PC Discussion Thread - All PC related in here.

[Heatseeker 0]

I'm sorry bigs I can't help you there you might want to try and provide some more information that's not really enough.

I have a problem with my new PC. I've installed my graphics card and now the monitor won't display anything. I can boot it without the DC power lead plugged in however that's obviously no use at all because although windows recognises it the driver cd doesn't because it isn't working properly.

The reason is as I found out because the power supply isn't strong enough. It is above the required wattage (card needs 400, my PSU is rated to 450W) however it cannot deliver the required minimum of 26A at 12Volts DC. It can deliver maximum 22A at 12Volts DC. I assume the card cannot draw enough current to display properly and thus is refusing to display at all.

So here's my questions:

1)Is it definitely the power supply? The graphics card's manual lists an incompatibility with the motherboard as a potential problem too. The motherboard on the machine is an: ASRock G31M-GS/G31M-S. I know nothing about these things but I assume the presence of a PCI-E slot means it's unlikely to not support this card.

2)What do I do now? Do I:

• Get a new power supply? Is this easy enough to do? I've seen a few knocking about for around £60 that look pretty good. I've looked inside my machine however and there's no universal plug between the internal power distribution wires and the PSU. Does this mean all the existing power supply wires would have to be removed and re-fitted if I bought a new power supply? Or can I leave them in situ and just do the connecting up at the PSU end? Should I really get this done professionally?
  
• Do I leave the PSU alone and source a new card? 26A at 12VDC minimum sounds awfully consumptive to me for a graphics card. Maybe it's the cards unreasonable demands that are at fault? Would I better off hassle and practicality wise just leaving the PSU alone and returning the current card I have (I've kept all the boxes) and getting a different less consumptive card?

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer thanks ;)

If your psu cant power up a mid range graphics card you should replace it, its not hard to do if you have the mobo's manual, if your not going to game with this PC then perhaps you should switch the graphics card instead.

Does your graphics card need aditional power directly from the psu? I think all the new graphics cards do, im just making sure you didnt forget to conect the extra molex cable(s) to the card.

[chris330 0]

Hi yes I am going to game with this PC. So I suppose I need to upgrade it regardless. Can you recommend a decent manufacturer or model?

How hard is it to do realistically? Do they come with wire bundles pre-attached or do I have to wire it up at both ends? I'll have a read of the motherboard's manual tonight.

Thanks.

---------- Post added at 09:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 PM ----------

Hi one quick quesiton I've had a look at alot of PSU's online. It seems theres one big question with their design. Are they single or multi-rail.

I notice some rather expensive PSU's have low amp ratings but several of them. It'll say something like 12V1 20A & 12V2 20A. Does this mean a combined loading potential of 40A?

Also the connector I have for the auxialiary power on my card is of the type with four big pins and two triangulated corners at the top it's white about just under an icnh across is this a molex connector?

Can I wire to my card with a multi rail PSU or should I just get a big amp output single rail PSU to avoid any wiring issues? It sounds like it would be alot easier!

*Edit* the power connector on the card is of type Molex 8981 AMP MATE-N-LOK type.

Edited August 19, 2009 by chris330

[Sertorius21 10]

Hi yes I am going to game with this PC. So I suppose I need to upgrade it regardless. Can you recommend a decent manufacturer or model?

How hard is it to do realistically? Do they come with wire bundles pre-attached or do I have to wire it up at both ends? I'll have a read of the motherboard's manual tonight.

Thanks.

---------- Post added at 09:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 PM ----------

Hi one quick quesiton I've had a look at alot of PSU's online. It seems theres one big question with their design. Are they single or multi-rail.

I notice some rather expensive PSU's have low amp ratings but several of them. It'll say something like 12V1 20A & 12V2 20A. Does this mean a combined loading potential of 40A?

Also the connector I have for the auxialiary power on my card is of the type with four big pins and two triangulated corners at the top it's white about just under an icnh across is this a molex connector?

Can I wire to my card with a multi rail PSU or should I just get a big amp output single rail PSU to avoid any wiring issues? It sounds like it would be alot easier!

