True. I think the bigger issue is that many of these big box companies do their best to limit the upgradeability of their stock systems. Unless you really overpay, you are limited to alot of mediocre components, with bad PSU's, minimal amount of RAM and integrated graphics. So alot of guys just figure why not build it myself since they can order better components and put it together for about the same price as the lower end systems for sale. Fortunately, there are a few decent customizable solutions out there that offer guys years worth of future upgradeability and that is probably the best route for most. After all, anybody can install a few sticks of memory or plug in a new video card.
Doesn't XFX have a lifetime warranty.... if you bought it new and registered with the company? If so, they should send you a new one. If not, your card is average... just about anything with 2, DVI ports will work for a replacement. Might want to get one without a fan if used primarily for trading.
Is yours a PCI base card? Or PCIe X16 base card? Sorry I am not familiar with the XFX product line. If you are using PCIe X16 cards... then the one that I am using is this: PNY Technologies 8400 GS PCIe X16 Works great for me under Windows 7. I have 3 of them on this one computer. Amazon... about $40. Passive cooling. Supports 2 monitors. http://www.amazon.com/PNY-GeForce-PCI-Express-Graphics-VCG84DMS5SXPB/dp/B002Z1JV2U
i have 4 xfx 8800gt (they were on sale and had a rebate some years back). 2 have died from popped caps which sounded like small firecrackers. it's a really loud and hot video card. any card with no fan will do you just fine as a replacement.
4 8800 gt's in one box? That must be draining a bunch of power. I have a 9800gt, but just one, not a slew of them and even that is recommended at around 450W+.
I think your $2000 can go a long way in buying a new computer. I had spent about $1300-$1400 to buy components to build my own. i7-930 with 6GB ram, Win7, about 1TB disk space, a DVDRW. When I shopped around (about April 2010) there were a few boxes featuring i7 class of processors and 4GB ram selling at about $1000-$1200. HP, Gateway, e-machine (maybe? Can't remember). At Fry's. Those are ready-to-pick up model. Not built for "trading" necessarily but should be decent. What I didn't like them was they all had only 1 available PCIe X16 expansion slot. I needed 3 minimum. (3 dual video cards to support 6 monitors). So I ended up building my own. Since you only want 2 monitors you have less restrictions. There should be a few models, Dell or HP or whatever, featuring i7 processors for a little over $1k.
Thanks for all the help. I just got this one which should serve it's purpose for a few more years. Its basically an upgrade of a couple generations of the same card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130395 Hopefully, it solves the problem. Won't be sure until I get it.
OP, you didn't post the specs of your current/old computer but if you are set on a new one why not take the chance to upgrade to something decent AND fix the old one. Your life will be much better if you have a dedicated trading PC and a dedicated internet PC. Just buy the cheapest (used ebay) video card you can find and throw the old PC in a closet - access it through Remote Desktop. If its hardwired through a decent switch or router sound and everything will through-put to the trading computer nicely with W7. Don't spend $2k on a trading computer... Dell Outlet $1k budget is plenty. If you have to ask what to buy with a $2k budget then you don't need to be spending that much. You can get a really nice i7 box for around $1000.
Might want to consider parts backups... like a video card, PSU, a stick of RAM. Some of us have all that and more... like an entire backup computer. If tragedy strikes, could be up and running again in 10-20 minutes.
A few years ago, lots of sub-spec counterfeit (China - of course) tantalum caps got into many computers. Dell got hurt badly by this. Hopefully quality computer manufacturers have gotten most of these out of their systems...