Issue with new video card

[TimTheEnchanter25]

One of our PCs at work had the 7300 GT overheat after the fan died. I replaced the fan but it was still crashing all the time (BSOD refering to the nv4_disp file). I didn't have better luch with different drivers, so I decided to replace it.

I went with an ATI 5450. But, I can't get the pc to boot when I have it installed.

When I have the card in everything seems to start up normally at first (all the fans come on, I can feel the HDs spinning), but the monitor says no signal also the USB keyboard and mouse aren't getting any power. It also doesn't beep at all when it is starting up.

If I put the video card in another PC it works fine. I updated the motherboard bios, and still have the same issue. I hooked up a 500 watt power supply in case the 430 watt one wasn't enough (but I don't think this card uses that much power), still no luck.

I'm kind of leaning toward it being a problem with a Pci-e 2.1 card in an old motherboard. I can't find the Pci-e version for this motherboard, so I'm assuming that means 1.0. There seems to be a lot of conflicting information on Pci-e backwards compatiblity.

I'm not having any luck finding a solution (I can't find the right wording for my search). But, it would help if I knew what the actual problem was...

I would appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks

I'm using:
Gigabyte GA-K8NE
1.6 ghz AMD Sempron 2800+
512 mb Ram

 

[Termie]

Sounds like the MB is incompatible with the card. It's definitely not the power supply.

You say you updated the motherboard bios, but how did you do that if you can boot up the computer?

A bios update would likely be necessary to run a PCIe 2.1 card in a 1.0 slot. Even then, there's a chance it wouldn't work. The spec is just much newer than the motherboard. The MB was introduced in 2005, the same year PCIe 1.1 was introduced: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express#PCI_Express_1.0a. It's not even certain that Gigabyte would have released a bios update to 2.0, which was introduced in 2007, long after work on the motherboard's bios updates would likely have ended.

Another option, if no one else has suggestions, is to use a PCI video card, which shouldn't have any compatibility problems, as far as I know. Perhaps others have comments on that. This would also get around the problem of potential damage to the PCIe slot caused by the overheated 7300gt. It would not, however, solve the problem of a more seriously damaged motherboard, but I don't know of any way to test that other than trying a PCI slot graphics card.

Here's an example of a PCI card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161328

This is not a gaming or even an HTPC card, but if you're truly using this computer only for business purposes, it won't matter at all.

 

[TimTheEnchanter25]

I can load windows with the 7300 GT. I decided to take a chance that it wouldn't crash mid bios flash.

I went from the orignal 2005 bios to the newest one from 10-22-2008. That is only the second update the first was to support Nvidia 7900 cards and the second was to disable PCI prefetech. Seems like they would mention Pci-e 2.x if they were adding support for it.

The PC is used as a DVR for security cameras, so it needs enough power for 8 channels of H.264 video. The brand of DVR card that I have in this one is EXTREMELY picky about Video drivers. I've always used Nvidia cards, but I haven't had any luck getting these DVR cards to work with drivers newer than 91.47 (came out in 2006), so it isn't easy to find cards that can use that driver version anymore. The company told me to buy an ATI card and I won't have any problems. So much for that...

I'm kind of tempted to grab one of the crappy brand / over priced 2.0 cards that best buy has on the shelf. They have a 4350 and 4550 for $65. I've read some things that make it sound like 2.0 is safer than 2.1 for backwards compatibilty with 1.0.

 

[Termie]

Sounds like your Bios was never updated by the manufacturer to support PCIe 2.1.

I'm not familiar with the required graphics card power for H.264 video streams. But I doubt that the 7300gt was designed to offload any of that from the CPU, so if it worked with that card, it would work with other cards (or even weaker cards, like the PCI card I linked). See this article for more info: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2220

It might be worth trying an overpriced HD4350 from Best Buy, as you suggested, just to test it and return it if it doesn't work. Maybe 2.0 vs. 2.1 will make a difference.

 

[tweakboy]

How about a 468 768mb 100 dollars . thx

 

[TimTheEnchanter25]

I bought a 4550 from best buy which is a PCI-e 2.0 card and everything seems to be working fine.

Wish I new that before I ordered the other one.

 

[Termie]

I bought a 4550 from best buy which is a PCI-e 2.0 card and everything seems to be working fine.

Wish I new that before I ordered the other one.

Good to hear. Too bad that manufacturers haven't made clear to consumers that "backwards compatibility" doesn't really mean too much. At least you got the system working. If you can't return the 5450, you can probably sell it for $20 or so.