ATI X1950 Pro AGP Woes :(

[]EGG[]

Hi guys,

I probably already know the answer but just wanted to put the question out there in case anybody had any suggestions on how I could get my new video card working over the weekend.

Just bought a HIS X1950 Pro (AGP) video card and connected it all up to my existing system last night and used the included PCI-Express - 2 molex plug adapter to power it up using the only 2 free molex plugs I had free on my PSU.

Basically the problem is my PC starts up fine and looks great but after a minute of running a game or say run a benchmark within Windows my PC always shuts itself down and I have to leave it a few minutes before I'm able to restart the PC as there is no response from the power button etc.

Now I'm assuming this is a problem with my PSU not being powerful enough, it's a Jeantech 500W that I bought from PC World a few years ago and from memory it only has 1 12v rail and not 2 or 3 like the modern PSU's have.

I'm hoping to order the Corsair 520w as a replacment (in the hope that my curent PSU is the cause of the problem) but as this won't arrive until some time next week I just wanted to ask if anyone had any ideas on what I could try over the weekend to see if I could get it working as it's painful not being able to use my new toy

Do you think it would help if I disconnected all my hard drives bar the primary one with the OS on and all the USB connetions bar the mouse/keyboard etc? (I've got 4 internal hard drives, 1 external hard drive, 1 DVD-RW and about 8 USB devices on the go)

Thanks for reading my enquiry, would appreciate hearing back from you if you have any pearls of wisdom on anything that you think is worth trying so I can attempt to get some gaming in over the weekend as I really want to see my new video card in action!

P.S. If my PC keeps shutting itself down when I attempt any changes, is this doing my PC or components any serious harm?

Cheers

Gaz
]EGG[

[slypie]

you could try what you've just suggested by plugging in just one Hard Drive with your OS on and removing all your USB device leaving only mouse and keyboard. From what your saying it does sound like your PSU is not powerfull enough as these cards need some joice to run and your running a lot of hardware on your system with all them hard drives and DVD and USB devices. I don't think an extra 20w over your old PSU will be enough you may have to go for something around the 600-650W area to get the juice you need to power your rig.

and yes a PC shutting down all the time certainly doesn't do it any good.

[this_is_gav]

It's either the PSU or something overheating, possibly the graphics card's heatsink not being on fully. My finger's pointing squarely at the PSU given the spec of it and what you're asking it to do.

[Queelis]

Get rid of some of the USB devices you don't need, like the cup heater and the fan to keep you cool

[]EGG[]

Thanks for the tips guys, think I'll have a fiddle about with the PSU cables and see if it does the same with the minimum amount of components connected!

I was amazed at discovering how many USB devices I actually had connected tbh, 2 external HDD's, mouse, keyboard, PDA, Joypad, Printer and USB hub to Dell monitor - 8 in all!

I had been told the 520W Corsair should be ample for what I need on a different thread in the Corsair section as it has 3 separate 12v rails as oppossed to the single one on my current PSU which is 500w (Peak) if that makes a difference?

Don't really want to spend an extra £30 on getting the 620W version either :/

[Ciber]

A good 500w PSU should be fine. Cheap ones oftem make false claims about their power output.

[Pob255]

My guess is that the problem lies in that Jeantech PSU, some of there newer PSU's are ok, not great but ok, a 520w corsair will be fine.

PS is it this one? http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/sto...244&tabIndex=1

If so look at the sticky on the side and give us the numbers.
Also look up the true manufactor here http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/370

[]EGG[]

Thanks for the reply Pob255, my PSU is about 4 years old so a slightly older version of that one you posted a link to in the fact that mine doesn't have SATA, 24 pin power or a PCI-E connectors on it, just the plain old molex plugs.

I've had a look at the sticker on the side and this is what it says:

+5v = 40a
+3.3v = 30a
+12v = 18a
-5v = 0.3a
-12v = 0.8a
+5vsb = 2a

Since I bought the video card I've heard all this talk about manufacturers stating that it's best to have 30a on the 12v rail to ensure the video card runs as intended, this has caused me some confusion as most PSU's seem to have their 12v rail split across 2 or 3 rails these days and I haven't seen any that list 30+ amps on an individual rail!

