Red/Green pixel dots appear on screen, then computer slows down to a crawl.

[Drakken]

For the last few months, green or red dots have started to randomly appear on my screen after my computer is on for a while. At first there are only one or two, but when they reach about a dozen scattered around the screen. My computer suddenly become very slow and jerky, the screen flickering black repeatedly, to the point of being unworkeable and I have to close the computer. These even appear when I start the computer, directing in the DOS screen (albeit this time white and yellow).

I suspected it might be linked to a cooling problem, so I opened up the tower and placed a middle-sized fan as an auxilliary in so that it sends air directly onto the motherboard and the graphic card, and the air circulates in and out better. While it definitely slows down the dots from crawling up, after a while they inevitably appear again. So I suspect it is either the graphic card agonizing or a memory problem.

Thoughts?

[Grey Fox]

Your Video card is going the way of the dodo.

[DontSayBanana]

Vid card: fried.  Probably blew one of the capacitors.

[Drakken]

Vid card: fried.  Probably blew one of the capacitors.

And yet I can still play my games? Graphics are often a little funky, like Sims having a jaw stretched infinitely or a flickering screen while playing EVE, but they are still relatively playable.

[DontSayBanana]

Vid card: fried.  Probably blew one of the capacitors.

And yet I can still play my games? Graphics are often a little funky, like Sims having a jaw stretched infinitely or a flickering screen while playing EVE, but they are still relatively playable.

Yes; video cards can warp or partially fail and start behaving oddly before they fail completely.

[grumbler]

.... Sims having a jaw stretched infinitely....

A classic warning sign of overheating and impending failure.

[Drakken]

Well then, time for an upgrade. My old pal lasted 4 years and, seemingly, only the vid card is dying off. Still, my AMD 64+ 3200 is due for retirement.

Me and Miss Drakken have set our eyes on this potential new computer :

- Asus P5QPL-VM motherboard
- Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 (4x2.8Ghz)
- 4 Go DDR2 800 Kingston
- 500Gig SATA II HDD .
- DVD 22x Dual Layer Writer
- PCI-Express, Sound Card integrated

Plus adding in:
- My two other HDD, one being 200Gig big.
- A GTX 260 896Mo Vid Card
- A Windows 7 upgrade

In total, for around 950 $CAN plus taxes.

HOTT or NOTT?

[Grey Fox]

Crazy bastards that share their computers with their girlfriends.

[grumbler]

I'd go with a better motherboard and memory, if you can at all swing it.  DDR2 is gonna be a bottleneck soon.

I have that vid card and it works fine for everything I have tried.  Good capability for the price.

[Drakken]

I'd go with a better motherboard and memory, if you can at all swing it.  DDR2 is gonna be a bottleneck soon.

I have that vid card and it works fine for everything I have tried.  Good capability for the price.

What motherboard would fit better with both an Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 and a GTX 260 896Mo Vid Card?