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Black screen after installing graphics card??? (im a noob at hardware)

Tags:
  • Computers
  • BIOS
  • Motherboards
  • Graphics
  • Graphics Cards
  • Gateway
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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March 26, 2014 7:38:20 PM

I bought a new Gateway SX2110G-UW23 and I was hoping to install a XFX ONE AMD Radeon graphics card (but I don't know the model and it doesn't say any model number on the box) instead of using the integrated AMD Radeon graphics. So I put the card in and launched the computer. It launched perfectly, so I inserted the driver installation disc and during the installation it said "WARNING: Screen may flicker or go blank during installation", a few seconds later the screen turned black and nothing happened for the next few hours. I knew that something was wrong so I turned off the computer using the power button (I didn't force shutdown). I started up the computer again with the graphics card still in and the screen stayed black and I heard a beep. I removed the graphics card and the computer works perfectly, so I thought it could be a corrupt driver, so I uninstalled it. I restarted my computer and it still gave me a black screen. I saw many threads and videos but nothing worked, my driver installation disc detected my card but not device manager! People said to disable my integrated graphics while in safe-mode and then insert the card but when I restarted my computer it STILL gave me a black screen. According to the specs of the graphics card on the website and the box my computer should be totally compatible with my system. My system would only boot when there was no graphics card in it. If I plugged the card in while the computer was running the computer wouldn't detect it.

More about : black screen installing graphics card noob hardware

a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
March 26, 2014 7:41:36 PM

Don't install from the CD. Go to AMD's website and install the latest one there. Maybe that will fix the issue.
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March 26, 2014 8:08:14 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
Don't install from the CD. Go to AMD's website and install the latest one there. Maybe that will fix the issue.


I installed the most current drive although it still only has a black screen :( 
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a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
March 26, 2014 8:09:52 PM

Okay, so make sure you have enough power to run the card. What PSU do you have?
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March 26, 2014 8:24:39 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
Okay, so make sure you have enough power to run the card. What PSU do you have?


Like I said its ran before but its not working now, my PSU is a LITEON PS-5221-9, the letters are all scrambled together, very small and not very organized but I think it says DC OUTPUT +5 V ==== 14A MAX although I can't find the wattage. I do see AC INPUT: 100-127/ 220-240V. It has a small bronze sticker that says "80 Plus Bronze". I'm sorry, I don't know anything about PSUs.

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a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
March 26, 2014 8:31:36 PM

computerwiz2531 said:
DonQuixoteMC said:
Okay, so make sure you have enough power to run the card. What PSU do you have?


Like I said its ran before but its not working now, my PSU is a LITEON PS-5221-9, the letters are all scrambled together, very small and not very organized but I think it says DC OUTPUT +5 V ==== 14A MAX although I can't find the wattage. I do see AC INPUT: 100-127/ 220-240V. It has a small bronze sticker that says "80 Plus Bronze". I'm sorry, I don't know anything about PSUs.


You ran it before, but that was before drivers were installed. Before driver installation, it will be running at a very limited capacity. When you installed the drivers, it started to draw full power, but had no way of getting it. That Liteon is NOT a PSU you should be using with a graphics card. You should get a new one ASAP. Until then, don't try to use your GPU with that PSU. Too much risk.

I probably should also ask, what's the exact GPU you're trying to use?
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March 26, 2014 8:39:13 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
computerwiz2531 said:
DonQuixoteMC said:
Okay, so make sure you have enough power to run the card. What PSU do you have?


Like I said its ran before but its not working now, my PSU is a LITEON PS-5221-9, the letters are all scrambled together, very small and not very organized but I think it says DC OUTPUT +5 V ==== 14A MAX although I can't find the wattage. I do see AC INPUT: 100-127/ 220-240V. It has a small bronze sticker that says "80 Plus Bronze". I'm sorry, I don't know anything about PSUs.


You ran it before, but that was before drivers were installed. Before driver installation, it will be running at a very limited capacity. When you installed the drivers, it started to draw full power, but had no way of getting it. That Liteon is NOT a PSU you should be using with a graphics card. You should get a new one ASAP. Until then, don't try to use your GPU with that PSU. Too much risk.

