Think my video card may be done for...

[oboe]

Thanks Drano, I will check into this.  Not sure how the cable may have been unseated but you never know, and it also matches the fact that I wasn't seeing high temps on the vidcard monitor.

This may have been the problem!  I opened help ticket at XFX, and followed their suggestion of using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) from Guru3D to remove all the drivers, then reinstall the latest non-WHQL drivers and rebooted.  In the meantime, when I re-installed the card I used a VGA cable with a DVI-adapter to go from the card's DVI output to the monitor instead of an HDMI cable.   Seems to work OK, I have been able to run AH3 and still getting FPS of 100+ away from clutter at default settings and 4096 texture size.

I shut down and switched back to the HDMI cable (I *think* I'm seeing a slightly better image using HDMI - more contrast or deeper colors, I swear) and again logged into AH3 offline and flew around a bit.    GPU temp hits almost 70C and the fan(s) indicate about 70%.  Normal GPU temp is about 52C with fans at 40%.

Thanks all for your help and a special shout-out to Drano!   Not sure how the HDMI cable may have come unseated; when I disconnected the cable and removed the card I did not notice any looseness at the connections.

[Drano]

Hope that nails it down. I was pulling my hair out over mine. I have it overclocked a ton and when this would happen to me--totally at random--my in-game temps were always around or under 70. Took me a while to look behind the PC as I hadn't been messing with anything back there. But I HAD moved the case itself around a couple of times. Might be worth a post-it on the monitor! Check HDMI cable!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Chalenge]

I use the arctic cooling fans, if and when I need to replace the stock coolers. The operation can be a little delicate (especially for my fat fingers), but if you can build a system you can do this.

They even have a custom one for your card (should you ever have the need).

https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/accelero-xtreme-iv-280-x.html

[save]

I use the arctic cooling fans, if and when I need to replace the stock coolers. The operation can be a little delicate (especially for my fat fingers), but if you can build a system you can do this.
https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/accelero-xtreme-iv-280-x.html

This helps cooling quite a lot, arctic cooling fans are really good.

[Dobs]

Oboe,

Something to look at using (if you are not already) is an app to 1)monitor GPU temp and fan speed and 2) control/set a manual profile for your GPU fans.

I have mine set to just below the loud stage for normal operations (you have to play with it some to find what setting that is for your card), and then the fan RPM starts ramping up rapidly (I fly with headphones so don't care about fan noise)..found it keeps my GPU about 15 C cooler that way.

Some food for thought. 

Dobs

[Drano]

I use Aida64 to monitor everything and have a Logitech keyboard with a display that supports that so I have stuff like temps, voltage, loads, etc., up all the time.

I use MSI Afterburner for the video card. There's a tab there where you can make a custom fan curve in regards to speed vs temp. Handy.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[EskimoJoe]

I use the arctic cooling fans, if and when I need to replace the stock coolers. The operation can be a little delicate (especially for my fat fingers), but if you can build a system you can do this.

They even have a custom one for your card (should you ever have the need).

https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/accelero-xtreme-iv-280-x.html

This helps cooling quite a lot, arctic cooling fans are really good.

Would you all trust their CPU coolers?

I'm looking at their 'Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2' over a CYRORIG H7 for the I5-6600k that I want to get. Their case fans are pretty cheap, too. Any experience with either?

Respectively,
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/VRPfrH/arctic-cooling-cpu-cooler-freezer7prorev2
and
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/93Crxr/cryorig-cpu-cooler-h7

[Skuzzy]

This is my "go to" CPU cooler.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608045

The Noctua fans are the quietest fans I have ever used.

[Drano]

One of the reasons that I went with my MSI card was the cooler on it. I like to overclock my stuff so I'm looking at cooling as part of the plan. The twin frozr coolers on the MSI cards are far superior to the stock squirrel cage types. Other brands do a good job too but be looking at multiple fans with some type of multiple heat pipes. The Arctic coolers would be another level above, but if you aren't going to overclock I'd spend the money on another component.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[EskimoJoe]

This is my "go to" CPU cooler.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608045

The Noctua fans are the quietest fans I have ever used.

That cooler looks friggin' sweet, but I'm alright biting my nails on my super-gaming-budget/deployment money rig of 1500 dollars 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/eskimojoe4269/saved/#view=CDnLkL

[Skuzzy]

This is a slightly smaller version for less money.  I have used it as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9PV3YE9689&cm_re=noctua_nh-d14-_-35-608-018-_-Product

[EskimoJoe]

I'll have to put both of those on my Black Friday watch list. Thanks for the recommendation, Skuzzy 

[Drano]

I like this guy for my CPU cooler. Works great, looks great and is a couple bucks cheaper.

And it cleared my memory sticks.
 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=n82e16835118074
 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Pudgie]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186058

This one I own and have used it for the last 4+yrs until I went w\ a Corsair H80i V2 AIO cooler when I upgraded from my X79 platform to my current X99 platform.

This Arctic Freezer CPU HSF is a very solid performer and does the job w\o a lot of fan noise to boot.

Hope this helps you out.

PS---You will need to use LP mem modules if you do consider to use this HSF as it does sit very low off the CPU.

 

[oboe]

Well, looks like that lasted a little over a month.  Can't stay in AH more then a few minutes before fullscreen lockup with pale colored vertical bands.  Have to hold the power button to reboot, and then when it comes to the mobo splash screen, there are still a few vertical bands on that, different colored and not the full screen - but definitely something amiss.   Disconnected the HDMI cable and went bakc to VGA with a DVI adapter and it still occurs.  Not immediately, but I dont sit OTR looking at the plane for more than a few minutes before it crashes.

I removed the card and am using the integrated video chip atm.

I almost suspect my power supply - its a Corsair CX750M, which I picked up locally from BestBuy after all my parts came and the R9 280X packaging said the minimum required power supply was a 750W.   I think I had ordered a smaller Seasonic or eVGA with all the parts and ended up returning it and getting a new PS locally because I was in a hurry.

Thinking about a ordering a GTX 1060 or RX 480, and a new power supply.    The 280X is fine for AH3 but I like the lower power requirements of the newer cards, plus I'd like to get something that can handle some of the other games out easily.