BFG 9800 GTX Issues

[ArmyRock]

hello, i have been trying to fix some screen tearing issues. first ill let u know my computer specs.

800 watt Power supply
Asus m2n sli mobo
250 gig sata 7200 rpm drive
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity soundcard
Viewsonic VA2226w 22" LCD widescreen monitor
BFG Geforce 9800gtx
4 gig ddr dual channel ram
AMD Athlon 9850 quad core processor

now, when i built this computer about a month and a half ago, everything was great.
i run a maximun resolution as required by the monitor for best performance, so i came home from a 3 day army drill weekend and load up 2 wow proccess. i noticed that i had screen tearing when in window mode. when in full screen mode i do not have the problem, but i noticed my fps had dropped at least 20 frames. i usually run wow in window mode and i never had the problem before. my gpu is not over heating, i have a gpu cooling fan right next to the gpu and it stays at about 58 c. I have no clue what is the problem, i have a fresh copy of XP home loaded on and i have updated my drivers for the gpu and monitor. I changed out my monitor and i still have the problem so its not a monitor issue i dont think. can anyone give me some suggestions on what the hell is going on with a brand new computer?

 

[SergeC]

turn off vsync?

 

[ArmyRock]

um.. i did..

 

[Narynan]

What KIND of tearing are you experiencing? Does it look like texture tearing? Polygon's missing? Everything peeling off the body up to a single point on the screen.

 

[ArmyRock]

i normally ran at 60 fps with 2 world of warcraft maxed out graphic settings.. it started with Oblivion tho.. i would be running around.. max graphics.. and my screen would go black.. or a dark grey for a split second when i moved the camera sometimes.. then in Eve online.. the screen started showing jumps of graphic flashes in traingular shapes i believe when reacting to the light in the game.. because i would turn the camera away and it would stop but i did not have a loss in fps from this at that time..

after that weekend of me being gone.. i suddenly had a loss of 30 fps, and in the distance certain parts of the terrain would flash a black back to normal color. its not my monitor. and i have updated my drivers for my graphics card. turned off vsync completely from the gpu settings.. i had my computer off for just one weekend and then this happened..

i think i am going to take my gpu back to best buy.. and try getting a new one but it has been about 2 months and id ont know if i can take it back.. i would have to use the warranty through bfg.. i just really dont want to have to go through all this if its something i can fix..

 

[Zap]

AFAIK you are beyond the Best Buy return period. It is under warranty, however.

Have you checked GPU temperatures and fan speed?

 

[ArmyRock]

my gpu temp is around 60 deg c. and i cant get it much lower.. i have 5 fans in my computer 1 of which is sitting right on the gpu to keep it getting around the 65 area.. the 9800 gtx is a huge card and is natural to run this hot. my other fan speeds are maxed out. this computer is brand new.. and there shouldnt be anything wrong with my fans.. or the gpu for that. i will def prolly have to call bfg and get a replacement if i cant figure out whats goin on