7900gs problems..New card or new fan?

[salraf]

I bought the 7900gs ~1yr ago and recently all games either have bars or lines, flickering areas , objects being colors that they are not supposed to be.

I ran the video stability test program and at times it runs, other times it doesnt get past a minute.

I read somewhere that this maybe due to the GPU overheating. I am not sure if my video card is going faulty or could it be a heat problem that a fan would correct.

The problem is that I dont want to pay for a fan if it is the card that is faulty.

System is AMD X2 4200+, 2gb RAM, antec neopower 4800 PSU and Abit Fatal1ty M/B.

Any suggestions?

If I do need a new video card I am looking around the $150 range and am considering either the 9600gt or 8800gts.

Thanks

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

What is the temperature reading reported by the Nvidia control panel?

 

[salraf]

Temp is reading between 63 and 66 degrees

 

[jdkick]

Are those load temps? If so, that's fine. When I bought my BfG 7900 GS I had read of issues re: some of the components on the back side of the card overheating (they are not temp monitored or cooled actively/passively). Most seemed to address the issue by attaching small heat sinks to those components. You could try temporarily rigging a small fan to blow over the card and see if that helps. Have you pulled the card, inspected it for damage, cleaned it and reseated it? A dirty PC can actually cause quite a lot of problems...

 

[VulcanX]

Yeah use compressed air to clean it, take the HSF off and put thermal paste back on, after cleaning the old thermal paste off, and if its still not working, then you got faulty shit, bcoz my card hasnt been reseated and my temps are sitting at 44 on my 8600 GTS, on idle, and havent taken the hsf off since purchase

 

[Zap]

Try cleaning it with compressed air. If that doesn't resolve the issue, then look to see if it is still under warranty.

Originally posted by: salraf
If I do need a new video card I am looking around the $150 range and am considering either the 9600gt or 8800gts.

If you want a new card anyways, then the 9600GT, 8800GT and 8800GTS are all good. The 8800GTS 512MB (don't get the 320MB or 640MB) is a bit above $150 after rebate, and typically starts at just over $200 before rebate, so it may be a bit above your stated budget. The 8800GT is better than the 9600GT and is almost as cheap, so unless you're getting a killer deal on the 9600GT, I'd just get an 8800GT.

 

[VulcanX]

Agree with Zap here, i second his motion, the 8800GT is better than the 9600GT so its kinda obvious, esp considering the 8800GT is slightly higher you might wana fork out that extra, but then again, p/p the 9600GT isnt bad at all and trails the 8800GT by a fine margin, but make sure its a really good deal as mentioned

 

[fredhe12]

I just went from 7900GS to 8800GT this week. HUGE difference! I considered the 9600GT for a bit, but the price differences are so small. I found mine for $140AR. I saw plenty of 9600s @ around $110-120AR. You have the budget, so go for the better card.