Geforce 7800GT - no picture at all

Hi all,

I've had a Geforce 7800GT PCI-E card for around 1 year, and it has always worked perfectly. However, today I started to have problems (I haven't made any changes to my PC's hardware setup).

Here are the symptoms/things I have tried:

• I am experiencing an issue in which I do not receive ANY picture from my graphics card (the monitor says that no signal is detected).

• The issue is somewhat intermittent. Out of 50 attempts to boot my pc, one attempt did yield success and I was able to get a perfect picture from boot all the way into Vista. The moment I rebooted, I again received no picture...

• I've checked to make sure the graphics card is not loose, and that the power cables are correctly connected + the graphics card fan is going around

• I've removed the battery from my motherboard, to reset the cmos.

• I've removed all non-essential cards/hardware from my pc (i.e. disconnect dvd drives, took out sound card, extra hard drives, etc)

• I've tested my monitor with another computer, and it works fine

• I've used remote desktop to connect to the machine after it's booted...and I can connect succesfully, the only problem is that I get no display on my monitor.

• I do not receive any beeps on boot (i.e. the mobo POSTs fine)

So my question is...does anyone have any ideas what the most likely problem could be? I'm guessing either my graphics card is dead, or my mobo has a problem....but i'm not sure which is most likely. The fact that I do get a display ocassionally (about once every 50 attempts at booting the machine) might indicate that the graphics card is ok?

Thanks,
Dave

Unfortunately, this is the only PCI-E card that I have (my other machines have AGP).

Sadly my friends aren't PC gamers, and they don't have PCI-E in their machines...

Given the previous replies, and I correct in thinking that you guys suspect the graphics card over the motherboard to be at fault for this issue?

Thanks Hok, this is useful info.

I also suspect that it's the gfx card...because the machine boots up fine into Vista (I can hear the WIndows start-up sounds etc) I just get no picture on my monitor (at any stage from the moment I turn the pc on). I figure that if the motherboard was bad, I would be seeing other issues too.

I have ordered the cheapest PCI-E card I could find, and when it arrives (thursday probably) I will test it and see if I can get a picture with it. This will hopefully help confirm 100% that it's the gfx card...and I can then invest in a better PCI-E card (I didn't want to splash out on a good gfx card straight away, only to find that the mobo was at fault!).

I will let you know what happens...

OK, I've ordered a replacement motherboard now (arriving Monday) - but in the meantime there has been a very interesting development...

I have another PC which is connected to the same powerstrip. Throughout all of these problems with my main PC, the second PC has worked fine...until this morning. I turned the spare PC on and I heard a loud "pop" sound, after which the PC would not turn on anymore. The motherboard light was on, but pushing the power-on button on the front of the PC showed me no signs of life. Luckily I had a spare PSU, so I swopped the PSU out and now the PC works 100% fine again.

So my question is....could this just be a coincidence (two PC's having big issues within the same week) or do you think this may also be the root of my initial PC problems (i.e. bad powerstrip?). I am starting to think that maybe I am getting power surges and the powerstrip that both of those PC's were connected to is not adequately protecting them. Admitedly the second PC's problems was easier to diagnose due to the loud "pop" noise and no signs of power....but my first PC still has the issue where it turns on fine, but I receive no picture on my monitor.

Is it possible that the PSU in my first computer was damaged in a similar way, but not quite so badly (i.e. not to the extent where the PC won't turn on...but in way that causes not enough power to the gfx card?)

So you do hear it load into Vista? I bet the first PSU went and took out the pci slot. I wouldnt use that power strip any more. Running two computers on the same power strip is pretty risky. Hopefully your house doesnt burn down.

disconnect everyting but the hard drive does it work?
reconnect one at a time!

could be the hdd

Maybe one of the pins in your MOBO gpu slot was dirty or had a bent pin/wire? Dust bunnies like to hide in those slots!