problem with newly fitted graphics card

wolvesfc1 · 09-05-2008, 02:22 PM

Hi
ive had a new graphics card today a ati sapphire hd3450 ddr2 512mb (not the best on the market but it will do for now). It is a pci express card.

the problem im having is when i try running my games, my games stall for 30 seconds and i get a message saying theres a problem with my graphics and it has been reset now this keeps happening im getting whit blocks flying accorss my screen aswell it would not be to bad but im only trying to play aoe 3 which only requires a 64mb graphics card.

my system is
win xp sp3 v 3246
p4 3.08 ghz cpu
1gb ram
500gb sata hard drive

just wondered if anyone else has had or did have a similar problem

any idea would be greatful

thanks in advance

**koala** · 09-05-2008, 02:47 PM

Hi, welcome to TSF

Whenever you upgrade a graphics card, your computer's power requirements increase. What make/model is your PSU?

demeryt · 09-05-2008, 02:48 PM

I never had this problem, it seems quite serious, I mean deeply rooted in your card vs system communication. Newest drivers? Contact ATI support? Is your system stable?

Just a few things that came to my mind.

Edit: Koala has a point, didn't think about it :) Simple electronics.

wolvesfc1 · 09-05-2008, 03:05 PM

hi i have just looked and seen i have a 300w supply is this big enough?

secondly on looking on the card i nothice there is a white plug on the board itself is that for xfire do i need to connect to my motherboard

ive just been to ati and download what they say is the latest drivers 8.8

**Fox** · 09-05-2008, 03:08 PM

Before you go getting a new graphics card, uninstall all the graphics drivers on the system, restart, and reinstall the ati driver for your new card.

**vladimirb** · 09-05-2008, 03:10 PM

Hello and Welcome...
You are underpowered I must say...
You need at least 500+W quality Power Supply...
Check this out:

Power Supply Information and Selection

Read this and I hope you will find what you looking for...
Also, make sure you have installed graphic drivers properlly...
Hope this will help you mate...

**koala** · 09-05-2008, 03:10 PM

There's a small white plug at the back end of the HD3450 which is to power the graphics card fan, if that's the one you mean.

Check the label on the side of the PSU for the make/model, total watts and the amps for +12V. A 300W PSU is very unlikley to be able to power a PCIE card which needs a minimum of 26A/+12V.

wolvesfc1 · 09-05-2008, 03:13 PM

ok thank you i will certainly look into that then

thanks alot lads

i will hang around aswell not just dissappear now i have found what i am looking for

wolvesfc1 · 09-05-2008, 03:24 PM

ok i have looked at the psu it says

make : bestec
model :atx 300-12z

proberly dont help that i have 4 fans running aswell then

**vladimirb** · 09-05-2008, 03:26 PM

You need more power deffinately...

**koala** · 09-05-2008, 03:31 PM

4 fans won't take up too much power, but their position is important to maintain good airflow. You should have one at the front pulling cool air in and one at the back blowing warm air out. Where are your other two, and which way are they blowing?

To see how much power your computer needs so we can recommend a suitable PSU, enter your full system specs into this power calculator and set Capacitor Aging to 25%. Click the Calculate button, then add 30% to the total to allow for PSU inefficiency.

EDIT: The Bestec 300W only has 19A/+12V which is enough to power an AGP card, but not PCIE.

akedm · 09-05-2008, 04:45 PM

Hello there, I was searching "Bestec" on the forum and landed here.

I second Koala's post about the fans, the power calculator (especially the power calculator) and then add 30% to the total. On the other hand I run the same power supply as you and I'm doing fine with my PCIe 7600GS graphics card. So it does work, but I seriously would not recommend it, which brings me to the reason I'm here: You may run into the same problem I had.

Like a year after I got my graphics card I found out about the power supply issue. The card said it needed 300w, my power supply was 300w, so I thought I was cool. Hardly!! I've never had a problem, not one, which is something of a miracle. But ever since I've wanted to upgrade my power supply. The problem is, I've never been able to. Without getting involved in details I tried a handful of other supplies, but there's a second wire on the Bestec that is in a different location than on a regular ATX power supply, and my system wouldn't accept it. My latest purchase was a beautiful Antec Trio 650w supply too (I tried two of them, with power testers and whatnot) but no dice on my system. The Antec's working in another system, but my system is still anemic with only a 300w Bestec.

Not to hijack your thread, but if you too have problems changing from the Bestec power supply would you post it here. I'll keep an eye on this thread and if you have problems I'll then share with you my thread and what I learned, and perhaps we can work together to get the problem solved.

Alright. Take it easy, and good luck.

