Zens

Hi everyone!

I recently got my Sapphire radeon x1650 pro agp and just decided to install it. I opened my case and it fit in perfectly, which was great since this is my 1st time doing this. I read the manual and it says that I need to connect the power cable to my power supply, and the other 2 ends to my HD and the small one to the graphics card. I find an empty cable from the PSU and connect it, but my HD slots are taken!

My HD is connected to my other one so I can't connect it to the back of the HD like it says... and now I can't find my graphics card in the device manager or anywhere else! Is it really necessary to connect the card to the PSU AND the HD? What do I do if both of my HD slots are taken since I have 2 HDs?

Please help... I really want to get my card to work. Thank you!

PS - I have an integrated pro savageddr card atm which I haven't disabled yet, and I haven't connected my monitor to the vga output because I want to install the drivers first, but I can't because my comp doesn't recognize the card.

Thanks!

Zens

I opened my case and I saw that the graphics card's fan was running... so it must be getting the power. Why is it not being detected?! I went to my bios and put the agp card as default, since it was on pci, but it's still not being detected!

Is it because it's not screwed in right and it's not sturdy?

emosun

Welcome to tsf. When you insert the driver disk it doesn't detect the card? And no you don't have to hook it up how they specify in the manual , so long as you have a power cable going into the card it should be fine. Also , plug the monitor cable into the card.

Zens

I put the CD in and it installs net 2.0 and direct x I think but not the drivers... it prompts me to restart but I see no "found new hardware" or the card in device manager!

If I try the installation package from ATI's website I get "Setup was unable to find components that can be installed on your current hardware or software configuration. Please make sure you have the required hardware or software."

I tried booting up with my monitor hooked up to the card's vga slot and I get no signal... so I went back to my integrated one. I made sure the primary graphics adapter was agp instead of pci... what am I doing wrong?!

dai

boot from the onboard
in the device manager disable the onboard
if the card is listed uninstall it
turn the computer off
install the card
change the video cable from the onboard to the card
reboot into the bios
check to see if you can disable the onboard in there and set it to detect agp or pci first
save and exit the bios tapping f8 and choose vga mode
when windows finishes booting
disable a/virus
install your drivers for the card
reboot the computer

Zens

I tried this but I get no signal from the card when I boot up... the card isn't even being detected in the device manager. I've seen no "found new hardware" message at all. I know the card is running though because I see the fan spinning, so it must be getting power. My Mobo has no option to disable the integrated card but I changed the default graphics device from pci to agp to no avail. I've also tried getting the latest chipset drivers, but nothing.

dai

what power supply
brand
wattage

Zens

Omega Switching Power Supply 450 ATX
Maximum Output: 450 W

Edit - The manual came with a sticker that said to connect the cable to the psu and the HDD, but I only connected it to the psu as my hdd is connected to my floppy drive. Basically, it wanted me to connect the aux to the card and then one cable to the psu and another end to the hdd. I disconnected the cable from the hdd to the floppy and connected the other end of the card's cable to the HDD and I turned my comp on and it started making some weird loud noises, so I turned it off and disconnected it and now it works normal again. Yet, my GC still isn't being detected. It's 8X and my comp is 4x... so it should be compatible.

emosun

Actually some agp cards are 8x only and not 4x backward compatible. certianly would explain why it isn't working.

Could you please link us to where you bought it and we can check if it actually is 4x compatible.

Zens

I bought it off of ebay but it's this exact card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102781

emosun

It might be labeled wrong on newegg, because when you zoom in to the box it does say agp 8x.

Can you confirm anywhere on the box or manual that it says 4x or that it is backwards compatible with it.

Zens

on the box it says

Athlonx XP with AGP 8X (0.8v), 4x (1.5v) or universal AGP bus configuration (8x/4x)

I think mine is universal so it fits. Can my voltage or clock speed be wrong? I've tried googling this but I haven't found an answer. The card came NIB with everything and even in anti-static packaging, so I doubt it was refurbished or DOA.

wrench97

Can you explain this a little more?
Is the card fully seated in the slot?
what do mean by not screwed in right?

Zens

Well, at first I was having trouble screwing in the metal side to the back of my case, but I made sure it's nice and firm now. I took it out and made sure it was seated properly. The possible causes that come to my mind are improper BIOS settings or the fact that I have one end of the power cable sticking out, which the manual says is supposed to be connected to the hdd. I've made sure all my BIOS settings are favorable for the AGP card, but I don't know what else I'm missing. The card seems to be working and getting power because the fan is spinning, but I don't know why it's not being detected.

wrench97

I would thing the card is bad the power wire only shows the hard drive because some pc do not have the extra power lead you do and have to power the card from the plug that goes to the hard drive, it's just a y connector.

Zens

Oh ok... I was a bit worried about having it connected to only 1 outlet. Do the voltage settings matter? Maybe it's not getting the adequate settings... I have a ECS l7vmm3 mobo. If canyone can guide me through the bios settings as a last resort I would appreciate it. Thank you.

wrench97

There are no voltage settings for the video card.
If you're referring to the AGP Comp. Driving in the Bios leave it set to Auto.

Zens

Any final tips or other troubleshooting steps to try? I've already contacted the seller claiming it's "DOA" and they're willing to refund... although I'd like to get this graphic card to really work as it's the best for my psu and mobo (apparently not...). Should I buy the same card from a different seller, or try it out at a friend's pc?

emosun

I would at least try it on another computer first before returning it to make sure.