System shutdown due to graphics card overheating

I have a Sapphire HD 4850

My computer has been shutting down while playing Sims 3 for just a couple minutes. I checked the Event Log in Windows, and found this information:

Code: [Select]

- <Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
- <System>
  <Provider Name="amdkmdag" />
  <EventID Qualifiers="49152">6145</EventID>
  <Level>2</Level>
  <Task>6</Task>
  <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
  <TimeCreated SystemTime="2011-06-08T22:03:20.556640600Z" />
  <EventRecordID>314767</EventRecordID>
  <Channel>System</Channel>
  <Computer>Hurley</Computer>
  <Security />
  </System>
- <EventData>
  <Data />
  <Binary>000000000100000006000000011800C0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
  </Event>

Then I found a post on The Sims 3 forums that recommended disabling PowerPlay. http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/35823.page (third post)

I don't really know what to change in my XML profile file. I don't want to screw anything up and have my computer explode.

Code: My Current Profile [Select]

<Profile>
  <Caste name="Graphics">
    <Groups>
      <Group name="Overdrive5">
        <Feature name="TimeUnlocked" />
        <Feature name="OverclockEnabled">
          <Property name="OverclockEnabledProperty" value="True" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="AutoTuneSupport" />
        <Feature name="CoreClockTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="62500" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="62500" />
          <Property name="Want_2" value="62500" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="MemoryClockTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="99300" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="99300" />
          <Property name="Want_2" value="99300" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="CoreVoltageTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="1082" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="1082" />
          <Property name="Want_2" value="1082" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="MemoryVoltageTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="0" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="0" />
          <Property name="Want_2" value="0" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedProtocol_0">
          <Property name="FanSpeedProtocolProperty" value="Percent" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedAlgorithm_0">
          <Property name="FanSpeedAlgorithm" value="Automatic" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedRPMTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want" value="0" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedPercentTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want" value="50" />
        </Feature>
      </Group>
    </Groups>
    <Adapter name="PCI_VEN_1002&amp;DEV_9442&amp;SUBSYS_E810174B&amp;REV_00_4&amp;2AD12F4B&amp;0&amp;0020A">
      <Aspect name="Overdrive5" />
    </Adapter>
  </Caste>
</Profile>

Open the "Powerplay DISABLED" (3D games) profile in Notepad. Make the following changes.

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING SETTINGS ARE *ONLY* VALID FOR ATI RADEON HD 4870 GPUs. OTHER ATI GPUs REQUIRE OTHER SETTINGS. NVIDIA/INTEL GPUs ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF SCOPE OF THIS POST AND CANNOT BENEFIT. MAKE SURE TO READ YOUR GPU SPECIFICATIONS TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE NOT SETTING YOUR FREQUENCIES HIGHER THAN YOUR GPU SUPPORTS.

Code: [Select]

<Profile>
  <Caste name="Graphics">
    <Groups>
      <Group name="Overdrive5">
        <Feature name="TimeUnlocked" />
        <Feature name="OverclockEnabled">
          <Property name="OverclockEnabledProperty" value="True" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="CoreClockTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="75000" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="75000" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="MemoryClockTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="90000" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="90000" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="CoreVoltageTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="1250" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="1250" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="MemoryVoltageTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="0" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="0" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedProtocol_0">
          <Property name="FanSpeedProtocolProperty" value="Percent" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedAlgorithm_0">
          <Property name="FanSpeedAlgorithm" value="Manual" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedRPMTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want" value="0" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedPercentTarget_0">
          <Property name="Want" value="50" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="CoreClockTarget_1">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="75000" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="75000" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="MemoryClockTarget_1">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="90000" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="90000" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="CoreVoltageTarget_1">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="1250" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="1250" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="MemoryVoltageTarget_1">
          <Property name="Want_0" value="0" />
          <Property name="Want_1" value="0" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedProtocol_1">
          <Property name="FanSpeedProtocolProperty" value="Percent" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedAlgorithm_1">
          <Property name="FanSpeedAlgorithm" value="Manual" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedRPMTarget_1">
          <Property name="Want" value="0" />
        </Feature>
        <Feature name="FanSpeedPercentTarget_1">
          <Property name="Want" value="50" />
        </Feature>
      </Group>
    </Groups>
    <Adapter name="PCI_VEN_1002&DEV_9441&SUBSYS_E89A174B&REV_00<br/>_6&37E613E9&0&002000E0A">
      <Aspect name="Overdrive5" />
    </Adapter>
  </Caste>
</Profile>


Additionally, this thing is running at 79 degrees celsius and I'm not even doing anything. It's 102 degrees on the first menu in Sims 3. Is that a normal temperature?

What do I do? ._.

I can't say much or say anything for sure, but those temperatures seem really high. zzz

Clean out dust and hair etc that's likely in the fan?

I got an enormous amount out of my GPU heatsink / fan after having overheating trouble, and basically dropped 20 C.

Yeah, I didn't consider doing that when I posted this because I was being stupid. I'll buy some compressed air next time I go to the store and see if that fixes it.

I had the exact same thing happen, with a 4850. I did what Roph said, and it works fine now.

Turns out we had some compressed air. The pressure was really weak so I wasn't able to do that good of a job.

I just booted up a couple minutes ago and now it's at 62. I'll see if it goes back up to 80 doing nothing.