[koala]

It was a game, Kingdoms of Amalur....and an image mounting programme called alcohol 120%. :whistling::angel:. Thats the only 2 I installed that I can def. remember and the problem started right after that.

Did you install Alcohol 120% to mount a downloaded ISO copy of Kingdoms Of Amalur?

If you're running any pirate software or downloads from non-legit sites, run some virus scans.

 

[koala]

After you've saved your new BIOS settings, turn the computer off, remove the monitor cable from the video card and plug it into your onboard graphics VGA port, then switch back on again.

 

[koala]

No, there's nothing inside the case. If your motherboard supports onboard graphics, there will be a 15-pin (3 rows of 5) VGA port at the back of the computer, near where you plug the monitor into the graphics card.

If your monitor connects via HDMI or DVI, use another monitor or a VGA-DVI adapter. (example link)

 

[koala]

The GT430 is much slower than the 9800GT.

Your 360W is not powerful enough for the 9800GT, which could explain why after 4 years of use the GPU has been damaged.

If you're going to be installing a graphics card that gives similar performance to the 9800GT, replace the 360W PSU with a good quality 550W or higher.

 

[koala]

The GT430 will give lower framerates when playing games. For general desktop work and games that are not too demanding, it should be ok though. See here for a comparison: GeForce 9800 GT 1GB vs GeForce GT 430 1GB – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare

I wouldn't trust your current PSU with a new graphics card. It's 4 years old, so has already lasted longer than the manufacturer expected. (Good quality PSUs come with a 3-5 year warranty, lower quality units only give 1 year)

If you're happy with the 9800GT's performance and you can find another one still available for sale, it's a great card that can handle most current games at decent settings. Otherwise, something like the HD5770 is reasonably priced and will out-perform your current card.

What's your budget for the new card and PSU, and what country are you in?

 

[koala]

If you want to go for an nvidia card, the GeForce GT250 gives the same performance level as the 9800GT, or the GTX260 is slightly faster.