*Edit* the power connector on the card is of type Molex 8981 AMP MATE-N-LOK type.

I'm not sure if I missed this, but what kind of graphics card are you working with? The cards I've worked with all used 6-pin power connectors. Are you saying that your primary power comes through a 4-pin cable? Or that there is an additional 4-pin port along with a primary 6-pin port?

Also, I'd suggest following ch_123's advice: Just get a good Corsair PSU in the 500-550W range. Personally, I'd get a single-rail model, particularly if you only have one graphics card.

As for replacing a PSU, all you have to do is disconnect all power connections, slide the PSU out, slide the new one into the PSU bay, and connect the wires. Cables should be already attached to the PSU.

Edit: Here is a list of PSUs ranked by quality. Stick to Tier 1 or Tier 2 stuff. This is a good idea of what you're looking for.

Edited August 20, 2009 by Sertorius21

[chris330 0]

Hi thanks for the reply. I'll go for the single rail models. Thnx for the info about the PSU it doesn't look that bad actually.

The card is a ZOTAC 9600GT and its only source of power is from a 4 pin 8981 Mate-n-LOk connector (the one with the triangular corners at the top).

I've found some good PSU's now in a reasonable price range. Thnx again for the help mate ;)

---------- Post added at 03:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:31 AM ----------

*Update* Found this one which delivers single rail 52A at 12V. One quick question though theres a small connector with 2 black and 2 yellow wires (no red ones) going into the CPU on my PSU. It has 2 connectors on one row and 2 on the other in a 2x2 arrangement. I see this PSU is listed as (on another site) coming with a 1x4+4pin CPU connector is that what that is?

I'm probably worrying too much here. I assume that little connector is quite standard these days. My motherboard manual says its an ATX 12V connector. Once I know for sure this is ok I'll order that PSU in the link. I've checked all the other connectors it comes with and there quite sufficient to cope with the hardware demands.

One more thing. I was thinking of buying a small fan the likes we used to put into lighthouse control panels at work to help keep the machine cool. A simple square cut and file in the side of the PC casing and some holes drilled means I could mount a 240VAC fan that would blast cold air right into the motherboard. Or I could set it up so it drew air out of the tower perhaps this might be better - sort of setting up a strong permanent draft. What do you think?

[echo1 0]

The single rail vs dual rail thing isn't all that important. There are proponents for both sides, but unless you are really pushing the PSU, you aren't going to notice the difference.

a 4 pin 8981 Mate-n-LOk connector

*blank face*

You mean a Molex?

I see this PSU is listed as (on another site) coming with a 1x4+4pin CPU connector is that what that is?

On some motherboards, the CPU power connector is an eight-pin socket. So good PSUs will provide an 8-pin connector that's basically two 4 pins side by side, so that it can be used with either type of motherboard.

[Sertorius21 10]

"The card is a ZOTAC 9600GT and its only source of power is from a 4 pin 8981 Mate-n-LOk connector (the one with the triangular corners at the top)."

Hmm, I'm becoming intrigued. I looked up reviews of that card, and they all indicated that it used a standard 6-pin connector. As a matter of fact, here's a picture of the 6-pin port on a 9600GT card. Now, I've seen people use a Y-splitter to connect two 4-pin molexes into one 6-pin port, but that's different than running a single 4-pin to the card. Might you send a picture of your card's power port? I was under the impression that a 4-pin couldn't provide enough juice to run a graphics card.

"One more thing. I was thinking of buying a small fan the likes we used to put into lighthouse control panels at work to help keep the machine cool. A simple square cut and file in the side of the PC casing and some holes drilled means I could mount a 240VAC fan that would blast cold air right into the motherboard. Or I could set it up so it drew air out of the tower perhaps this might be better - sort of setting up a strong permanent draft. What do you think?"

You want to focus your attention on exhaust fans at the back of the case. Pushing cool air into the case isn't useful if you aren't pulling the hot air out. I've had better cooling from my case after I covered up the side vent and then put in the most powerful exhaust fans I could find (Along with a good front fan).

