BFG FX5900 not working update

[vfibsux]

For anyone else this may help, if you have a 300w power supply don't bother with this card until you get a more powerful PS. It was the root of all my problems (with the 2nd card, first card had bad memory). I assume I am at the low end of power usage with 1 cd drive, 1 hard drive, and a celeron cpu compared to many that have multiple cd drives and hard drives in their systems as well as other components. After putting in a 500w my system runs great now, even took up my 3rdmark03 score 800 points. I wrote BGF to tell them they have great service, but Ill be damned if the minimum should not be 350w or 400w at the least for this card. Would have saved me alot of headache by seeing that on the box. Also the first tech guy I spoke to for the first problem showed zero concern that I only had 300w, whereas the 2nd tech (female even) saw that as the first culprit. Anyway, I have always homebuilt my PC's and have always taken the power supply for granted, not anymore

 

[domokoko]

Its actually more about the quality of the PSU. A good quality 300W PSU will be able to run that card fine. I have an enermax 350 watt psu and can run that card, athlon 2500+, dvd, cdrw, 3 hard drives and no problems at all. I would rather have a 350 good quality psu rather than some 400+w generic low quality psu. So don't blame the card ...blame your old psu.

 

[CaiNaM]

well, i am not sure i'd say 300w, but yea, for many systems a quality 350w like the antec or enermax seems to do just fine. to the OP, good to hear your system is back up and running

 

[nRollo]

Domokoko is right, you had a bargain basement 300 w psu, and you get what you pay for. If you had an Antec 300w, or some other reputable brand name, it probably would have run just fine.

I also think your AGP slot on the fine ECS bargain board may have something to do with this. I don't know if it's still the case, but years ago it was pretty common knowledge that ECS/Alton/PCChips/PCWave boards had substandard AGP slots.

You get what you pay for in computer parts, the guys that buy name brand, mainstream stuff rarely have issues. If you had an Intel based board by Asus and a Antec True psu, it would have run that card fine.

About all you're in a position to note is "generic 300W psu/SiS ECS board + 5900 = issues". BFG doesn't post incorrect specs for their equipment, it would be bad business to do so. They just test on more mainstream parts than you have. I doubt you even had bad memory on the first board.

I'm not trying to slam your equipment here, just don't want someone to read your post and say, "Nuts, I was going to get a 5900, but according to this guy, I'll need a new psu as well" when he probably won't if he has quality components.

 

[Defector]

My 300w Antec is working fine with an Athlon Thunderbird, 3 case fans, two optical drives and three hard drives, plus network card, firewire card and BFG5900.

Then again, this PSU did outperform a number of "400w" models in a PSU test some time ago.

 

[anim8r]

Another fine illustration on why it's important to choose your PSU based on quality rather than price alone. You mentioned that your new 500w PSU is another CompUSA unit. While it might have fit your budget, its quality is suspect. While it might work fine for you now, cheaper units such as that FMI made unit use cheap components that typically don't last as long compared to quality units.

Is this the PSU that you bought? If so you could have purchased a much better PSU for less such as any of these.

Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420 @ $53.00

Antec 430W True430 @ $66.00

Silverstone 400W Super Silent PFC @ $59.00

All of these (and others I didn't list) would provide you with much more than enough power for your rig and the've all been extensively reviewed and rated highly. Again, it's all about quality when it comes to PSUs. Can you get by with something "cheaper"? Sure can, but you're gambling with the health of your system and all of the money you've spent on the components you've built it with.

 

[nRollo]

I think this about sums it up

 

[ErikS]

It's not even a matter of buying quality PS. Pwr supply companies are behind the times when it comes to newer demands. Look at most units & you'll see all the power is delivered to the 3 & 5v lines. CPUs & vid cards ALL drawing their power from the 12v line (notice AMD has followed the Intel lead). Any PS w/ less than 20a on the 12v line is a short term solution - you won't own it long. Just look @ a typical NF2/FX setup - the CPU is drawing 7-8a & the FX is drawing 5-6a. That's a max of 14a w/o adding anything else, not too many 300's can deliver. A few companies have re-arranged their supplies to match new demands (SeaSonic is one), but most remain hoplessly mired in the past.

You shouldn't have to buy a mondo watt PS, just have the power in the right amounts on the correct lines.

FYI - BFG messed that one up, Nvidia recomends atleast a 350w for the 5900.

 

[Viper96720]

Someone needs to do a budget ps review. Find out which ones are good and which one are just lying about specs.

 

[PCTweaker5]

So me making the choice to buy a 470w Enermax NoiseTaker was indeed the best choice of a power supply I could have made? I think so!

 

[vfibsux]

Originally posted by: domokoko
Its actually more about the quality of the PSU. A good quality 300W PSU will be able to run that card fine. I have an enermax 350 watt psu and can run that card, athlon 2500+, dvd, cdrw, 3 hard drives and no problems at all. I would rather have a 350 good quality psu rather than some 400+w generic low quality psu. So don't blame the card ...blame your old psu.

