PLEASE HELP--Bad video card or psu?

Hi guys, im new to this forum. I recently got a new computer with
AMD64 3200+, A8V-E deluxe asus mobo, 2x512 ram, 160 gb hitachi hd, and x600 xt 256 mb video card. the case came with a 450 w...(umm...i dont think its a brand name---it says computer, co. and like L&C, or something like that). Basically when i play games, like half life 2 or warcraft 3, after about 20 minutes, the monitor shuts off and goes into standby mode. at other times, the screen gets messed up with artifacts. lastly, often, the sound keeps going for a little while, while everything else is just plain frozen. this happens outside of games as well--cant move anything. I know x600 is not that great a card (2091 3dmark05 score on 800x600), but its all i could afford at the time. I was considering getting an x800 xl, but do not know if my psu will even run it. the temp on the video card is stable at about 41 degrees celsius. i also read that its good to have about 30+ amps on the +12v rail, i checked mine and it said 18 amps. i dont know what to do rite now...please help. thanks

 

if you're seeing artifacts then that's the video card and I'm sorry to say that you will most likely have to replace it or possibly underclock it ... of course that doesn't explain your sound issue .. and having a generic PSU isn't really going to help matters at any rate, if it's not giving your video card the juice it wants then it could be a contributing factor to the damage caused

 

thats the thing, i dont know if it is the psu or the video card. half life 2 has been known to cause video card thrashinig with stuttering sound in even x800 and up cards. However, this whole monitor "your game is so cool im going to shutdown now" thing is really gettin gon my nerves. i tried changing it to analog from dvi, and it still just blanks after a little while. i dont really know what to do. if i decide to get an x800 xl, will that have the same issues? i need a card that will run doom 3 on highest settings with no problems, or farcry, or half life 2. But i dont want to get it to realize that i cannot use it due to the bad power supply.

 

well sir, it just so happens that i have an x800, and my processor is similar to yours. did i spell similar right? neway, my gfx card runs these games perfectly. i used to have fps problems, but that was my ram...a whole different problem. i have a 450 watt psu also and im sure what you have isnt eating all the power. my bet is its the gfx card. you might wanna invest in a new psu though. (namebrand > generic) i went with mge psu mainly because thats what my case is. but i have had my comp for about 2months, and no problems. so my advice is to try another gfx card. just borrow a friends or something, and try running hl2. if it dont turn off, then you know your problem. but like that guy said earlier, a brand name psu wouldnt hurt.

 

thanks for your help guys, keep it coming...i stumbled upon this
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=876412&Tab=13&NoMapp=0
...this sounds a little too good to be true. whats the catch? that is a really nice power supply, by a respectable company. Also, whats up with all the different versions of the x800? which is best, and what manufacturer is best?

ps: whats this about the ram? i have 2x512 geil generic ram. i wasnt sure i needed to put out the extra 170 dollars for kingston hyper x.

 

what kind of brand ram...be more specific please. i can get kingston value ram, or corsair ram
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...1838&priceStr=0&key=&image12.x=15&image12.y=6
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...=1838&priceStr=0&key=&image12.x=7&image12.y=5
how is that?
and how much should i be willing to pay for an x800xl? will it run everything just fine?

 

i know, im talking more specifically: kingston has hyperx, has other variations. im sorry for the confusion.

 

i like corsair xms series, thats what alot of people will tell you. and if you game, you prolly wanna get ram with heat syncs. if you dont know what they are, there these big looking things that go around the stick. most of the time there shinny, and make ur ram look 2wice as thick as it really is.

bye the way, that psu should be ok. and dont get us started about what brand gfx card is the best, this discussion has been going on for years

 

lol im not trying to start a flame war. i was just asking whether x800 xl will run everything perfectly. can i get a link to dual channel ram 1024 with heat sinks please?

 

i use x800 pro sapphire series, so obviously, you know my favorite, but any one of the x800 should run better than the 600, i could be wrong though, so plz no flames.

 

is there a noticeable performance difference between the xt, pro, and xl versions?

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145466

thats my ram, and its done me good. and there isnt really a big difference YET. as soon as better games start coming out, you may feel the difference, but with my x800, i havnt seen a game my computer cant handle on high rez yet.

p.s. newegg site is THE BEST for buying computer parts.

 

where can i sell my current ram, x600 xt, as well as the psu? other than ebay of course.

 

dont think anybody would wanna buy a faulty gfx card, and psu's are too cheap for someone not to just buy a new one. they only cost about 20 bucks for a 400-500 watt generic psu. i would trash them, or save them for a new build. maybe they might be of use later.

 

we still dont know whether its faulty or not. it runs everything else except when i have it on the highest settings. i usually have no problems just doing anything with it other than hikin up the settings to the max...occasional medium level settings can also result in the problem...you think i can return just this part to powercolor? or to the computer manufacturer?
the whole monitor blanking out problem makes it sound like a psu problem..or maybe ram.

 

"we still dont know whether its faulty or not. it runs everything else except when i have it on the highest settings."

You should probably figure this out first, if the video card is faulty, chances are you can get it replaced... Call the company that sold you the computer, or the graphics card company if you built it yourself. And my guess it's the graphics card and not the PSU. Like someone said earlier. Borrow a friend's video card and try it with HL2. See if you have the same problems.

 

i ran memtest, and that is fine. i cant really borrow anyone's card-im the only person that has pci-express among my friends, and i dont have an agp slot on the motherboard. So is there anything fishy with tigerdirect.com? like used products, etc. the price is 50 bucks cheaper than the retail price.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=876412&Sku=ULT31558

 

i had a graphics card blow before and it would only crash at certain points .. like in the nature test in 3dmark 03 ... but it would do all the other tests just fine .. it would play wolfenstein but not far cry

and I like tigerdirect.com I never had a problem with them ,,, some say their customer service stinks but I never got to that point with them

 

I've also never had problems with Tiger Direct. www.3btech.net is another good one for certain parts.