Did I buy a faulty GPU? (Symptoms inside)

[dizzzzy]

I upgraded to a Geforce 7600 GT (APG) yesterday, and am now experiencing widely varying conditions in WoW (the one 3D game I play).

Symptoms:

Screen freeze, game still runs. (For those of you who know the game, only happens in Outlands).

Any adjustment to in-game video settings produces multiple screen tears accompanied by a big jump in latency. Restarting the PC will cause the game to temporarily revert to good performance.

I realize there are many potential causes of performance issues, but I've spent several hours troubleshooting the obvious issues.

Steps taken:

-updated drivers for GPU, motherboard, etc.
-followed game forum recommendations to run game application repair utility, minimzed graphics settings, removed add-ons, etc.
-tried underclocking the GPU

The only things I can think of that I haven't tried yet are replacing the GPU and upgrading the PSU.

PSU is a generic 400 watt with 30 amps combined on the 12+ 12- and 12- rails combined.

How uncommon is it for a new GPU to be faulty? Any recommondations about other solutions or ways to isolate the cause?


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System Information
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Operating System: Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2 )
BIOS: )Phoenix - Award WorkstationBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.53GHz
Memory: 1536MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Display Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
PSU: 400 watt with 30 amps combined on the 12+ 12- and 12- rails combined.

 

[apache_lives]

that cpu may underpower it a little perhaps?

and PSU - got it connected to the back of the video card? generic PSU = 8O

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

Mines an enermax, not generic and it has 18 and 18 on each 12 volt rail with 29 combined ...rated at 420 watts hmmm

 

[dortmund371]

psu or bad internet connnection.probaly psu list how many +12 and how many a (amps) on the +12

 

[Neotriple]

Like others have said, it could be the PSU, but I'm no expert, like I said before, leave that to Mpilch or another experienced user.

Did you have other video card drivers before? If so, did you wipe them clean before you installed your new ones?

 

[dizzzzy]

After hours of troubleshooting, I caved and ugraded both the GPU and PSU.

Vendor tried to convince me I didn't need a PSU upgrade, but everything's working smoothly, and I feel more secure now with an emac powering everything.

Thanks for the helpful suggestions.