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Can't figure out problem with new GPU

A

Animositisomina

n00b
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
56
[Since I didn't mention this until later in my post, here is what card I have: PowerColor Radeon HD 6970 2GB.]

I just got done uninstalling my old GPU today and installing a new one, but I'm running into some problems. I had an nVidia GPU previously, so I made sure to completely uninstall the old drivers and nVidia-related software first. I then physically removed the old card and put in the new one. Both power connectors are plugged in tightly, the card is seated well into the PCIe slot, and no cables are touching the fans, etc.

Here's the problem: When I boot up, after a few seconds my monitor turns black, the GPU's fans go full-speed, and I get a message saying "No Signal Input, Check Video Cable". I have checked the cable in the back of the computer, it is plugged in as snugly as possible, both screws are in place tightly as well.

I was able to get to my desktop once, briefly, and Windows started doing that automatic driver install process. Shortly after though, it went black as described before.

Any idea what's going on? Could it be that my PSU is not powerful enough for this card? I have a 650w PSU and the card requires a minimum of 550w. Have I just not installed the card correctly? It's a Radeon HD 6970, by the way. It has two places I can plug my monitor into. When I use the upper spot, I get the problem described above. If I use the lower spot, the screen remains black the entire time and I don't even see the boot screen.

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.
 
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I stated in my original post that it's a Radeon HD 6970. It was kind of buried at the bottom though, sorry about that.
 
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.5 make sure said 6970 is not defective
1. make sure power supply says 12v = >20A
2. make sure bios selects pci x16 not integrated or x1
3. see if video is extended to different display, if so try plugging monitor into different port on said video card
4. drink cold chocolate milk or beer or four
5. success?
 
Is the card new or used?
Can you try the 6970 in another computer?
What brand/model exactly is your PSU? Do you have alternative leads from said PSU you can plug into the card?
What brand/model is your motherboard?
Did you try reinstalling the old video card in the motherboard to check if you can get to the BIOS and/or Windows?
 
Thing is if your not getting a display before windows loads....then its nothing to do with drivers thats for sure......its either an insufficient power supply....calling it a 650 watt is a little vague since we don't know if its generic or name brand or if the card is bad. Also thats a very old card to be getting as a new one, as i hope you didn't pay much or it was free.

What card was in it before? if it was working fine then it kinda points to a bad video card....the more details you give the better...if the older card was known to draw more power we could almost rule out the powersupply
 
It's a brand new card, just ordered it from NewEgg a few days ago.
The power supply I believe is an Antec NeoPower, and it's 650 watts.
My mobo is an Asus P5N-e SLI.
My old GPU still posts just fine. (GTX 460 SE 1GB)

I can't test the 6970 on this computer (the one I'm writing on this forum with, I mean) because it isn't compatible. This PC is mostly used for e-mail by a family member.

If this ends up being a bad card, I'm really starting to dislike NewEgg then. I ordered some RAM from them a while back that was bad as well, had to RMA it.
 
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Was it a screaming deal on the video card? Seems like an odd choice to buy this new at retail.
 
Killdozer said:
Was it a screaming deal on the video card? Seems like an odd choice to buy this new at retail.
Click to expand...

It was recommended as the best choice for my CPU/Mobo by the fine folks at hardforum.com, so... yeah. That's why I got this card in particular. I was even told my PSU was enough to handle it.

Anyway, I seem to have figured out the problem. Or a possibility, at least. I used DDU to remove any remaining drivers and such left behind by nVidia, powered down the PC, plugged the 6970 back in and rebooted. I was able to get to my desktop again (previously it would get to the Win 7 loading screen and then go black). However, once Windows starts doing it's stupid automatic driver install process, that's when the screen shuts off again. This is the same thing that happened when I originally installed the new GPU. Got to the desktop, everything was fine, then Windows tries to install drivers and I got a black screen.

It seems to be that whatever Windows is doing is interfering with things. I tried disabling that Windows feature but it didn't work, it still automatically tries installing drivers. If I could just permanently disable that, I could test the theory more and see if it does make a difference.

Any idea on how to completely stop Windows from doing that?
 
I managed to stop Windows from installing drivers automatically, but it seems getting back to my desktop that second time was a fluke. Automatic driver install is disabled but I'm unable to get back to the desktop to test my theory anyhow.

Something else I've noticed: the boot screen is shifted over about 100 pixels to the left, making it so some of the text is off-screen. That's when the 6970 is hooked up. When I go back to my old card, the GTX 460 SE, the boot screen looks fine.

Could this be related in some way? A sign of a bad card, perhaps?
 
disconnect your hard drive and reset your bios settings if it doesn't post still you know its not windows
 
StoleMyOwnCar said:
Did you try other outputs on the GPU?
Click to expand...

I did. It has one 6-pin and one 8-pin connection. My PSU only has two 6-pin molex connectors, but the card came with a 6-pin to 8-pin adapter, so I was using that. I tried every combination I could think of, switching which cable the adapter was on, didn't seem to matter. Unless you mean something else?
 
