video card problem

Yuri Prime · Post by **Yuri Prime** » 2003-10-23 12:38am

I ended up getting a Radeon 9600 SE today... When I turn the system on, the monitor says that it's not getting a signal. At first I thought the card was dead, so I exchanged it for a different one and got the same result. I tried updating the AGP chipset drivers as the manual said to do and I'm still not getting anything. Does anyone know what is going on here?

namdoolb · Post by **namdoolb** » 2003-10-23 04:59am

hmmm.....

What was your previous setup? before you got the 9600.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-10-23 05:11am

Check your BIOS. The settings I mean.

Yuri Prime · Post by **Yuri Prime** » 2003-10-23 05:27am

I'm currently running an original Radeon 64mb DDR VIVO that thinks it's a Radeon 7200 because of ATI's drivers lately.

Which BIOS settings? My BIOS settings for my AGP slot are as follows:

Code: Select all

AGP Mode      4x
AGP Comp. Driving       Auto
Manual AGP Comp. Driving        CB
AGP Aperture Size        64 MB

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-10-23 10:00am

That's strange. Can you even get into the BIOS? Is the card firmly seated in the AGP slot? If there is a power connecter, is it plugged in?

Yuri Prime · Post by **Yuri Prime** » 2003-10-23 10:08am

phongn wrote:That's strange. Can you even get into the BIOS? Is the card firmly seated in the AGP slot? If there is a power connecter, is it plugged in?

There is no doubt that it is hooked up correctly. The monitor isn't getting a signal. I gather from all the troubleshooting I've done that the newer Radeons have had some major problems with VIA chipsets on AGP slots, but I couldn't fiind any instances of it not working at all... Probably about time to go exchange it for a GeForce 4 if tech support doesn't have anything...

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-10-23 10:59am

VIA's AGP implementation sucks, but you still shouldn't have this problem. Your PSU is sending enough power to the motherboard too, right? The R9600 is a bit power-hungry.

Yuri Prime · Post by **Yuri Prime** » 2003-10-23 11:11am

phongn wrote:VIA's AGP implementation sucks, but you still shouldn't have this problem. Your PSU is sending enough power to the motherboard too, right? The R9600 is a bit power-hungry.

I have 420 W power supply, so it shouldn't be a problem. Tech support told me to update BIOS, so it's time to start hunting for the right upgrade...

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-10-23 11:14am

Do Windows' default drivers work with it?

I remember back in the days of ATI's 3D Rage Pro cards (the 8MB ones), their drivers didn't work period. The only drivers that worked were the default Windows drivers.

Yuri Prime · Post by **Yuri Prime** » 2003-10-23 12:34pm

I'm just going to swap it for a GeForce 4. I got sent to the hightest level of ATI tech support and didn't get anywhere.

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2003-10-23 02:38pm

Did you try the card in another system? (don't stick the card in an AGP 1.0 slot, or you'll fry the card) What specific mobo do you have?

Yuri Prime · Post by **Yuri Prime** » 2003-10-23 08:05pm

Vertigo1 wrote:Did you try the card in another system? (don't stick the card in an AGP 1.0 slot, or you'll fry the card) What specific mobo do you have?

P4VXASD2 - made by ECS...

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2003-10-24 12:28am

It seems this is a common problem with AGP cards in general....

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5202/

Yuri Prime · Post by **Yuri Prime** » 2003-10-24 12:31am

I just went with the Radeon 9000, which works. I guess the 4x/8x AGP cards don't work in the 4x/2x slots.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-10-24 11:26am

ECS makes shit products. My dad's old computer had BIOS-level bugs that were never fixed and the once released a product that had fake cache.

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2003-10-25 12:23am

Yuri Prime wrote:I just went with the Radeon 9000, which works. I guess the 4x/8x AGP cards don't work in the 4x/2x slots.

Umm....

Just so you know:

AGP 1.0 = 1x/2x
AGP 2.0 = 1x/2x/4x
AGP 3.0 = 1x/2x/4x/8x

AGP 3.0 cards are fully compatible in AGP 2.0 slots because they use the same voltage. (1.5V) However, you cannot stick an AGP 3 or 2 card into a 1.0 slot because it uses more than double the voltage, which will toast your card. Thats if you're lucky to get it to fit because of the different keyways.....

Yuri Prime · Post by **Yuri Prime** » 2003-10-25 07:54am

Vertigo1 wrote:
Yuri Prime wrote:I just went with the Radeon 9000, which works. I guess the 4x/8x AGP cards don't work in the 4x/2x slots.
Umm....

Just so you know:

AGP 1.0 = 1x/2x
AGP 2.0 = 1x/2x/4x
AGP 3.0 = 1x/2x/4x/8x

AGP 3.0 cards are fully compatible in AGP 2.0 slots because they use the same voltage. (1.5V) However, you cannot stick an AGP 3 or 2 card into a 1.0 slot because it uses more than double the voltage, which will toast your card. Thats if you're lucky to get it to fit because of the different keyways.....

In that case I have an AGP 2.0, so that isn't the problem. I don't know what it was...

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-10-25 11:37am

Just thought i'd add: i have the ati radeon 9700, and i had this problem loads earlier. I found a way around it by turning the computer on, then the monitor (no signal) then resetting the computer. Then the signal would be found and it would start up.

Anyway, since then i've upgraded my motherboard and now it works first time. I was seriously worried that my monitor had died.