Need options: nVidia 7800GTX Woes (it doesn't fit)

Medic · Post by **Medic** » 2005-09-26 07:34pm

I hope the title said everything clearly enough. Anyway, here's the situation report.

I got an out-da-box overclocked nVidia 7800 GTX GPU. I suppose it's a great card but that estimation, sadly, is not from personal experience on my rig. I have PCI Express, only one slot so no SLI for me, but I got it. There's enough internal power to supply the card too, so that isn't the prob. No, the problem is that the enormity of the card has thwarted my tower's apparently small inner dimensions. The card runs right on into the power supply for the motherboard. I can take out the cord and the card will sit properly but what good does that do me? Basically, I'm proper fucked.

So what are my options? Currently, I'm considering just selling it and getting a (near) top-of-the-line graphics card, maybe a 6800GTX or ATI's 850XL Platinum --only I'll be damn sure to find some dimension figures on the fuckers! I suppose I could get a new case and a different motherboard but taking apart a computer entirely and doing this kind of overhaul is not something that I've ever done or would be willing to try free-style either -- I know that I know enough that I'd fuck it up. Perhaps I could learn but still, this option will probably be long and still cost money. Getting a new computer isn't in the equation simply because that would be well, overkill. If this rig can't have a 7800 oh well, I'm not about to sell yet another computer, just for future upgradability. Then again, I might, seeing as I want, how to say, "UNLIMITED POWER!"

I'm also considering selling my pride, sanity and forfeiting my right to say I know jack about computing when I forget to fucking measure the innards of my system.

p.s. -- yes, if any of you are wondering, you might be able to get a top of the line graphics card for a good $50-100 less than the market price. I opened it and handled it but it's unused for all intents and purposes.

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2005-09-26 07:46pm

Well, a 6800GT isn't too much shorter than a 7800GTX (IIRC). And the 7800GTX is far superior.

Why not spend ~$70 or so for a replacement motherboard? One that doesn't have the power plug in the way?

Or if you're feeling frisky, you could try to mod the power connect to get it fit - but you'd have to some research on that first.

Medic · Post by **Medic** » 2005-09-26 07:55pm

Arrow Mk84 wrote:Well, a 6800GT isn't too much shorter than a 7800GTX (IIRC). And the 7800GTX is far superior.

Damn, sounds like the first option is a no-go, cause it's long by about... well, unfortunately I don't have a ruler and it's not in front of me, but about an inch IIRC.

Why not spend ~$70 or so for a replacement motherboard? One that doesn't have the power plug in the way?

Probably the best bet all things considered but I may (?) have to get a new tower-case to accomodate the new motherboard depending on how large it is. And as it is, I really have no clue how to go about accomplishing this either, as far as the physical process of unscrewing what, unattaching what, and what not. This requires research too like the 3rd...

Or if you're feeling frisky, you could try to mod the power connect to get it fit - but you'd have to some research on that first

Definitely not gonna go there. I'm not gonna do anything technical like modifying shit. I'm not qualified and my ego isn't that big, especially after this.

The 2nd is probably doable even with my relative lack of knowledge cause it's just a process of replacement. Still, no easy options.

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2005-09-26 08:20pm

Ok, is this a brand name system? Cause if it is, replacing the motherboard probably isn't an option (when replacing a motherboard, you'll need a straight up Windows install CD to "repair" Windows so it doesn't go apeshit over the new board - its been my experence that the Windows CDs that come with brand name system are locked that system's specific hardware).

Hardware wise, the hardest thing to do is mounting the CPU, applying thermal grease and mounting the heatsink. Swapping motherboards isn't that hard. I've done it several times (latest being a week ago, when my new motherboard blew up and had to be replaced). You'll need about hour and half to do it, if that much. And we've got a ton of members here that walk you through the process and help you find the right hardware (and IMO, it beats the hell out of taking a loss on your graphics card purchase).

