I'm editing HDV using Vegas 8.0c on a Quad Core AMD Phenom 9850, running Windows 7 (Dual boot also to Vista and Windows XP).

Things have been OK but recently when i'm rendering it will get say, half an hour through the rendering process and then with no warning, the whole system just switches off, as if the power has been turned off, no warning whatsoever.

I tried rendering in vista and XP and the same effect happens, so it can't be down to the OS.

I have then gone into Vegas and changed 'rendering threads' from 4 to 1.

This will then render the video OK without turning the machine off, but is taking a massive amount of time to render (i.e 8 hours to render a 90 minute clip, where this would normally do it in 2 hours.

Any ideas anyone ? Could it be CPU overheating ?

When was the last time you took the doors off and blew out the dust bunnies?
To check your CPU temps, I recommend Core Temp (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/) (it's free with 32 & 64-bit versions).
It could also be your power supply if it's underpowered.

Thanks Mike, I'll get the hoover at first stop and then try core temp to see if it could be a temperature issue.

Heat really is a problem. I have an Intel Q9770 Extreme Quad CPU 4gb RAM 2x 500gb SATA drives and a monster fan on the CPU plus a large extractor in the case above the CPU. Also got cool air in and warm air out case fans. - Yes, I have ear plugs too :-)

I find that if rendering is likely to go on for a while I have a 9" desk fan which I put on the floor in front of my PC case (it has air vents up the front of it to vent the HDD's) set to full power blowing cool air into the case.

I still get the occasional shut down but not nearly as often as I used to. I'm thinking about water cooling next re-build...may incorporate a freezer unit!!!

From my experience I would say look to the quality of your power supply. I slowly burned one out, it went from working fine to occasionally crashing to dying.

The progression can be seen here: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/what-happens-vegas/471939-help-instability-read-crash-when-rendering-vegas-pro-9-0c.html


New power supply & new CPU heatsink & fan solved all the problems. :)

Bryan, good to hear you worked out what was causing your problems. As I stated in that thread you highlighted, these problems are nearly always heat and/or power supply.

....Funny how I can run Final Cut Pro on a much less powerful Macbook without any problems and it will render 45mins in a couple of hours max!

First of all NEVER suck the dust of of your computer with a vacuum cleaner, it can't get into the nooks and crannies like the fins of heatsinks, blades of the fans or the inside of the power supply. Plus the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner can generate static electricity which can fry your computer. You need to blow it out, preferably with an air compressor. Canned air is less effective and costs way too much.

Secondly, to Phillip: It sounds like the thermal compund between your CPU fan and CPU has broken down or the fan isn't seated correctly.

Lastly, there are many factors that determine how long a render will take, like how many layers or how many and what kind of filters. A gaussian blur filter takes much longer to render than say a simple levels filter. There is absolutely nothing magical about render times in FCP. A render takes as long as it takes. Given EXACTLY the same tasks, I find that Vegas is generally a little faster than FCP.

@John, yeah I had checked the thermal compound as you correctly point out, that is a very small point that is often overlooked, but can cure so many heat problems. I don't think it was in my case, the compound looked ok. I am considering adopting a water cooling system later in the year.....maybe connect it up to my car radiator when working with Vegas :-)

I don't think it was in my case, the compound looked ok.

Just because it looked OK doesn't mean that it is.
I had a serious temp problem with my machine a few years ago too.
I ended up taking it into a local PC shop and they discovered that the original builder had used a cheap grade of compound.
That was cleaned off and replaced with the good stuff and my render temps dropped back down to normal.

My machine also has a 600W. power supply and yours should have one at least that strong.
It may seem overkill but I wanted to make sure that I could add extra drives to my system (currently 3 hard drives and a DVD burner) without stressing it.

Philip, if you pulled the CPU cooler off to check the condition of the thermal interface compound, then you broke the bond between the heat sink and CPU, you need to remove all the old compound and reapply a fresh layer. You can't just look at it and then put it back together.