XFX 8800 GTS XXX 320 Black Screen

[dubutef]

Hi all,
My name is Remy, I am a first time computer builder.
I have been researching a good computer build for the last week and a half.
I settled with a with my current video card based on reviews I read on this forum and the reviews from Newegg.
This is the setup I went with:

ASUS CROSSHAIR AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard ///
XFX PVT80GGHD4 GeForce 8800GTS XXX 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card ///
Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive ///
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADX6400CZWOF ///
Rosewill RCX-Z3 92mm Ball CPU Cooler ///
Logitech MX518 2-Tone 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB + PS/2 Wired Optical Gaming-Grade Mouse ///
Logitech G15 2-Tone USB Wired Standard Keyboard ///
Pioneer 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DVR-112D ///
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKA1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Real Power Pro 550W Power Supply ///
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX ///

Tonight I will be upgrading to a OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply ///

I received everything from UPS on this Wednesday, and installed all my hardware being very careful to always stay grounded to the case. Next I installed Windows via a torrent I had downloaded. I lost my original CD, but it is a legit copy of Windows XP Pro.
The problem I am having, is when I install the drivers for my video card. The first time I installed the drivers, half way thu the install, my monitor flashed black screens for 5 seconds and then ended in a black screen with my monitor light going from green (good) to amber (bad).
Over the last 2 days I have done some research to find that my card is possibly DoA, or has insufficient amperage from my 550w PSU.
I have tried multiple configurations using Nvidias latest drivers for both my 590 chipset and video card, latest bios upgrade from ASUS, Windows SP2 and SP3, and switching the video card from my #1 PCI 16x slot to the #2 16x slot. All have the same result. Either I am getting black screened after the Windows loading screen, or I am able to get into Windows, but I cannot changed my resolution from 800x600 / 16 colors / 4bit.

I figured out that my current PSU does supply sufficient amperage to power my video card.
http://www.coolermaster.com/uploads/support/file1189655780447.pdf
From that PDF, it looks like my 12v rail that I connected to my video card gets about 46 amps or 36 amps, and the card only needs 26 amps to run. But I did buy the "OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply" from Newegg because the Motherboard manual says it recommends a 600w PSU. I will be installing this tonight.


So my question is, can anyone tell me if I just have a DOA card? Or am I not doing something right?
TIA for any responses!

 

[pinaplex]

what kind of PSU is it?

 

[dubutef]

The current PSU came with the case. It is the 550w Real Power Pro. It is nice, but the MB manual says I need MooARrrr Wattagees!!11!

 

[ryanthesav]

hahahaha

 

[ryanthesav]

this looks tasty!

 

[ryanthesav]

hmmmm

 

[dubutef]

I think I may have figured out why my video card is not working. After 15 hours of testing different configurations or software (new drivers, old drivers, for bios and vid card.), I found that both of my DVI ports on my video card have physical damage to them.
So I will be sending this back for RMA first thing Monday morning.

 

[itheral]

Well, if you are sending it back I would suggest buying an 8800 gt instead of the gts. It is both cheaper and more powerful than that old gts. Though I can't remember if you can do this with Newegg or not..

 

[Evilonigiri]

I agree, get the 8800GT, it's better and cheaper.

 

[dubutef]

Will a PCIE 2.0 plug into a 16x slot? the only 8800GTs on Newegg are 2.0

 

[itheral]

Yes, all PCIE 2.0 cards will work with regular 16x slots. Bandwidth is the only real difference, but honestly even the GT isn't powerful enough to really notice a difference.

 

[dubutef]

Ok, well thats great! I will see what I can work out with Newegg.

Which Card would you reccomend? Neweggs 8800 GT selection is very slim at the moment.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106791921%201067932704&bop=And&Order=RATING&CompareItemList=N82E16814150254%2E0

 

[itheral]

If you can work something out, get whichever 8800 gt that you want. The quality on each brand is pretty much the same, so the only thing you really need to worry about is the warranty and the overclock/price. basically get whichever is the highest overclock for the least price.

Right now of the 2 in stock, the MSI is the better deal. Unless you really want CoH, then get the XFX one. You can't go wrong whichever you choose though.