I just installed a 6800 nu, now my computer wont detect my drives

[imported_grapeape]

i cant seem to get it to detect my primary hard drive. its is on a 400sc with the dell 250 watt power supply, could this be the problem? any help is appreciated

 

[Mermaidman]

Did you remember to check that the hard drive's power connector is securely attached?

 

[imported_grapeape]

yes ive made very sure that it is.

 

[Mermaidman]

Warning: I'm not an expert, so take this with a grain of salt.

I think you're on the right track regarding the 250W PS. Since it's from Dell, I'd guess that it's somewhat generic and may not even be a decent 250W. If you think it's a power issue, what other hardware do you have installed? Also, does the 6800 and the primary hard drive share the same power leads? I'd recheck the IDE cables too.

And then, just for troubleshooting--if you remove the new video card, does the PC boot properly?

edit: You do know the 6800 requires a power supply of more than 300W?

 

[AMDFanatic]

Umm...what's the power of your PSU??? If it's 250W, then that's the problem. The 6800's require at least a 480-500W PSU. Your PC can't recognize your HDD's because they aren't on. When you turn the system on, does the HDD light even blink?

 

[imported_grapeape]

the problem is eliminated when i replace the 6800 with my old 8500. any ideas on a good power supply? i will be running maybe 3 or 4 drives plus the card. thanks for the help

 

[JenniAMDCHP]

A lot o folks will recommend an Antec brand power supply. I'll probably be upgrading to Antec before the year is over. I don't plan on trying to run a current video card until that is taken care of. *G*
-Jen

 

[poppyq]

You might want to check how the current power supply connects to the motherboard and how it fits in the case. Unless it's specifically a regular type you're going to have a hard time finding an aftermarket power supply that will work in that Dell.

 

[WebDude]

The GeForce 6800 Ultra is outfitted with two molex connectors. NVIDIA recommends that a system be equipped with a high-quality 480-watt power supply when using a GeForce 6800 Ultra. NVIDIA provided us with a list of recommended power supplies that consisted of Antec's True550, True480, or NEO480 and Enermax's EG475P-VE SFMA. However, other reviewers have successfully used the GeForce 6800 Ultra with high quality 350W and 300W power supplies.

http://www.nvnews.net/previews...6800_ultra/index.shtml

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: WebDude

The GeForce 6800 Ultra is outfitted with two molex connectors. NVIDIA recommends that a system be equipped with a high-quality 480-watt power supply when using a GeForce 6800 Ultra. NVIDIA provided us with a list of recommended power supplies that consisted of Antec's True550, True480, or NEO480 and Enermax's EG475P-VE SFMA. However, other reviewers have successfully used the GeForce 6800 Ultra with high quality 350W and 300W power supplies.

http://www.nvnews.net/previews...6800_ultra/index.shtml

Luckily, the OP has a non-ultra. (Or is that unlucky?)