[realmike15]

i'm going to have to buy one last agp card before i build a new PC. my x850 xt has caused the blue screen of death a few times, and the fan spins at max speed ALOT which it only used to do during startup.

i'm pretty sure theres something wrong with the card, which is disappointing, i've never had problems with my ATI cards in the past, i was always ready to upgrade well before they died.

that being said, couple of questions...

i was looking at an x1950 pro/xt, many reviewers say use a 500 watt power supply w/ it. is there any reason i couldn't use my current 400 watt temporarily until i can buy a new one? i'd buy the power supply first, but since i think my x850 is going to die soon, the graphics card seems more important

are there any particular ATI makers i should check out, any nvidias i should check out?

who makes a solid ATI or nVidia graphics card? i do like a fast card, but more important to me is reliability.

[realmike15]

heres one of the cards i was lookin at

Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H195PRQT512DDAN-R-V2 Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 8X HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail

[Nukem]

Nice looking card, but have you tried to replace the card you have and verify it's making your BSOD? it might be the mobo, or something else... the XT is dated yes, but it's still a decent card, if your not a hard core gamer, or want to play everything maxed out.. Just a thought.

[realmike15]

it could be the mobo, i just have a feeling it's most likely the graphics card. before i ever got the bsod, my video card had started running the fan at max every 30 seconds or so anytime i ran a 3d application. the first year i owned this card, i only ever heard the fan running at max when i first booted the computer. then after a month or so of that, i noticed bsod.

i wouldn't consider myself a hardcore gamer per say, but i do play WoW as well as other newer games. my card does not support Pixel Shader 2, which is what all the new games use. i play games 3-5 days a week, 1-3 hours each day, so i think upgrading my card is probably justifiable.