Can running the computer 24/7 cause problems?

I've got the below DS system I ordered back in Nov 2008, and for the most part it's been a great system.  Lately though I've been having issues with games like WoW or Civ 4 crashing to desktop, blue screening, or worse things like the display going crazy and the system completely freezing up.  I normally run this system 24/7 since I'm logged into IRC all the time, so it's been running almost non-stop since Dec 2008.  I'm about to do a system wipe and put Windows 7 on it and I'm hoping that the crashing/BSOD problems will go away, but I'm worried the video card is the problem and I'll need to replace it (when I do get a BSOD I usually get it on an ATI driver file). 

Oh, I don't know what the expected temp from an air cooled  4870 X2 is supposed to be, but during game play it's between 91-96 C according to GPUz.  Is that bad?

System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm 950Si
Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 3.2GHz (Quad Core) (Extreme Performance)
Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Dual SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz OCZ (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (Extreme Speed)
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card(s): 1x ATI Radeon HD 4870X2 2GB
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU
Liquid Color: UV Blue: Glowing Non-conductive High-Performance Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 & UV Lighting)
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With Zalman Performance Fans
Enhancements: LCD Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade)
CPU Boost: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: Yes, Overclock memory frequency (Includes Memory Fan Kit Installed)
Windows Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts)
Warranty: 4 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended)



Edited by sbq - 08 Mar 2010 at 3:58pm

Under load, the mid 90s for your gpu is on the overheating side but not to the point where it will meltdown. Have you been cleaning your hardware at all? IE: using compressed air to get the dust away and such?

Catalyst or do you have MSI afterburner?

80 degree idle temp is way to high
something is wrong with it

set fan speeds is just crazy, I have no idea why that idea ever came about.

Would this help?

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ht/stoperrors.htm

I got PCMark05 Advanced and ran that, the peak temp on the CPU's was 81 and 82, but the average was much lower.

I need something that can really stress the CPU's.

Originally posted by justin.kerr to check max temps use this.   http://damage.vigilantesoftware.com/downloads/coredmg08h.exe what are you using to read your temps?   Realtemp is the best   http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/3/1794507/RealTempBeta.zip

I've been using Core Temp, I had also been turning on logging.  Something weird was happening, my temps on all 4 cores was having large spikes, hitting high 80's low 90's, even though wow.exe was only using one of the cores and there was no activity on the other 3.  It's like the water cooling turned off suddenly.  I took the system apart and cleaned the dust out, didn't see too much but the big block that the water pipes run into at the top (where a big fan is) was caked in dust, so I'm wondering if that was causing a problem.  I went over every nook and cranny to clean out the dust and now the temps are much better, only spiking up to low 70's, and only the core(s) that are being used.  I also set the wow client to use 2 cores instead of just 1, that seems to help a bit too.

I also got MSI Afterburner and set it up to handle the GPU fan, 30% until it hits 60C then climbs to 50% at 80C, then 70% at 90 C.  I ran the Kombustor thing that came with MSI at those settings and it would only get up to 73C; with default fan settigns it would quickly get to 85C.

One thing I noticed that was weird.  I installed Kombustor before MSI and ran that and it used both GPU's in it's test, but after I installed MSI and have it running Kombustor will only use 1 GPU, not both.

theres now way its THAT hot just because its by a fridge, if its in a case with fans blowing on it, and a decent heatsink it should be about half that hot on idle

ok, I got Prime95 and ran it with Core Temp monitoring, then Real Temp.  Both of those showed me hitting 100+ C with Prime95 using all 4 cores:



I checked the LC and it appears to be fine.  The water pump is pumping, I can see the liquid flowing in the tubes and on the WB on the CPU, and the reservoir is at 3/4 full.  I idle at 35 - 40C, so I seem to do fine most of the time, but it seems that if I stress the CPU it causes extreme heat.  DS overclocked this i7 965 Extreme to 3.85GHz from it's standard 3.2GHz, and I've heard of others getting a 965 to 4GHz and beyond.  Here's what CPUz is showing:



I notice that my core speed is fluctuating, is that normal?

all 4 cores were doing 100%, so it was stressing them as much as it could.  I ran the 64 bit version, and told it to use them all.

anyone have any ideas why it would be overheating like this if the liquid cooling seems to be working fine?

I am guessing if the system cooled well before, and the pump is flowing the fluid, then the water blocked is gummed up/pluged from using colored fluid, the dyes ruin the water blocks afetr a while.