[Tylerjohn]

My daughter has an emachines T6524. It has the MSI 7184 MB using ATI Radeon Express200 integrated graphics. Obviously an entry level machine but it's always been great. The picture on the LCD became almost unreadable with constant fuzziness. Swapped monitors, no difference.

Not knowing any better, I figure the onboard video is bad and buy an ATI HD 4550 PCIe graphics card. I picked it out because it uses very little power(25w). It made the video slightly better, but made the PC almost non-functional. I found out I had made some mistakes as far as removing the onboard Radeon drivers first and selecting PCIe in the Bios menu. After spending a huge amount of time trying to troubleshoot this thing all's the same. I researched and attempted all the fixes I could find.

I removed the new card and I'm back to the machine working well but with almost no video. I know the HIPRO 300W PSU in these machines are bad news. I have no problem buying a better one. My question is this. Being that the PSU didn't completely puke, does that lessen the odds that my MB is damaged. I know nothing about MB's, but if I have so many things working I guess it didn't fry. I'm hoping there is a chance the PSU is dying and the poor video was the first symptom?

I realize there is no certainty, but I'm just looking for some opinions based on these symptoms. I have ordered a Corsair 400W PSU that was on special for a song. Should be adequate as it's said to be better that the 550W off brands. It's returnable as is the card I bought. Any input would be great. Sorry if this belonged in the PSU forum, I wanted to address 2 issues. Thanks in advance.

 

[reventon]

It is hard to make a definite statement on what was at fault here.

I would've suspected the PSU aswell.

See what happens after you replace it, then we will address any remainin issues.

 

[Tyree]

HiPro PSU's are junk. The 4550 requires a minimum 300W and this forum recommends 550W for any PCI-E PC. Try the Corsair and see how it goes.

 

[Tylerjohn]

Thanks Guys. I'll have the PSU tomorrow and install it ASAP. This thing is torturing me. I was very torn on what to spend on the PSU. I actually settled on that 400W Corsair based on function as much as cost. It gets rave reviews and this particular PCI-e card is incredibly efficient. No gaming card upgrades coming. This PC is used for the most basic of functions. I'm just looking to extend it's life. The AMD 3500+ PCU while outdated is OK.

Just in case I've already researched the MB and I can get it for $67 to my door. I didn't realize the OE is tied into the MB somehow. I don't have a disk because the machine was given to me. Hopefully the PSU does it or That might be it. To me it's as much about all the time spent working on these things, as it is the practicality of putting a little too much money in them. Just tossing them isn't an easy decision for me. We'll see as I will let you guys know what's up. Thanks again.

 

[Tylerjohn]

Just a couple of quick questions. To troubleshoot this properly should I install the PSU without the PCIe graphics card in. I disabled the onboard ATI Express 200 but it still left me with just enough monitor to work on this thing. Should I also start. my first boot by going into Bios and checking the video setting priority. I'd just hate to approach this wrong and make things worse. I know some mistakes can be hard to correct.

 

[dai]

for pcie you need 550w corsair or better

 

[Tylerjohn]

for pcie you need 550w corsair or better

I appreciate the advice but I have done some research before buying the 400W Corsair( 30A ) PSU. AMD wants 300W, 350W if unit is crossfire which it's not.. I figure 100 watts better from a top flight manufacturer should work. There isn't a single other thing in this box that was added that would use additional power. The card is 25W and draws it's power from the slot alone.

This is not a plan for future upgrades type of PC. I just want it to work. We'll find out as I installed it last night. I'm going to fire it up today. Since I'm following Amd's guidelines and Corsairs specs I figure I'll have solid recourse for a return/returns if there are issues. Corsair has amazing customer service and this PSU has a 3 year warranty. The PSU is in and I'm going to try it out later. Thanks again.