More Awesome Than You!

My computer is deciding to annoy me by sending out 10 to 500 error messages, wasting my CPU and me resorting to manually shut down the PC.
Each one bears the same message,
"Your graphics card isn't receiving enough power and has lowered performance to avoid damage"
It's bloody annoying me, I have checked the wires and they are properly connected however it didn't help me at all when there was clogs of dust in my pc, I managed to clean it out but no avail, I've been getting even more error messages.
I need help to remedy the problem if possible

Sounds like you've either forgotten to plug in the extra power cable into the graphics card or the card is in the wrong type of slot (though not sure the latter is even possible)

Your PSU might not have the correct power adaptor, which might be why you haven't been able to plug it in.

All have been checked and they all are properly plugged in however no success

it is indeed possible to fit video cards into the wrong slot. You merely have to cut off the pre-scored gold bits at the bottom until the card is the right size for the slot.

http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2005/09/nvidia_7800_won.html

I know from experience that an overheating graphics card will also send the not enough power message. Try de-fluffing your system and checking the video fan/s.

I replaced the fan and heatsink a year ago,
Would replacing the PSU to a higher level fix it?

This happened to mine, a couple of weeks latter my power supply died, got a newer, more powerful one and haven't had any graphics card error messages since.  I'd say your power supply isn't powerful enough for your graphics card.  If you google this error it seems to be a common problem.

What the problem most likely is, is that you have a xxx watt power supply and you are trying to get more than that out of it. Have you added any peripherals recently? Some cards require a minimum wattage power supply (like 350 or 400). Check that info at the mfr's site for your specific card. The more things you add to your computer, the more watts it needs, so make sure you have a power supply that will support what you are running.

I have upgraded my PSU to 500w a few years ago, not that.
is it a faulty PSU?

Could be, or it could be a faulty card, or slot on your motherboard. Have you tried using other power connectors? Perhaps it is that. If changing the plug you are using doesn't work, I would try a new power supply. If that doesn't work, return it and take your mobo and card in for testing. There are places that will test for free here - not sure about where you are. I had my AGP slot go on my last mobo. The rest of it was fine, so it is not unheard of.

I am getting the error messages again to my annoyance as I thought I have fixed this ages ago.
I am giving you 2 pics of the problem in a RAR file because I'm too lazy and I'm not in the mood to find a suitable website that would host my pics.
This is getting to the point that it's annoying the heck out of me to the point of commit necromancy
Any help is appreciated

Edit: Opps forgot the pics

Last idea I have is one that has worked for me before with problems. Go to the nVidia site and get the latest drivers for your card, and save them to your hard drive. Uninstall all the nVidia drivers for the card (check to see if you have some old drivers installed for an ATI or a different card, and uninstall those if they are there) through Add/Remove programs. Go to Device Manager and right- click on primary and secondary video cards, selecting to uninstall them both. Reboot, and let Windows find the card again. Then install the drivers you downloaded and reboot when prompted. Hopefully, that will fix it.

I noticed it says System Sentinel. I don't have that on my nVidia control panel anywhere. Never even seen that before.

It's not so much the "Watt"age what matters.
You need at least 18 Amps on the 12V rail.. (23A with PCIe)

H E R E  (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp) you can calculate, what PSU you really need (add 30% to the result to cover spikes-loads and future upgrades)

-le

Looks expensive for the full product, I don't want to try the limited version as it may not give me full results

Go ahead and try the free lite version. It's totally sufficient for its purpose.
Just remember and add ~30% to the results .
All you have to do then is look at a retailer for a matching PSU and check for 18 Amps on the 12V rail (23A if you have a PCI-e graphics card)
and you're all set.

As a techie I realized that especially those complete packages you buy from  HP/Compaq, Dell, Gateway etc. are notoriously underpowered so that the slightest change in hardware could throw them off.

Despite the higher price I would try to avoid no-name PSUs ;)
-le

The last post was two and a half months ago. Scary lich guy exists for a reason.

Thanks, Zazazu.  Somehow I missed that.  Locked.