So I've had a running issue with my HP desktop for the last three years. It goes through video cards like a fat kid goes through ice cream cartons. None of these video cards are ever broken, it's almost literally like my computer just gets "tired" of them. Most of the time the cards last about 8-10 months, but once the computer stops recognizing them, I can't put them back in for more than about 3-4 hours. Here's my halfway-intelligent list of what I've done;

-Replaced the video card. (Duh.)
-Replaced the power supply. (Back when I thought there may be a short, and to support a new card.)
-Replaced the "used" card with a new card of the same exact type. (This fixed it for the next 9 months. No idea why.)
-Reinstalled, rolled back, updated, ect. the video card's drivers.
-Cleaned the PCIx port on my motherboard.
-Checked for overheating and cooling issues. (None.)
-Replaced monitor and cables. (Done when I upgraded cards.)
-Tried all three outputs. (HDMI, VGA, and the white one who's name escapes me at the moment.)
-Checked for viruses.

List of cards I've used;
-NVIDIA GT 8400 x3
-NVIDIA GT 220
-NVIDIA GTX 9800
-ATI Radeon HD 4550
-NVIDIA GT(S) 250

Should looking for a new motherboard be my next step? Is there some other thing that could be causing this odd GPU ailment? If I need a motherboard, what should I get that has a lot of USB ports, SLI/Crossfire support, and supports these specs with the ability to upgrade to an Intel I3/5/7/9 Processor?

Current Specs;
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6750 @ 2.66GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Hard Drive: 400 GB + 250 GB External
Video Card: Onboard Intel Chipset (Not sure what kind)
Monitor: HP w2408 Wide LCD Monitor
Sound Card: None

On another side note, what would be some simple upgrades that I could do to the hardware of this computer? I don't have a speaker setup, I have Logitech 7.1 surround sound headphones, would a sound card be worth the investment? I don't plan on having a speaker setup in the near future.

What do you mean when you say "[your] computer just gets tired of them"? Do you get a black screen, and if so, is it during POST or when the OS boots? How many watts does your PSU support?

RogueKnight wrote:Should looking for a new motherboard be my next step? Is there some other thing that could be causing this odd GPU ailment? If I need a motherboard, what should I get that has a lot of USB ports, SLI/Crossfire support, and supports these specs with the ability to upgrade to an Intel I3/5/7/9 Processor?

Yes, you should most likely invest in a new motherboard; only go with either ASUS or Micro-Star International (MSI); tell me if you would like recommendations.

RogueKnight wrote:On another side note, what would be some simple upgrades that I could do to the hardware of this computer? I don't have a speaker setup, I have Logitech 7.1 surround sound headphones, would a sound card be worth the investment? I don't plan on having a speaker setup in the near future.

This wouldn't be particularly simple, but try to replace anything with HP in its name, except for maybe the monitor. HP's hardware is not durable: fact. Also, is your memory DDR2 or DDR3, what is its clock, and is it dual-channel?

Marth8880 wrote:What do you mean when you say "[your] computer just gets tired of them"? Do you get a black screen, and if so, is it during POST or when the OS boots? How many watts does your PSU support?

My monitor stops detecting the input from the card, and my computer stops detecting the card.
My PSU is 800 watts.

Marth8880 wrote: Yes, you should most likely invest in a new motherboard; only go with either ASUS or Micro-Star International (MSI); tell me if you would like recommendations.

I've heard from a very reliable source that ASUS motherboards are top-notch, what can you recommend? Can you post some Newegg links to a few good deals?

Marth8880 wrote: This wouldn't be particularly simple, but try to replace anything with HP in its name, except for maybe the monitor. HP's hardware is not durable: fact. Also, is your memory DDR2 or DDR3, what is its clock, and is it dual-channel?

I'm still a bit new to this whole hardware thing, how would I find out?

RogueKnight wrote:I'm still a bit new to this whole hardware thing, how would I find out?

Simplest way would be to use something like Piriform Speccy. It's free and should tell you everything you need to know and more. On the topic of motherboards, I definitely agree on the reliability of Asus and MSI. Not entirely sure myself, but a couple of friends have built computers with AsRock mobos as well. Also, the sockets that will allow for the most upgradeability are 1155(Sandy Bridge) and 1366 (to my knowledge)