So I just brought a new 8800GT

Hi all

Just a bit of background for starters. I've just brought a new Antec p182, a 550W PSU and a shiny new XFX 8800GT Alpha dog edition.

I transfered all my components over to the new case...went to power up my machine only for thier to be NO display and the HDD+POWER light constantly on. Oh...and the graphics card is also running at full fan speed (this is a soon as I press the power button)

Core 2 Duo E6400
Asus P5VD2-MX

Something is not right, I've just put in my old ATI X1900 and it works fine. Please dont say the card is faulty -_-

Thanks in advance for the help guys

Nope, using the X1900 my computer works fine.

Yes, the 6pin connector is in place.

Also, just been reading: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=55904

Says the VIA chipset on my mobo dosent support the 8800GT!

Yeah, tried the bios upgrade.

I'll be honest with you...i'm stuck now. I dont know what to do. I'll just go and buy a mobo and it wont be compatible. I dont know what to look for

£30 is my budget

Save the money for a bit and then get a respectable motherboard.

One of the best affordable boards I can think of is the GA-P35-DS3L. I know for a fact that works with the 8800GT, it even has support for 45nm Intel chips.

Sorry to spoil your fun but even mainstream boards like asus have used and continue to use via chipsets. I have a special xp install disk from a former employer to deal with the activation Nightmare that happens when you have to do a repair install on them. (yes, ASUS )

Sorry to hear about the tight budget- only about $59-us. I wouldn't try any mobo's that are in that price range. they arn't worth spit. You need to be looking in the $150 range for anything that won't give you problems out of the box.

Here is a great one : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131142

Although it's 2x you budget, it a great board. Just make sure you have a case with proper airflow as the northbridge on there runs very warm. I use to work with it's older brother and I doubt they have resolved that yet, but it's no biggie... And the fact that the chipset is NVIDIA meens that your card will feel right at home where it belongs.

Thats the key-Match the chipset to the card.

AS for that board you found- please follow my motto: El'cheapo parts and/or unknown retailer = crappy Computer and wasted money.

I disagree. I built my gaming rig last week with an Elite group ECS P35T-A (p35 chipset) mobo. I have had no problems with it, in fact almost all the mobo's i've had have been ECS and not a thing has gone wrong with them! This one even supports the new 45nm Wolfdales. I've read that it doesn't overclock well but for a VERY cheap (in price) board its performance & features are outstanding.

I had the Exact same problem .. with mine the card wasent in properly , just give it a good push and the at the end into the mobo and it Shuld workd

@OP: I don't see why a particular chipset wouldn't support a given graphics card but I guess its possible. A good cheap motherboard is the Gigabyte P35-DS3L... at least that's the cheapest I'd recommend to anyone.

That's really unnecessary and if interpreted incorrectly is misleading.

-mcg

I said VIA and ECS suck. Mainly because of the VIA chipset. I guess it I could have narrowed it down to just the chipset, but my experience w/ ECS has been terrible. You've at least got a P35 chipset which is probably why you haven't had any problems.

You're right. I should have said the enthusiasts boards from ASUS. (X38 and 780 / 790i chipsets) Those are the decent ones.

It's Micro ATX first of all. So it's going to be very small, and you need to make sure your case has the required stand-off locations for a mATX board.

Secondly, it's got an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) this will leach your RAM if not disabled, plus it sucks. You'll also have to remove the drivers for it and disable in the BIOS when you get your 8800 in and set as the default.

I would try to get a GA-P35-DS3L if you can. It's one of the best, affordable boards out there w/ a ton of support.

Np. I'm pretty sure the board will work, but you've got your work cut out for you when installing the card.

That's how I got mine as well. One of those Fry's CPU / Mobo bundles. That's also how I got my Pentium D 8xx series. From that day forward I put a lot more research into the parts I purchased and tried to get a much better understanding of CPU components in general. >_>

Evga has a bios update for their 8800GTs to will solve the compatibility problem with some MBs. XFX may have one also. Have you checked their website. The fan always runs at 100% during computer boot, that is normal on 8800gt & gts.

tell us your system specs please.

Have to agree with those who don't like ECS... ECS support is the worst, and you can usually expect problems with a 3rd rate product. Just try to download a driver off their site if you don't believe me.
I also don't care for Nvidea chipset MBs. They're ok, but why not just get an Intel chipset. My P965 overclocks like a monster. I have also built the GA-P35-DS3L. Only complaint is the memory setup in the bios. Gigabyte makes a first class product, and support is top notch. Abit and ASUS are also great, but as always you need to read reviews. They all make duds. Avoid VIA like the plague.

I can't speak for all ECS boards, but I avoid them now too after quite a few K7S5A problems over time. Blown caps for example.

I have to agree about Nvidia chipsets. I'm starting to dislike mine as it seems to be really fussy about how it handles SATA optical drives. I ordered a Blu-ray / HD-DVD combo drive (only 267.35 at http://www.ncixus.com/products/index.php?sku=26553 if anyone is interested), and I'm praying that the chipset will play nicely with it. If not... I'm going to an X38 / P35 board.

If your board doesn't support the card and there are no BIOS / driver updates that support it... then yes. Otherwise you can return the card or just wait and hope they release a fix (unlikely).

Send the motherboard back and get a REAL one.

I'm going to guess from the dabs link that the OP is in the UK. Apparently it is not uncommon there for people to say "brought," when those in the USA would say "bought." It makes no difference who is "right," I understood him.
Seems to me I had a couple of decent ECS boards, but probably too long ago to be relevant (7-8 years?). VIA is on my personal "never buy" list, for being crap. I've had some nForce boards too, which seemed mostly ok, but they ran hot and had those irritating NB fans on them.
I just finished a -DS3L build this weekend that was utterly painless. Everything worked right away, no hassles. It has a HD3850 on it.

Very nice, a little pricey with the CPU/MOBO but your sure to get a nice OC with the IP35 PRO.

yea...my board didn't support 2.0 slot.......and ...do u know is there are any jumper setting on the VGA card can change from 2.0 to 1.X?