to tell since I've only made it past the training mission twice so insufficient data to really make a determination on that. The only thing I've noticed is that GC games don't crash as often as the Wii games.

I've done lightmap renders in 3DS Max and done other things in the background while it does so and not encountered any freeze or crash. So motherboard/ram seems fine. Definitely seems isolated to the video card. Since otherwise I would be having problems in things other then Dolphin...

Going back to my old card is a non option by the way. It recently failed in my mothers computer. Massive graphics glitches during simple Facebook games and then started glitching out on the desktop with no program open. Seems like the RAM or GPU died. Though it didn't blue screen or crash. The graphics just got messed up. Definitely a far cry from what's happening on this video card. Only Dolphin is having the problems...instead of everything like with the old card on the other computer.

[MayImilae]

Apache Thunder Wrote:I find it highly irregular that something would be wrong in my video card or drivers. Because I've played Battlefield 3 and even the BF4 beta and not had problems

Apache Thunder Wrote:I've done lightmap renders in 3DS Max

Totally irrelevant. Dolphin is not a PC game. And it's not 3DS Max either.

Apache Thunder Wrote:Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GT 240

The GT 240 is a G92b based video card. More or less 2/3rds of a 9800GT with D3D10.1 crammed down its throat. It is pathetic. Nevertheless, it is supported, however.... the 9800GT was a D3D9 card, and the 240 has D3D10.1 shoehorned onto it. The D3D11 backend runs on D3D10 cards through D3D10, losing various features. So it crashing on this weird and totally pathetic card doesn't quite surprise me. D3D9 should not crash, and the error you gave was D3D11 specific, so despite what you said I have little reason to believe that it has. If it does crash, show an error from D3D9.

And you said it works with OpenGL without crashing. Just use that. If you want more performance get a video card that doesn't suck. Seriously, it was pathetic when it came out 5 years ago. Dolphin is not a static program, it is constantly using new features and becoming more demanding with time. Upgrade already.

[Apache Thunder]

Alright looks like my sister might be getting me a new video card for Christmas. I've been wanting to upgrade this card anyways. The only reason I haven't done so already is because I'm poor as dirt. Believe me, I would have already replaced this card if I had the resources to do so.

I've pointed my sister at a GeForce GTX 560 or a ASUS GT640 if she can't afford the GTX. (both of these are Nvidia cards. I don't really like AMD because I have zero experience with them, so I go with what I know)

This is based mainly on what she can afford. But if those two aren't good cards for that price, then please point me to one or two that would be better. The price point I'm trying to stay under is around $120 maximum. Not much to work with, but that's pretty much the best I can go.

[rokclimb15]

In general, this would be my pick with that set of criteria

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130827

[Apache Thunder]

Will it run in a v2.0 PCI-E 16x slot? My motherboard doesn't have the newer v3.0 PCI-16x slot. Mine's the older v2.0 standard...

[AnyOldName3]

Yep, PCIe generations are backwards compatible, but will only run at the speed of the older part. You may not get the full performance you would if you were using a newer motherboard, but it won't be too far off, and will definitely be much better than what you've got now.

[Apache Thunder]

Cool thanks. Hopefully by January, My issues with Dolphin will be gone.

[cosmoruski]

In the meantime you could so some stabilitytesting with your pc

for CPU/RAM: use Prime95 or LynX
for GPU: Furmark

[Apache Thunder]

Thanks!

Gave Prime95 a run and it didn't seem to run into any issues. I have a CPU temp monitoring app and the average temp of all the cores maxed at 147'F degrees Fahrenheit.(The Celsius scale is foreign to me much like the metric system, so I use Fahrenheit for my temperatures. ) I got a beast of a heat-sink on this thing. Had to get a wider CPU case as a result when I first got it. Never really had issues with the temperatures.

I think the only thing better would be a water cooling system which is probably what I need if I ever wanted to overclock this CPU.

I'd test the GPU, but at this point it's getting replaced anyway, so no point. If there was a defect in the CPU I would be pretty pissed. I think the i7's or at least the 965 is still pretty pricey and have been quite satisfied with it.

Does the Asus P6T motherboard accept current generation of i7 CPUs? I checked and this is the appearent current gen equilevent of my current CPU:

http://ark.intel.com/products/77779/Intel-Core-i7-4960X-Processor-Extreme-Edition-15M-Cache-up-to-4_00-GHz

Compared to what I have now:

http://ark.intel.com/products/37149/

They both appear to use the same amount of power and I have 1333 DDR3 ram which both supports. But the current gen one says it supports 4 memory channels while my current one uses 3. The amount of i7's they have is vast and confusing. I'm just curious as to which of the newest CPUs I can drop in this thing without replacing the motherboard/RAM had I gotten the money to do so.

I'd never be able to afford to replace this CPU, but just looking at this hypothetically. Even if I could, it looks like my current i7 has aged pretty well and isn't really obsolete yet.