Edited August 20, 2009 by Sertorius21

[chris330 0]

Hi here's some pics:

Is it possible this is a mis-build or the wrong version. Is it possible it's even counterfeit maybe?

Thanks for your info on the fan by the way ;)

---------- Post added at 11:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:06 PM ----------

*Update*

Even the user manual's picture doesn't match this model's appearance and it has a 6 pin power attachment shown in the drawings.

So what do I actually own here? I still have the receipt from the company I purchased it off. Is this counterfeit? I've e-mailed zotac about my motherboard and heard nothing. I'll e-mail them again. Absolutely everything in the box looks like the genuine article down even to a little ZOTAC sticker they sent with the card. Maybe I've got the last of an old model run prior to an upgrade? As long as it will work I don't care to be honest.

It's unlikely it's fake as the serial number on the side of the box it came in even matches the one on the sticker actually on the card. I think it's a discontinued or rogue model. One of the potential causes of no display on start-up is listed in the manual as an insufficent power supply.

---------- Post added at 11:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 PM ----------

Here's a copy of an e-mail I just sent to them:

Dear Staff,

Hi I recently purchased a 9600GT with the following serial number:

ZT-96TES3L-FSL

It has the following appearance:

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/6117/gpic2.jpg

Incase the link fails I'll upload it too - the same pic is attached to this mail. The card failed to display anything when powering up although I cannot be certain this was not caused by the power supply as my current power supply is under-rated for this card.

The card bears no resemblence to the picture in the user manual and the 4 pin connector is very odd as I thought they were supposed to use 6 pin connectors? Even the user manual has a picture of a card with a 6 pin connector.

Oddly however I could successfully boot my machine with the four pin connector unattached and the driver CD that came with the card failed to recognise it although windows default hardware detection software did see the card.

So now I am confused as to how to proceed. If I acquire a suitable power supply (which I'm going to anyway) and plug in the four pin connector does this mean the card will behave normally and display output to the monitor and also be recognised by the ZOTAC driver installation CD software?

I await your help. Many thanks,

Edited August 21, 2009 by chris330

[Sertorius21 10]

Allright, so you've got the low-profile 9600GT. I've never seen one of those before. If it's what you wanted, then that's good. If, on the other hand, you wanted a full-size 9600GT, then the company screwed up. Other than that, it'll be hard to evaluate whether the card is good until you have a PSU that meets specifications.

If the PSU is the problem, then a new one should fix the problem. Provided that the graphics card is hooked up to power, the system should boot up and send graphics data to the monitor (Though not at particularly good quality). You can then install the drivers. If the system starts up, but the CD doesn't work, you could try installing fresh drivers from nVidia's website instead.

Edited August 21, 2009 by Sertorius21

[echo1 0]

Allright, so you've got the low-profile 9600GT. I've never seen one of those before. If it's what you wanted, then that's good. If, on the other hand, you wanted a full-size 9600GT, then the company screwed up.

Well, unless you want to fit a third party cooler, there isn't any difference in actual performance between the two.

Odd that they don't use the standard 6-pin PCI-E power connector.

[chris330 0]

I'm sure glad you two know what you're talking about I wouldn't have a bloody clue! Lol.

Thanks for clearing that up it allays my fears that I'd bought something dodgy or possibly even at a collector's item grade of rarity :D

I'm going to buy that PSU now. Thanks again I hope there's something I can do to help you two guys someday - I also doubt it'll be long before I'm begging for help on here again too ;)

[wooly-back-jack 10]

maybe its to do with the PSU or something, if you have a low profile card odds on you are going to be PSU limited too due to case size so they give an option for power from any old PSU with the basic connector lol.

I thought low profile cards would have taken their power from the motherboard anyway, obviosly need a bit more now!

Edited August 21, 2009 by wooly-back-jack

[echo1 0]

It depends on what GPU is on the card. Power requirements are going to be identical to the high profile equivalent.

