Golden Anvil

Frequently graphics problems can be a result of an overheating card. This could be a result of a failing fan or environmental conditions rather than a failing card.

I was going to say it might be AudioSurf being flakey, since I've seen some video problems with it. But, if you saw it in other programs, then probably not.

Anyway, other than heat as a possible source, I don't know.

Biggest caution is make sure you are looking at the right kind of video card. You motherboard can only take certain kinds of cards. Based on the age of your system, I'm guessing you'll most likely need to look at AGP cards, although I could be wrong.

Best way to tell is to either check your original system specs (which I'm sure you don't have), or check your system properties page (right click on My Computer and select Properties) and look at the General tab for the computer name (like "Dell Optiplex GX240") and then go online and see what the specs are.

Once you find that out, then you get the joy of figuring out which video card is better than the others, which, frankly, is a nightmare. Best guess is to just figure out how much you want to spend and then buy something at that price from a reasonable name brand.

Or do a bit of research on review websites, although it may be tricky finding good info if you are stuck with an AGP card.

Adviga's computer also has AGP as did my old one.  If your card had the problem last year when I upgraded I would have given you the card from my old computer but I already sold it to a friend at work.

Anyway, as far as AGP goes, I think you are going to be rather limited in what you can find.  I'm not sure they are even making that style now that PCIe is the new thing.  However, I have seen them on ebay when I have looked for a possible upgrade for Adviga's computer.

Personally, I would and have bought BFG cards (http://www.bfgtech.com/) because they have a lifetime warranty.  While you may not have another problem with video cards before you replace your computer, there is always the chance and it's possible that even when you do replace this one you'll keep it around for server or linux purposes anyway.  Never hurts to have a nice warranty to fall back on.  I've taken advantage of it a couple of time since I have had their cards.  Not to say that their cards are less dependable than others because I have also had several other graphics cards fail in my history and among them were PNY which only warrants their cards for 2 years I think.

Ok, Dad, I'm very impressed that you have your specs so readily at hand.

Sounds like Alan is pretty knowledgable, so I'd listen to him.

Frankly, you hit it right when you commented about saving it for the XBox. Hardware upgrades was on my list for reasons why I bought my XBox. Not that I'm trying to convince you to buy an XBox or anything...

I would echo the warning about paying attention to power supply. That bit me once. You definitely don't want to have to buy a new power supply too in order to run your new card. You will of course want to consider how long you are likely to keep using this computer before replacing it too. How long before you start seeing other hardware failures, even if this one isn't a video card failure problem?

Definitely a tough call. You'll actually find that the AGP cards are expensive for the performance you get. That's because of the low demand. EBay might be a good route, or see if you know anyone who is upgrading their computer and has an AGP card to get rid of.

Well, this all started with the possibility of a failing video card. So far it hasn't, so, it may be a moot point.

I did go back out to New Egg and compare a BFG GeForce 7300 GT at $75 and a PNY GeForce 7600 GS at $85. I also checked the article in Wikipedia on the 7000 series and compared specs. The PNY 7600 GS has clearly better specs than the the BFG 7300 GT. The BFG takes a 350 W power supply, and the PNY takes 300 W. If I was buying tonight, I'd probably go with the PNY for better specs and lower PS requirement, but it's out of stock. I'm not buying tonight, so it's not an issue.

Thanks for mentioning the power supply requirement. The OEM PS in my computer was 250 W, but it failed and I replaced it, but don't recall if the replacement was higher or not. I'll have to look it up. That may be the show stopper.

The other issue is that I don't know what APG version I have. The BFG specifies APG 2.0, but the PNY doesn't specify.

Thanks for suggesting e-bay, but I am a little gun shy of e-bay. I was pretty disappointed in the one item I bought in the past (riding mower bagger). The price didn't save me a lot over buying locally, and I felt I was cheated in that I didn't get what I thought was advertised - Craftsman was advertised, but there is no Craftsman name, logo, etc. on it, just a third party manufacturer on one part. The seller wouldn't respond to e-mails. Thisw was a seller with a near perfect rating. I've only had to repair and rebuild a little of the item a few times!  :(   So, I guess I'll pass on e-bay for now. I might come to that eventually if I need to replace the card.

I'm generally satisfied with the computer for most purposes and don't relish the chores of upgrading. I have replaced the HD for a bigger one, upgraded the sound card, and replaced the failed PS so far. So, I guess I'm willing to put a little into it until it gets so obsolete as to not satisfy my needs - in the past, that has happened when a computer was no longer current enough to run software I wanted to use. So, while I'd like a new computer, I'm not very motivated to spend that kind of money - especially when I'm looking for a flat panel TV sometime in the next couple of months.

Guess I don't have to resolve it tonight.

BIOS upgrading is pretty trivial these days. It's much easier than it used to be. These days it's essentially just run an installer and reboot.

You should check, but I thought I installed a new BIOS for you when I was there last year.  It might have been your laptop though.  Then I could also have been my dad's computer too.

Like Kheldar said though it's very easy especially with Dell.  You just find the driver (input your computer number or let them determine), download and run the executable.  It does the rest and asks for you to reboot.

BTW, there's always the option of waiting until the graphics card actually goes before trying to replace it.  Could be it lasts another year or more.  Take a look in your case and take your air bottle with you may be able to blow the dust off and it will right itself.

Since Hameed opened the subject of a new computer, while that's not in the near term plan, I have some thoughts to throw out for comment. Lately, and especially as I've been looking into graphics cards and finding that my nVidia GF FX 5200 is a dog - I didn't know that! - I've thought about the possibility of assembling my own computer. I guess the attraction is that I can pull together components that I want and know what they are. I'd probably look into reusing whatever I can from my current computer, if that's practical and they aren't incompatible. For example, I'm satisfied with my current DVD drive and with my old and reliable CD burner. I'm also pretty satisfied with my main HD - 300 GB SATA, though I might add a second. If new stuff fits my current case, I see no reason to buy a new case. I'm not sure if it's possible to pass on the Windows OS from one computer to another since the full set of installation CDs doesn't come with it anymore, but if I can do that, I'd be satisfied staying with XP Home, and dual boot Kubuntu.

I'd definitely go with a new motherboard, processor, and RAM, and a new graphics card and sound card, though my current Soundblaster Live is adequate, so might stay with it. I'd also need a new network card unless it's on the new mobo and adequate. I'd go with a new and much larger power supply - probably 500 W or thereabouts, and try to add some extra cooling. I know there's more to it than all of that, but I also know there are web sites that can walk me through it.

I just don't need or want a lot of the extra garbage.

Any thoughts y'all? Just in the thinking about it stage...it's a long way off, so by the time I get there, current components will probably be too obsolete.