Graphics and sound problems in games and other applications EDIT: nv4_disp loop

[Sakkura]

Note: I don't know if this is a software or hardware problem yet.

Problem description:
When I run certain applications, primarily 3D games, I get some odd graphics artefacts - little boxes or lines of white or other color here and there on the screen for example. Sometimes they are stationary, other times they move around or flicker. There are never any problems with displaying video, either in games, at youtube or in windows media player. The problem only occurs in some games, primarily 3D games.

There are also sometimes problems with sound - usually the sound starts looping indefinitely or a persistent high-pitched noise is played; it is often preceded by "scratching" noises. This occurs sometimes in games, but less often and more intermittently than the graphics problem. It also occurs in other applications - eg. playing music in windows media player. This error seems to almost always occur when music is played either by a game or an application, it's just a matter of time.

During newer games, the games often run unusually slowly, but this can vary.
Some games refuse to run outright, or cause a reboot (I've set windows to give blue screen of death in stead of rebooting automatically now, will inform if I get any BSOD error data). Others can hang the system, forcing a hard reset. (Num Lock key doesn't turn on/off the LED, and the computer does not respond to Alt-Tab, Windows key or Ctrl-Alt-Del even if repeated)

My system:
AMD Athlon Barton 3000+
ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard (includes onboard sound card)
2x512 MB PC3200 DDR RAM
80 GB Maxtor 7200 rpm HDD, 8 MB buffer
Samsung 52x CD-RW drive
Codegen 6066 CA tower, 300 W PSU
Club 3D nVidia GeForce 7600 GT AGP video card, 256 MB GDDR3 memory. - NOTE: Problem originally arose with my old nVidia GeForceFX5700 Ultra video card, and was more severe then; I have tested the new card in another computer where it works just fine.

Running Windows XP SP2
DirectX9.0c
Forceware 163.71 graphics driver from nVidia, WHQL certified.

Antivirus: AVG.
Spyware programs: Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy.
Firewall: Comodo Firewall Pro.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions as to what could be wrong or how I can go about troubleshooting the issue.

[patio]

Travel Here  just to see,,,

It's a wild hunch but i'm hitting better than the Yankees did in the post season so far this month...

[Sakkura]

It recommends 235 W. That's with my motherboard set as high end desktop, and none of the stuff plugged into my externally powered USB hub counted.
Plus it would be strange if power was the problem since it got better when I upgraded my graphics card (I bet my new card uses a lot more power than my old one).

But I appreciate the suggestion. That link might come in handy some other time as well 

[t_blake07]

Plus it would be strange if power was the problem since it got better when I upgraded my graphics card (I bet my new card uses a lot more power than my old one).

Actually, most of the newer cards are more sufficient with power than the older ones. Which may be the case here.

[Sakkura]

Interesting, I would never have guessed that. Now, I'm relatively nooby when it comes to messing with hardware. I know how to switch PCI and AGP cards as well as RAM, but that's basically it. Is it possible to replace the PSU with a more powerful one - and how difficult would it be?

By the way, I got a screenshot of what the problem typically looks like: http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/7055/rtwloading1uw4.jpg
(it is supposed to be fading from the loading screen to the in-game screen, that part isn't an error )

[t_blake07]

Replacing the PSU shouldnt be hard to do. Just make sure the connectors per MoBo/PSU are the same.
And make sure to spend wisely. Dont settle for something just because its cheap.

[t_blake07]

I have tested the new card in another computer where it works just fine.

Have you tried this while playing Rome on the other computer. And what was the PSU wattage on it.

And, what is the resolution set to in the game settings? Is Anti Aliasing on? Shadowing Effects?

[Sakkura]

I have tested the new card in another computer where it works just fine.

Have you tried this while playing Rome on the other computer. And what was the PSU wattage on it.

And, what is the resolution set to in the game settings? Is Anti Aliasing on? Shadowing Effects?

I tried on a few different settings, including 800x600 solution with everything at lowest details, no shadows or AA etc., it didn't change anything much.
I only tested the card on the other computer with a few games (ones that were giving problems on mine), Rome not one of them. Oh and it has a 300W PSU too; but it's newer than mine and the rest of the system is different (might require less power).

However, I finally got a BSOD!
It says the problem is with nv4_disp.
"The driver got stuck in an infinite loop, yada yada update your driver" etc.
(yes, I already have the newest graphics driver )
The specifics it gave me were:
***STOP: 0x000000EA (0x85BABA38, 0x863E0BA8,0xF7C5ECB4,0x00000001)
It then made a partial memory dump and asked me to reset.

I googled the error a few times... Found a lot of old pages, even one from 2004 where someone described it as an ancient error that used to happen a long time ago 
But also some newer ones, including someone else with a 7600 card. Apparently the problem can be caused by a crappy driver or issues with the card, RAM or as you guys suggested, PSU. I guess my next logical step would be to test this card thoroughly on another system. Also, is there some way to test if my PSU is causing trouble?