Overheating

When i play some of my video games, for more than 3 hours, my computer shuts pretty much crashes with an error saying nv4_disp display driver error. and im wondering if this could be because its overheating, i kinda get artifacts when i play my games, and they intense as i play longer. thanks if u can help =)

Specs

Windows Pro sp2
550 watt psu
Nvidia Geforce 7600 GS (AGP)
1.2g ram

Lemme no if u need anything else =)

 

it does sound like a possible heat issue. To test this take the side cover off and blow a fan (regular household variety ) into case. play game see if artifacting goes away and see if it crashes after a few hours. If it doesnt crash it is a heat issue. If it does you may have a failing video card or bad drivers.

 

what would be a safe temperature for a computer to run at?

 

a rather normal temperature is around 80-90F
if its like above 130 then yes... it is probably overheating
did you overclock the video card?

 

i have acase with a temp gage with a wire. and the end of the wire is what measures the heat. the wire is at the bottom of my case and is saying about 80-90.

through the nvidia control panel it says my 8800 gts is running at about 130. and its not overclocked. is that something to really worry about?