VID card on HTPC

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cpulord1

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Hi guys
My HTPC currently has no video card, it is connected by HDMI port from the motherboard.
I tried plugging in a video card from my old gaming system (which does not have HDMI, just DVI ports)...
When the video card is in, nothing is displayed on my TV... is this because when a video card is in place, the computer tries to send video out through primarily the video card output (thus I need to use DVI?)
Is there a way around this? Or is there actually a problem with my video card that is making the computer not post (even though the fans and such still turn on)

Thanks for the help!
 
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alyoshka

alyoshka

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Actually you need to set the PCIe as you primary display in the BIOS then connect the video card to your display.
Are you using 2 displays, one TV (What make and Model) and second the Monitor (What make and model)
Usually TV's don't have a DVI input thus the HDMI thing.
If you plan to use your old card, you need a monitor/Tv with a DVI input, or then you can buy a cheap DVI to HDMI or HDMI to DVI adapter
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10419
And use you GPU and you'll see it on your TV...
Of course you'll need to connect the adapter to your TV if it doesn't have a DVI input
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10419&cs_id=1041906&p_id=2690&seq=1&format=2
and then connect the DVI out on the GPU to the DVI on this adapter...

You say it does not post..... do you hear a beep?
Have you tried changing the cable between the GPU and the IGP when the system is on?
 
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alyoshka

alyoshka

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Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Processor 2.80 GHz
2.50GB RAM (2.25 GB usable) --> guess some of it is diverted to graphics
1GB PC2-6400, 1GB PC2-5300, 512MB PC2-5300
ATI Radeon HD 3200 (still integrated)
M3A78-EM Motherboard
Power supply: Orion HP585D (585W)

I think that's his config.... only thing missing is his GPU which he put in later and I think he fried it cos it got overheated...
 
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cpulord1

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Hey alyoshka,
Thanks for all your replies... My board came with bios version 1602 which apparently was new enough to support AM3
I did end up updating my bios to the newest 2501 just a few days ago, and to be honest, it may have helped a SMALL amount, but the issue still occurs
It's hard to say, because the lag/lock ups seem to happen so randomly, I also notice that it does occur less when I put in 4 GB's of RAM
Sooooo I don't really know what that could mean, maybe extra ram helps somewhat compensate for a bad mobo/cpu? bad hard drive? I just bought a new seagate 1.5 TB, I will try this next, but what are your thoughts?


btw, the vid card I put in the htpc was a ATI 3850.
I am now using a cooler master extreme 550W in the HTPC but alyoshka is correct about my system otherwise.
I just installed a new 4850 on my "gaming" computer... should I consider trying the potentially overheated or "fried" 3850 back in my "gaming" computer but plugging in the power to GPU this time to see if it still works?
 
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cpulord1

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So I guess I was wrong. It DOES post, but just nothing shows up on screen. My original theory was right as when a video card is plugged in, the computer defaults to wanting to output video signal from the video card rather than from the mobo. This is confirmed by plugging my HTPC to a normal LCD via the DVI from the video card.
Unfortunately the mobo is newer than the GPU so the mobo has HDMI while the video card only has DVI.
I am only using 1 display...which will be my TV...

1) is there any way around this? Like to tell my computer to use the HDMI output from the mobo rather than the video card? Or am I left with just living without the video card?

2) Is there really any benefit from using this old video card for my HTPC? I'm guessing that the ATI 3850 independant GPU is still better than using onboard graphics (ATI 3200)?

Thanks
 
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alyoshka

alyoshka

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Ok, now we'll go over the whole thing again.
Firstly, you have 3 sticks of RAM...... (-) That means a negative.....
1.5 GB of that RAM is 5300 and 1GB of it is 6400....... (-)

Is it possible for you to get 4 RAMs of the same type or 2 RAMs of the Same type?
If so, then the configuration is listed in the manual, you can populate
1 RAM stick : Either Slot A1 or B1
2 RAM sticks : Slot A1 & B1
4 RAM Sticks : Slot A1,B1,A2 & B2

There is no option for 3 Sticks, I'd suggest removing the 512MB stick all together if you can't lay your hands on new sticks

Reseat the RAMS in the suggested slots, go to the BIOS and setup the DRAM timings to Auto and let it all be controlled by Auto since the timings differ the system needs to find a balanced time between the two different sticks of RAM to avoid such lags and bottle necks.

No, I'd not suggest changing or exchanging anything right now, first lets solve the problem of this system without any other systems parts, it'll just add to the confusion:)


 
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cpulord1

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Ok, so I had not mentioned previously that I tried using my RAM from my gaming computer. They are 2x1 GB of 6400 (matching pair) that definitely work since my othe computer runs super smoothly.
This did not solve the problem.
I also tried putting it in alone AND in addition with the other 2x1GB (mismatched pair)

so 3x1GB 6400
1x1GB 5300
with this 4GB total, AND in addition to updating my bios to 2501, the system SEEMED to run a bit smoother, but I still had the computer lock up intermittently. This could have been fluke, cause some days I just get lucky. When the system locks up/freezes, I force a restart:
sometimes by manually turning the computer power off because start menu is super frozen and cntrl+alt+delete isn't responding. Occasionally when using cntrl+alt+delete initially nothing happens and then the screen goes black and I get the message "failure to display security and shut down options"

After a restart the system is totally inconsistent... sometimes I continue to immediately have freezing and lock-ups, other times the system runs smoothly for awhile and long enough to play some movies...
 
