I've been trying to render one of OCDdougs scenes at a 6K-res (so I can print it as poster and hang it on my wall). OCDdoug used a light-dome in the image and that's why we decided that I should render the image myself. He was kind enough to share he scenefile with me and now I've been trying to render it for the past few days. The only problem is that bryce keeps chrashing. First the image rendered for nearly 2 days and then at about 46% the computer just froze. No rendering, not even mouse movement or CTRL-ALT-DEL menu. So I restarted the render, but at 25% it froze again. Same problem. The third time same thing this time at 17%. The fourth time it crashed after just 2 rows. Does anyone know why this could happen? I thought it be the high temperature in my bedroom? Could my system just get overheated and crash as a result of that? Or is it probably something different. I've already done a system-check and even did a defrag (took almost a whole day), but bryce still crashes.

The fact that the time to crash is shortening sounds like you're running out of disc space. Are temp files being left behind at each crash or something like that?

I've got more then 40GB of free diskspace. That should be enough should't it? I also still had 347MB of RAM free (according to my memory manager). I do have about 900MB of files in a dir called _restore, but the dir can't be deleted. Any indeas about how I could delete it without windows telling me I can't?

I was afraid that would be the answer. If you are running XP deleting system type files can be a problem! And these may be system back up files from installing SP1 or some such. I'm afraid I don't have any good ideas at the ready. I hope someone else on the forum has a solution 'cause I'm a blank! Sorry :-(

I'm currently using WinME.

What is your virtual memory set and and how much space is left on the drive that virtual memory is on? Also if it real hot in that room that is going to make the computer unstable as well. With a render the CPU is being used 100% and produces a lot of heat. I suggest getting some kind of cooling in there or move the computer to a cooler part of the house.

if you are rendering such huge images my first step would be to get more RAM. I got 1.5GB and 4k x 6k images render quickly and effortlessly.

Try letting Windows handle the virtual memory settings. Some times this can solve issues related to massive swap files.

Just an obnoxious idea, but perhaps it's ME in general? I mean, given your intense and awesome work, this shouldn't be the problem. Perhaps try rendering it on Win98 or something? Are you rendering to disk or to screen? Having just rendered a silly castle scene for 3 days, I can't understand why Bryce 5 would crash. Methinks it's a Windows issue? Granted, my scene only had a few lights, but the water texture drove this machine to it's knees. Have you tried to use Lightning on this one?

It could be an ME thing. But I've already rendered much more complex and memory intensive scenes at the same or even higher resolutions before. Setting Windows is to handle the virtual memory settings also didn't work. I am rendering to disk, because rendering to screen doesn't allow me to render at a res higher then 4K wide. If I could render to screen I would just plop-render the rest of the image and paste it under the already finished 45%. I could try using lightning, but I think that would make very little difference with only one PC. I currently have 512MB of RAM and after bryce loads everything and starts rendering there's still about 340MB free. I quess more RAM could never hurt, but I doubt if that is really the problem. I think it might just be the system getting too hot. Unfortunately I can't place my computer in another room. The other bedrooms wouldn't be a good idea, my parents and brother and sister sometimes can't sleep because of the noise comming from my room, so you can imagine what will happen if I place my jetengine-cooled rendermonster in their room. There's not enough space in the livingroom, or the hall and the kitchen wouldn't be safe. And the bathroom would probably be a little too wet 8) My only hope will probably be to get some kind of cooling device to lower the temp of the whole room. I wonder if I have room for a fridge...

When I had this problem with my old laptop, I used one of these medical gel bags you put in the freezer :) __ Sort of gross, I know, but it solved lots of similar problems. :) S.

