HELP! repeated card failure

Vex550

Distinguished
Apr 26, 2007
2
0
18,510
I have been having this problem where my video card fails on me. It has only started to fail during a 3D application, namely gaming, such as HL2, SupCom, and BF2.

Symptoms:

screen becomes filled with random coloured dots all over the place, textures fail to show up, and transperent textures become visible.

Computer turns on but then either:

1) Seems to work perfectly until I start a 3D application, and then it happens again.
2) Sends strange image during initial windows logo, filled with random coloured dots, then fails to send image to screen once windows is starting up.
3) Does not send any image to screen.

Just to be clear, (1) will only happen if (2 or 3) hasn't, and (2) will only happen if (3) hasn't.

Back history
I replaced my orginal video card (6800 Ultra AGP) when that happend the first time and got a 6800 GT AGP instead. For about 2 years I had very little problems, however when my video failed and I started getting problem (3) I swaped out my card for a radeon 9200, which worked perfectly. I sent the card back to BFG and they sent me a new one, which as soon as I started SupCom to test it, I ran into option (3). Now I sent the card back to them, and they sent me a new one, which worked for two weeks and now I have option (2) happening when I try to start my computer.

|EDIT| by new card I mean what appears to be a refurbished card.


Computer
Dell XPS GEN 2
3.4 Ghz Pentium 4
875 chipset
420 Watt PSU
1 Gig pc 3200 ram
6800 GT OC AGP


Nvidia says that you need a 350Watt power supply for the 6800 series, while BFG maintains that for the GT and ULTRA you need a 450Watt power supply. I dont think it is the power becaues my brother has the EXACT same computer but with the orginal 6800 Ultra OC, and his has yet to fail.

Any ideas on what it could be?
 

Vex550

Distinguished
Apr 26, 2007
2
0
18,510
Ok, some changes

I have a 460 Watt power supply

They require a 350 Watt for everything but the ULTRA which is needs a 480W.

Dell is sending me a new PSU, so I will install that tomorrow when it arrives.


Question: Is my card toast? Will it work again or is it gone for good?