I probably should also ask, what's the exact GPU you're trying to use?


Thanks for the info on that PSU, ill get a new one as soon as I can, I'm a total noob at hardware and so far haven't caught on to the abbreviations yet, so what I'm trying to say is... GPU??? Sorry about all this I don't know much... at all with this. According to all the threads and videos Ive seen, installing a graphics card is a piece of cake, but apparently not. I'm still learning the ways of the inside of a computer.

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a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
March 26, 2014 8:44:47 PM

computerwiz2531 said:

Thanks for the info on that PSU, ill get a new one as soon as I can, I'm a total noob at hardware and so far haven't caught on to the abbreviations yet, so what I'm trying to say is... GPU??? Sorry about all this I don't know much... at all with this. According to all the threads and videos Ive seen, installing a graphics card is a piece of cake, but apparently not. I'm still learning the ways of the inside of a computer.

Sorry about that! Bad habit assuming people know what GPU stands for :p  It's just a niche abbreviation that stands for Graphics Processing Unit, or Graphics Card. :) 

So, let me try that again. What graphics card did you buy?

Also, I can help you pick out a better powersupply for your needs. Could you let me know what case/computer you have and what your approximate budget it?

We'll get this sorted out!
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March 26, 2014 8:52:37 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
computerwiz2531 said:

Thanks for the info on that PSU, ill get a new one as soon as I can, I'm a total noob at hardware and so far haven't caught on to the abbreviations yet, so what I'm trying to say is... GPU??? Sorry about all this I don't know much... at all with this. According to all the threads and videos Ive seen, installing a graphics card is a piece of cake, but apparently not. I'm still learning the ways of the inside of a computer.

Sorry about that! Bad habit assuming people know what GPU stands for :p  It's just a niche abbreviation that stands for Graphics Processing Unit, or Graphics Card. :) 

So, let me try that again. What graphics card did you buy?

Also, I can help you pick out a better powersupply for your needs. Could you let me know what case/computer you have and what your approximate budget it?

We'll get this sorted out!


Ok, the graphics card box has no model or ID number but, I was lucky enough to find it in my history, its a XFX ONE R-Series Radeon HD 5450 ON-XFX1-PLS2 here is the link that I bought it from http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/ite... . The case that I'm using is very small and surprisingly the video card fit. If I'm correct its a Mini ATX??? Here is the link for the computer http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-Black-SX2110G-UW23-De...

EDIT: I have to go but I will be back on later.

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a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
March 26, 2014 9:34:55 PM

Well, the new card isn't exactly a power hog. I still think the PSU might be the culprit. I'll look for a decent replacement power supply (PSU).
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March 27, 2014 11:15:34 AM

DonQuixoteMC said:
Well, the new card isn't exactly a power hog. I still think the PSU might be the culprit. I'll look for a decent replacement power supply (PSU).


Ok, ill keep that in mind, unfortanatelly I'm totally out of cash. If you find a good cheap PSU you can give me the link, another thing that I don't know how much watts I need. I don't have to grpahics card box with me now but I think that I need 400 or 440 watts to run the graphics card, I will need to check later.

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a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
March 27, 2014 11:20:57 AM

computerwiz2531 said:
DonQuixoteMC said:
Well, the new card isn't exactly a power hog. I still think the PSU might be the culprit. I'll look for a decent replacement power supply (PSU).


Ok, ill keep that in mind, unfortanatelly I'm totally out of cash. If you find a good cheap PSU you can give me the link, another thing that I don't know how much watts I need. I don't have to grpahics card box with me now but I think that I need 400 or 440 watts to run the graphics card, I will need to check later.


The recommended Wattage is 400W. You probably won't need that much, but it can't hurt. I'm afraid that your PSU isn't supplying the stated 220W, and that this is causing your problem. I'll get back to you with a suggestion later today.
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March 27, 2014 12:42:50 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
computerwiz2531 said:
DonQuixoteMC said:
Well, the new card isn't exactly a power hog. I still think the PSU might be the culprit. I'll look for a decent replacement power supply (PSU).