- Eric

09-05-2008, 02:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
wolvesfc1 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: windows xp sp3	problem with newly fitted graphics card Hi ive had a new graphics card today a ati sapphire hd3450 ddr2 512mb (not the best on the market but it will do for now). It is a pci express card. the problem im having is when i try running my games, my games stall for 30 seconds and i get a message saying theres a problem with my graphics and it has been reset now this keeps happening im getting whit blocks flying accorss my screen aswell it would not be to bad but im only trying to play aoe 3 which only requires a 64mb graphics card. my system is win xp sp3 v 3246 p4 3.08 ghz cpu 1gb ram 500gb sata hard drive just wondered if anyone else has had or did have a similar problem any idea would be greatful thanks in advance

09-05-2008, 02:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,336 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card Hi, welcome to TSF Whenever you upgrade a graphics card, your computer's power requirements increase. What make/model is your PSU? __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

09-05-2008, 02:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
demeryt Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 9 OS: Vista 32bit SP1	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card I never had this problem, it seems quite serious, I mean deeply rooted in your card vs system communication. Newest drivers? Contact ATI support? Is your system stable? Just a few things that came to my mind. Edit: Koala has a point, didn't think about it :) Simple electronics. Last edited by demeryt; 09-05-2008 at 02:50 PM.

09-05-2008, 03:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
wolvesfc1 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: windows xp sp3	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card hi i have just looked and seen i have a 300w supply is this big enough? secondly on looking on the card i nothice there is a white plug on the board itself is that for xfire do i need to connect to my motherboard ive just been to ati and download what they say is the latest drivers 8.8

09-05-2008, 03:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
Fox TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,752 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card Before you go getting a new graphics card, uninstall all the graphics drivers on the system, restart, and reinstall the ati driver for your new card. __________________ Antec Neo Power 500W, ABIT IP35-E, Intel E2180@2.66Ghz, Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2-800, PNY 8800GT, 320GB Seagate * lazy college student alert *- If I've inadvertently ignored a thread, please Let me know about it Have I helped you solve your problem? Donate to Techsupportforums Klart Skepp!

09-05-2008, 03:10 PM	#6 (permalink)
vladimirb Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Banja Luka, Serb Republic Posts: 3,671 OS: xp pro sp3, Server 2003, Windows 7 Professional x64bit My System	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card Hello and Welcome... You are underpowered I must say... You need at least 500+W quality Power Supply... Check this out: Power Supply Information and Selection Read this and I hope you will find what you looking for... Also, make sure you have installed graphic drivers properlly... Hope this will help you mate... __________________ MCP - MCSA Cisco SMB Account Manager

09-05-2008, 03:10 PM	#7 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,336 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card There's a small white plug at the back end of the HD3450 which is to power the graphics card fan, if that's the one you mean. Check the label on the side of the PSU for the make/model, total watts and the amps for +12V. A 300W PSU is very unlikley to be able to power a PCIE card which needs a minimum of 26A/+12V. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

09-05-2008, 03:13 PM	#8 (permalink)
wolvesfc1 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: windows xp sp3	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card ok thank you i will certainly look into that then thanks alot lads i will hang around aswell not just dissappear now i have found what i am looking for

09-05-2008, 03:24 PM	#9 (permalink)
wolvesfc1 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: windows xp sp3	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card ok i have looked at the psu it says make : bestec model :atx 300-12z proberly dont help that i have 4 fans running aswell then

09-05-2008, 03:26 PM	#10 (permalink)
vladimirb Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Banja Luka, Serb Republic Posts: 3,671 OS: xp pro sp3, Server 2003, Windows 7 Professional x64bit My System	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card You need more power deffinately... __________________ MCP - MCSA Cisco SMB Account Manager

09-05-2008, 03:31 PM	#11 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,336 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card 4 fans won't take up too much power, but their position is important to maintain good airflow. You should have one at the front pulling cool air in and one at the back blowing warm air out. Where are your other two, and which way are they blowing? To see how much power your computer needs so we can recommend a suitable PSU, enter your full system specs into this power calculator and set Capacitor Aging to 25%. Click the Calculate button, then add 30% to the total to allow for PSU inefficiency. EDIT: The Bestec 300W only has 19A/+12V which is enough to power an AGP card, but not PCIE. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here Last edited by koala; 09-05-2008 at 03:33 PM.

09-05-2008, 04:45 PM	#12 (permalink)
akedm Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Anchorage, Alaska, USA Posts: 336 OS: Win XP Media Center SP2	Re: problem with newly fitted graphics card Hello there, I was searching "Bestec" on the forum and landed here. I second Koala's post about the fans, the power calculator (especially the power calculator) and then add 30% to the total. On the other hand I run the same power supply as you and I'm doing fine with my PCIe 7600GS graphics card. So it does work, but I seriously would not recommend it, which brings me to the reason I'm here: You may run into the same problem I had. Like a year after I got my graphics card I found out about the power supply issue. The card said it needed 300w, my power supply was 300w, so I thought I was cool. Hardly!! I've never had a problem, not one, which is something of a miracle. But ever since I've wanted to upgrade my power supply. The problem is, I've never been able to. Without getting involved in details I tried a handful of other supplies, but there's a second wire on the Bestec that is in a different location than on a regular ATX power supply, and my system wouldn't accept it. My latest purchase was a beautiful Antec Trio 650w supply too (I tried two of them, with power testers and whatnot) but no dice on my system. The Antec's working in another system, but my system is still anemic with only a 300w Bestec. Not to hijack your thread, but if you too have problems changing from the Bestec power supply would you post it here. I'll keep an eye on this thread and if you have problems I'll then share with you my thread and what I learned, and perhaps we can work together to get the problem solved. Alright. Take it easy, and good luck. - Eric Last edited by akedm; 09-05-2008 at 04:50 PM.