Hi all - I upgraded the graphics card in my Dimension 8300 to a ATI radeon 9800 about 5 months ago and, until recently, had no problems. During the last couple weeks, however, after extended game play with high-end graphics intensive games (Splinter Cell, Half-Life), the graphics have begun to break up into gibberish (polygons, lines, etc.) I've been told that it may be due to an inadequate power supply (250 w) (I've increased the hard drive capacity but otherwise everything else is original equipment - dvd and cd-rom drive). My other thoughts is a faulty fan, but it seems to be running. Re; the power supply, I get mixed messages from reading previous forum discussions - some say 250 w should be more than enough, others recommend upgrading. Thoughts? Is there a consensus that an psu upgrade is necessary? If so, what should I worry about in choosing the new psu?
Your power supply is fine for that card. This sounds like a overheating problem. Clean the inside of your case out and make sure there is plenty of room around your system for ventilation. Keep the ambiet air as cool as possible.
Thanks. However, after letting my computer sit overnight, I opened the case this morning, then turned it on - all the fans are working, but I almost immediately got graphics problems - hard to believe that overheating could be the problem when the machine was on for just a minute. Is it possible that previous overheating ruined the graphics card?
greenleep
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Posted June 28th, 2005 14:00