Odd ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 9800 PRO problem

I am having a problem with a Radeon 9800 Pro card - I didn't see anything like this in the other 9800 pro threads.

On initial install, the card worked fine. When I tried to play Guildwars the graphics were stunning (at first) then some artifacts started to appear. As I watched, they increased and finally the entire picture was degraded - it was almost like the old antenna tv days, when you would gradually lose a signal till all you had was snow. On another, older game (Celtic Kings) it seemed to work fine. Also, my system would occasionally reboot for no apparent reason, usually when I tried to get online - and at that only certain sites! I was using a Radeon 9200 card with no problems, and I uninstalled the drivers, etc. as outlined in the instructions. I finally did a complete reinstall of XP pro, with the same results. I am at a loss.
Thanks for any help.

My system specs:

Windows XP Professional w/service pack 2 and all subsequent updates
Pentuim 3.0E ghz processor with HyperThreading
2 GB dual channel ram (4x512)
120 gb SATA drive, with a secondary 80 gb drive (not raid configured)
ASUS P4P800SE Mother board w/latest bios
550 watt power supply

 

sounds like it's overheating. might check the cooling, make sure all the fans are working correctly, also get some canned air and clean out all the dust

And I wouldn't use that card too much untill the problems resolved. It could be permanent damage.

 

Thanks for the reply. The research I've done indicates that overheating is probably the cause, at that - the only thing is it happens almost at once, and I know the video card fan is running. I didn't think to actually feel the card, though. I'll pull the heat sink and check it out. I've got a seperate chip-cooler assembly laying around somewhere - I'm thinking of trying to mount it if it is a heat problem. Thanks again