Computer restart after ≈ 2 hours?
 

Hello folks. I have a couple questions for which I can't seem to find exact answers after a few searches through this forum:

1. After a few days of narrowing down the problem, I've noticed that my computer completely restarts after MA3 has been running for around 2 hours. That is to say that the screen goes blank, a few seconds goes by, and Windows begins to restart. While MA3 is running, it is very smooth (right around 125 fps). The statistics line says 125.02 fps (1920x1080x32) #0 Beta10d. I have 1 of each fish, and screen panning turned on, but the bubbles, sound and clock/logo are turned off. I've tried leaving the computer on for a few hours without no screensaver applied, and the restart does not happen. I noticed that my graphics adapter was not on the "supported" list, but I'm hoping the list is a touch out-of-date, as it appears to have been posted in October of '08. Have you heard of this problem?
2. Also, my version of Marine Aquarium is 3.0 (reference below). It appears 3.1 is available, but when I try to upgrade, the Serenescreen site informs me that I have the latest version: "Our Records show that you already purchased a copy of Marine Aquarium 3.1." Is this correct?

Here is my setup (CAD computer, not connected to Internet):

Marine Aquarium 3 Version: T928.3.0.1953, purchased August 2, 2010
Windows Edition: Windows 7 Professional, Service Pack 1
System Type: 64-bit OS
Processors: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5520 @ 2.27 GHz 2.26 GHz (2 processors, each quad-core)
Installed Memory (RAM): 6.00 GB
Graphics Adapter Type: NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800
Monitor & Resolution: Asus 24" LCD @ 1920 X 1080

I really like MA3, and would like to continue using it. I receive a lot of positive comments about it, and show/promote it to anyone who will listen. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Ryan

Sounds like you may be having a heat problem. There is no reason to let your computer sit and run and generate 125 fps, all you are doing is overheating your cpu and your video card both.

Hit the space bar and look under "Program settings" then check the limit frame rate box and set it to about 60 fps and give it a try then and see if this solves your problem.

As for the latest version, check here. As long as you have a valid key code you can always download and install over what you have and end p with the latest version. If you don't have a internet connection with this system, then save it to something where you do have one and install it from disk.

Thank you Michael. I have successfully upgraded to the latest version and have applied the frame rate limitation. I'll watch over it for the next few days and let you know how it turned out.

Thanks again.

I agree with Michael. - Anything above about 60 fps is serving no purpose other than heating up your system.
If I cancel the default 'Limit Frame Rate' of 60 the fps increases, but the CPU Usage also more than doubles.

That makes sense cjmaddy, thanks. No resart issues yet, but I haven't really given the computer a chance to run MA3 very long yet because I have needed to work on that computer (I jump back and forth between 2 different computers all day).

Side note... it's nice to have control of the background colors again. That was one of the things I missed when I upgraded to 3.0 from an older version. Actually, it was the only thing I missed.

Well, after about a week of running the new version limited to 60 fps, I'm still getting the restarts... 5 of 'em yesterday before lunch. I turned MA3 off after lunch and didn't have another restart. I figured I'd try MA3 again today, and another restart after about an hour and a half. Could it be that my computer doesn't have adequate ventilation? There is air moving in through the front of the CPU and out the back, and it even feels like the fan is blowing out cool air. Unless the graphics card inside the CPU is in some kind of "chamber" that doesn't see air flow, it doesn't seem like overheating is the issue, but I have limited knowledge in that category.

I typed "F" while MA3 was running to switch to windowed mode so I could check the memory usage. It's running steady at 34,900 K, which doesn't seem bad at all. I wondered if turning off some fish would help (there are 28 turned on), but it doesn't seem like memory is the issue either.

Does anyone have any other suggestions I could try?

Maybe your video card is overheating. You could try hardware sensors monitor trial to see if MA3 is really heating your cpu/vid card up, and how much too.

I suspect it's something else. I've never seen a CPU or video card overheat when running the Aquarium at only 60 fps.

Try updating your graphics card drivers, then update or reinstall DirectX, then reboot. That seemed to fix lots of problems in the past.

I actually did just that last Friday... updated the graphics driver (again). No restarts at all Friday afternoon, and none yet today after about 4-5 hours. So far so good.

Thanks to all for your suggestions... it sure is nice to glance over to the other computer and see those fish.