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Video Card Troubles

an_altan_alt Registered User regular
edited November 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
I had a video card XFX 7900GS die on me and borrowed an old loaner while I was waiting for the RMA replacement. So far so good and I had use of my PC. Then my replacement card, an 8800 GS, showed up. When installed and powered up it emitted a really loud high pitched whine that wasn't due to the fan and didn't put anything on the screen. Ok, I got some weird dud.

So I put my borrowed vid card back into the machine and it put a picture up on the screen, but it was distorted and snowy. The card got reseated a few times and the cord checked, but it was still the same. Oddly enough, if I let it get as far as getting to windows, it gave me the BSOD within a few seconds. This was a rock solid year old Vista system up to this point, well aside from the dead video card.

I have no other video card to test or any other system in which to test my previously working borrowed vid card. Is it likely that my borrowed card decided to pick that exact time to stop working properly? Is there anything else I can do to troubleshoot besides either wait for another RMA (last one took a month) or buy a new one?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Pony wrote:
I think that the internet has been for years on the path to creating what is essentially an electronic Necronomicon: A collection of blasphemous unrealities so perverse that to even glimpse at its contents, if but for a moment, is to irrevocably forfeit a portion of your sanity.
Xbox - PearlBlueS0ul, Steam
If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
an_alt on

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    DmanDman Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    I find it unlikely both video cards started not working at the same time....

    What happens when you boot your computer up with no video card?

    Dman on
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    an_altan_alt Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Dman wrote: »
    I find it unlikely both video cards started not working at the same time....

    What happens when you boot your computer up with no video card?

    There's a specific post error for no video card which I hit when diagnosing the original failure. Unfortunately, there's no onboard video.

    an_alt on
    Pony wrote:
    I think that the internet has been for years on the path to creating what is essentially an electronic Necronomicon: A collection of blasphemous unrealities so perverse that to even glimpse at its contents, if but for a moment, is to irrevocably forfeit a portion of your sanity.
    Xbox - PearlBlueS0ul, Steam
    If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Did you have to hook a special power connector up to the video card? You may have damaged the PCI/E bus. Probably not though, seems more likely the video card isn't seated properly or there's some corrosion on the connectors or something stupid like that. Take out the card and use a can of compressed air in the slot and rub a pencil eraser on the gold connectors of the cards.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    an_altan_alt Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Yup, I did hook up the special power connector.

    I'll try the air and eraser tonight. Thanks Bowen.

    an_alt on
    Pony wrote:
    I think that the internet has been for years on the path to creating what is essentially an electronic Necronomicon: A collection of blasphemous unrealities so perverse that to even glimpse at its contents, if but for a moment, is to irrevocably forfeit a portion of your sanity.
    Xbox - PearlBlueS0ul, Steam
    If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    an_alt wrote: »
    Yup, I did hook up the special power connector.

    I'll try the air and eraser tonight. Thanks Bowen.

    I'm having a hard time figuring out what it is FYI, the only time I've seen funky ass video shit like that is with a bad Processor and/or bad RAM. I doubt it's that.

    Did you ground yourself when putting in the new card? Also probably not even going to matter unless you discharged a lightning bolt onto the chip. ESD might be a culprit but I doubt that too.

    Seems like a piece of dust or a bad connection maybe. High pitched noise that sounded like a fan? Sometimes capacitors make that noise, you might have a leaky one on your refurbed video card.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    an_altan_alt Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Yes, I grounded myself before putting in the new card. The system was running fine until right before the swap and didn't get touched, so you're probably right about the CPU/RAM not being involved.

    I was guessing capacitor whine for the new card too since a finger slowing the cooling fan didn't make any difference in the noise and there's only so much that could cause it.

    an_alt on
    Pony wrote:
    I think that the internet has been for years on the path to creating what is essentially an electronic Necronomicon: A collection of blasphemous unrealities so perverse that to even glimpse at its contents, if but for a moment, is to irrevocably forfeit a portion of your sanity.
    Xbox - PearlBlueS0ul, Steam
    If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
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    an_altan_alt Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Compressed air, an eraser, and a good look at the slot itself had no effect. I guess there's not much left to do besides try to track down another video card or system I can try the once properly working card in.

    Thanks Bowen.

    an_alt on
    Pony wrote:
    I think that the internet has been for years on the path to creating what is essentially an electronic Necronomicon: A collection of blasphemous unrealities so perverse that to even glimpse at its contents, if but for a moment, is to irrevocably forfeit a portion of your sanity.
    Xbox - PearlBlueS0ul, Steam
    If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Yeah track down a system to try all your components in. See if you can isolate it. That's all the advice I can give, sorry. :|

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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Penny Arcade Forums› Help / Advice Forum