ATI R5 340x 2GB Dell OEM video card problem

[kdsteiner]

Hi - I bought an ATI R5 340x 2GB video card, listed as Dell OEM. I thought it would be a good card for my current Optiplex 780 - matches RAM/Pwr/CPU pretty well and pops right into my small form factor case. I use Win7-64b. And... It doesn't work! Won't boot - video fan just spins... Dell's main heading says this card is "for OptiPlex minitowers 3040, 5040 & 7040," but in the "Compatibility" column (link below) it gives Optiplex 780 DT as OK. Not sure what "DT" is, but is it REALLY that persnickety? What gives! My power supply is on the low end, but I've been running an HD 4670 without problems, and that's very close in wattage. The card is DX12 capable - is that an issue with Windows 7? Is it something with the OEM motherboard? I'm stumped here. I never had this exact problem before. Could it just be I got a bad card?

Here's the link >> http://accessories.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&sku=490-BCVN

FOLLOW UP: Hmmmm.... I found this thread >>
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3515/t/19476996

 

[dontlistentome]

I read the information at that website and conspicuously absent in the 'specs' is the PCI-ex slot requirement. Companies such as Dell have used proprietary rather than standardized components, to keep costs down. The card is rated at 25W which is next to nothing, however if your power supply is very low powered, as in 180W or something, then this could also be a problem.

This kind of thing is why buying pre-built computers isn't for everyone. It's great if you need an inexpensive computer and will be using it as is, it's not so great if you want to be able to upgrade it later.

 

[kdsteiner]

I read the information at that website and conspicuously absent in the 'specs' is the PCI-ex slot requirement. Companies such as Dell have used proprietary rather than standardized components, to keep costs down. The card is rated at 25W which is next to nothing, however if your power supply is very low powered, as in 180W or something, then this could also be a problem.

This kind of thing is why buying pre-built computers isn't for everyone. It's great if you need an inexpensive computer and will be using it as is, it's not so great if you want to be able to upgrade it later.

Well - kinda my suspicion, but it was only 30$ (school is upgrading). Mainly, theyse are very common systems & I see all kinds of other comparable swaps & mods. I guess my question becomes: Is it more LIKELY to be the graphics card or the motherboard?