[ltait92 10]

Hey,im gonna buy a gaming laptop(yes...it has 2 b a laptop:/) and im thinkin about gettin an alienware laptop. jus now im thinkin bout getting the m17 rather than the m17x. heres the specs:

M17: TOTAL COST:£2052.75

Screen

.17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) with Clearview Technology

GPU:

.Dual 512MB ATI® Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 – CrossFireX™ Enabled!

CPU:

.Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme X9100 3.06GHz (6MB Cache 1066MHz FSB)

RAM:

.4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SO-DIMM at 1067MHz - 2 x 2048MB

System drives:

.500GB 7200RPM SATA with Free Fall Protection

.Internal Digital / Analog TV Tuner with Adapter

Optical Drive:

.Dual Layer Blu-ray Disc Reader (BD-ROM, DVD±RW, CD-RW)

Extras:

.Additional Battery- Alienware® M17 12-cell Lithium-Ion

.Optical Gaming Mouse

M17x: TOTAL COST:£2914.01

Processor:

.Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9800 (2.93GHz,1066MHz FSB,6MB L2 Cache) [included in Price]

GPU:

.SLIâ„¢ Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M [included in Price]

Screen:

.17-inch Wide XGA+ 1440 x 900 - Beyond HD (900p) Display [included in Price]

RAM:

.6144MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x4096] [included in Price]

HDD:

.320GB (7,200rpm) Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive [included in Price]

Optical Drive:

.DVD+/-RW (DVD, CD read and write) Optical Drive [included in Price]

the m17 is a LOT cheaper plus im gettin blu ray player n extras as well, whereas thats basically all im gettin with the m17x(i didnt include os or anythin coz thats not really vital:) plus the price of the m17 is quite attractive compared 2 the m17x which is basically a £3000 pimp chain with lots of lights :D lol let me kno wot u guys think plz:)

P.S sorry its so long:(

[riffleman 20]

Is HCL laptop good for playing ofp goty.request views.

[4 IN 1 0]

I was thinking about upgrading my CPU(and motherborad if needed)

I am currently using E6600 and Asus P5B deluxe with 2GB DDRII 800 ram

I dont plan to change my RAM nor overclocking, what would be the best CPU for me to upgrade?

[echo1 0]

Hi,

It's possible that with a BIOS upgrade, your motherboard will be able to support a newer CPU such as the Q9650. I'd check the manufacturer's page, ASUS has a list of CPUs that are compatible with each of their motherboards.

[riffleman 20]

I have 2GB Ram,intel graphic card,180 HDD.but it work slow whenever i play any sp,mp or campaign made by user.

[echo1 0]

That's because Intel graphics are not fast enough to run the game - they are well under the minimum requirements.

[4 IN 1 0]

Just wondering, is it still OK to use my old ram with Q9650?

[riffleman 20]

In ofp all soldiers who are near me about 200 metre look like black skelton.if i go near to them than ok

[cjsoques 0]

Hi,

It's possible that with a BIOS upgrade, your motherboard will be able to support a newer CPU such as the Q9650. I'd check the manufacturer's page, ASUS has a list of CPUs that are compatible with each of their motherboards.

I can help.

I mainly buy ASUS boards so I have been through the BIOS ordeals.

It is pretty typical that ASUS will come out with a Mainboard with a BIOS version that does not support some CPUs even if they are of the supported type. Sometimes they will release updated BIOS that extends support for newer CPUs...you have to look at the BIOS updates/changes log of the latest BIOS version to see if the CPU you want is on it...

If not, just google your desird CPU and the motherboard you have to see if others have had luck and what BIOS version used.

Hope this helps

[MehMan 0]

can anybody recommend a replacement for nod32?

[echo1 0]

I always thought Nod32 was one of the better antiviruses out there. For free, I'd check out Avira Anti-Vir. If you want to pay, I'd look out for reviews, but I think Kaspersky always scores highly.

[MehMan 0]

Nod32 has a startup scan that completely criples my system on startup. I have to wait 2 minutes for nod to get over itself. I think I've managed to turn it off, but would still like to search for a replacement.

[riffleman 20]

I did't know about Good graphic card.can anyone have idea about good graphic card.here intel is king of market and no other.is there a better graphic card of intel for ofp.ok?