How long can a video card last?

[controlpanelheist]

I'm back again with my problems with my card. I think its going defective. It sure ain't the temps as its idling at 39c and 63 @full load. I thought I had just problems with B:AA and now I just experienced it with Bioshock 2 and Assassin's Creed 2. I'm getting either stripes or just a blank color w/ audio stuttering to a stop. I always had problems with B:AA but games like Bioshock 2 and AC2 crashing is weird. I've played about 2 times through each game and no crash.

Question is, how can I tell if my card is going defective? I think it may be the drivers from my previous posts but I've done extensive searching for solutions and probably restarted my computer like a gazillion times uninstall/installing drivers.

 

[jyjjy]

It could be your power supply instead of the card. PSUs slowly get less capable over time. Yours could be at the point where it can no longer provide the power your card needs during gaming consistently.

 

[controlpanelheist]

Haven't thought about that. My PSU is rather low-grade. I guess this could be an excuse for me to upgrade the PSU and GPU.

 

[jyjjy]

Especially if it is a sketchy brand I would lean towards the PSU being the issue. It deserves to be replaced in any case. If you are going to go with a high quality anything in a computer it should be the PSU. What are the specs of your computer?

 

[controlpanelheist]

AMD X2 5000+ 2.2Ghz
2GB DRR3 RAM(Kingston)
ATI Powercolor 4670
500GB HDD
Realtek Onboard sound
PSU- 600watts (I see the sticker labled as "Kentech PSPK600") Its pretty noisy too.

 

[controlpanelheist]

Could you recommend me any PSU? I'm pretty sure 500w is more than enough for my small rig.

 

[jyjjy]

If it is a good brand even 400w would cover that easily. A good brand will rate their power supplies for continuous usage while the sketchy ones will use the peak output and even then it won't be very accurate.
This would be more than fine for your current system;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034
If you would like something that will be more capable to transfer into a new computer with a more powerful video card(or two) then this is a nice deal after the rebate and promo code;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

 

[nforce4max]

It could be your power supply instead of the card. PSUs slowly get less capable over time. Yours could be at the point where it can no longer provide the power your card needs during gaming consistently.

It all depends on the quality and the usage that the device sustains through out it's life. Just being old does not mean that it can not perform as it once had when it was new. One can still find old TVs from the 1950s that work as the day they were made.

 

[controlpanelheist]

Thanks jyjjy and nforce for the insight. Even if it is not my PSU I think I'm going to upgrade it since I'm pretty sure I'm going to upgrade my current GPU. The PSU I got was bought from Ebay(Like New Condition) and doesn't have a 75w 6 pin connector. I guess its time.

 

[jyjjy]

Well, the problem with upgrading your card is that your processor is going to hold back any significant upgrade you make. It's theoretically possible your motherboard can handle a worthwhile CPU upgrade if you tell us the brand/model.

 

[controlpanelheist]

Oh my mobo is M61PMV from Foxconn. It supports AM2+ so I guess I can squeeze more dough to upgrade my cpu too.. oh gosh I mind as well just buy a new rig.

 

[jyjjy]

Well your motherboard actually supports AM3 chips like the Phenom II so I would say you don't need a full system upgrade.
http://www.foxconnsupport.com/cpusupportlist.aspx?type=mb&model=M61PMV&cputype=
This would be a good processor/card upgrade;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.494116

 

[controlpanelheist]

Man who would thought my board actually supported AM3. I wish I could have been smarter when I bought my CPU. Cheers man!

 

[controlpanelheist]

Best answer selected by controlpanelheist.

 

[jyjjy]

Just make sure to upgrade to the latest BIOS before installing a new processor.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey