Old AMD Radeon HD 6950 beeps loud

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
Hello,

After searching for a bit and ruling out it's my motherboard, I come to believe my graphics card is done for. When i hit the power button, there is a very very loud ongoing beeping sound.

When i remove the card the system just starts up without any noise, but when i put the card in, both my motherboard and graphics card start beeping.

Now, i've always has issues with this card, just not like this. So right now i very much believe it's completely broken. Anyone can confirm? or have other ideas what the issue might be?
 
Solution
The CS650M should be fine.

About the R9 380, I have seen that also. Not sure what is going on there. I would say my R9 280 was a great card, but the R9 380 is actually a R9 285 that has been rebranded. Honestly I cannot say one way or the other what the cause of those issues are. Honestly the chances of getting a bad card is low. If you buy from a good retailer, you can always RMA it if it doesn't work.

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
I'm glad you asked!

From day 1 to 4 years later the same thing continued to happen. More often while gaming, but not only while gaming, it actually happened while doing other stuff as well like browsing the internet.. watching movies.. just anything.
This was completely random and i've never been able to pinpoint the cause. but as i said it was most noticable while gaming.

what happened was: it shutdown.. no warning nothing. and this was completely random.. sometimes i could game for days even a week, and sometimes it just shutdown 5 minutes or even while starting the game. and sometimes after it shutdown, it would shutdown again during boot.

At first i thought it had to do with the temperature (the temperatures where high but never really in a "red" zone. Nevertheless i decided to but new cooling, new fans, no matter how much i cooled it, it kept happening.

last year i got so tired of it that i just unplugged my computer, put it in a closet and used my laptop for everything.
Now i pulled out my computer again, just to find out it will not start at all now.

Edit: i bought everything new back then, nothing "used" and as said, this started from day 1. This led me to believe it might've been a faulty graphics card.
 

SkyMembrane

Honorable
Dec 23, 2015
449
0
11,160
Did you take any precautions before booting it up after that long of a break? Condensation could've formed inside the case and on the components, possibly short-circuiting the GPU. It might've been faulty from the start, and the recent events finished it off. It is recommended to dry the inside of the case after a mid to long period of inactivity.
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
I did not take any precautions no, that being said, my room is very dry so i'm not sure (not ruling out the possibility you are right though).

So.. Does it mean my gpu is done for?
 

SkyMembrane

Honorable
Dec 23, 2015
449
0
11,160


I wouldn't say that so soon. If you can, try it in a different compatible computer that you know works, and see what kind of results it gets. If you or a friend has what it takes, it could either confirm that the GPU is dead or point you towards another problem.
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
I don't have any systems standing around here right now. perhaps i should bring in my card tomorrow in the store and ask them to test it. might cost a little bt but atleast i'll know.
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
Hm..just to make sure. the AMD Radeon HD 6950 requires 2 6-pin connectors from the PSU. What i did notice is that the second 6-pin connector only has 5 pins in it. Is that normal?
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
Thing is, my PSU only had one 6 pin, i actually had to buy one of those things that converts 2 of those 4-pin things into 1 6-pin. hope you understand what i mean. that 6 pin only has 5 pins in it

Edit:

I took some pictures:

the 2 6-pins in the card
Picture%202_zpswmgnpbmc.jpg


The 1 6-pins with only 5 pins inside
Picture%204_zpscmoyd5cf.jpg


the 2 4-pin things from the converter piece.
Picture%205_zpsxijlvauq.jpg



Sorry for the bad picture quality, hope you can see it.
 

Johnneh22

Reputable
Feb 1, 2016
17
0
4,510
Defniatly Your PSU.. When u dont put any cables in your GPU and put on your pc you will get the beep...

Always check what cables are Ground (black) and what gives the power..

u should buy a new psu.. with just 2x 6 pins or 2x 8 pins with 2 separate pins u can take away..

Normally a PSU gives like 150 watts true every PCI-e Cable.. so u need 2 of those.. You cant force the PSU get 2 or 300 watts from just one PCI-e cable..

Good luck !
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
So, after standing still for a good long night, the situation has changed though not necessarily improved. It does not beep anymore, now it boots up but it gets stuck with the bios error code 2A.

In the manual it says: "Initializes different devices through DIM."

Now the thing is (and forgive me for my bad english for this explenation because i am not english) I noticed my Graphics card is not straight as in, it is in the PCI-e slot in one end, and on the other end it hangs down more (weight physics). what i did before boot is slightly, very slightly tilt it up and then boot the system, it got past 2A and got stuck on 37 which says "Displaying sign-on message, CPU information, setup key message, and any OEM specific information".

To make up for my terrible explenation i added a picture and hope you see what i mean.
Picture%206_zpsj0k6cehx.jpg
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630


Yes, i did a quick searchup for my PSU today and i got a pretty low quality one it seems (downside to letting someone else build your computer for you and choose the parts),

So i'm definitely going to order a new PSU (probably). now i just need to know if my gpu is broken aswell so i know i need to order that one too.