Ok, ill keep that in mind, unfortanatelly I'm totally out of cash. If you find a good cheap PSU you can give me the link, another thing that I don't know how much watts I need. I don't have to grpahics card box with me now but I think that I need 400 or 440 watts to run the graphics card, I will need to check later.


The recommended Wattage is 400W. You probably won't need that much, but it can't hurt. I'm afraid that your PSU isn't supplying the stated 220W, and that this is causing your problem. I'll get back to you with a suggestion later today.


Ok thanks, I really want this card in so I can play my new games, even though the card isn't that good, its better that what I have right now :)  Although the strange thing is when I felt the card (while grounded) the heatsink felt hot, like its been on for a long time. There is one thing that I couldn't do that lots of videos and threads said, lots of them say to change the BIOS intergrated graphics controller off, although the option is greyed out, and I cann't view the screen at all with the card in.

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Best solution

a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
March 27, 2014 1:15:44 PM

computerwiz2531 said:

Ok thanks, I really want this card in so I can play my new games, even though the card isn't that good, its better that what I have right now :)  Although the strange thing is when I felt the card (while grounded) the heatsink felt hot, like its been on for a long time. There is one thing that I couldn't do that lots of videos and threads said, lots of them say to change the BIOS intergrated graphics controller off, although the option is greyed out, and I cann't view the screen at all with the card in.

Hmm. Well I can't say conclusively that it's the PSU, it just seems like it might be. You said you don't have the option to switch the graphics adapter to the graphics card in BIOS?

I'll try to look into this.

IN the meantime, let's start with basic stuff we can test right now.
1) Did you plug the monitor's cable into the graphics card (instead of the normal spot that attaches to the motherboard)
2) Are you able to try the card in a different computer?
3) Do you have any other graphics cards lying around that you could try? :p 
4) Double check to see if you have the right drivers. Try older drivers as well.
5) Check BIOS again for an option to change the graphics adapter to PCI-E or something like that.

I'll get back to you with whatever I find.
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March 27, 2014 2:52:42 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
computerwiz2531 said:

Ok thanks, I really want this card in so I can play my new games, even though the card isn't that good, its better that what I have right now :)  Although the strange thing is when I felt the card (while grounded) the heatsink felt hot, like its been on for a long time. There is one thing that I couldn't do that lots of videos and threads said, lots of them say to change the BIOS intergrated graphics controller off, although the option is greyed out, and I cann't view the screen at all with the card in.

Hmm. Well I can't say conclusively that it's the PSU, it just seems like it might be. You said you don't have the option to switch the graphics adapter to the graphics card in BIOS?

I'll try to look into this.

IN the meantime, let's start with basic stuff we can test right now.
1) Did you plug the monitor's cable into the graphics card (instead of the normal spot that attaches to the motherboard)
2) Are you able to try the card in a different computer?
3) Do you have any other graphics cards lying around that you could try? :p 
4) Double check to see if you have the right drivers. Try older drivers as well.
5) Check BIOS again for an option to change the graphics adapter to PCI-E or something like that.

I'll get back to you with whatever I find.


1. Yes, when the screen stays black I switch the plug from the graphics card to the on-board and when that doesn't work I switch it around and it still doesn't work.
2. Unfortunately this is my first desktop.
3. I have another graphics card although it is not compatible at all.
4. Ive tried three different driver versions
5. Ill check and edit this post when I find it out

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April 3, 2014 10:57:47 AM

Did a new PSU fix the problem?
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April 15, 2014 7:20:00 PM

Well... thanks for all your help everyone, although I figured out the problem. It was my monitor resolution, so, a cousin let me borrow a monitor and I fixed the resolution
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a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
April 16, 2014 4:39:55 AM

computerwiz2531 said:
Well... thanks for all your help everyone, although I figured out the problem. It was my monitor resolution, so, a cousin let me borrow a monitor and I fixed the resolution


Glad it's all fixed! What a funny problem.
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