[triffidfood]

Hi,

This is a very basic question I guess, but if you don't ask.... :huh:

The PCI Express slot on my PC has died (pretty sure it's the slot, and not the card itself) so I was thinking of buying a GT 430 PCI (not Express) as a temporary measure, since anything will presumably be better than the onboard graphics.

Am I likely to run into any problems trying to install a PCI card (in one of the spare PCI slots, obviously!)? I noticed the BIOS only has settings for "PCI-E" or "integrated" so could this trip me up?

Incidentally the motherboard is MSI MS 7366 (Core 2 Duo E6750); the card I'm looking to buy/install is Geforce GT 430, as I said.

Anyway thanks in advance for any help/pointers...

 

[Tyree]

What you propose should work but I would want to be certain the Mobo is the problem first.
PC Specs?
Pre- Built Brand & Model Number
Custom Built- Brand & Model of Mobo-CPU-RAM-Graphics-PSU.
Have you tried the GPU in another PC to be certain it is OK?

 

[triffidfood]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I don't have any way of testing the card in another pc, however I'm assuming it's the slot itself which has died (or isn't being recognised) as it's not showing up in any system information... SIW for example just lists the two spare PCI slots under "System Slots", nothing else.

My main system specs are:

------------------
System Information
------------------

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.111025-1629)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: MSI
System Model: MS-7366
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6750 @ 2.66GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 1984MB RAM
Page File: 636MB used, 3242MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 7100 / nForce 630i
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_07E1&SUBSYS_73661462&REV_A2
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor


The graphics card I had installed in the dead (??) PCI-E slot was a Geforce 8600GT 512mb.

The system is about 4 years old and was a pre-build from Novatech (in the UK), incidentally.

 

[dai]

what we do need is

power supply
make
model
wattage

take the side off the case and look at the label

 

[Tyree]

A 4 yr. old build is subject to any number of issues and especially if a low quality underpowered PSU was involved.

 

[triffidfood]

Sorry I missed the PSU part before; I checked & it's 350w ... Model no. HH-350ATX(PF) (FSP Group)

In actual fact I was having problems last year with my pc overheating (fan whirring & temps going up) which seemed to resolve itself, but it's conceivable I suppose that the reason this "resolved" itself was because the GPU or PCI-e slot had actually died & stopped drawing power... problem is I'm not sure how long my pc has been using onboard graphics, I only noticed this recently (trying to figure out why Alice Madness Returns stuttered to a complete halt whenever I tried to play it) but the card/slot may have gone a while ago conceivably. :huh:

 

[Tyree]

The poor quality PSU could be the root of your problem and has possibly damaged the GPU.
The only way to be certain where the problem lies at this point would be to try another GPU on your Mobo and/or try your GPU on another PC.

 

[dai]

for pcie the psu should be 80+ quality 550w min

Power Supply Information and Selection - Tech Support Forum