Aye, Rayraz, have you tried benchmarking your heat output? There's a program called CPUCool you might try, if you don't have something already... This would inform you wethere or not heat is really the issue. Or perhaps clock it down a bit, if it's overclocked? Just some ideas...

go water cooling, if ur room is always hot, nothing you do short of A/C or water cooling is gonna lower ur cpu temp. Itll only get as cool as the ambient temp is with air cooling. if its 95F in your room, then thats the lowest your cpu will cool. Add the heat it creates and your system creates and your talking a roasty, toasty cpu:(. Athlons can take up to 60 celsius... Pentiums are lower at 50 celsius. It sounds like heat to me, being the OCer i am, i have XPpro and have no probs with bryce. watchout though on what you use to "cool" it tho, some "home methods" can create condensation on parts that dont need to get wet;)

p.s.. those premade systems you buy at the store only come with 1 fan...on the cpu. if your lucky youll get 1 in the back aswell. but in a hot room, those 1-2 60mm fans wont do anything for you but move that hot air around. but i dont know if u have store bought or you put it together urself. i, personally have 10 fans in mine, but my room is cool(not A/C) If it was hot...those 10 wouldnt do much.

Benchmarking the heat output. I should try that. You've got a point with the ambient temperature Azraelll. I've build my system myself. It's got a large cooler on the CPU. Alluminium cool-unit and a big fan (8x8 or 10x10 CM or something?) not one of those small ones. I also have an extr casefan. I'm running an AMD, so the heat produced is probably more then with a Pentium. I haven't got it overclocked at the moment. Do more casefans make much extra noise? I've also been thinking of watercooling for some time now, but I don't really feel comfortable with it. I'd hate to have a slightly too H2O-ey CPU :) Eelie IM-ed me with te idea to set up a fan directed at the computer, maybe even a pan of ice to provide cooler air. Sounds like a solution for a too high ambient temp, but would it create condensation on important pieces of hardware? Thanx for all the advise, I'll take all of it into considetion. If anyone has still new ideas they are always welcome.

If heat is your problem, then you need a fan with 200 to 400 cfm (moves cubic feet per minute, there commerical and a 400 cfm fan is about 6ins in diameter) it will literally suck the heat out of your cpu, with dry ice in front of your air intake a 400 cfm fan sucking from the back will cool the cpu, or pack the cpu in dry ice (this method is dicey though, use caution, I used this method to cool down the bunnies on 100degree days, a pan of dry ice above their cages, cold air would drop down to keep them cool), also render at night when the temp drops a few degrees...just my two cents

Attached Link: http://xoxide.com/watcoolcas1.html

I'd say keep ice out of the picture, completely. But everyone's right! Koolance makes a case, they build them just up the hill from me in Federal Way. Or they can rig your existing case, but theirs is more than ideal. Although ugly. Check them out at the xoxide link above(below?). They have coolers for your CPU, your hard drives, your graphics card, memory, and optical drives. Or any combination. Runs off a modified fishtank pump, I believe. Cooling an optical drive is ridiculous! I've never used one, though. But I've seen and played with them, they are rock-solid in terms of being hermetically sealed. The parts are well-made. And you have temp readouts on the top to SHOW you exactly which units are at what temperatures. Or perhaps opt for an aluminum case and some fans. Alum is more thermally conductive than stamped steel, might be a cheaper way to go. How fast is your processor running?

Those koolance cases look cool. A little pricey, but if they're worth their money then that's not too big of a problem. Also my current case looks uglier. The weight doesn't make it very portable, but I'm probably getting a laptop from my parents anyway. My CPU is an AMD AthlonPX 1800+ running at 1.53GHz. It's still an old palomino chip, so it produces more heat.

PX = XP

Wonderful choice of hardware, good to see that somebody did their math 'round these parts. Good luck keeping it chilled, though! I'd just start with a couple of case fans, cheapest way...

Yeah, might be the cheapest solution. The air comming out of my comp is a little warm, I think it's at least 45 degrees or something. I've got one fan in the powersupply blowing air out and one extra casefan blowing air out too. Should I add a fan to blow fresh new air into the case or should I get another one that blows air out?

