Computer glitching while running games, please help!

[Scire]

Hi all,

Just want to troubleshoot a problem.

I have a computer i built myself:

intel e8400
nvidia geforce 9800gtx+
4gig ram
Gigabye EP45 DS3L DDR2 motherboard

so, i built this system for gaming. initially it worked great, but recently it started having some problems. WHen i'm running a game, the pc will randomly crash, but here's the thing. the game doesn't freeze, instead, it sort of semi crashes where the graphics go haywire but i can still hear the audio. I can still use taskmanager to force shutdown the game, but this is getting to be a problem as I can't run any games! Can anyone help?

Thanks very much for anything you can give me!

EDIT: It just happened recently, and now i'm getting dots all over my screen even when i'm not running the program (they move around as I change different windows/scroll up and down in firefox)

 

[Route44]

First, how are your system temps? How is your air flow? Are all fans working especially your video card fan?

Second, am I reading you correctly that the issue is now beyond just gaming? If it isn't a heat issue my best guess here is that you are experiencing artifacting and it is a major sign of a video card dying. I speak from experience. First it only happened while gaming but then it would eventually occur even when just loaded to a the desktop.

Try the following: a) Uninstall and reinstall your video card and b) make sure it is seated properly.