Radeon 9100 AGP overheating or bad memory?

[forthill]

I have a KX18D Pro mobo with an ATI Radeon 9100 AGP video card. At least once or twice each day the system freezes and when it unfreezes I get an ATI popup about VPU recover kicking in (it also wants to send off an email to the black hole at ATI to tell them about it).
If it doesn't lock up on me then it instead displays what I can only describe as Chinese characters for every bit of text on the screen, making the system unusable until I reboot.

I originally thought it was overheating but even with the case open both scenarios above seem to still happen.

Is the card memory bad (or going bad)? How can I stress test the card memory? Or perhaps I'd be better off just swapping the card out and purchasing a cheap/generic ATI Radeon (like a 9550 or so). I don't do any gaming and don't need any TV/video/S-out capabilities.

Suggestions? I'm not quite ready to give up on my KX18D Pro and go for a newer mobo with PCI-E.

Thanks!
forthill

 

[lol4fun]

a card like that shouldnt overheat even without a heatsink, it may be creapin out due to heat expansion, try taking it out and putting it back in again

 

[mpjesse]

It still might be an overheating problem. Systems do not necessarily run cooler when the case is open. This is due to restricted air flow. When you have a closed case and good circulation, the air flow is better than it would be w/ the case open.

My system for example runs cooler with the case closed.

Anyways, try getting the latest ATI drivers before replacing the card. If that doesn't work, replace the card.

-mpjesse