Motherboard not compatible with video card?

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steven_15

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Hello. This process has been an exercise in 1 step forward, 2 steps back... So let me take a step back and explain the problem.

I have a dinosaur of a machine, the eMachines T6520. It comes with a MS-7145 motherboard, and uses Phoenix BIOS.

I recently got an ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card. However as long as it is plugged into the PCI Express slot I get no video signal and it doesn't even seem like my computer is booting up, though it's hard to tell from sound alone. If I disconnect the card then it works fine again. It doesn't seem to matter if I connect the VGA cable to the integrated card or directly to the dedicated graphics card, and it doesn't seem to matter if I disable the integrated card in Device Manager or not, with the exception that one time when I did that I got no video whatsoever even with the card disconnected after Windows XP finished loading.

About the only things I have not tried are:

Disabling the integrated card in BIOS. I don't see any such option there. There was one for primary graphics display, which I set to PCI Express with no change.
Attempting to update the BIOS. Given the risks, it's not something I want to try without professional help.
The power supply. Most people, including the ones I bought it from said that it would be fine but some said 300W wasn't enough. It also says 300W and 480W in different places.

I have no idea which is the case. It doesn't seem to be booting but the power light is on and the fans are rotating. I think it's most likely one of the first two as it does seem the most likely that the problem is a compatibility problem between a PCI Express 2.1 card and a PCI Express 1.0 slot.
 

steven_15

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This is currently the strongest system I can access so I can't try the card in another system. I could get a better supply but don't want to unless I'm sure that's the problem because at this rate I'm getting close to the point where I'd be better off cutting my losses and purchasing an entirely new computer. Tigerdirect is offering a rather good one for 300.

Other premades would likely have weaker power supplies as well right? I do have a few older ones still and could try grabbing something out of one of those, but they're probably the same strength or weaker.
 

stevetheutilityman

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Make sure the PCI express card is properly installed, google or have somebody check your installation. ATI5450 shouldn't be using that much power. Machine is a bit dated, so it's only good for non FPS games. You can look for a new system.
 

steven_15

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I just make sure the card is completely in the slot so that none of the gold contact is showing and the little latch on the end is locked into place right? Or did you mean something else?

Edit: This card should be able to run D3 on Low, which I'm fine with. Right now it's not even booting up if the card is connected. Forget Inferno difficulty, getting a D3 ready computer is the real ultimate challenge!
 


Without another psu to test it, there's no telling. It SHOULD work.

A good computer for $300?? I'd ask about that on this forum before I made that purchase, or your just going to be in the same boat you are now with a non upgradable machine.

$300 isn't going to buy much computer, even without a graphics card, because a midrange graphics card alone runs $300.
 

steven_15

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GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P AMD 760 AM3+ Motherbo Bundle

This Bundle Includes:

GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P AMD 760 Motherboard - Micro ATX, Socket AM3+, AMD 760G Chipset, 1333MHz DDR3, SATA II (3Gb/s), RAID, 7.1-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, USB 2.0
AMD HDZ965FBK4DGM Phenom II X4 965 Processor - Quad Core, 6MB L3 Cache, 2MB L2 Cache, 3.40GHz, Socket AM3, 125W, No Fan, OEM
Sony Optiarc AD7280S-OB 24x DVDRW Drive - 24x, SATA, Black, OEM
ADATA Premier Series AD3U1333C4G9-SH Desktop Memory Module - 4GB, PC3-10666, DDR3-1333MHz, 240-pin DIMM
ADATA Premier Series AD3U1333C4G9-SH Desktop Memory Module - 4GB, PC3-10666, DDR3-1333MHz, 240-pin DIMM
Seagate ST1000DM003 Barracuda 1TB Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gb/s
Ultra XBlaster Mid-Tower V2 Case - ATX, MicroATX, USB 2.0, Audio, 6x 3.5" Bays, 3x 5.25" Bays, 7x PCI Slots, Includes 450W PSU, Lifetime Warranty with Registration
Thermaltake TR2-R1 / AMD Socket AM2/939/754 / Aluminum / 92mm Fan / CPU Cooler

Aside from being a bare bones thing, so you have to assemble it and provide your own OS I'm not seeing the catch here... other than not really having the money that is. It doesn't include a graphics card, but I do have one that should work, it just isn't on my computer for some reason.

Getting back to the current PC, are there any other possible causes besides the PSU not providing enough power? Everyone told me this was a low power card and it should work on my machine as long as I don't overclock or run on high settings which the rest of my components couldn't handle anyways.

And if it is the BIOS, how do I fix that?
 

steven_15

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I already have the 5450, and it should work. It's only a few days old and never been actually used, just installed. It's not working on my current PC, and I'd like to rule out these last few possibilities before seriously considering an upgrade but it should work.
 

THE UNKNOWN

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Right but take somthing around 850 watt or less 600 watt
 

THE UNKNOWN

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Yes take somthing around 850 watt or less 600 watt
 

steven_15

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I agree, it's a weak PSU. Though can you even do that? I thought anything computer related had a no returns policy, especially since the only way to get a remotely reasonable price is to order from somewhere like Tiger Direct instead of going into a retail store.

They have a 600W Corsair PSU for 40 dollars. That's a good brand right? If I need more than 600 for some low end parts that would really shock me. I could kind of see it for the new computer.
 

steven_15

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I dunno. I'm not a huge graphics fan so I'm not going to be needing any sort of dual GPU setup. I'd be happy if I can get a single GPU working in my computer, or failing that buy a new computer and put the card into that.

Sure it'd be nice to play on 2048 resolution or something but it's not all that important to me.
 

steven_15

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I got to look at it for free later today and try and determine what the problem is. If it's the PSU I'll get that one. If it's the motherboard I'll have to see about a new computer.

Though one thing I noticed is that this card was marketed as a PCI Express 2.0 card, but they shipped me a 2.1 card. The manufacturer doesn't even make a 2.0 version of that card so I guess it's a listing error but that listing error might have very well made me buy the wrong card.
 

steven_15

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One other question for now. What is the exact BIOS I'd need for an MS-7145 motherboard, and would that even allow a PCI Express 2.1 card to work in a 1.0 slot? I've heard some BIOS can, some can't. It isn't something I want to risk if it won't help.
 

THE UNKNOWN

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well im not talking about that gpu at that time and he's happy with one so it doesn't matter
 
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