New GTX 280 bsod + freezing

hey all. i just received my new bfg gtx 280 and whenever i try to run games like cod4 it would just freeze right when i connect to a server. like i can see half the map and the sky is black. also whenever i try to run mirrors edge i would get a bsod something along the lines of "flash graphics drivers" or something. i didnt have enough time to really read all of it because it would just restart after about 5 seconds. i never had this problem before with my old graphics card which was a 8800 gts. i have checked the gpu temperature and when it freezes it is only around 40-50 degrees Celsius.

counter strike 1.6 is the only game that runs on this right now which i find kind of odd. everything else works fine on this except the other games for some reason. i can play hd movies surf the web etc. with no problems whatsoever. i have tried a clean uninstall/reinstall of the driver for the card with the most recent driver 181.22. now i am really stumped. ive checked all my connections and i have taken the card out and reput it back in to see what would happen but the same problem occurred. my current specs are as listed:

vista ultimate 32 bit.
quad core @ 2.4
gigabyte ga-ep45-ud3p board
4 gb ocz reaper @ 1066
750w corsair p/s
bfg gtx 280 oc edition
no overclocking in any way

if you guys could throw some advice/help at me i would greatly appreciate it. thanks.