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Started by trainut | | 19 answers
GPU Upgrade Problems
Hello,

So I have a Dell XPS 8300 from 2011. Recently I have been feeling the age of its ATI Radeon HD 5670 GPU, and I decided it was time for an upgrade. The original PSU was only 385W so I needed to upgrade that as well. I ended up purchasing a Gigabyte Radeon R7 260x GPU (the 1GB version) and a Cooler Master Elite V2 550W PSU. They arrived today, and after installation I booted up the computer to find that no video was coming out of my new card and pressing the power button again would instantly shut down the computer, so I knew something was wrong. I put the 5670 back in and it booted up fine, the new PSU worked perfectly. I reinstalled the drivers for the 260x and tried it - no luck. I switched out the straight 6-pin power plug from the PSU to a Molex to 6 pin adapter from the PSU Molex connections - no luck. I don't quite know what else to do, there is only one PCI-E x16 slot and I know it works. I'm not sure if the slots are PCI-E 2.0 or 2.1 or 3.0 but it shouldn't matter since it is backwards compatible (I do know the card is 3.0).

If anyone might be able to help with something I would really appreciate it. I can also provide pictures if needed.

Thanks
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October 22, 2014 3:31:40 PM

Which model CPU do you have in your XPS? You can generally look up the QVL on the Manufacuter's website to check which ram and processors work in a specific board.
October 20, 2014 5:54:12 PM

OK, that's a good start at least. Do you think this motherboard --- http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8H67M_LE --- would be compatible with my current CPU and case, being that it's H67 and mATX?

On another note, I did some more research today and found that at least 5 or 6 people online are reporting that the EVGA version of the nVidia GTX 760 is working fine in their XPS 8300, so I decided to try and order that card, of course from somewhere that has a return policy. So, if that card doesn't work then I will decide whether to keep my computer as it is, find a compatible card, or try to save up and build a new system.
October 20, 2014 3:24:54 PM

Yes, it's removable. Usually notebook CPUs are soldered to the motherboard, but not desktop boards(not sure about AIOs)
October 19, 2014 3:08:56 PM

Well I just got off the phone after an hour-and-a-half long odyssey with Dell and GeekSquad. Dell was very confusing and both told me that the R9 270 was compatible with my motherboard and that it wasn't --- and at the end told me to just upgrade to the 2GB version of the old ATI card that I already have --- which made me laugh a little bit. GeekSquad was a little better but didn't really know how to help other than the old "is it seated firmly, did you plug it in all the way", etc. routine. I am pretty sure that my motherboard is for some reason not compatible with newer GPUs, which means that I will either have to stick with my 5670, find a card that works with my motherboard (and is better enough than my 5670 to warrant an upgrade), or try and transplant as much of my system as possible to a new case/motherboard setup.

On that last note, does anybody know if the CPU is removable on my motherboard (i.e. to transplant to a new one)? I think it is an H67 but I could be wrong.
October 19, 2014 1:35:35 PM

Maybe they can help you in some way, but if not, best of luck on getting up and running with new rig.
October 19, 2014 1:03:12 PM

I looked it up and yeah it seems to be a big issue. Well that sucks. I did see a few people saying they were having no problems but that was the exception, not the rule. So it looks like I may have to get a new motherboard. First I will contact Dell and see what they say but this may turn out to be way more expensive than I was planning on it being.
October 19, 2014 12:34:07 PM

Actually just googled your problem, and there are people with XPS 8300 with the exaxt same problem. It looking like the motherboard is pretty picky on cards, and the latest BIOS made for it just doesn't recognize newer cards. Just try looking up XPS 8300 gpu no signal and you'll see what I mean.
October 19, 2014 12:15:54 PM

I do know that the PCI slot is fine as my old HD 5670 has been working flawlessly in it for 4 years. But I will try and do that with the PSU (do you happen to know how much $ that would most likely be?) as I did get it only last week for the new GPU so maybe it has issues I haven't noticed. That would be strange though as I tried both the 6-pin plugs and also the Molex to 6-pin adapter path, could they both be faulty?
October 19, 2014 12:07:56 PM

I would test your power supply and if that checks out fine, It could be a dead pci express slot on the motherboard. I would ctest your power supply as the next step. Best Buy or Microcenter can do it if you have one local to your location.

October 19, 2014 12:03:13 PM

Well this is just getting more and more frustrating.

I found a good deal on an R9 270, so I ordered that instead of another R7 260x. I got the ASUS 2GB dual fan non-x version. It arrived today and after installing it I booted up the computer to find it has the same exact issue as the R7. The computer won't give video out through the card or the onboard VGA, and pressing the power button again will instantly shut it down. The only thing that's different this time is that the fans won't even spin on the card, power or not, although it looks like they are trying to as they will give short jerks when the power button is first pressed. Once again, disconnecting the 6-pin PCI-E power cord will let the computer boot up fine through onboard video and it won't detect anything in the PCI-E slot. The card's LED1 which signifies (I am pretty sure) sufficient power is lit when the 6-pin cord is plugged in and its LED2 which signifies insuffcient or no power is lit when the cord is unplugged. This time I also tried to update the BIOS, and even after updating it from version A03 to A06 I got the same issue.

I doubt I would get 2 DOA cards in a row that have the same specific problem. Again if anyone has suggestions I would really appreciate them. I haven't shipped the R7 back to Amazon yet so I still have it available for now if I need it for anything.

Thanks for any help

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