Please help with funky Vista-video card-crt problem

[apittman]

I built a rig with great help from this forum, but I’m having trouble with getting Vista to work with the graphics card and monitor.
Here’s my components:

EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

I’m trying to get them to work with Vista Home Premium OEM and an old ViewSonic E70 CRT monitor.

I get Vista working, but with apparently minimal graphics. There’s little red lines and dots in places, sometimes all over in a ghosting effect. The computer appears to recognize the graphics card, but Vista gives it a bottom #1 compatability score. I tried to upgrade drivers for the graphics card and monitor, but the problem continues. Do I need a new monitor, or is there some trick with the drivers?
Any suggestions please?
Thanks

[Cricket]

Did you install the appropriate video card driver?

:) Cricket

[liambl]

Try another Vista driver. Have you tried the monitor on another pc? I've also seen those visual defects on a dodgy graphics card.

[apittman]

Thanks for the replies. I installed the EVGA driver from disk. And then tried the EVGA Vista driver from their website. No luck. The old monitor works on my old XP SP2 machine, but I don't have another Vista machine to test it on. Any other ideas?

[liambl]

Have you tested the graphics card in another pc?

[apittman]

Thanks. My old pc doesn't have Vista and probably wouldn't run it, so I haven't tried the graphics card in it.
I do wonder if its a dodgy graphics card, but it seems like if it had a manufacturing defect it wouldn't work at all. I get video, but with red specks and a low Vista rating.

[The Village Idiot]

Sounds to me actually like a dodgy graphics card, could've been damaged via LSD. Either way i'd test it in another machine if possible. And just because it works doesn't mean its not defective, if its overheating then it could screw around with it some.