My graphics card melted :(

[Gwardinen]

This might actually be more of a tribute to the 8800's popularity and evidence of the way many people end up upgrading their PC at the same time than it is an indictment of its stability. I don't think it's exceptionally stable, but it seemed like it lasted long enough for each of our purposes for the most part.

It wouldn't surprise me if 3-4 years was considered the acceptable break point for PC hardware in general from a manufacturer point of view. That's about when people tend to replace it anyway.

[Patters]

This might actually be more of a tribute to the 8800's popularity and evidence of the way many people end up upgrading their PC at the same time than it is an indictment of its stability. I don't think it's exceptionally stable, but it seemed like it lasted long enough for each of our purposes for the most part.

It wouldn't surprise me if 3-4 years was considered the acceptable break point for PC hardware in general from a manufacturer point of view. That's about when people tend to replace it anyway.

If I recall correctly, the problem was caused by the same thing that caused most RRODs, which is why the towel trick and baking your 8800s gave them an extra lease of life http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2080412 .

[Gwardinen]

If I recall correctly, the problem was caused by the same thing that caused most RRODs, which is why the towel trick and baking your 8800s gave them an extra lease of life http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2080412 .

That's interesting. I can't remember whether it was here or elsewhere but I heard a theory that the 360's RROD problems were caused by cost saving measures put in place because certain metals had suddenly become much more expensive just before the consoles were manufactured. If that is the case, I can definitely see how a contemporary graphics card might have been built the same way and suffer the same problems.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Could someone please recommend a PCIe graphics card for my Dad's Dell? He doesn't use it for playing games, but it does seem very slow at times, and I suspect its Radeon HD 3200 on board graphics card. His processor is: AMD ATHLON 64 X2 DUAL CORE 7

You see the machine's entire specs here: http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/uk/en/ukbsdt1/servicetag/929RJ4J

(I've cleaned up the OS, but nothing seems to have helped.)

Thanks!

EDIT: Also, can anyone remember that thread on NeoGaf(?) that is kept up to date by someone who posts here? Looked really helpful!

[TychoCelchuuu]

Slow doing what? Unless it's slow playing games, it's not the graphics card's fault because that's pretty much the only time it does any work.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Are you sure about that?

[JonCole]

Yeah, he's right. Before anything else, I'd do a full clean install of the OS. The only hardware you could potentially change and have a positive effect without basically rebuilding the whole machine is the RAM or HDD, both of which would also require a full clean install. But yeah, clean install should do it.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Hmm. It's pretty much running a clean install. One of the problems with the onboard Radeon is that it shares system RAM, too. Couldn't that be part of the problem? Everything else in the machine should be more than fast enough for Windows 7, I would have thought...?

Edit: Oddly enough, the Catalyst Software doesn't run properly on the machine, either, despite me completely removing every trace of AMD drivers and re-installing them. Very weird.

[SiN]

Yeah, it's very likely not the videocard. Since it shares system RAM, you can find out pretty easily! Just check the system memory usage in Task Manager. If it's looking bad, the better (and cheaper) solution is to buy more RAM.

Are there any common scenarios where the computer performs slowly? "slow at times" is hard to diagnose. Is it during HDD intensive scenarios, or when using apps with heavy memory usage, or is it just seemingly random?

Finally, long shot, but just to be thorough: define "pretty much running a clean install". If you're using the Dell Windows image it may have stuff hidden away. It's always best to use a proper Windows CD/image.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Yeah, it's been very tricky to diagnose this problem, as the machine just generally seems to run a lot slower than you think it should, especially given the specs. There doesn't seem to be any connection between anything and the moments when it slows. It can be fine, but then suddenly it'll decide that switching between windows is a big task. Very strange.

I can't find any weird processes that stand out, either by name or usage.

Consider the following, though:

That's quite a large bottleneck, or at least drop compared to the rest, if the System Score is to be believed.

As for the OS. Yep, it's a Dell Windows Image, sadly, but I've removed all the crap I could find. The system seems pretty lean to me. Especially lean enough to run something as light as Windows 7. It's just baffling

Thanks for the help!

[SiN]

This seems too obvious, but: Disable Windows Aero?

There doesn't seem to be any connection between anything and the moments when it slows. It can be fine, but then suddenly it'll decide that switching between windows is a big task.

It might be a paging / pageswap issue. It would definitely explain the random nature of the slowdown. Does the slow down occur more frequently after the computer has been running a while?

I'm not sure what the specs are (your link pointed to support, but I can't find the specs) so:

- How much free space on the HDD? What's the RPM?

- How much RAM?

My guess is that there's either not enough space for a page file, the page file allocated isn't large enough, or (a long shot) the HDD is too slow to page effectively.

[ThunderPeel2001]

This seems too obvious, but: Disable Windows Aero?

Yep, I'll give it a shot. Seems a shame, especially for a computer that otherwise runs well, but it's definitely the cheapest solution! (For now -- my Dad is thinking of getting a new monitor, too, which is will undoubtedly increase the resolution from the 1024x768 he has at the moment.)

It might be a paging / pageswap issue. It would definitely explain the random nature of the slowdown. Does the slow down occur more frequently after the computer has been running a while?

I'm not sure what the specs are (your link pointed to support, but I can't find the specs) so:

- How much free space on the HDD? What's the RPM?

- How much RAM?

My guess is that there's either not enough space for a page file, the page file allocated isn't large enough, or (a long shot) the HDD is too slow to page effectively.

The HD has 586GB of free space -- definitely not that!

The specs are under "system configuration" in that link - a bit confusing.

Here they are:

PROCESSOR : AMD ATHLON 64 X2 DUAL CORE 7550 (2.5Ghz)

MEMORY : 3072MB (1X2048 + 1X1024) 800MHZ

HARD DRIVE 640GB SERIAL ATA NON RAID (7200RPM)

OPTICAL DRIVE : 16X DVD+/-RW DRIVE

GRAPHICS : INTEGRATED ATI RADEON HD3200

AUDIO INTEGRATED HDA DOLBY DIGITAL CAPABLE

[ThunderPeel2001]

Huh! Well things DO seem faster since I disabled Aero, but it's still slow when quickly scrolling up and down large web pages (like this one).

With that in mind, it seems the graphics card IS to blame.

[JonCole]

Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt to put in a discrete graphics card - just don't bother with anything too fancy and try to stick with an AMD card as not to have any conflicting drivers (which can cause some nasty issues on its own). You can get a Radeon 6450 1GB on the way cheap (30 USD, probably?) and it would probably run just fine with the likely piddly PSU in that Dell desktop.

[Gormongous]

Be careful, many Dell PCs have a nonstandard case length and width that graphics cards won't fit in.

[ThunderPeel2001]

You can get a Radeon 6450 1GB on the way cheap (30 USD, probably?) and it would probably run just fine with the likely piddly PSU in that Dell desktop.

Hurrah!

Be careful, many Dell PCs have a nonstandard case length and width that graphics cards won't fit in.

Boo!

[ThunderPeel2001]

Ok, so the Dell has a 300W power supply, as it turns out. Think it might be able to handle a beefier card? The reason I ask is because I just don't want to have to go through this all again if it could have been avoided by spending a teeny bit more.

Thanks!

A Radeon HD 6670 seems to fit the bill perfectly! Thanks for the help, guys!

[JonCole]

Yeah, the 6670 low-profile should fit in any box and keep your dad covered graphics-wise for quite a while longer.