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Problems installing a FX5900



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 12th 04, 09:44 PM
Hogboy
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Default Problems installing a FX5900

Hi

Sorry this is a long post .. Ive tried to include as much relevant detail as
possible.

I have purchased a WinFast A350tdh FX5900 graphics card and this morning i
decided to fit it into my existing system:

MSI KT3 Ultra ARU, Athlon XP1700, 256mb PC2100, XP Pro (current card Radeon
8500)

I removed ATI's Catalyst drivers first and then fitted the card and
connected it to my PSU with the power cabling supplied. I then restarted my
sys. During the POST i normally get a message saying "Detecting IDE Devices"
followed by the options to press ESC to continue the boot sequence & CTRL-C
to setup my RAID. I always press ESC as ive never bothered with my RAID
capabilities. However - on this occasion when these options appear on screen
neither seems to work... And the boot-up process goes no further. I tried
several reboots (checking all connections etc) and the same thing occurs. So
i removed the FX5900 and put back my 8500. I left the FX supplied power
cables fitted tho. The system seemed to boot normally until the expected XP
Boot-up screen failed to appear and the sys just hung. I removed the new
power cables and rebooted the machine which booted normally.

So ... For some reason the FX card is causing my system to fail during the
POST. Could it be an AGP issue? As my board supports AGP x4 but the card is
AGP x8... Or perhaps a PSU issue? My PSU is a 300w unit.. Would the FX card
drain too much power from the supply to maintain motherboard integrity? (i
have 2 hard drives, a CD-R and a seperate DVD drive too) Or perhaps there is
a problem with the supplied cable? What about BIOS? Are there any settings
which may be causing a conflict? I havent flashed the BIOS as ive never
needed to ... If it aint broke then dont fix it is my motto!

Or are there some other factors which im unaware of?

Thanks for reading



  #2  
Old January 13th 04, 12:04 AM
kony
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Default

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004 20:44:28 -0000, "Hogboy"
wrote:

snip,snip,snip

purchased a WinFast A350tdh FX5900 graphics card



existing system:

MSI KT3 Ultra ARU, Athlon XP1700, 256mb PC2100, XP Pro (current card Radeon
8500)

I removed ATI's Catalyst drivers first


During the POST... options appear on screen...neither seems to work...
And the boot-up process goes no further.


i removed the FX5900 and put back my 8500. I left the FX supplied power
cables fitted tho.


It may be good that you left it plugged into the power supply as it
tests the extra load (to a certain extent) but on the other hand,
that's possibly even more load since you now have 2 video cards
getting power.

At that point you should take voltage readings, highly preferribly
with a voltage meter, or the BIOS readings as a poor alternative. Low
5V reading or high 12V reading are the most likely signs of a problem.

The system seemed to boot normally until the expected XP
Boot-up screen failed to appear and the sys just hung. I removed the new
power cables and rebooted the machine which booted normally.


Yep, that pretty well isolated it, the card draws more power than the
PSU can tolerate. I'd repeat that test a few more times though, to be
sure it's (somewhat) consistent, reproducible.

So ... For some reason the FX card is causing my system to fail during the
POST. Could it be an AGP issue?


It's a possible way the card would fail, but not like that, not
preventing boot when a different card is actuallly plugged into the
AGP slot.

As my board supports AGP x4 but the card is
AGP x8...


No, that's not a problem.

Or perhaps a PSU issue? My PSU is a 300w unit..


What make/model? What combined 3V + 5V rating?
What voltage readings?


Would the FX card
drain too much power from the supply to maintain motherboard integrity? (i
have 2 hard drives, a CD-R and a seperate DVD drive too)


Sure, it'd be pretty easy to draw too much power from a generic power
supply, but a name-brand 350W or so ought to be able to handle that.

Or perhaps there is
a problem with the supplied cable?


Cables are pretty easy to check, even without test equipment you
should be able to inspect it for signs of damage or poor
metal-to-connector contact. Odds are the cable is fine, but by all
means check it to be SURE... it takes lots of time to backtrack if you
assume something and "move on" without being sure.


What about BIOS? Are there any settings
which may be causing a conflict? I havent flashed the BIOS as ive never
needed to ... If it aint broke then dont fix it is my motto!


Well actually, if it wasn't broken there would never be any BIOS
updates. Practically all boards start out with bugs, the largest of
which usually being resolved with BIOS upgrades, when that's possible.
I would always advise using at least the 2nd or 3rd BIOS released, not
the first... then again, some boards ship with the 2nd, 3rd, or later
BIOS already installed.

Or are there some other factors which im unaware of?


It could be a BIOS setting, but generally those are problematic when
going to 3D mode, not just finishing the Windows boot, unless that's
right when the video driver loaded. Still I'd take a second look at
the power supply.
 




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