Animositisomina said:
I did. It has one 6-pin and one 8-pin connection. My PSU only has two 6-pin molex connectors, but the card came with a 6-pin to 8-pin adapter, so I was using that. I tried every combination I could think of, switching which cable the adapter was on, didn't seem to matter. Unless you mean something else?
Click to expand...

Well first of all using an adapter like that might cause some issues depending on your PSU... someone can correct me if I'm wrong. You might want to try another PSU if you have a Microcenter nearby and can just go get a quick one to see if it works with it. That way you can rule out power supply issues.


But no what I was talking about when I said another output was just your GPU outputs. You have 2 DVI's, 2 mini DP's, and maybe an HDMI? Try some of the other video outs if you haven't already.
 
StoleMyOwnCar said:
But no what I was talking about when I said another output was just your GPU outputs. You have 2 DVI's, 2 mini DP's, and maybe an HDMI? Try some of the other video outs if you haven't already.
Click to expand...

Ah, right. My monitor is pretty old, a Hanns-G HS191D. It has VGA and DVI outputs, but I don't currently have a DVI cable, so I've been using an adapter to convert the VGA cable to DVI, which then plugs into the GPU. It's how I had my old card set up as well, and that worked fine. Do you think it would be worth it to get a DVI cable and try hooking the card up directly that way to the monitor?

EDIT: As it turns out, I do have a DVI to HDMI cable that I had forgotten about. I used it to test out using my HD TV as a PC monitor a while back. I'm going to try that with my monitor and see how it goes.
 
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Well, I removed the old VGA to DVI cable/adapter I had and used my DVI to HDMI cable instead. Things were going well. I actually got back into Windows and I was able to begin installing the drivers for my new GPU. However, about 75% into the install, the screen went black, the GPU fans went full-speed again, and then I got the message saying "No Signal Input, Check Video Cable".

At this point, I think my PSU just isn't powerful enough or it's a defective card. I'm not sure if I should RMA it and pay the ridiculous shipping/restocking fees, or just put it up on eBay and hope someone else has better luck with it.
 
^ brah, when my fans spin max like that, that is actually my entire desktop turning off... is the cpu fan spinning? if not, then yea, it's your psu. how many amps are on the 12v rail (look at the sticker on the psu or post the model and brand)
 
Not a fan of molex to 8 pin, but I don't think that's the problem here. He's getting to the installation of drivers and that's when he's hitting issues. I'm assuming it's either a bad card, a bad install, or even a mobo compatibility issue. OP, is there any way you could test it with a side install of windows or something? I don't know what you have available to you, but if you have another drive you could swap in temporarily that'd probably be easiest.

How long does it go black for when it does this; how long have you let it persist in this state? It's pretty typical to have the screen go dark and fans spin up during driver installation for me, I always assumed it was some sort of initialization. What happens when you restart after the botched driver install, nothing is installed? Have you tried manually installing the drivers via the device manager?

I looked at your board, it's a fairly old one (one I actually have too). Have you updated the bios at all? What happens if you try the card in the second PCI-Express slot?
 
I have seen several posts on different forums that these 6-to-8 pin adapters can cause issues, so it's a possibility.

As far as driver installation goes, I've technically only made it into Windows long enough to do that once. When the screen went black that time, I let it go for maybe 2 minutes, just to see if it would come back on. It didn't. Typically, when installing drivers for my old nVidia gpu, the screen would only ever go off for 1-2 seconds. So I don't think that's the issue here.

Like I said though, getting into Windows at all was a bit of a fluke. What happens the most often is that after I get past the boot screen, I get to the "Starting Windows" screen, and maybe 5-10 seconds after that is when the screen goes black.

I actually had it go black once while I was changing settings in the BIOS as well (changing display from PCI to PCIe). Mind you, I hadn't actually saved any changes yet or done anything really, other than enter the BIOS and get ready to change the setting. GPU fans went full-speed, screen went black.

I can't install the drivers via Device Manager since I can't get into Windows long enough to do anything, so that's not really an option.

Also, I can't put the card in the other PCIe slot because my soundcard is in the way. If I were to remove the soundcard, there still wouldn't be enough space because the PCIe slot is very close to the bottom of the case, and this gpu is friggin' huge.

I have updated the BIOS, currently using 1406 which I believe is the newest for what I have.

Pylor said:
Not a fan of molex to 8 pin, but I don't think that's the problem here. He's getting to the installation of drivers and that's when he's hitting issues. I'm assuming it's either a bad card, a bad install, or even a mobo compatibility issue. OP, is there any way you could test it with a side install of windows or something? I don't know what you have available to you, but if you have another drive you could swap in temporarily that'd probably be easiest.

How long does it go black for when it does this; how long have you let it persist in this state? It's pretty typical to have the screen go dark and fans spin up during driver installation for me, I always assumed it was some sort of initialization. What happens when you restart after the botched driver install, nothing is installed? Have you tried manually installing the drivers via the device manager?

I looked at your board, it's a fairly old one (one I actually have too). Have you updated the bios at all? What happens if you try the card in the second PCI-Express slot?
Click to expand...
 
Animositisomina said:
I'm not sure if I should RMA it and pay the ridiculous shipping/restocking fees, or just put it up on eBay and hope someone else has better luck with it.
Click to expand...

