New build problems

[liquidsnakerna]

Ok, so my roommate wanted to upgrade his computer and I told him I would do it. He kept his old keyboard, mouse, monitor, and hard drives.

I got him:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R ATX Intel Motherboard
OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 2.66GHz LGA 775 Dual-Core Processor
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit for System Builders
Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W Power Supply

+ my old X1950XT video card pci-e


Ok, so I reformatted his hard drive and installed vista on it. Everything seems to be working OK, except I'm getting a lot display problems and a few random resets (blue screens). I figure it is just the display driver. I get it hooked up to the internet and install a new chipset driver, a new video card driver and install all the updates for vista. At certain points I lose the display problem. However, it always comes back and a restart/shutdown does not get rid of it. The display error looks like a scrambled screen. It is almost like 3 mirror images of the same screen. I see a lot of tiny blocks, hard to explain.

After trying everything that I could think of, I put in his 2nd hard drive to try to install vista on that, and the display problem happens even in the bios screen and while installing vista.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am installing vista on his 2nd hard drive to see if that fixes anything, but even during the install the display problem is present.

I'm thinking I might have a motherboard issue, but I am pretty clueless. I looked at the bios updates and none of them say anything about fixing anything like this. I know the video card is good, and I did a check on the memory and it checked out.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[cheepstuff]

if your having funky display problems on the bios it is either the moniter or the graphics card. with the combo of the blue screens it is almost definately the graphics card which no amount of reformating can fix. pop in another graphics card and watch what happens

 

[Mrbumbum]

as cheepstuff suggested try another card and see if that fixes the problem

and you messed up on Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit for System Builders, you should have gotten 64bit so it can use all 4gb of the ram.

 

[liquidsnakerna]

The graphics card was working fine before when I was using it. I suppose it could have gotten damaged sitting on my bookshelf for a week or two? I dont know. The only other graphics card that I have is a 4870 HD that is in my computer right now. However, I can't put that in his computer because it requires 2 PCI-e power ports. The PSU I got him only has 1 (mistake on my part).

The only way I can test it is to take the PSU out of my computer and put it into his and try that...but dang switching out PSU is annoying.

I think you are right it has to be a graphics card problem. One time I got a blue screen and it said something about display driver and then the problem went away temporarily.

It is definitely not the monitor because I've tried it on 3 different monitors.

 

[liquidsnakerna]

as cheepstuff suggested try another card and see if that fixes the problem

and you messed up on Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit for System Builders, you should have gotten 64bit so it can use all 4gb of the ram.

I was told that 32 bit could handle up to a max of 4GB? It is displaying 4GB

 

[liquidsnakerna]

Good news, my 4870 came with a molex converter. I'll swap video cards and post the results.

 

[liquidsnakerna]

So...I put in a very old 6600GT that I had laying around and the display problems disappeared.

I am baffled at why my X1950XT doesn't work. It was in my current system two weeks ago running perfectly. I did have it sitting close to the window. Perhaps it got too cold? I am not sure...pretty frustrating about $100 down the drain there.

 

[theAnimal]

I was told that 32 bit could handle up to a max of 4GB? It is displaying 4GB

Yes, but you will only be able to use about 3.25GB in Windows.

 

[liquidsnakerna]

Hmm...still I think that will be plenty for what he will be using his computer for. I don't want to have to mess with 64 bit compatibility and stuff. I'm sure it is better than it was when I was looking into it though.

 

[cheepstuff]

hardware can blow for many reasons, dust, static, moisture but rarely from the cold,( unless that causes water to condense on the surface) instead, the other two are more likely the culperate

 

[darkside_gamer7]

Don't forget UVs man. UV=Bad for all electronics.

 

[liquidsnakerna]

It was close to a window, so I suppose the light could have got it. The window is broken, so water condensation is actually a possibility. Oh well, live and learn.