• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Got a new gaming comp - doesn't detect my 4850. :(

motherboard_productimage_ga-73vm-s2_big.jpg


Big blue slot is where the GPU should be plugged in.
 
You're in a bit of a pickle, bud.

I don't think the card is busted. If it was just straight broken hardware, you wouldn't be seeing anything on your monitor.

But then, it's super weird that Windows doesn't detect that you have a video card installed. It should, at the very least, be chirping at you about an unidentified device that needs drivers.

And then, of course, if it wasn't seated properly, you wouldn't be getting a picture on your television when it was hooked up through the card.

With those facts present, I guess I probably say bad video card. I can't think of any driver or bios setting that would make windows just completely ignore your GPU. Could be one, but I'm just not familiar with it.

If the knuckleheads who sold you this PC can't fix it over the phone, you need to demand that they cross ship you a new video card.
 
JSnake said:
I don't get a signal at all through the DVI (video card) port. The VGA port (onboard) is fine.
Oh. Well that's more interesting.

Here's what you do.

Turn off your PC. (read the rest of this post first.)

Take the side of the case off.

Unplug the hard drives from the motherboard (you can leave them plugged into the power supply.) Unplug the CD/DVD drives too.

Plug your TV/monitor's video cable into the video card.

Boot the old PC up, see if you get a POST screen (black and white, has some logos and numbers on it, thing you see every time you turn your computer on.)

If you DO, then the video card works, problem is in Windows.

If you DON'T, there's something wrong with your hardware. Specifically, there's something wrong with your video card, because we know everything else works, because we've booted windows with the onboard graphics.

I'm gonna be straight up with you, I think it might be worth your time to double and then triple check the connections to your video card. It's an easy thing to screw up, and even easier to miss that screw up while you're digging through BIOS settings or downloading various magic drivers.

Video cards fans are spinning, which means it's probably receiving power. Is it seated correctly? Check. Check again.

edit: Also, do you have like a regular PC monitor you can mess with this thing on? Who the fuck knows what kind of crazy voodoo you are dancing with using a television instead.
 
It's possible that the video card is outputting in a resolution that your monitor can't display. This happened to me when I bought a 1950GT, and I ended up fixing it by using a different monitor to setup the card. It was a stupid, stupid driver bug.
 
SapientWolf said:
It's possible that the video card is outputting in a resolution that your monitor can't display. This happened to me when I bought a 1950GT, and I ended up fixing it by using a different monitor to setup the card. It was a stupid, stupid driver bug.
I dunno, it would still APPEAR in Windows SOMEWHERE, even if that were the case. Windows can't see the card, which makes me think it's not actually stuck in the mobo correctly.
 
Checked all connections several times. BTW, the kinda "L" piece at the end of the video card's bottom isn't in. Should it be? I can't do the other stuff since it's late.

Oh and I do not have any other monitors.
 
I know it's been asked before, but can you hook up a regular monitor to the video card? If you can, do you see anything at all on the screen when you turn on the computer. Also it probably would not hurt to do a system restore as far back as possible, crazier things have worked...

I smell some nVidia vs. ATI sabotage.
 
FilosopherStoner said:
I know it's been asked before, but can you hook up a regular monitor to the video card? If you can, do you see anything at all on the screen when you turn on the computer. Also it probably would not hurt to do a system restore as far back as possible, crazier things have worked...

I smell some nVidia vs. ATI sabotage.

No other monitors, sorry. :(
 
I had a similar problem with my geforce 8600, I checked everything several times and card wasn't working, but fan was still spinning, I kinda got angry and pushed it inside the slot harder then before, and then it started to work. But I'm not sure if that's the case with you, but sounds similar.
 
TheHeretic said:
If its not appearing on the device manager either its not getting power or something is broken.

I am not so sure, I mean of course for the most part you are right, but I have seen drivers do weird things sometimes.

Can you go into device manager, go to View, and then show hidden devices, see anything pops up in Display Adapters or Other Devices when you do that.
 
FilosopherStoner said:
I am not so sure, I mean of course for the most part you are right, but I have seen drivers do weird things sometimes.

Can you go into device manager, go to View, and then show hidden devices, see anything pops up in Display Adapters or Other Devices when you do that.

If there isn't even an unknown in the device manager I don't see how the GPU could be working and not show some sign of itself somewhere. I understand how drivers could cause the card to not work properly, but to disappear completely?

The only other option I can think of is to go into the Bios and check there isn't some setting thats turning the PCI-E slot off or something. =/
 
Are you 100% sure this thing is plugged in?

