New graphic card... buggy?

Hi,

I'm having some problems with my new graphic card. I just want to make sure that the problem lies with the GPU and not my PC/Drivers and if it can be resolved, all the better.

I upgraded from GeForce 8600 GT to 9800 GT.

I uninstalled the previous drivers and even use tools such as Driver Sweeper to make sure nothing is left. Then I installed the latest patch for my graphic card from the official site.

However I experienced these new problems:

-roughly 1 min of "freezing" before and after loading a game. This happens to all games. My PC will just become unresponsive for 1 min, then the game plays out normally. Then when exiting, the same freezing occurs

-another roughly 30 sec of "freezing" when opening up video files

-it just happened. While I was playing Hitman, the game froze and after a while, I got the msg saying that my graphic driver has stopped working. I've restarted and it's normal now. But the fact that it occurred worries me.

I'm not sure what the cause is but any help is appreciated!

 

What are the rest of the system specs? what o/s ? what wattage and brand psu? Did you plug in the power to the card? Also try removing and reseating card.

 

I'm using Windows XP SP3 with 2 gigs of RAM

I dont remember the details about my PSU.. but I think it's 650 Watt. And yes I plug the square black thing to my GPU and to the PSU.

It works fine when I'm actually playing the game... it's just the before/after that's bugging me. It's no big deal but I'm just worried if my GPU is defective.

 

What make is the 9800 gt? and can you post the link of where you dl the drivers from.