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My Radeon HD 6950 stops computer boot

Incognito2me

Incognito2me

Incognito2me

Associate
Joined
15 Sep 2007
Posts
24
When I first installed the new graphics card, I replaced my old Radeon HD 4890 xfx with the new card, the Radeon HD 6950. Everything ran fine on the first day, the card ran games smoothly and with no visible problems.

However, the day afterwards my computer randomly cut out, and instantly rebooted. The Bios would not post, giving 1 long beep and 3 short beeps, which I believe means video card error. I turned it off, waited a minute, turned it on. The computer booted briefly, then cut out again. This time nothing would boot, the power button would light up the orange power light for a split-second, and then turn off. Every subsequent try has had the same result.

I took out the new card and reinserted my old card, the 4890, and the computer powered on flawlessly. The computer has been running continuously without any problems as long as I use the old card. I tried reinserting the new card and the same problem, the computer didn't power on or show any signs of life.

It is possible that the card is faulty, but I understand the power supply might also be inadequete. Below are the specs. If anyone has any ideas, i'd be grateful :D

Motherboard:
Asus P5K

CPU:
QuadCore Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2400 MHz (9 x 267)

PSU:
PowerCool Pentium P4 Model: PC-750AUBA-M

Sapphire Radeon HD 6950

Realtek ALC 883

Operating System:
Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1
 
kiel367 said:
what wattage is your psu firstly, im not sold on those powercool psu's, how old is it?
Click to expand...

It's a 750W one and has a big '80%+ guaranteed' thing on it.

It's about 6 months to a year old - ironically because my last PSU decided it couldn't handle my 4890 and wouldn't give enough power to it, leading to random shutdowns e.t.c. Different symptoms. But when I upgraded to the powercool it ran just fine and has never given me any problems.

I also noted that both cards have identical power requirements written in (500W or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin connectors) so I figured it wouldn't draw more power. The 4890 xfx was a behemoth by itself, I didn't think anything would draw more power than it.
 
have you set ur main boot to the pci-e in your bios? more of a shot in the dark really tbh, i had a similar issue ages ago
 
Just to update: The computer will start up when the card is inserted but no power leads are in it. It spins up the fans and then gives the standard 'unpowered card' error. With the card plugged in the PSU doesn't give more than a feeble split-second of power, leading me to think the PSU is just crapping out when it tries to give power to the new card.

I've read a number of complaints across the internet about people inserting new cards and then not getting any response from the computer. The problem is 99% the PSU either not giving enough power or being a cheap no-name model. So I figured i'd invest in a high quality, high wattage one. I run two hard drives, a disk drive and a wireless network card, among other things so there is a fair drain on the unit. What would you suggest, brand-wise?
 
I've always bought Corsair. Have an HX850 and have run xfire 6950 with it without a hitch. Previous PSU was a Corsair VX550 which was flawless for about 4 years until I needed more power. It's in the cupboard as a backup. A worthwhile investment.
 
Last edited:
Orcvader said:
You replaced your old PSU with a PSU that isn't a high quality one. The 6950 draws more power than the 4890 so it wouldn't suprise me if it's a PSU problem. I would suggest buying a proper high quality branded PSU such as this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-055-OC&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

And yes, 550w is enough to power it. As long as the power supply can give the stated power that is.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know, rookie mistake. I'd actually got it from a local shop to save time, figured it would do the job since it had the 80%+ guarantee on it. Six months later and don't I look the fool :p

Money-wise, i'm very flexible. Since nearly every single problem i've ever had with my computer has always stemmed from a bad PSU, i'm happy to sink some money into a top quality one that can handle anything I throw at it.
 
Just to report in, my 850W Corsair PSU arrived yesterday and I hooked it all up no problem. Computer booted like a dream and has been running smoothly since. I think i'll stick to high-quality PSUs from now on!

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions guys
 
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