hazletbassist89

Ok I'm using an eMachines with an AMD Athlon 64 3500+, and I forget the motherboard. But anyway, I just bought the video card and it just straight up does not work. Kinda. It's obviously on, and getting power, because the fan turns when I turn on the computer. The only problem is my monitor is receiving no signal. It never leaves it's idle state, but if I run through on board video it works fine. I figured I had a bum card or maybe just a dead adapter or something, but here's the weird part: I was fiddling with the cables going into the card and accidentally bumped the card out of the PCI slot and thought "OH **** I just fried it" and out of reaction pushed it quickly back in to the slot. Here's what I don't get- the monitor then got signal and the computer began booting up. This is the only way I can get the card to work.

What the hell?

But now even weirder, I just tried to do it again (now 2 days later) and it doesn't work any more. I can't get the video card to put a signal into the monitor at all. I have no clue what is going on, and I honestly don't know how I didn't completely destroy the video card, my mother board, or the whole computer. Any thoughts?

ebackhus

You've likely blown the power supply. eMachines is quite notorious for both making poor quality computers AND giving them even worse quality power supplies.

hazletbassist89

No that couldn't be it, because if I put it back into on board video it works fine.

emosun

The power supplies in emachines really are low end. If its under 350w then its too low. But it still should at least send a signal. Did you disable the onboard video in the bios? What ever you do don't disable the onboard video in windows , it will automaticly disable in windows when the new card is detected. But try to go into the bios and see if theres a setting to disable the onboard.

hazletbassist89

I'll give that a try this afternoon when I get back from class.


edit-power supply is only 300w, but I still don't get why it worked 100% fine when I popped the card back in the first time.

emosun

Do you have the extra power connection hooked up to the card? Is the card firmly in place? I don't think this would happen but the psu might be so underpowered that it might not be able to run the system at all with the card in.

hazletbassist89

I have nothing going into the card, there's no place to attach anything, aside from a 13 gold pin connection, but I have nothing that would fit on that from my power supply.

2pistolpacker

I have the same video card in my PC, it requires no extra power source. Mike

hazletbassist89

Ok I borrowed one of my friend's power supply-Antec 500w-before I go tearing my computer apart, what's this about bios? should I have onboard video enabled or disabled?

2pistolpacker

Onboard video should be off in the bios when using a video card, and default set to PCI-E. Mike

hazletbassist89

I don't see anything for on board video in bios, and i tried disabling the display adapter for the on board card in windows, but that didn't do anything either.

=/

2pistolpacker

You should be able to connect the borrowed PS without tearing into the computer. Just disconnect all the wires from the old one and move them out of the way, perch the new one on something outside the case and hook it's wires up. It's worth a try, this video card draws alot of juice, just not near as much as some that would require the extra 6 or 8 pin power wire. Mike

hazletbassist89

aight i'll work on that now. I'll install the new one and test it.

emosun

I hope you get the video card working because now that you disabled your onboard in windows you wont be able to see anything when you plug it back into the onboard.

hazletbassist89

Ok well I got fed up with it and brought it to a guy I know that teaches comp set up and servicing and he tried the card in a different computer and it didn't work. He ran a bunch of tests and **** and decided I have a bum card, so I'm just gonna bring it back to best buy and replace it with a new one. Sucks I went through all this **** though =/

CRaul87

Hy guys, just bought today a new system with a bfg 8600gt oc card and the same **** happend to me, my power supply is a gigabyte with 460w. From what I have read it seems that some of these bfg cards from this series are broken from factory, guess I'll have to replace mine too asap

2pistolpacker

Hi CRaul87, call BFG, I believe they have a lifetime warranty to the original owner in the US and 10 years outside the US.