Hi all I'm new to this forum and your help would be greatly appreciated!

I previously had a AGP GeForce 6800GT graphics card and it gave up the ghost one day while playing a spot of counter-strike. It suddenly went black shutdown and then wouldn;t restart. Eventually it restarted but the screen was pixelated and had multicolored lines across the screen with problems with icons and mouse pointer.

Eventually it completely packed in and I sent it back to the company that built my computer. They replaced it with a (refurbished to my disappointment) X800XT. This lasted only a couple of weeks past its warentee and then gave up in a similar fashion however still works but with pixelated screen. Starting up in safe mode prevents this so I'm started to think that its my graphic card dying.

This was a year ago now and I had just got a new laptop (a macbook - which i love by the way) so I ashamedly left it. Now my parents would like a new computer so I wanted to give them this one as its still (theoretically) a very capable computer (especially for their needs) even in this age of dual core etc. So i've started to try and fix it. I'm pretty sure that replacing the card will work but I don't want it to happen in a couple of months again! Its getting expensive replacing graphics cards!

Any suggestions, thanks again in advanced, sorry for the long story!

Rich

Welcome to PCHF, Rich.

Suggest you remove the Video card and boot up to see if everything look good.

Note: a computer does not NEED a video card. You can connect the monitor to the motherboard connection.

If your parents are not going to be playing fancy shoot'em up games or using the Vista operating system, then they should not need the advance graphics of a video card. The motherboard should be able to handle basic email and Internet graphics requirements.

If you have other questions, please come back. You definitely must include the video card, then reply and we will go from there.

Good Luck...

It turns out that there is not in built graphics on my motherboard, at least there is no other way of connecting my card to my computer!! I guess this means that I'll have to buy a new card. Anyone think that two graphics card dying on me may be signs of something more sinister going on (with my motherboard) or something. I'm not in the know I just don't want to but another card and for that to die on me too!

Whilst I'm at it anyone one have any suggestions for medium range graphics card (AGP) for aound $70?

Thanks

If you have had repeated video cards go bad, then you could have either a bad power supply or a short on your motherboard. Suggest you identify your motherboard in the event someone might have experience with it. You can use the What's inside your PC? link to do an free audit on your computer to identify all your hardware and software.