LOL. I thought my argument was 300w was too low, you said you are using a 350w fine which I recommended they change the minimum to. So, what exactly were you debating here?
Oh, and I did not blame the card, I blamed the person who set the minimum requirements. Damn.

 

[vfibsux]

Originally posted by: Rollo
Domokoko is right, you had a bargain basement 300 w psu, and you get what you pay for. If you had an Antec 300w, or some other reputable brand name, it probably would have run just fine.

I also think your AGP slot on the fine ECS bargain board may have something to do with this. I don't know if it's still the case, but years ago it was pretty common knowledge that ECS/Alton/PCChips/PCWave boards had substandard AGP slots.

You get what you pay for in computer parts, the guys that buy name brand, mainstream stuff rarely have issues. If you had an Intel based board by Asus and a Antec True psu, it would have run that card fine.

About all you're in a position to note is "generic 300W psu/SiS ECS board + 5900 = issues". BFG doesn't post incorrect specs for their equipment, it would be bad business to do so. They just test on more mainstream parts than you have. I doubt you even had bad memory on the first board.

I'm not trying to slam your equipment here, just don't want someone to read your post and say, "Nuts, I was going to get a 5900, but according to this guy, I'll need a new psu as well" when he probably won't if he has quality components.

I still disagree with you. First of all, it was NEVER the motherboard as you stated it likely was due to your bias against ECS products. The card works great now with this motherboard, your theory was blown out of the roof at that moment. Second, the tech knew exactly what was wrong with the card when I described to him what the problem was. It was a pixel problem which was occuring on bootup and bios as well as in windows. Stop saying it is my "pos" equipment when I just TOLD you it was the power supply wattage! The problem was found and fixed, the card works great in my system with my current "pos" hardware. I know I do not have top of the line stuff in my PC man, I have been upgrading and building my own PC's since 1993. I do not need you to tell me this. Being a man with a $1400 monthly mortgage, a wife, and 2 kids, I cannot afford to go all out on PC parts. Therefore I research the most stable economy parts I can find. the ECS L4S8A2 when it came out was reviewed on many sites and got very good grades on all of them.
My post was to help others out that may encounter my problem. The fact is I had a low end system on the power hog scale but it still required 327w of power to run. You do not have to be a computer engineer to realize for this card you better have at least 350w if your system has a CD, hard drive, a sound card, and a video card in it. I think that includes most people here who have PC's that actually run.

 

[vfibsux]

Originally posted by: ErikS
It's not even a matter of buying quality PS. Pwr supply companies are behind the times when it comes to newer demands. Look at most units & you'll see all the power is delivered to the 3 & 5v lines. CPUs & vid cards ALL drawing their power from the 12v line (notice AMD has followed the Intel lead). Any PS w/ less than 20a on the 12v line is a short term solution - you won't own it long. Just look @ a typical NF2/FX setup - the CPU is drawing 7-8a & the FX is drawing 5-6a. That's a max of 14a w/o adding anything else, not too many 300's can deliver. A few companies have re-arranged their supplies to match new demands (SeaSonic is one), but most remain hoplessly mired in the past.

You shouldn't have to buy a mondo watt PS, just have the power in the right amounts on the correct lines.

FYI - BFG messed that one up, Nvidia recomends atleast a 350w for the 5900.

THANK YOU! That was my bottom line, the minimum should in fact be 350w, not 300w. That was my main point. I did not intend on getting into a PS debate. I dont spend alot of time on hardware boards for this reason, people here would rag on the brand of floppy drive you are using.
Anyway, I hope someone gains something from my experience with all this. That was the point of posting this thread.

 

[ponyo]

I blew out my generic 300w power supply last year after adding Radeon 9800. I learned my lesson and am running Antec 430w now. Now I don't have to worry about my PS anymore and that's one less variable I've to deal with.

 

[nRollo]

Stop saying it is my "pos" equipment when I just TOLD you it was the power supply wattage!

Vfibsux, if you think we are going to believe you are right about the minimum power specification and the the board manufacturer is wrong, just because it didn't work on your bargain equipment, you are nuts.
It's a well known fact that the bargain motherboards often don't offer the same kind of performance and stability in things like the AGP and memory, and that the components are cheaper.
It's a well known fact that cheap off brand psus often don't deliver their rated power.

I personally don't care what kind of hardware you have, unless you come on the board and try to convince people the manufacturers system specs are wrong because that card doesn't work on your bargain stuff.

It's not right, you could keep people with perfectly good 300W psus from buying 5900s, worse yet, they might spend money unnecessarily on a new psu with their 5900 based on your advice. (and they may have mortgages too)

Do you honestly think they'd recommend 300W psus without testing them? Don't you think that might lower their profit margin a bit with all kinds of RMAs from people with 300W psus?

My 300w Antec is working fine with an Athlon Thunderbird, 3 case fans, two optical drives and three hard drives, plus network card, firewire card and BFG5900.

You must be lieing Defector. Vfibsux only buys quality parts, and if he says you can't run a 5900 on 300W, it can't be done. You and the video card manufacturers are mistaken.

