Serious video crash with GTX 660Ti
 

Some searching hasn't really revealed an answer to this as of yet, so I'm hoping someone here might know better. I've been running into frequent video crashes while playing SH4. Everything seems fine and then suddenly, the whole video output from my graphics card cuts out, usually accompanied by the system audio freezing. The audio and apparently the rest of the system recover after a few seconds, but the video remains offline, requiring a system restart to get it working again.

The crashes only happen while actually playing the game, not during startup or saved game loading, and as far as I can tell so far, none of the graphics settings seem to have any effect on the issue. This is the only game I've experienced this behavior with and I do have the most up to date drivers from nVidia. Any thoughts about what might be happening here?

Let me ask a few questions:
Did this happen before?
Can you post your entire specs please?

Few things you could try:
Re-install the game.
Re-install your GPU's drivers.
Troubleshoot your hardware, check that your GPU is still working properly, your wires etc.

"Any thoughts about what might be happening here?"
According to tomshardware website, based on that behaviour you described it could be a PSU problem. Your power supply can't handle your system build properly.

If you want to read more about it: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/...-randomly.html

Full specs:

Operating System
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1

CPU
Intel Core i7 4770K @ 3.50GHz 41 °C
Haswell 22nm Technology

RAM
16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 1197MHz (10-12-12-31)

Motherboard
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. Z87X-UD4H-CF (SOCKET 0) 28 °C

Graphics
VE247 (1920x1080@60Hz)
VE247 (1920x1080@60Hz)
VE247 (1920x1080@60Hz)
Intel HD Graphics 4600 (Gigabyte)
2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti (EVGA) 47 °C

Storage
119GB Samsung SSD 840 PRO Seri SCSI Disk Device (SSD) 32 °C
465GB Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500G SCSI Disk Device (SSD) 28 °C
931GB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B SCSI Disk Device (SATA) 35 °C
698GB SAMSUNG HD753LJ SCSI Disk Device (SATA) 36 °C
149GB SAMSUNG HD160JJ SCSI Disk Device (SATA) 48 °C

Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio

PSU is a 1KW, which is more than enough to run this system. Reinstalling the game didn't fix anything, will try video drivers tomorrow.

Did you make SH4 large address aware? That sounds somewhat like how mine would crash.

The only other thing I can think of is maybe your Nvidia control panel is set to force something that SH4 can't handle. I know I've broken games tweaking in the Catalyst Control Center. (Radeon) IIRC, tessellation was my issue.

Can be. Try Nvidia Inspector and use 4Gb patch.

Regards.

Fitzcarraldo :salute:

You do not need LAA with win7 64 bit and the amount of ram you have.

This looks like an issue, if I am reading your information correctly, where the video aspects are not on a dedicated card. Check your listing in the Nvidia control panel and make sure that your GPU is selected and it is not set for AUTO.

Go to the Manage 3D settings and see what your system is using for the global and program settings. Under the Program settings for SH4 make sure it is not using global if you have more than one video connection or card and is only using the GPU from the Nvidia card. If your Global setting is only using the Nvidia card and the program is set for that then it should be ok on that end.

You will find a sticky with the best Nvidia settings for SH4 HERE because no one bothers to look.

I have 8 Gb RAM, an i5 processor, W7 Home Premium 64bits, Nvidia/MSI GTX 750 with 2 GB and I need the 4 GB patch (LAA). Without it, my SH4 crash with TMO RSRDC OTC.

Best regards.

Fitzcarraldo :salute:

I agree with Fitz. Even with 12 gigs ram, the 4 gig patch solved my crash issues. As for the issue at hand, did you install, or update your Dx9? Even though you may have a later version, the game needs Dx9. Don't worry about installing, it won't over write the later version. Also, and maybe a long shot, run dxdiag and make sure that Graphics acceleration is enabled. Good luck!

For some reason that Intel HD Graphics 4600 jumps out at me. Intel graphics are integrated into the motherboard. Make sure your onboard graphics card is shut off in your Bios and that your running off your EVGA card.

