Multicoloured Crash

[apecallum 10]

After approx 5 minutes of gameplay or If I alter the video settings Arma 2 crashes completely and locks my pc up requiring a manual power down. When the game crashes certain objects (for example the aircraft carrier in the main menu) turn multicoloured and pixelated.

I have downloaded both the 1.5 patch plus the most recent nvidia driver.

EDIT: I've also noticed this message is displayed on launch: No Entry C:\Users\Callum\Documents\ArmA2\ArmA2.cfg.3D_Performance. is missing

Edited February 3, 2010 by apecallum

[kklownboy 43]

After approx 5 minutes of gameplay or If I alter the video settings Arma 2 crashes completely and locks my pc up requiring a manual power down. When the game crashes certain objects (for example the aircraft carrier in the main menu) turn multicoloured and pixelated.

I have downloaded both the 1.5 patch plus the most recent nvidia driver.

More info/specs, make sure your vidcard fans are working.

[jackass888 0]

what do you mean by multicolored... wrong texture or just random color noise? A pic or video would help. Anyway it sound like a graphics card problem.

And yes at least video card model and driver please.

[apecallum 10]

Nvidia 9800 GT SLI (x2)

The driver is I think is 196.21? Regardless it is the most recent one available.

What I mean by multicoloured is that every graphical object in the game becomes peppered with green red and blue dots, the entire screen becomes showered with them.

I've had the game for around six months and it is only recently that I have encountered these difficulties.

Also, I have no trouble running any other game so I'm not confident that this is just simply a hardware malfunction.

[EDcase 87]

Check temperatures while playing.

Sounds like overheat

[apecallum 10]

Check temperatures while playing.

Sounds like overheat

Why would this be the problem when I had been able to play the game error free no more than 2 months ago? I'm not saying you're wrong by the way I'm just curious as to how this sort of problem can develop randomly.

[DrMcCleod 10]

It develops as your GFX card (and PC vents) get clogged with dust. If the card cannot cool itself efficiently it will eventually fail and can be permanently damaged, so get the lid off your rig and give it a good vacuum clean. If necessary, get a cotton bud to clean your fan blades.

[sprayer_faust 0]

Hm.... I see this too, rarely though. And my gfx core temperature never gets past 70°C (It is under 65°C 99% of the time). I also have automatic fan control set up. By the time the temperature hits 63-65°C the fan is at 100% duty cycle. And: The card is clean...

[gulag 10]

After approx 5 minutes of gameplay or If I alter the video settings Arma 2 crashes completely and locks my pc up requiring a manual power down. When the game crashes certain objects (for example the aircraft carrier in the main menu) turn multicoloured and pixelated.

I have downloaded both the 1.5 patch plus the most recent nvidia driver.

Surely this is a video card problem, one of yours video cards have problems with v-ram, I had the same problem with a gt9600 and in some games just artifacts and then crash or freez, I had to change it, there was no other solution. Or is it a question of temperature is too high.

[Leopoldo 10]

I have a similar issue but it doesnt happen in game, the game will get to a point where textures/etc are so messed up that the game will crash (textures unloading and then reloading, shadows being where the should not be), eventually things get so messed up that the game crashes, i am then met by my desktop covered in these multi-colored pixels.

restarting my machine gets rid of them and i have no issue with any other game. this only started happening when i put ARMA 2 on my SSD.

ARMA 2 is the only thing that gives me issues and my hardware has been performing perfectly until trying to play this game and i only have issues when trying to play this game.

[apecallum 10]

EDIT: I've also noticed this message is displayed on launch: No Entry C:\Users\Callum\Documents\ArmA2\ArmA2.cfg.3D_Performance. is missing

[ProfTournesol 956]

Delete the ArmA.cfg file in the given folder and let ArmA recreate it.

[boomboomer 0]

I used to get the same graphics crash on my 9600gt, solved it by reducing the card overclock from 20% to 15% for both core and memory - haven't had a crash since.

