You could still cure it by buying a video card and putting it in the machine. Doesn't even have to be a great one if you've been doing ok with onboard graphics for this long, probably spend about $40 and you'll be set. I'd recommend nVidia as the brand to consider... ATI in linux is usually a pain.
Remember to turn off the onboard VGA in the BIOS. Once you've got your nVidia card in the machine,
sudo apt-get install envyng*
and then run it from the icon it puts in your applications menu to set up the card's drivers the easiest way possible.
Ben
Windows isn't the answer; it's the question. NO is the answer.