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alyoshka

alyoshka

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Everything said and done, ok.
Now you need HWmonitor or as another member suggested MSI overdrive.
I need you to monitor temps during the freeze ups and lockups, with hw monitor you can send the required temps of the Mobo, CPU and the GPU to the task bar.....
so incase of a freeze up you'll get the last reading of the temps on the system...
 
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cpulord1

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so what values did u think were perrtinent?
I installed the program, opened a bunch of firefox windows to hopefully get it to lock up...Core Temps were good...at max 35 celsuis even after the lock ups.
I've tried keeping the Task Manager on and used a program "Core Temp" in the past and have neverr seen abnormal temps nor high cpu/memory usage even when lock-ups occur

The GPU temp seem kinda high to me 58-61 degrees (but again, my problems were occurring before I tried putting this ATI card in).
 
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cpulord1

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There are 38, a bit more than usual cause I'm trying to get the system to act up more right now so I have firefox, VLC, windows explorer (not IE) all open. The rest seem to be underrlying processes of windows 7 itself...
 
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cpulord1

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If you mean installing the OS and then changing the processor, then no. Nothing like that was done.

I guess I was did a decent job to get the system to freeze up again. I got the message I mentioned above when I tried to use cntrl alt delete when a bunch of windows were all "not responding". When I ctrl alt delete, first nothing happens for awhile, then the screen goes black for about 2 minutes with only the mouse cursor showing then the pop-up window stating:

"the logon process was unable to display security and logon options when CTRL+ALT+DELETE was pressed. If the operating system does not respond, press ESC or restart the computer by using the power switch"

what is interesting, is that usually when this happens, when I press "okay", it goes back to windows and everything is unfrozen....as if this black out time allowed the computer to catch up on the processes? Other times I dont get lucky enough to even get this message. Sometimes cntrl alt delete doesn't initiate any response and I get tired of waiting so I have to manually hold the power button to shut the system off.
 
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alyoshka

alyoshka

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cpulord1

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hey alyoshka
thanks so much for all your help...i appreciate your time and wisdom

my next step was to try a new hard drive... I re-installed win7 and things seem to be running smoothly. When I tried to make a partition on this new HDD, Disk Management only allowed me to shrink volume by 700 GB (it is a 1.5 TB)
Being a newly formatted drive that is empty, is this strange that there are unmovable files located in different places such that I can't shrink the volume?

Could this be where my original HDD went wrong because I used a 3rd party software to partition the way I wanted it to (maybe it does not take into account unmovable page files and such?)?
On my original HDD, I shrunk the C: drive to 250 GB and the rest of the 1.5TB was a partition to hold all my movies and other files
 
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alyoshka

alyoshka

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For a 1.5 TB drive I'd suggest creating 500GB X2 and the rest in the third partition....
Although seek times change, but you can go thru a page on partition tables to get it perfectly right.
See, when you use a new HDD and are doing a whole new reinstall, I would always suggest using the installation process of windows itself to create all the partitions, it works best when you're doing a fresh install and is much better in allocating the right sectors.
When shrinking or expanding a drive using disk management, it needs enough space in an empty drive for cloning the content and storing allocation data, thus making a lot of space , at that time unusable.
I'd still suggest if you've not finished installing all that you want on the rig, do a complete re-install and use the windows partitioning facility during setting up the windows OS itself....
I know 500GB per partition is big, so it'll increase seek time, you can do a 250 , 500, 500, Remaining.
And keep a clone of the 250 primary partition in the last leftover remaining part of the drive.....
 
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cpulord1

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Hrmmmm did I do something wrong then?
When using the windows disk management, in order to partition, the first step is to shrink volume right? Well for some reason, the max I can shrink is 700GB which thus cuts the 1.5 TB into half/half. The max shrink is limited to unmovable files from my understanding...

o_O
am I noob and missing some simple answer here?
 
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cpulord1

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what do you mean? like partition the drive during windows 7 installation?
i can try redoing it, since it's a new hard drive, not a big loss of time for me
 
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alyoshka

alyoshka

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:) No don't do anything of that sort
Create One main partition of 250 GB
In the remaining Raw area of the un-partitioned disk create partitions according to your liking, just don't make it one big partition....
I already listed a few setups above....."I know 500GB per partition is big, so it'll increase seek time, you can do a 250 , 500, 500, Remaining.
And keep a clone of the 250 primary partition in the last leftover remaining part of the drive..... "
 
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