[Leopoldo 10]

I used to get the same graphics crash on my 9600gt, solved it by reducing the card overclock from 20% to 15% for both core and memory - haven't had a crash since.

My cards are not overclocked.

[Bulldogs 10]

I had the same thing. Had a crash caused between a combination of my overclocked CPU and several mods. After the crash I got the missing 3d error message. Lowered my CPU overclock, disabled the mods and deleted my arma2.cfg file. No issues since.

I should add that I believe the reason it was happening now and not earlier is because it's been very hot and humid lately. My CPU hasn't been over heating but my psu has been operating hotter than normal, and when a psu gets hot it doesn't operate at it's max potential, and it becomes less stable, fluctuations in power can cause problems like this.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Bulldogs

[Leopoldo 10]

Its amazing how it seems people want to blame anything but ARMA 2 or Nvidia drivers.

I clean out dust every week, my system can play any other game without issue,i have tested with OCCT 3.1.0, no memory errors and no errors whilst running the graphics stress test. I can also run Furmark no problem, 200 GPU's can handle alot of heat, with a stress test like Furmark on max settings for my system the GPU's get up to a temp of 90 degrees C with AUTO fan. I get no crahes, no artifacts or anything like that.

Now my system has been rock solid for abut the past year, i then go and buy ARMA 2 and now i am being told my hard drive isnt fast enough, i have corrupt files, i have a PSU issue, i have bad cards, my cards are getting too hot, my overclock is not stable.

Its funny how he easiest way to stop having any issues is to basically just stop playing ARMA 2 and everything back to rock solid stability.

I dont have any overlocks at the moment even on my CPU as i am trying to troubleshoot ARMA 2.

The only thing so far that seems to work is reverting back to earlier Nvidia drivers as the 195.xx series to current 196.xx series are junk when running SLI, the more GPU's you run the worse it gets, i am running Quad SLi so you can do the math.

I went back to 191.07 drivers and so far i have not had this multi-colored crash yet, fingers crossed, if it happens i will update.

To me most of these problems are pretty simple its either down to ARMA 2 as we all know its not a perfectly coded game, every review you read tells you the games full of bugs and then there are the crappy SLI drivers Nvidia have been putting out recently.

Everytime i look in the ARMA 2 folder at those dump files they are always full of errors.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Leopoldo

[Bulldogs 10]

I kinda blamed Arma 2 for it, or more aptly, Arma 2 with mods. Because it's the only scenario I have that can draw enough power from all components to cause the instability. Although I could probably get the same thing from running Prime95 and 3dmark as the same time for a few hours.

EDIT : And I should add that while the instability would be there with most games, without the extra draw from the other games, and the less forgiving Arma 2 code, the other games are less likely to be affected (not all of them, Stalker COP has the same problem)

Edited February 14, 2010 by Bulldogs

[Leopoldo 10]

I really do thank you for your input Bulldog but i have a hard time believing the whole "extra draw from ARMA 2) and here is why

I can overclock my cards to 720/1552/1242(2484), thats one heavy OC from the stock 576/1242/1000(2000), i can run a loop of Vantage on eXtreme setting without issue. That includes a 4.0 Ghz OC on my cpu.

I can run Furmark 1.8.0 and OCCT GPU stress test at those clocks.

Also when playing ARMA 2 i can monitor GPU usage and most of the time the game only utilises 50% of each GPU, only rarely will it go up to 80%/90%.

I guess there is the memory usage but Crysis uses the same if not more memory, so does GTA 4, Vantage also will use up all available memory on eXtreme.

Maybe this is more Nvidia's fault for not bothering to make sure its SLI drivers 100% compatible with ARMA 2 which is a pitty because when you can play it it is a great game but in the state things are at the moment i play it less and less.

[biocunsumer 0]

I got pretty much the same problems with a 250, but its only in OA and my card is not over clocked, i have extra fans and one side of the case open and its clearly keeping cool i use cpuid to monitor