Jaepheth · Post by **Jaepheth** » 2005-09-26 08:58pm

Well, if you're uncomfortable replacing the case and/or motherboard... then you probably wouldn't like my solution which involved a soldering iron, some wire strippers, and spare wire.

Medic · Post by **Medic** » 2005-09-29 05:40pm

Jaepheth wrote:Well, if you're uncomfortable replacing the case and/or motherboard... then you probably wouldn't like my solution which involved a soldering iron, some wire strippers, and spare wire.

Heh, no.

Well, I know someone in the battailion who knows computers better than me so I lucked out. I'm going for a new motherboard and he's gonna help me with it. Power supply too I need but I've found a good tower that comes with a power supply that'll fuel a 7800, an an Antec TX640B (400W and 12.0V). Right now the only hardware question is whether or not I wanna get an SLI-compliant motherboard -- all of which seem to support AMD and not Pentium.

That would require a new processor too. (I can use my old Pentium 4, right?)

The computer, unfortunately, is HP Pavilion so I'll see if Windows goes batshit insane. I can put all my important stuff on an external 250gig HD I got but will Windows simply never boot again from that hard drive, or will I merely lose everything? If that's the case are there options as far as new HD?

ps -- thx for the help, Arrow Mk84, Jaepheth.

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2005-09-29 05:59pm

There are P4 SLI boards out there. They're new, so you might have to do some looking to get one.

Also, the guy helping you might have a straight up Windows disk lying around that you can borrow to get your system back up and running if your install decides to toss it cookies (your data will still be on disk, as long as you don't reformat, but you might have to reinstall your programs, depending on how 'broken' gets).

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2005-09-29 07:02pm

PFC Brungardt wrote:The computer, unfortunately, is HP Pavilion so I'll see if Windows goes batshit insane. I can put all my important stuff on an external 250gig HD I got but will Windows simply never boot again from that hard drive, or will I merely lose everything? If that's the case are there options as far as new HD?

Most HP desktops (over here) use a special code called a system tattoo, resident in the DMI on your motherboard (or sometimes a not-usually-addressed sector of hard drive on newer models) to authenticate the recovery.

You'll need a Windows CD to reinstall after you change the mainboard, trying to use a HP recovery CD will blob out with a "Code Purple" error or similar, and HP don't make the DMI tools publicly available. (unlike NEC, at least in Europe, so you can use a European NEC recovery CD on any computer if you know how).

Medic · Post by **Medic** » 2005-09-29 08:05pm

Vendetta wrote:
PFC Brungardt wrote:The computer, unfortunately, is HP Pavilion so I'll see if Windows goes batshit insane. I can put all my important stuff on an external 250gig HD I got but will Windows simply never boot again from that hard drive, or will I merely lose everything? If that's the case are there options as far as new HD?
Most HP desktops (over here) use a special code called a system tattoo, resident in the DMI on your motherboard (or sometimes a not-usually-addressed sector of hard drive on newer models) to authenticate the recovery.

You'll need a Windows CD to reinstall after you change the mainboard, trying to use a HP recovery CD will blob out with a "Code Purple" error or similar, and HP don't make the DMI tools publicly available. (unlike NEC, at least in Europe, so you can use a European NEC recovery CD on any computer if you know how).

Well, I can buy a disc if worse comes to worst. I don't have a Windows XP Home disc on me but hopefully the same guy does.

As far as re-installing programs, well, the raw power makes up for that. That's inconvenient and annoying as hell, and time consuming for games like Half-Life 2, but well worth the wait. I'm probably fussing about this whole deal too much since I'll be out-of-country and won't be able to bring my tower overseas more-than-likely within 3 months. Still, morale, welfare and recreation, hooah.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2005-09-29 11:59pm

PFC Brungardt wrote:Heh, no.

Well, I know someone in the battailion who knows computers better than me so I lucked out. I'm going for a new motherboard and he's gonna help me with it. Power supply too I need but I've found a good tower that comes with a power supply that'll fuel a 7800, an an Antec TX640B (400W and 12.0V). Right now the only hardware question is whether or not I wanna get an SLI-compliant motherboard -- all of which seem to support AMD and not Pentium. That would require a new processor too. (I can use my old Pentium 4, right?)