As thats being said i have a little side question
https://www.alternate.co.uk/Corsair/CS550M/html/product/1110525?event=search

Is that a decent PSU to order along with it? "kind of budget managing here since i want a somewhat decent gpu"
the gpu i want to order (if my current one is borken) is:
https://www.alternate.co.uk/html/product/information/pageBuilder.html?articleId=1208552&kind=pcBuilder&className=graphicscardPCIe

Or will i need more Watts for this gpu?
 
It should work. 500w is the minimum for your current GPU, 550w is the absolute minimum for the R9 380 (decent card though). Keep in mind that skimping on the PSU is what likely got you into this situation to begin with, although not really your fault if it was built by someone else.

I recommend just getting the PSU first to make sure your old one didn't fry other components as well when it died.

I am getting information from this thread: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

That PSU is a 'tier three'. It is acceptable but since it almost exactly what is needed, don't try to overclock to be on the safe side.
 

Johnneh22

Reputable
Feb 1, 2016
17
0
4,510
Yeah.. u missing 1 pin in the six.. thats a problem.. something wont get power then.. Your card is probably just fine..
Just check my post above and get a new psu :) and have a good look if the modulair cables have 2x 6 pin
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630


So in the store they were kind enough to test my gpu, and appearently it does not work, it seems to be bend somewhere.
Not that i mind that too much as my gpu was in need of an upgrade anyway, but the timing is considerably bad due to budget limitations, and ill be getting small jobs next week that i wouldve liked a working desktop for, since i'm kind of pushing my laptop to its limits with these jobs and it will be way more comfortable with my desktop.

That side info being put back aside, Do you believe perhaps i should get a CS650M PSU to be on the safe site?
I'm not sure how the power distribution and stuff exactly works but the one i showed was a 550 Watt PSU and you 550W is the absolute minimum for the R9 380. Do my motherboard, cpu, etc not require power as well? will that not bring me over the minimum i need? I hope my question is somewhat clear.(Still new to the custom pc buildig and stuff, trying to work my way into understanding everything).

As for the overclocking, right now i do not own a cpu that can be overclocked or a mobo that allows overclocking (will come after a steady income) so overclocking is quite pointless for me at this point. right now i need a working desktop that can handle image and video processing/rendering/editing (while having the luxery to game aswell).

 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630


The shop owner that sold me that 2x4-pin to 6-pin convertor told me "You dont need all of the 6 pins in that, it will work perfectly without"
Guess i got screwed there huh ;D




As stated, i'm not very knownledgable about PSU's and stuff, Im very confused about the 80 PLUS bronze and 80 PLUS gold (thought gold was better) i don't know what it means. I can see yours has 50 more wattage, but being 80 PLUS bronze, doesn't it mean its less good or something... i'm a derp


Well i still got 5 hours to make up my mind and place my order to get my stuff tomorrow.


Edit: This post was meant to ask you to clarify to me why your psu would be better, to help me understand and learn from it
 


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Look at that list. The CX series while it *might* provide more wattage is a low tier and potentially dangerous to your system. The only thing that is better about it is the price, and it is cheaper for a reason.
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
Alright, one more go at this, i want to draw my conclusion and make my decision with the reply to this post, i'm going to push it up to the limits of my budget.

If i make the choice between the one i found earlier CS650M
https://www.alternate.co.uk/Corsair/CS650M/html/product/1110527?event=search

or one of these two (please help me finding out which of the two is better and why, i want to determine if the price difference is worth it)
RM650
https://www.alternate.co.uk/Corsair/RM650/html/product/1092970?event=search

RM650i
https://www.alternate.co.uk/Corsair/RM650i/html/product/1208772?event=search


If i make my choice between the CS650M and (RM650 or RM650i, whichever is best), How big is the difference between CS650M and RM650(i), does it have a far more superior prestation, is it a lot more safer to my other components?
Or do you perhaps suggest another PSU with the same pricing?

I think after this i can make my final decision about what i'm going to order

(sidenote, i do not use the currency used in those links, i merely made the UK links for English translation for you guys. in my currency the RM650 is almost twice the price of the CS650M)


Edit: I know this topic was a pain for you guys, or i think it was. It definitely was for me but right now it's also kind of important to me and i thank you guys sincerely for sticking with me and help me through my poor decision making as i'm only starting to get into custom building/upgrading. I very much appreciated the time you guys spend on this and the many things i have learned from this!
 

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630
Edit 2: I just saw a ton of threads with people complaining abut the R9 380... It's starting to worry me, should i be worried?
Will it even fit in my (for now) Asrock x58 Extreme? I'm getting so nervous now ;c (with fit i mean... will it even support the gpu)
 
The CS650M should be fine.

About the R9 380, I have seen that also. Not sure what is going on there. I would say my R9 280 was a great card, but the R9 380 is actually a R9 285 that has been rebranded. Honestly I cannot say one way or the other what the cause of those issues are. Honestly the chances of getting a bad card is low. If you buy from a good retailer, you can always RMA it if it doesn't work.
 
Solution

FluffyMoose

Reputable
Feb 4, 2016
57
0
4,630


Thank you for the reply! though i still want to know if the RM650 is better or not and how much (it is right on the limit if the budget i can spend on this for now)