The reason I mention this is because SH4 and Intel Graphics don't get along very well. It could be the reason your game is crashing. :D

Haven't had much free time the last couple of days, but I'll give all of these things a try to see if they make a difference. I'm also about to do a long overdue full system wipe and reinstall so that might make a difference as well.

I run win 7 Professional 64 bit 16 gigs ram and have never used the LAA with it. I never have an issues with crashes.

Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157

1_TriggerMaru_Overhaul_2-5
1_TMO_25_small_patch
RSRDC_TMO_V502
RSRDC_V5xx_Patch1
Improved Ship Physics 2.6_TMO_RSRDC
TMO_Visuals_for_RSRDC
FJB_Navigation_Maps
FJB Color Navigation Map
Gyoraitei
11 New Ships + Yamato AA Fix by Miner1436
Ship pack 1
SMALLER SEA PLANTS SMALL
SMALLER SEABED ROCKS
#5 Depthcharge Sound
#2 Other Clouds
Webster's Eliminate Floating Plankton for v1.4 and v1.5
Aircraft_reflections
Hull_Numbers
TMO Smoke Mod
Classe_Balao_CamoTri

Luck? I run Windows 7 Home Premium with 8gb ram and I crash every time I get near a port and sometimes convoys unless I'm large address aware.

Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
[C:\Steam\steamapps\common\silent hunters wolves of the pacific\MODS]

1_TriggerMaru_Overhaul_2-5
RSRDC_TMO_V502
RSRDC_V5xx_Patch1
1.5_Optical Targeting Correction 031312 for RSRDCv502
1.5_OTC_Realistic Scopes for 16 to 9 RSRDCv502
Improved Ship Physics 2.6_TMO_RSRDC_OTC
OTC_ISP_Crew Mod
Realism Settings

This discussion has been done before, yet there are those that don't get it!

Large Address Aware (LAA) is an application that changes the execution (.exe) file of the "game" to use the additional memory a newer system may have. No matter what Operating System you may be using.......Windows XP; Vista; Windows 7; 8; 8.1; the new Windows 10 next month....32 bit or 64 bit......they do nothing to help the game use more than the 2 Gb of default memory the game was set to use.

IF you have more than 2 gigs of RAM memory, LAA will increase the games ability to use it. That's for any older game that has the same memory restrictions as Silent Hunter 4 has.

Having a Windows 7, 64 bit system will not allow the game to use more memory.....even if you have 20 gig's of the fastest RAM memory on earth!

You need to change the way the game "processes" the extra memory you have. That's what LAA does. The Operating System does nothing to change how the game uses memory. The game will only use a maximum of 2 gigs of RAM, unless you force it to use more with an app like LAA.

======

The other suggestions are valid too:

1. Have the game check/install the DX 9.0c during the "install wizard", even if you have DX 10 or 11. Then check the DX program by going to the "Run" menu and type in "Dxdiag" to check your graphics setup.

2. Make sure the computers integrated graphics card (Intel's) is turned off since you've got a nVidia external card.

3. Although most systems don't need it as much as they did years ago.....reformating and starting over is always a good way to get a clean system. Cleans out the "Registry" like no other app can. It's like washing the blackboard after school, you'll have a squeaky clean slate to work with (get's rid of those porno site left-overs):D

Thing is you do not need more than 2 gigs to get good performance out of the game. Game crashes are due to poor mod selections or orders, corrupt files or incorrect graphic settings more than they are how much ram your using. The game can do anything you want without the LAA.

Yes I understand the why of it being there. It just isn't really needed.

I don't recall ever bothering with playing stock SH4. But I know that with only TMO and RSRDC (and its patch) I would CTD almost every time I tried to return to port. I started saving when about 200 miles out so that I could reload and try again. Usually that would let me end a patrol. Usually.

After I added in OTC it got even worse. Convoys would sometimes crash me out. Getting too close to ANY harbor almost definitely would.

And then I found LAA. I haven't crashed out since. I can load the museum and I can sail straight into Pearl Harbor at the end of a patrol.

The game could do anything I wanted without LAA. Except keep running.