The computer, unfortunately, is HP Pavilion so I'll see if Windows goes batshit insane. I can put all my important stuff on an external 250gig HD I got but will Windows simply never boot again from that hard drive, or will I merely lose everything? If that's the case are there options as far as new HD?

ps -- thx for the help, Arrow Mk84, Jaepheth.

You sure 400W is enough for all your stuff?

If you have a major change in hardware (In this case, a different mobo and graphics card would qualify), Windows will fail when attempting to start up. I don't know if this applies to your HP, but normally, you can fix it without too much problem by just starting up using the Windows CD and using fixboot in the recovery console. You'll be able to retain all your existing data (Although you'd probably get better performance if you formatted and reinstalled Windows after the hardware update)

Medic · Post by **Medic** » 2005-09-30 06:25pm

Exonerate wrote:
PFC Brungardt wrote:Heh, no.

Well, I know someone in the battailion who knows computers better than me so I lucked out. I'm going for a new motherboard and he's gonna help me with it. Power supply too I need but I've found a good tower that comes with a power supply that'll fuel a 7800, an an Antec TX640B (400W and 12.0V). Right now the only hardware question is whether or not I wanna get an SLI-compliant motherboard -- all of which seem to support AMD and not Pentium. That would require a new processor too. (I can use my old Pentium 4, right?)

The computer, unfortunately, is HP Pavilion so I'll see if Windows goes batshit insane. I can put all my important stuff on an external 250gig HD I got but will Windows simply never boot again from that hard drive, or will I merely lose everything? If that's the case are there options as far as new HD?

ps -- thx for the help, Arrow Mk84, Jaepheth.
You sure 400W is enough for all your stuff? That's about the last question.

If you have a major change in hardware (In this case, a different mobo and graphics card would qualify), Windows will fail when attempting to start up. I don't know if this applies to your HP, but normally, you can fix it without too much problem by just starting up using the Windows CD and using fixboot in the recovery console. You'll be able to retain all your existing data (Although you'd probably get better performance if you formatted and reinstalled Windows after the hardware update)

Can I in fact re-use my old CPU -- a 3.2 ghz Pentium 4 -- on a new motherboard? (that supports it of course)

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2005-09-30 09:22pm

Here's a link to SLI motherboards that support LGA 775 P4 socket types.

Now, if your P4 is a socket 478, you can't get SLI, but Newegg does have two
boards with a single PCIe x16 slot.

Hope this helps.

Edit: Either way, you have the option of using your old CPU. Which option works for you depends on its socket type.

Medic · Post by **Medic** » 2005-10-01 06:18pm

Arrow Mk84 wrote:Here's a link to SLI motherboards that support LGA 775 P4 socket types.

Now, if your P4 is a socket 478, you can't get SLI, but Newegg does have two
boards with a single PCIe x16 slot.

Hope this helps.

Edit: Either way, you have the option of using your old CPU. Which option works for you depends on its socket type.

Wow, these computers in the internet cafe are utter shit. Oh well, the system crashing means I'm not losing minutes on my card ^^.

Anyway, final question: how do I determine socket type? Is it something that you can easily identify by eyeballing or does it say on the board? After this, I've no questions and I'll probably order everything Monday (seeing as tommorow will be lost to NFL viewing)

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2005-10-01 06:55pm

Well, you can always remove the heatsink, clean off the thermal compound and read what's printed on the CPU's heatspreader.

Or you can download CPU-Z. When you run this program, the "Package" field on the CPU tab should tell you if your P4 is LGA or 478.

Also, when you order your parts, make sure to get some thermal compound for your CPU. Removing the heatsink to move your CPU to a new motherboard is going to destroy the current compound seal, and you'll have to clean the compound off the CPU and heatsink. Without new compound, your CPU will cook itself. The compound could be anything from a cheap thermal adhesive pad to Artic Silver 5.