Ok so vista is totally up to date and it seems like everything is fine with the card... but loads of things still fail to work. And when I disable the card through my control panel, everything works fine again. But obviously my screen is still connected to my computer through the graphics card and is working fine... I am super confused. Could it be anything to do with my PSU? The card says it needs minimum 450w and my PSU is a 500w
KBigdog
Are you coming from an Nvidia card? If so, that could be behind the problems. You probably still have traces of Nvidia driver code hanging around, despite the fact that you've deleted everything. Some hidden partitions latch on because they use shared code with other hardware devices/components. What you need to do is run something like Driver Sweeperto make sure the system purges itself of any remaining hidden files that could be conflicting with the new ones.
As far as your PSU question, I'm gonna go off on a little tangent here and provide a little 411:
I generally like to have quite a bit of headroom and stay well above the minimum. This ties into PSU efficiency, where most top end ones are rated at 80% and above. What that means is its max draw of 500W is through 80% efficiency, where the rest of the wattage is lost as heat, so it's theoretically drawing let's say 625W off the wall peak (500/0.8). For that reason, the rating of a PSU can be disingenuous because some manufacturers only advertise theoretical peak wattage, and not sustained draw, so you really need to consider efficiency too--stay at or above 80. The higher the PSU wattage/efficiency, the less strain it has on it when performing tasks and the better its longevity.
Another problem with the PSU could be its lack of rails in its current delivery. The higher end models will make use of multiple rails with lower current limits to channel said current through, so that each individual rail is less likely to overheat. Think of it like a traffic system. One highway with many lanes can still get congested because it's the only available route, but several throughout the city with smaller lanes can theoretically allow for better traffic flow.
Lastly, regarding the PSU, one of the most important aspects is its amperage deliverance rating relative to its voltage. If you look at your PSU, you can usually spot a sticker with a amperage rating per designated voltage level and the one you really want to focus on is the 12V level (most PSU tasks operate under that load spectrum). What you want to be looking for is a number that's pretty high (40's and up is better) because anything lower (30 and below) means that you're not really getting the advertised 500W (12V*30A = 360 rated watts).
Investing in a high quality PSU is the most pragmatic thing you can do for a computer since it can be recycled with future upgrades, especially if it's high end and it isn't stressed enough.
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