Just a bit annoyed at having spent £120 on what I thought was going to be my last ever purchase for my AGP based system and now discovering that I need to shell out another £70 on a PSU to run it

I guess I can use the Corsair 520w on my next system anyway eh!

Cheers for all your tips!

Gaz

[Pob255]

Ouch, yep it's that PSU, shame really because the 3.3v and 5v rails are good from thoes numbers, but graphics card pull heavly from 12v now.

the 30a on the 12v and seperate rails is a bit confuseing, again this is one of thoes issues where on a cheap PSU the rail are not so seperate
I think 30a is for the x1950XT not x1950pro which is a bit lower if I remember correctly.
The coursair 520w will have not problems at all.

Triple 12V Rails provide independent reliable power to the CPU, video card and other components with a combined rating of 50A (40A on 520W) maximum! Advanced circuitry design that automatically enables power sharing between the triple +12V rails in an event of overload on any single +12V rail.

40a combined it'll be fine.

And should last a few years so if you upgrade to a core2duo and 8800gts in the future it should still cut it.

[]EGG[]

cheers Pobster, you've put my mind at rest mate, I'lll be getting the Corsair asap as I'm getting really impatient as I want to play a game!!

[Bhazza]

Hey!

I thought rather than make a new thread I'd bump this one. I'm also having a problem with an X1950Pro and have been wondering whether it is PSU related. It's not exactly the same as Egg's problem so I wanted a few opinions before I shelled out on a new PSU.

I've replaced my X850XT with a X1950Pro (AGP). The computer boots up fine but when it reaches the desktop it's running in 640x480 on 4 bit colour - which looks beautiful on my WFP2407 ;-) It initially detects the card as an X1950Pro but there seems to be a problem with the driver (installed from the CD). I'm afraidI can't remember the specific Catalyst error message and I'm at work, if need be I can put it on later. Anyway, no matter what I do I can't get it out of 640x480 4 bit. When I stuck my X850XT back and, though it also initially ran at 640x480 4 bit, after a driver install and a restart it was back to 1920x1200.

So, my question is; Is it more likely to be a driver issue, with the previous X850XT driver causing the new X1950pro problems, in which case I'd just format or something. Or could it be my power supply? The power supply is a few years old but is an Antec Trueblue 480W and has always been very stable. It also has an apparent power of 22A (max) on the 12V+ according to the sticker on the side. I know this is much less than the 30A quoted on the Powercolor X1950Pro box, but I've read elsewhere this isn't really required. (also, the Corsair 520W that has been recommended is spec'd at 18A each for the 3 12V lines).

I've tried disconnecting my two optical drives but there is also 2 Sata drives running in Raid 0 on the 12V, and maybe a floppy? What're people's thoughts ;-) Thanks!

[Tetras]

If you haven't try a driver from the ATI site instead.

Depends on the rest of your system but that Antec should be ok with an X1950 Pro.

[Bhazza]

I've updated my system in my profile, just incase that helps ;-)

[Smudger]

I had the same problem when I installed my x1950. I went into Device Manager, hit reinstall driver, and it was all ok. Alternatively, you could go to the ATI website and download the newest driver, just the driver on its own, not the Catalyst Control Centre one.

[Bhazza]

I tried getting the driver from the site but IE crashed because of some flash problem. I figured it was down to the graphics card not working properly. I was too tired last night, but I'll try getting the driver from the ATI site before I swap the graphics cards out to see if that works.

[cptwhite_uk]

put the x850 in and get it working then,

• use the uninstall all ATI entry from add/remove programs, uninstall
• use the catalyst removal tool from Guru3D downloads, run to ensure drivers are fully removed
• download the catalyst drivers from ati/amd website (drivers only, not catalyst control centre)
• power down, replace cards
• power up, install the new drivers you just downloaded
• reboot