I've just built my first system, and it works fine… until you plug in a graphics card (I can boot into Windows 7 easily using the onboard graphics).
I've tested it with two separate cards now, and I still haven't had any luck.
With a graphics card installed, I briefly see the POST screen, then one of three things happens: Either the screen goes completely black and the computer idles, I get a cursor in the top left corner that does nothing, or a vertical line of capital "D"s is printed down the left side of the screen. I can access the BIOS before this, but if I try to go into any of the menus it freezes and I have to hold down the power button to restart.
It only beeps once when I turn it on, which apparently means everything is fine.
I disabled the onboard graphics before installing the card, but still had no luck.
The motherboard is used (it's a hand me down from my brother), but I know it works fine since I can boot into windows using the onboard graphics, and he was using it with a graphics card as recently as a week ago (he's out of the country, so asking him if he ever had problems isn't an option).
System information:
- Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-UD4H motherboard
- Sapphire Radeon 5670 512MB GDDR5
- 2Gigs DDR2 ram Athlon II x2 3.0GHz
- 430-Watt Antec Basiq power supply (meets the graphics card requirements)
- Windows 7 Home
I really hope someone can help.
Best Answer
I believe your problem is with the power supply. According to Antec's website the maximum rated output is 360W. And since that card doesn't have an external power connector it is pulling from the same rail as the motherboard.
If you want to test this theory purchase a better power supply from a retailer that will allow you to return it if doesn't meet your needs.
I would suggest using a power supply certified by AMD.