So uhhhhh

[ToastBucket]

I came home to find my monitors black. Confused, I rebooted my computer. There are different colored thin stripes that change every time the picture changes (Bios, bootloader, windows loading screen, etc.) and my screen resolution was at the default when started up. When I tried to open the Nvidia software, it popped up saying it couldn't detect a card. I turned off the computer and felt graphics card. It was quite hot. Hot enough to burn me if I held it there for more than 5 seconds or so. Pretty sure it's dead. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then turned it on again, but I'm having the same problem.

Now, for the real question. What should I upgrade to? The dead card is an EVGA 8800GTS with dual DVI out. The two I have in mind and fit in my price range are:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814121446

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130625

Also thinking about upgrading to a Phenom II X4 3.6GHz (from an Athlon II X2 3.0GHz) while I'm at it.

 

[DefectX11]

It's dead. 100%.
I'd get the 560. the 550ti isn't all that great. Still, the 500 series is a good line. Good on you for skipping the 400 series...
Plus the 560 has a twin fan cooler- normally meaning it's left the budget card range. With that cooling power you can OC it a little further and squeeze out some performance, if you need it.

Oh and are you running an AMD rig? I don't know much about AMD but maybe look into intel.

 

[Bush]

I might be the only guy here who likes AMD cards, but a 6950 isn't a bad buy at all. I got a 2GB one for $220 and unlocked it to a 6970. I might look at some 1GB's if I were you.

 

[ToastBucket]

I got one of these. Hopefully there's still a driver for it for my OSX drive.

 

[DefectX11]

I might be the only guy here who likes AMD cards, but a 6950 isn't a bad buy at all. I got a 2GB one for $220 and unlocked it to a 6970. I might look at some 1GB's if I were you.

You very well may be.

 

[Zero]

I like good cards.

I don't give two *Can'tSayThisOnTV*s whether it's Nvidia or AMD as long as it has the best performance for the price and suits my needs.

 

[DefectX11]

would you care if it is too hot or doesn't have drivers?

I try not too care, but sometimes ATI gives me real trouble when I use their cards. Some drivers are absolute crap.
While on the other hand Nvidia cards can get hot. Really hot.

 

[Zero]

I don't have those problems, and it doesn't take much to avoid them before you even buy a card.

Obviously if a manufacturer releases a card with no drivers, or one that gets so hot it overheats regularly, then that falls under cards that don't suit my needs.

 

[DefectX11]

I've had my experiences...

 

[nevermind1534]

I had a similar experience (the fan on my vieo card stopped, it got hot enough to burn and smelled terrible). It turned out that the video card was fine (even after that), and that my problem was leaking capacitors on my motherboard. I'm not saying that that is the problem, but it's something to check.

 

[Mako321]

XD NO DRIVERS 1.7 YIELDS WOODSCREWS PORK SHOULDERS CUTTING CORNERS HOUSEFIRED