Problem Installing Graphics Card (Updated:May 28, 2009)

[Lizard1380]

This has been bothering me for awhile and i just have to find an answer. sorry for the long paragraph.

It was just a few months ago that i decided to buy a nVidia GeForce 9600 GT for my desktop PC which is a Gateway, Model GT4010, with 990 mb of ram and a amd athlon 3500 2.2~GHz with onboard graphics. i purchased it from circuit city and i asked the technician before buying if it was compatible and he said it was. so i take it home and it instructs me in the manual to disable onboard graphics via device manager. so after that i shutdown and connect the card to the x16 slot and connect the cables to the psu and to the motherboard. i then boot up the computer and attempt to install the drivers with the cd, but the computer did not detect the card. and this is where i believe i made a mistake, i stupidly go to the device manager and disable the rollback drivers so that no display comes up the next time i boot. after that i take my pc up to circuit city for them to install it. when they attempted to boot it up no display appeared after the windows xp logo. they notify me that i need a bigger power supply unit and so i have them install a 500 watt psu. the problem still was not solved and they eventually tell me that it must be the motherboard, and that there is nothing i can do. so my big question is, if there is not a enough power to supply the card, will the computer still detect it? and if anyone can please give me some advice. im trying to decide if i can fix this problem or should just get a new pc.

[Geek-9pm]

It is hard to follow what you did.
Question.
Can you know get into the BIOS without the new card installed?
It should NOT be necessary to disable the on board video.

Can you know boot the computer up in SAFE mode without the new card installed?

About you question. No, you machine should not need a bigger power supply unless you have added more that just the video card. Or the PSU is going bad.

I suspect, kind of a gut felling, that you did not do the installation exactly the way the manufacturing said. This is on of these times where you have to read the instructions first. I hate that! When are they going to lean that we never do that anymore.!

What does it say in the manual? What did you skip over? Hardly  necessary to remove the drivers for the old card, Just disable them. Or install the standard VGA generic drivers.

Do you have the system now back to where is was before the problem?

[Lizard1380]

i went by the instructions exactly the way told too, im too scared to try it myself :)i can get into the bios and boot in safe mode without the new card. the computer is now back to the way it was before i added the card.  i no longer have the 500 watt psu but my original 300 which i found out is not enough to supply the card.  the technicians never understood why the screen went black after the windows logo. they just said it must be a faulty motherboard. but what i want to know is had i not disabled the microsoft backup drivers and then added the new psu, would the computer detect it? i just want to find out if it i really have a faulty motherboard or it was my screwup.

[Geek-9pm]

You motherboard is good. Or mostly good.
Can you do this?
Place Video card in the right slot.
Disconnect the CD ROM. (To save power.)
Plug monitor into the output of the video card.
Make sure card is in place. poser up and try to get into the BIOS.
If you can get into the BIOS with the new Video card, you are mostly good.
Yes, a 300 watt supply is on the low side for many graphics cards.
What is the rated power consumption of your new card?

Some Graphics cards may need about 90 watts. Your Motherboard and CPU and fan might require about 60 watts, give or take. Each drive about 20 watts. GB memory stick about 10 watts each, but this can vary a whole lot. Keyboard and mouse almost nothing. Maybe 5 watts. It would seem that 300 Watts would work, but if any component in your  system is drawing more current that it should, you could hit the 300 watt limit.  Also, power supplies are often rated with room temp of 70 F and free air flow. Which is not like the inside of your box The temp in the box can rise to 80F and air flow cut in half by cables and confined space.

Now then, after after saying that, I still do not think it was the powers supply itself. It is very possible the Graphics card was bad out of the box. If you really were card full and followed instructions it should have worked. The card does not draw a lot of power until you get into fast 3-D action, like a game.

I just assumed you did not flow instructions just because I seldom do.

[Lizard1380]

here is a some info on the 9600:

Thermal and Power Specs:
Maximum GPU Tempurature (in C)    105    105
Maximum Graphics Card Power (W)    59    96
Minimum System Power Requirement (W)    300    400
Supplementary Power Connectors    &nsbp;    6-pin

you may be right it could have been a faulty card. say if the x16 slot on my motherboard was faulty, wouldnt i be able to find out in the device manager? so far no faulty hardware errors. so would it be reasonable to try a new card to see if it would work and then consider a new psu?

[neelchauhan]

Your card is a PCi-Express card which is easy to install. Install it like a PCI card. If you never installed a PCI card, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUN8-_XSIKE which is from Youtube.

[Lizard1380]

ok im back this time with a GeForce 9800 GT. This one requires a minimum of 400 watts and it draws about 105 watts. i will get my new 450 watt power supply in two days, and then i will attempt to install it(the card). i noticed this one doesnt have a thing where you connect it directly to the power supply so im guessing it receives it directly from the motherboard. i will post back in two days whatever happens.

[Lizard1380]

ok i have installed a 450 watt power supply and i have now installed the video card and the computer is not detecting it, i tried running the CD and it hasnt detected the card.

[Lizard1380]

also the fan on the card is working. i did not have to connect any extra power connectors.

[patio]

also the fan on the card is working. i did not have to connect any extra power connectors.

According to what i've seen and read that card does have a power connector...Take it back.

[Lizard1380]

sorry i wasnt specific enough, the card is a PNY nVidia 9800 Gt 512 MB of GDDR3 and on the box it lists the package contents:   

 * PNY XLR8 NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT EE 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express Graphics Card
    * DVI-to-HDMI adapter, DVI-to-VGA adapter, HDMI audio breakout, HDTV/SDTV breakout cable
    * Software CD-ROM
    * Owner's manual

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9293533&type=product&id=1218076082739

is there anything that i need to do in my BIOS settings? im worried that its my motherboard thats the problem. i have tried the add new hardware wizard and i cant find anything.