Stone-age graphics card seems to have died...need help

[Yossarian]

The 5-year old Dell suddenly began doing some very odd things yesterday after I had switched it off (yes, I did switch it off by hitting the wall switch...), and then started it up again a few hours later.

I'm not sure if this is useful now, but when ever something changed on the screen (i.e. selecting & deselecting lots of icons by moving the mouse around the desktop, opening/closing windows, accessing the Start menu etc.), flickering lines almost like static would appear on the screen, and if I opened/closed windows too often, then the screen would just go black for a bit.  I also noticed that there would be flickering pixel-sized red dots on the desktop (but if I moved the mouse over them, they would vanish as if the mouse were on top of the dots).

This got progressively worse, and I eventually got a BSOD after moving the mouse a lot suddenly:



Eventually I opened up the computer, and found that some of the capacitors on the graphics card seemed to have some flakey stuff on them and they were bulging out on top...so I assume this is graphics card related (btw my monitor plugs directly into the graphics card):




So what I'm wondering is:
a) from the text/pictures above, does it look like the graphics card is the problem here
b) with a total budget of $100, what would be the best card that this computer could handle (it's a Dimension 8300)?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[humble]

you've got an AGP card so your options are limited....

This is the best card (IMO) newegg had....right at $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102730

Based on the CPU a lesser card might equal equal performance...$65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102814

I did not see any 7xxx Nvidia cards offered but they would be an option as well (or 8xxx) if you could find one....

[Yossarian]

Thanks for the fast reply

I'm not sure if this helps, but the computer also has some other slots next to the AGP one:



Do you know if they could be used for a half-decent graphics card?


EDIT: Would those two you listed up there be able to be used by a stock power supply and fan etc...?

[Dragon]

Stick with the AGP slot, that's what it's for, either card will be fine on stock power supply.

[humble]

what your showing is actually a PCI VC not AGP I think...let me pull specs

online specs show AGP but your posted pic shows a white slot which is PCI, is that the VC or a sound card?

[SKColt]

Looks like the 8300 has an AGP 8X slot

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim8300/sm/specs.htm

[Chalenge]

I have seen problems like this migrate to a new graphics card because the motherboard itself is somehow been affected not that I know its a problem in your case but I thought it should be said.

[Getback]

I have seen problems like this migrate to a new graphics card because the motherboard itself is somehow been affected not that I know its a problem in your case but I thought it should be said.

That's something I would like some thoughts on. Not denying it but I'm curious. Maybe heat?

[Yossarian]

That's something I would like some thoughts on. Not denying it but I'm curious. Maybe heat?

When I was initially looking on Google for things about this, I found this Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

Chalenge, how could I tell if that's the problem.

what your showing is actually a PCI VC not AGP I think...let me pull specs

online specs show AGP but your posted pic shows a white slot which is PCI, is that the VC or a sound card?

Also, that is a Matrox card IIRC, for taking videos off camcorders and putting them on the computer.

[Getback]

If it were me and I had the money, I would invest in new technology. I hate to see money thrown at old technology. The $100 is probably more than the system is worth. A better comparison is what would it cost for a newer system.

[humble]

Motherboards have a layered build and overtime the substrates the make up the board can crack causing voltage spikes and other issues. The reality is that at some point you can start to get cascading issues. A bad power supply or motherboard will eventually damage everything else.    

[Yossarian]

Do you think there's any way to slow down this process?  I just spoke to my parents about this, and they don't want to spend the money to replace the computer until absolutely necessary.

[Chalenge]

The problem is that if the psu or motherboard powerside has a problem it will eventually or immediately have another problem. At the very least you should give your motherboard a close visual inspection and test your power supply but unless you have a really good psu tester you may not find it anyway so buying another AGP card and hoping for the best is possibly the only option available for you. If the computer goes bad it will then be at the 'absolutely necessary' stage so just be prepared for that possibility.

[Yossarian]

Ok, I'll take a look at the motherboard now.  Are there any specific things I should look for?

[Chalenge]

Discoloration of the motherboard near the powerside and the same issues with capacitors you already discovered on the graphics card are pretty good indications of a problem. You will want to remove the motherboard and check the bottom side too especially around the area that the AGP slot is and around the psu plug. Visual inspections are okay but not always revealing but if you see something obviously wrong...