If you RMA the card for a replacement then there is no charge. You only pay for restock if you are returning an item. You can contact CS and ask for a pre-paid shipping label.
 
6 to 8 pins do not work because most the times, the card is pulling more than the 75 watts the 6 pin is rated for
 
I had a problem VERY similar to this. I'm curious, can you get into windows using safe mode?
 
Pylor said:
I had a problem VERY similar to this. I'm curious, can you get into windows using safe mode?
Click to expand...

Actually, safe mode is the way I've been trying to boot all along. I like to install drivers in safe mode, so that's what I've been attempting with the new gpu. I have tried normal booting as well but get the same result. Black screen, fans going Ludicrous Speed, etc.
 
do you have an exact link to newegg we could look at? it would also give us your exact budget for possibly picking you out a newer better card, possibly maybe even one that wouldn't require a splitter for the power supply. Not trying to say you made a poor choice in selecting a new card but we might can pick one with slightly better performance with less power requirements (if its got to go back to newegg anyway)
 
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brasephelus, what type of power supply, brand and model? !!!!! !!!!!!!11111 :confused:
 
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primetime said:
do you have an exact link to newegg we could look at? it would also give us your exact budget for possibly picking you out a newer better card, possibly maybe even one that wouldn't require a splitter for the power supply. Not trying to say you made a poor choice in selecting a new card but we might can pick one with slightly better performance with less power requirements (if its got to go back to newegg anyway)
Click to expand...

Here's the thread I started back on the 17th of this month. I mentioned my budget in it, etc.

Link:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1826655

Here's a link to the exact card I bought from NewEgg. It was on sale for $99 when I bought it.

Link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131578

fixedmy7970 said:
brasephelus, what type of power supply, brand and model? !!!!! !!!!!!!11111 :confused:
Click to expand...

Assuming you mean me ("brasephelus"?), it's an Antec NeoPower 650w. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the PSU has absolutely no identifying marks on it whatsoever. I checked all six sides and it is blank. The only reason I know it's an Antec NeoPower is that I had another one for an older build that I sold on eBay a long time ago. They were the same PSU.
 
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hmm, i love antec, and that psu should have more than enough for that card...so my thinking is its not the psu.

this is prolly not it, but try pulling out a stick of ram, and see if that changes. my pc used to do similar things when i found a bad stick of ram in it.
 
fixedmy7970 said:
hmm, i love antec, and that psu should have more than enough for that card...so my thinking is its not the psu.

this is prolly not it, but try pulling out a stick of ram, and see if that changes. my pc used to do similar things when i found a bad stick of ram in it.
Click to expand...

If it was the ram, why would the old card still work fine? I can boot into Windows no problem with the GTX 460 plugged in. The only problem is the fan is dead, so I can't use it anymore since it heats up quickly. I'm not saying you're wrong or anything, I'll give it a try, I'm just curious why one card would work and the other wouldn't if it was bad ram.
 
oh lol, sorry i missed that, yea nevermind its not ram. uhh yea.

besides running driver sweeper, i am baffled. good mystery a++
 
fixedmy7970 said:
have you overclocked your cpu?
Click to expand...

No, running stock on everything. I've tried to overclock in the past, maybe 2 months ago? That's actually why I got this q6600, heard it was good for OC'ing. I found a nice guide for OC'ing a q66 paired with a P5N-e mobo and while it worked splendidly for the author @3ghz, I was never able to get any stable results, even when only bumping it up to about 2.6ghz. Gave up on that and just left it back at stock ever since.

This is where I found the guide, if you're curious:
http://www.overclock.net/t/300149/3ghz-q6600-oc-on-p5n-e-sli/50#post3489821

I followed the posts made by "diddler1979".
 
Animositisomina said:
Already ran driver sweeper several times, in safe mode. This is definitely puzzling.
Click to expand...

you are getting the usual bios posts and able to get into bios no problem correct? the display works, but just not in windows correct?
 
primetime said:
you are getting the usual bios posts and able to get into bios no problem correct? the display works, but just not in windows correct?
Click to expand...

Yes and no. The way I was doing that was by plugging the old gpu back in, running driver sweeper, shutting down the pc, then swapping cards. With the new gpu in place, sometimes it will post completely and go to the "Starting Windows" load screen. Other times, it doesn't make it even to that load screen before the monitor goes black. It's almost like it's shorting out or something. I've only made it back into Windows a couple times with the new gpu. So I guess it technically works in Windows, but after a few moments the fans speed up and I get that black screen with the "no signal input" message.
 
Long shot, but is there another system you can test the card in? If you can rule everything out software wise (it doesn't sound like a software issue), then it's hardware. This is the easiest way to tell if it is your card or not. I don't think it's your PSU, but I'm not unconvinced it's not your motherboard having some sort of conflict.

Case in point: I had a 650ti that just refused to work with an intel P45 motherboard, it acted much the same as your card does only I could always get into safe mode fine. Ironically, I actually switched it out for a worse motherboard (the p5n-e sli, same as yours) and it worked fine.
 
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