2vv55l3.jpg


I guess you are but still, check it again. You might need a bigger PSU or something.
 
If you want to know if it's a Windows/driver problem, just boot up a Live CD from Ubuntu or whatever flavor of Linux you prefer. ATI's Linux drivers are not fantastic, but they will at least give you a picture.
 
Death_Born said:
Are you 100% sure this thing is plugged in?

2vv55l3.jpg


I guess you are but still, check it again. You might need a bigger PSU or something.

Yes. Using a CMPSU-450X. That should be adequate. Tried showing hidden devices, didn't see anything. I do not have an old PC I can try.
 
make sure that its really seated in its slot. ive had this problem with my heavy-ass 8800GTX... when i stand the tower upright it comes loose if i dont clamp down that card bracket thingy on the case. thats how you know its plugged in all the way... if that bracket latches flush.

then, start the machine with your DVI cable plugged into the 4850. windows will set the primary device as the one you have the monitor attached to (the 4850) and look for drivers.
 
Broseybrose said:
make sure that its really seated in its slot. ive had this problem with my heavy-ass 8800GTX... when i stand the tower upright it comes loose if i dont clamp down that card bracket thingy on the case. thats how you know its plugged in all the way... if that bracket latches flush.

What about the "L" piece on the bottom near the end? Should that go into the slot. Right now, that L piece is not in the PCI-E slot.
 
yes, that L should be in the slot. i cant even visualize how you have it plugged in otherwise... also. theres a little lever on your motherboard at the end of the slot that will move up and lock the card in place when the card is in its proper position.
 
OK maybe that's the prob. I'll take another look tomorrow. I've been 16 for an hour and 23 minutes and needa head to bed.
 
TheExodu5 said:
First thing to check: is the fan on the videocard spinning when your PC is on?

Yes.

Also, the L part of the card isn't in and the far part (kinda like a small block) isn't in. Two parts are in. The long part, then the short part directly after it. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be enough space to put all the parts in.
 
JSnake, can you post a few pictures of the inside of your case, as well as the back of the case with the cables connected?
 
I have had severe problems using DVI-to-my-TV-which-I-happen-to-use-as-a-monitor. DVI is a digital standard, which means it can have trouble coping with incompatible display devices.

However, VGA is analog, and will work regardless of the set. So, if you really want to test this out, you don't need to grab a new monitor, but merely a VGA cable, which you might already have. (Hopefully your TV has a VGA in; mine does.) This should determine definitively if it is a problem with the display. If the card is working, it'll spit something out via VGA.
 
JSnake said:
Yes.

Also, the L part of the card isn't in and the far part (kinda like a small block) isn't in. Two parts are in. The long part, then the short part directly after it. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be enough space to put all the parts in.
well as long as all the copper connectors are plugged into the slot and the metal part at the top of the card is flush with the case where that bracket flips over.
 
JSnake said:
Yes. Using a CMPSU-450X. That should be adequate.

Only if you only have one hard drive IMO. I would suggest making sure the GPU is in the slot and plugged in to the PSU, and then try disconnecting the HDD and DVD-RW's power connections and try booting the computer up then, with the monitor connected to the GPU. You should get a POST screen, though obviously without the HDD operating it won't boot to Windows. If it works, then it means there's a problem with the PSU.
 
JSnake said:
Yes.

Also, the L part of the card isn't in and the far part (kinda like a small block) isn't in. Two parts are in. The long part, then the short part directly after it. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be enough space to put all the parts in.

Some pics would help out. That you said you don't get any image out of the card leads me to believe it can even possibly be a seating issue. Take a pic with it in (at an angle so we can see the seating) as good as possible. Some cards "can" come loose in shipping, especially if they're big and bulky. Did you ever seat things like this before? You have to make sure you do use enough effort to seat them (they can be stubborn) just not too much to cause damage. Some cards give you a nervous in the gut feeling when you're seating them they're that bad.
 
Unfortunately, I do not have a digi cam. :( However, the "latch" isn't up. Meaning, the card isn't in right. Correct?
 
If the card is seated properly, the latch should "close" around the L shaped connector at the back of the card.
 
Oh, boy. This was a fun read. Pleased you got it all sorted.

I know the feeling, it's like 'If I push it down any harder it's gonna break!'
 
cjelly said:
Oh, boy. This was a fun read. Pleased you got it all sorted.

I know the feeling, it's like 'If I push it down any harder it's gonna break!'
In before the "Is it in yet?" posts.
 
Top Bottom