Only 45 C? My case is running around 55 and the CPU 57and don't have problems rendering. I know it's hot and should work on getting it cooler. My motherboard came with a little hardware monitor program, do you have some thing like that? I have an AMD AthlonXP 2000+, but it came with my 900Mhz too. Oh it's an AOpen motherboard.

What are good CPU temperatures?

Not sure what your case looks like. But I added an external fan to the back of my main rig, SilverSkye, blowing air in. This lowered my core temp by 7C. My machine runs a CPU fan, a Power fan, a Nvidia fan (which I am, also!), and a side-mounted case fan blowing out. So, in the rear, if you have venting of any sort right above your AGP card, put a fan there. Blow some air across both your AGP card, your CPU, and your RAM. Works pretty good, and I'm glad you brought this all up! SilverSkye runs MUCH more stable now, even Morrowind won't crash...!

i have a MSI K7N2Delta motherboard and an Athlon 2700+, Just got the Athlon(up from a 1700+...wanted the 333FSB of the 2700), so im taking it up a few notches a day. Default is 166FSB, im at 170 now = 2.2ghz, i want 2.5, Temp at 98f while idle, 104f at full load. Still a little high. 3 80mm in the front bottom and top case, 1 80mm intake on left side bottom case, 1 80mm outtake on left side top case, 2 80mm back top case, 2 60mm on the cpu and 1 60mm on the chip set...then my graphics card has heatsinks and a fan and the 80mm power supply fan. All is stable and acceptable for the moment. Good thermal grease helps too. I use arctic silver and an aluminum HS with good results. Id like to go to water, but i havent the need at the moment, so air will do for me.......open a case side and put a big box fan right next to it if u cant get some casefans at the moment, if need be, mod the case, i took tin snips and made fan ports on the side, the top of the case is next....2 80mm ports on top will draw out alot of heat:) hope u figure some thing out.... Az

Ya, that Palomino will produce some more heat than the Thoroughbreds

Well I had to open my case and put a window fan blowing into because the temp rose to 60 C which is about max for an AMD. Temp went from 60 down to about 42. jasonmit, it depends on the CPU. AMD can run hotter than Intels. Go to the appropriate site for your chip and look for the specs, they usually have what operating temps the chips can work at.

I don't have a very fast vid-card, so the CPU is the only thing producing much heat. Usually my cputemp is about 55 or 57 degrees and the temp of the case is usually not more then 35 degrees. I'll check out if the CPU-temp rises as quickly as the case-temp.

My current extra fan is placed near the vidcard, but blows the air out. I'll buy a fan to blow air into the case. That should help a little I think.

Cool (pun intended), my Pentium 4 is only running at 40 degrees.

40 celsius....that means ur getting close to the 50 celsius max of intel :(

40C is about 104F......imagine the heat ur pumping at a full load...i.e.- games,renders,etc.

How is 40 close to 50? And the Pentium 4 specs I saw max was in 60s.

I read somewhere that a Pentium can take about 60 to 70 degrees and an AMD can take between 85 and 115 degrees before it actually becomes toast. However stability and lifespan strongly decrease if your Pentium gets hotter then 50 degrees or if your AMD gets hotter then 60-70 degrees.

thats what i was saying Ray, i just didnt type it in the way i meant to say it:).......How is 40 NOT close to 50?

P.S....get things rendered Ray? or is it still locking?

Well, there's a 25% difference between 40 and 50. ;-)

And a heavy-duty render can close that gap real fast;-),;-)

The temprature now is slightly lower here. I can now render as long as I keep the window open. If I close the window the air warms up again and it crashes within 4 hours. I'm going to buy an extra casefan one of these days.

I took a vacuum cleaner and took away a huge amount of dust from between the blades of the fans and the rest of the system. The fans now sound like they have a higher RPM and the cooling element is lot's cooler now. That might have fixed the problem. I'm testing it out right now. The comp hasn't crashed for 6 hours now.