Power issues with 8800gt nvidia card?

[deusofnull]

So I built my first custom rig a few days ago (with a professional) and now I am having some issues. Whenever I play in a game, so far I have tried Crysis, Oblivion, and Fallout 3, my computer blacks out after a little bit of gameplay. Lets say about 20 minuets. Well, obviously, this will not do.
Here are my stats

Intel core 2 duo 3.0 ghz processor
4gigs dual channel ddr2 ram (2 2gig sticks)
nvidia 8800gt graphics card 512 mb ( I think this is the issue)
500 watt thermal take key 3 spirit power supply
250 gig sata 7200rpm hard drive
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

So, as I said above, the computer blacks out, no blue screen, no error message after about 20 minuets of game play. So far it has not happened while not in a game, this is what makes me think its a graphics card issue.
I think I might not have enough power running to the card for it to run for long periods of time, so if I need a new power supply, not a big deal.

I have all the latest drivers for everything in the computer, that seemed to help a bit. but it didnt solve the issue completly.


sorry for taking some of your guys time away, but I hope someone can help me

Thanks
-will

 

[Tmagic650]

Since this is a new build 2 things come to mind:
1. CPU Overheating
2. CPU shut down temp settings in the bios, incorrectly set

 

[SNGX1275]

You can test the CPU overheating theory by downloading Intel TAT, set both cores to 100% and let it run. If you get above 70C that may be your problem.

You may also want to see if there is anything that can log your GPU temperatures as you play then go back and look at what the temperatures were when it crashed.

The 8800GT cards don't pull all that much power, so your power supply should be fine, I'd take a good look at the temperatures before you decide to buy a new PSU.

 

[EXCellR8]

Fallout 3 goes black for me too... just thought I'd throw that out there since I thought it was a graphics problem as well. After you test the CPU, I would look at the RAM timings. Make sure they are set manually to the recommended values and not to "Auto." The northbridge controls both the memory and video so if one goes it could directly affect the other. It would also be a good idea to get your PSU's +12v amperage rating from BIOS too just in case it's possible the problem exists there.