Gigabyte 7950 black screen, PC won't boot

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DoneWithDell

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Sep 10, 2013
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10,510
NOTE: I posted this before becoming a member and it appears it didn't post. Forgive me if it ended up being a double post.

Hello,

I have read through a million threads here and finally decided I had to ask. I purchased a Gigabyte 7950 to put in my Dell XPS 8300. I also purchased a Corsair 600w power supply.

I installed both without much trouble (well, some trouble -- those cases are TIGHT). Got everything running. All 3 fans on the new graphic card were spinning. But nothing came on the screen. Nothing.

And the computer itself never booted. If I finally hit the power button it shut off IMMEDIATELY.

I have gathered from reading other threads here that Dell didn't continue supporting the 8300 with bios updates and this can be a problem. Is there any way around this or any solutions or should I return the card while I still have time (only 1 more week before it cannot be returned)?

It's a 15% restocking fee, so I'd rather keep the card than return it. But if things are impossible, they are impossible.

I would like to check if the card works on another computer, but I do not have another computer that is compatible with the card.

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions and for not making fun of me for buying a Dell. I realize I made a mistake 2 years ago buying that brand and will not be making that mistake ever again.
 
Solution
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Basiaclly, UEFI can give you basic support and diagnostics. The old Dell motherboards have old BIOS which is hard to use and diagnose.

And yes, I would try to install the drivers with the card removed. Then, put the card back in.
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DoneWithDell

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Sep 10, 2013
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10,510


I am not sure of the BIOS and cannot check as the computer is 2 hours away at my brother's who thought he could fix the whole thing in "a minute" and ended up in the same place I did. I could get the newest version of the BIOS for my computer which is AO6. If I do not already have that version, would it be wise to get it from Dell?

Nothing is obstructing the fans. I was actually really happy with the amount of space they had beneath them after install.

I have 8GB of RAM.

You went a little above my head with the "UEFI" comment.

Thanks for your response!

EDIT: I have another question I meant to ask in the initial post: Once I get the computer back and have the old video card in would it be okay to add the drivers for the Gigabyte card and then install that card again? Or would that mess things up with the old card? Would drivers even matter when the computer itself won't even boot once the Gigabyte card is installed? Is there a similar card that is known to work with the Dell XPS 8300? How far in over my head am I here? ;-)


 
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cars12345

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Sep 5, 2013
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Basiaclly, UEFI can give you basic support and diagnostics. The old Dell motherboards have old BIOS which is hard to use and diagnose.

And yes, I would try to install the drivers with the card removed. Then, put the card back in.
 
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Solution
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DoneWithDell

Honorable
Sep 10, 2013
6
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10,510


Thanks for the response and suggestion.

Do you have anything else that may help? If I add all the drivers from the disc with the old graphic card and then uninstall and install new graphic card and still get a black screen, is there a next step, other than to return the card?

I've never messed with bios in a PC before, so am new to this. When I bought the card I was told that as long as my PC fit the requirements (the power supply was low, which is why I upgraded that) and the card fit the slot it would be a simple "plug-and-play" and, to be honest, I bought that. So now I'm a little lost. I'll install the drivers when I get the PC back Friday and I'll make sure I have the most recent (which is still 2 years old) bios. I worry a little that I'll just screw things up worse, but I'll see where it goes.

Thanks again.
 
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DoneWithDell

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Sep 10, 2013
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10,510
Anyone else agree or disagree with adding drivers for a card that doesn't even get to a bios or boot screen? The instructions that came with the new card say to install the card, boot up the machine and then add the drivers when it's up and running. Any suggestions regarding any of this (or things I haven't even thought of myself) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Seriously, ANY ideas. Or, if anyone knows this card DOESN'T work with this mobo, let me know.
 
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