Problem(s) upgrading video card on Aurora

Question

I have a Aurora that I bought in 2008. Overall it's been a good computer, I've had very few problems with it. Recently my graphic cards have been making a lot of (fan) noise and as I play online games, I decided to upgrade my video card.

Here are my system spec's;

Processor: AMD® Phenom™ X4 9550 Quad Core 2.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache

Power Supply: 1000 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply (I did some checking and found that I have a 1000 watt Newton Power Supply Ref# NPS-1000AB B)

Graphics Processor: Dual 512MB GDDR3 ATI® Radeon® HD 4850 with CrossFire™ Technology

Video Optimizer: AlienAdrenaline v1.0: Video Performance Optimizer

Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 x 1024MB

Motherboard: AMD® M3A32-MVP Deluxe 790FX Motherboard

OS - Windows 7 Ultimate

I got a good deal on a SAPPHIRE HD5870 2GB GDDR5 (Eyefinity 6 Edition) And thought that I would be able to easily install it and end up with better graphics and more speed etc... Well first off this video card requires a 6 pin connector and a 8 pin connector to operate, my system only has 6 pin connectors. I ordered a 6 pin to 8 pin adapter cable from Newegg. Upon removing my old cards, and installing the HD5870 in the top blue PCI slot, I hooked the new card up, reassembled everything and hit power.... My screen remained black, the computer light (Alien Head) lit up and a single unbroken BEEEEEP began to sound (From the video card I think).

So I shut the computer down and played around with the connections and ensured that the card was seated in the slot etc.. But I still have the same original problem as noted above.

I'm really stumped as to why it's not working, I gave up and reinstalled my old 4850's and the computer restarted fine with no problems. Since then I have tried twice to reinstall the new card, but have had the same problem as I originally did above.

Can anyone give me some insight into what I'm doing wrong or why I'm having this problem? I can provide any additional details if it would help in diagnosing this problem.

Thanks!

SB

pizzutos · Answer

It sounds as in the graphics cards are not getting power. Have you tested the card in another system? can you remove the 8 to 6 pin adapter and try that. I have cards that need only 6 of the 8 pins that plugin fine. This should help determine where the issue might be.

Sincerely,

Nate

Swamp_Boggle · Answer

Well honestly I don't have another system that will run this card. What I'm thinking is that I might have another power supply that's between 600 - 900 watts (the recommended wattage for a HD5870), that I could hook up to the video card alone as it's plugged into my system, leaving my existing PS to power the other components, and test it that way.

Might this do the same thing in determining if the power supply is the cause of my problem? I have been trying to find out if a single beep is a indicator of a power issue, but haven't had much luck yet.

Thanks for the reply, this is really frustrating!

Tesla1856 · Answer

Just so future posters realize ... this appears to be a legacy AW system. But no problem ... just trouble-shoot it like any other computer.

Have you tested all the video card power connectors with a Power Supply tester? If you don't have one, you can check for 12 volts with a Voltmeter. Usually, the colored wires are +12v and the black wires are all Ground. I guess if the other 4xxx cards work (using the same cables/rails) , it's just a matter of checking the new adapter?

So, the PC is beeping and not booting up at all? Just want to make sure it's just "not outputting video" (like you are plugged into the wrong Port #1 or something) but other than that it is ok.

While rare, it's not unheard-of to get a DOA board. I agree with the other poster ... you need to try it in another machine (right about now).

My standard 5870 (DVI, DVI, DP, HDMI) from Dell only has two 6-pin power connectors.

I think "beep-codes" vary by motherboard. Consult your manual or start Googling.

Swamp_Boggle · Answer

Tesla, can you explain what a Legacy Alienware system is? I honestly don't know.

I'll try and locate a voltmeter to test my leads, but yes I am using the same leads on my old cards with the exception of the new adapter, I'll try and check that.

When I hit the power button, the screen remains blank, no flash, nothing. I hear the continuous Beeeep immediately after hitting the power button until I kill the computer by pressing, and holding the power button.

I've been trying to locate a beep code chart for my Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe board but have had no luck. Searching on Asus's site namely on this page - http://usa.asus.com/Search.aspx?SearchKey=M3A32%20MVP%20Beep%20code%20chart returns no results. This seems to be the case with other people trying to locate a beep chart for this mobo as seen here - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/267242-30-m3a32-deluxe-beep-codes . Likewise searching for "ASUS M3A32MVP beep codes" returns some misc pages but no actual information. My system came with minimum information and no hardware manuals, I was able to locate a manual for my mobo online, but it does not mention beep codes.

I have a few other systems in storage, I plan to check those and see if any of them can handle the HD5870 so that I can test it in another computer, hopefully I'll be able to do that this evening.

Tesla1856 · Answer

I've been trying to locate a beep code chart for my Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe board but have had no luck.

The main page is here:
http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=ESv3v4AmCdP1GdRp

Under Downloads/Manuals, get:
Motherboard Installation Guide (Multiple Languages) Version Q4204
- Beep codes are described here (it's a series ... listen closely)

M3A32-MVP DELUXE Series user’s manual(English) Version E3455

Also, be sure you have the latest BIOS. Upgrade BIOS from outside Windows if you can.

Tesla1856 · Answer

Tesla, can you explain what a Legacy Alienware system is? I honestly don't know.

An AW system built before the Dell take-over. For the desktops, the first machines were released on Windows-7 Retail Release Day ... 4th quarter 2009. Also, yours being AMD processor based is a clue. The first Dell-AW desktop systems (Aurora and Area-51) were Intel chipset and Intel i5/i7 processor based.

pizzutos · Answer

Single beep is usually video possibly not enough power, or not seated all the way.

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Problem(s) upgrading video card on Aurora

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