 

[us3rnotfound]

5900 ultra on a 300 w psu here, no problems

 

[nRollo]

5900 ultra on a 300 w psu here, no problems

You're lieing too, shminu. I think you probably have an old TNT2. Haven't you heard a 5900 won't run on a 300W?

 

[Apocalypse23]

LOl you dont knwo the half of it man. I had a 450 watt generic pS i bought a few months ago from ebay brand new, and ever since i installed the bfg the damn computer sowouldnt even start....THe PS was very unstable and it had frequent crashes on my comp. So ii switched to an enermax 350 watt PSU and now the sytem is running fine!!!1

 

[VIAN]

With my generic 350W. I can run a 16xDVD, 52xCDRW, FDD, 2xHDD, Athlon 2700+, 2 DIMMS, and a 5900 plus a sound card.

 

[mikela78]

As long as we're talking about the smallest rated power supplies to power a BFG 5900 and friends, I had a hand in helping a friend choose a BFG 5900 for his Shuttle SN45G (running a 2800+ equivalent). In retrospect it wasn't a great choice; the GPU dissipates more watts than, say, one of the ATI 9600 models, and he'll probably have to upgrade his power supply. Right now the box has a quality 200 watt PFC power supply and Shuttle also offers a beefier supply, 250W I think, but an external supply is an option, too. But is does work, aside from two spectacular system crashes in as many weeks playing Uru. He does not run with the case cover on, at least not until it's modified for increased ventilation...

 

[WelshRob]

I run a 300w psu and have a Creative FX5900 running fine...also 2 x dvd roms, 2 hds, sound card.....no probs whatsoever

 

[howdyduty]

Additional molex power required should be the give-away that will need good quality power.

Agree that those new to the upgrade game may be overwhelmed by the power required with the latest vid cards.

Hare to judge quality. Could be that even an old weak 500w PS might crap out with a new vid card.

Discovery learning is the name of the game.

 

[MDE]

I upgraded from a generic 420W to a Fortron 350W and my initial stability problems were solved. A BFG tech tried telling me that I should have a minimum 400W PSU for my system to run the card, and I basically told him to move down his troubleshooting sheet for a solution to my random lockups.

 

[vfibsux]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Stop saying it is my "pos" equipment when I just TOLD you it was the power supply wattage!

Vfibsux, if you think we are going to believe you are right about the minimum power specification and the the board manufacturer is wrong, just because it didn't work on your bargain equipment, you are nuts.
It's a well known fact that the bargain motherboards often don't offer the same kind of performance and stability in things like the AGP and memory, and that the components are cheaper.
It's a well known fact that cheap off brand psus often don't deliver their rated power.

I personally don't care what kind of hardware you have, unless you come on the board and try to convince people the manufacturers system specs are wrong because that card doesn't work on your bargain stuff.

It's not right, you could keep people with perfectly good 300W psus from buying 5900s, worse yet, they might spend money unnecessarily on a new psu with their 5900 based on your advice. (and they may have mortgages too)

Do you honestly think they'd recommend 300W psus without testing them? Don't you think that might lower their profit margin a bit with all kinds of RMAs from people with 300W psus?

My 300w Antec is working fine with an Athlon Thunderbird, 3 case fans, two optical drives and three hard drives, plus network card, firewire card and BFG5900.

You must be lieing Defector. Vfibsux only buys quality parts, and if he says you can't run a 5900 on 300W, it can't be done. You and the video card manufacturers are mistaken.

You have a serious attitude problem. My logic was this. With my minimum system using only 1 cd drive, 1 hard drive, and 2 sticks of memory whereas some may have double that my power requirements that BFG gave me were 327w. So if my system that has the minimum amount of components needs 327w how the hell is the minimum requirement 300w to use the card? I used the calculator that BFG sent me! The only extra thing I have are some system fans which use hardly any power. If you cannot comprehend this logic then I am talking to a brick wall. Is it impossible to run this card with a 300w PS? Of course not, I think that has been established. But 350w seems to be more realistic. Let's also throw in Nvidia themselves says 350w minimum. You say you do not care what hardware I have yet all you have done is rip my gear from the first time I posted a problem. You still swear it is my "pos" motherboard when the card is runing perfect now. It was in fact the power supply and only the power supply.
My bottom line remains, the calculator BFG sent me told me I needed 327w to power my system efficiently and I have the bare minimum hardware in my system. If you still see no problem with the 300w power supply being the minimum for this card you are plain stubborn.

 

[vfibsux]

Rollo seems to be on a quest to discredit me, let me say I never said it would be impossible for anyone to run this card with a 300w PS. My initial post was to help anyone having problems that may be using a 300w PS that this may be the culprit. I was surprised to learn from using the PS calc that my system required 327w with this card in it. I merely suggested based on this FACT, not opinion, that the minimum requirements be 350w ather than 300w, as NVIDIA themselves suggest. While you are bashing me for my view Rollo, how about emailing Nvidia while you are at it since they seem to be fools as well.
If I knew I would get so much criticism for trying to help anyone else who may have the problem I had I would have left it alone. It has been awhile since I frequented hardware boards, I forgot how many hardware elitist stalk them. I have a generic case too, rip on that Rollo.