1. IMHO, it is always better to have video cards with the same chips - either ATI or Nvidia. 2. Don't you want to look to the system log to get more details? ControlPanel/AdministrativeTools/EventViewer and there WindowsLogs/System. 3. Power could be an issue. I hope you have more than 375W power supply block.
How would I know if my power supply is the issue? I'm not entirely sure what I'm running right now. Whatever came with the computer I suppose... I have made no upgrades there that I know of otherwise.
1. As far as I know - you cannot be 100% sure that power is the problem. So, either upgrade it to 500W or just forget about it. 2. System log much more helpful. You can run it from console. To run it click Start (very left bottom corner); there is only one place where you can enter text, so enter there "eventvwr.msc". On the left side you will see 'Windows Logs', click it, go to 'system'. It has to work on any MSFT platform.
if you look at the ps itself on the side of the unit is a label that will show the specs. also take a look at this ps calculator and see if you can get an idea of what you need. http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/ http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253835-28-which-calculator-trust
When should I run the system log? When it begins to act slowly and starts to begin the process of eventually forcing a restart? Or directly after a restart when it's running at its best? Or both? Not entirely sure what I'm looking for here.... Have never looked at the system log before. Thanks for your help.
You don't have to "run system log" - your system ALWAYS writes all events in the log. There are 3 levels of events - Information, Warning and Error. All problems are reported into your system log: CPU, HDD, Memory, Network problems, CD/DVD problems and ALL problems at all - all there. So, you could find more details about problems with your video cards there. And then google it to find a solution. And "event viewer" is the tool to browse all these records in the system log file.
If your computer take earthing and generating currents on monitor screen then it can be a power supply cause and your computer shuting down automatically so you need to some Technical Support advise which can solve you issue in proper way so try it for better information.