Dead X1950XTX?

[A_Darkfire]

Hi,

I've just installed a new X1950XTX to my new machine and it won't POST or display. Looking at the card there are two LEDs by the PCIe power connector, one showing it has power and another that says 'fault' next to it. When I turn the system on, the power light flashes once and then the fault LED...I have no idea what it wrong as I can't find any guide telling me what the fault my be...

As far as I am aware I've plugged in all the power connectors, the ATX (24 pins), the EATX (8 pins), the PCIe on the card (6 pins) and have more than enough power (an OCZ 700w PSU)...

Help! Please don't tell me my card is DOA...

 

[A_Darkfire]

The signal from the Mobo POST is the one for 'hardware component failure' and there is no display output to my monitor. The graphics card has an LED labelled 'fault' and it flashes when the Mobo tries to POST, so I think it's a good assumation that that is the problem...

 

[A_Darkfire]

I don't have another PCIe motherboard to test it in...oh well...RMA it is...arse

 

[A_Darkfire]

Is it a dual PCI-E board? If it is try the other slot.

Are you using the molex adapter or a graphics lead from the PSU. If its the graphics lead, try the molex adapter, it may feed from a different 12v rail.

TBH sounds like a dead un.

Tried all that...nothing...

 

[A_Darkfire]

OK, I attacked the PSU with a volt meter, and it seems to give all the correct voltages to the all the power connectors. Gonna try clearing the CMOS see if that does anything...interestingly though if I take the graphics card out it still makes the a beeping noise, though it is the FDD failure one.

Second Edit:
Ah! It seems the ASUS manual is wrong! I checked the a website with the AMI BIOS codes on and its seems its the memory! I have some GieL 2Gb 6400 stuff from here...I'm guessing it's not getting enough voltage from the system (it says it needs 2.1v, but I don't know what my motherboard gives by default, it's a P5WDG2-Pro) or it's dead (and I have tried each stick on it's own in different slots and nothing, so I doubt they are both dead). Is there a way to trick the BIOS into giving more power without needed to buy some cheap stuff to get it to POST enough to change it in the BIOS prog?

 

[A_Darkfire]

I wish it was easy to test outside the case first, but this is the first machine I have with all the new DDR2, PCIe stuff in it, so I don't have any spare components to test each bit. I do have an old PCI graphics card somewhere, but it is very, very old and I doubt it still works to be honest. However I can get hold of some more memory on Wednesday to see if I can at least POST to change the default memory voltage.

The manual with the mobo is nearly useless with troubleshooting as it only has a couple of the POST diagnostics things in it. It seemed at first that it was reporting a hardware failure, but looking at the AMI BIOS guide and understanding how it was reporting, it looks like my computer was reporting a memory problem. Guess I shall find out on Wednesday...

My full spec (what I had initially put in the system) is:

Intel E6600 Conroe CPU
ASUS P5WDG2-Pro Mobo
2Gb PC6400 GeIL RAM
Connect3D X190XTX Graphics Card
36Gb WD Raptor HDD
320Gb Seagate 7200.10 HDD
OCZ 700w GameXStream PSU

Sorry I forgot to add it, I was a bit stressed at getting so close to finishing this beast only to run into a brick wall!

 

[A_Darkfire]

Just Put the Motherboard on the antistatic bag it came with, on top of the box it came with
Lay Psu etc by the side and connect minimal, Jump the power switch pins "Momentarilly" to start........Whats the Problem ??

Give You another bit of advice, Trying to Fault find Painlessly will always take 10 times as long as doing it logically...get it out the case.. ..Good Luck

Well excuse me for doing things the way I've always done them for the last ten years...

I found an old PCI card (an old Diamond Stealth 4Mb card...dear god is it old!)and used that, and hey it works! Full POST successful. I changed the voltage settings on the memory to prefered setting and then tried the X1950XTX and no joy (though I don't see any reason why that should work really). So at least I know it is either the PCIe power connector (whose voltage on both connectors seems OK according to my voltmeter) or the X1950XTX is dead, unless anyone knows of some cunning BIOS setting to make everything work .

 

[A_Darkfire]

Very good Point, But I don't think our Friend has any intention of taking it out of the case..

Maybe if you weren't so patronising I'd be inclined to listen.