Black screen with new 9800GT

[adielk]

I bought a Leadtek PX 9800GT(powerefficient) but when I insert it my screen remains blank and I cannot get into PC. When I insert my old 8400GS the screen works fine.

I had it tested at the dealers and they say it works.

I replaced my 350W with a 450W since I first assumed the power supply is too low.

I have a
MB Foxconn P4M890-8237A
CPU Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6300 @ 1.86GHz
RAM 2GB DDR2
HDD 160GB with 17.9GB available (too many games)

 

[outlw6669]

Welcome to the Forums!

Quick question, did you remember to plug in the PCIe 6 pin connector?

 

[adielk]

I don't see it and I checked on my card. That was one of the things I thought was missing because on box it refers to such a connector but on Leadtek website it does not and I physically checked for such a connection. but none to see. Its the type with two DVI outputs.

 

[adielk]

Also note that the fan does turn so there is power. I am told it is powered from the board directly.

 

[outlw6669]

Alright, not having the PCIe power plug plunged in will defiantly cause what you describe.
Your 9800GT does get some of it's power from the motherboard (75 watts of it to be precise) but the rest comes directly from the PSU.

Look inside you case at the back side of the GPU.
You should see a port like the following.

Looking at a top view of your card, it will be the black rectangle at the top right.

Locate a spare PCIe 6 pin connector from your new PSU (the proper connector is pictured in the previous post) and plug it in.
Now it should boot just fine for you.

 

[adielk]

Nope nothing like it on my card. Although card was probably made in march 2009 its befiore the new 6 pin plugs? But nope definitely no pin on my card.

Also noted in manual only one type of 4 has this pin. Its Winfast Leadtek PX9800GT (powerefficient) if that info helps at all. The delaers checked the card and said it works.

 

[outlw6669]

Yes, yes it does.
If your card does not have one and looks different from the picture above, get your money back and buy one somewhere else.
FYI, the second picture in the post above is of the Leadtech PX9800GT (you can even read it on the sticker) and it most defiantly does have a PCIe 6 pin plug.
All 9800GT's have the power connector.
There is just not enough power coming through the motherboard to run it with out one.

 

[adielk]

I see on graphic you habe it shows clearly but myy model doesn't have it. Also note that it only has two DVI outputs. No HDMI or TV out etc.

 

[adielk]

You are worrying me now. Mine looks different most definitely. I bought it from a newspaper and when it did not work I took it to the importers of the card, Rectron in South Africa, who tested it and said it works?

It does however look right so it must be kosher - see Leadtek website for image below

 

[outlw6669]

Arrrg, now I feel like an ass
A little more digging and I found the card you have.
http://www.leadtek.com/eng/3d_graphic/overview.asp?pronameid=501&lineid=1&act=1
Sorry, I googled, saw your model number and did not think there was a different version...

As you describe, it has no internal power connector.
Looking at the specs, they were able to keep the power requirements low by underclocking the board to 550/900Mhz.

I will do some more googling and post back if I find anything that may be at fault.

 

[outlw6669]

Yup, ya got me by 2 seconds on the web site

 

[adielk]

Thanks man. You gave me a fright when yours was totally different looking. I have bought a different MotherBoard - Asus becuase they say Foxconn not so great and will see if that works over the weekend. I feel frustrated because PSU is fine theoretically and everything works with it. only when 9800GT card goes in. My BIOS is updated regularly via Foxconn's update program.
Underclocking means I won't get good performance and won't be able to overclock in any meaningful way, not that it is an issue. But still feels like a ripoff.

 

[adielk]

Must check the PSU because I only know mine is a 450W and 12V but no idea of Amps. See what is required as follows:

A Minimum 400W or greater system power supply (with 12V current rating of 26A)

 

[adielk]

Any any case I'll check tomorrow night as its about 10 min b4 midnight here in South Africa

 

[aceofpacific]

The 12V rail with 26A is more important than total wattage. It is possible that your PSU does have 450 watts but the 12V rail has less than 26A and thus not enough power.

 

[outlw6669]

Alright, I found the issue!
This GPU requires a PCIe 2.0 slot.

From the Product Specification Page:

System Requirements:

Window XP, Vista
A PCI Express or PCI Express 2.0 compliant motherboard with 1 full-height free slot
Installation software requires DVD-ROM drive
VGA(VGA converter needed) or DVI compatible monitor
A Minimum 400W or greater system power supply (with 12V current rating of 26A)

Unfortunately for you, your VIA P4890 based motherboard is stuck with PCIe 1.x.
The update to PCIe 2.0 did more than just double the available bandwidth.
It also doubled the 75w supply from the PCIe slot to 150w.
That (and not the underclocking) is why it can run with out an external power connector.
Also, seeing as the the 9800GT has a TDP of 105w, you should have no issues bringing your card back to the 600/900Mhz stock speeds.

Make sure and post the motherboard you have chosen before you buy it.
If you have a choice of a few different boards, post them and we will help you locate the best option.
You will need an Intel x38 or Intel 4 series based motherboard to run your GPU.

 

[adielk]

Thanks, ripoffs simply say it is complaint backwards but what you sya makes perfect sense. Even the dealers of it didn't mention this although I told them I had a Foxconn motherboard.

This is what MB I can get: Asus P5KPL-AM SE

 

[outlw6669]

That motherboard is definatly an inprovemnt over your current P4M890 based board.
Unfortunatly it does not support PCIe 2.0 either

 

[adielk]

But it should still accomodate a PCI card? If not how do I spot if a MB is PCIe 2.0 because shop told me one must simply look at the PCIe x 16 as indication.

 

[adielk]

Just checked specs of 9800GT on the leadtek website and it says it should be backwards compatible.

Features
PCI Express 2.0 Support
PCI Express 2.0 products are fully backwards compatible with existing PCI Express motherboards for the broadest support.

 

[adielk]

Solved - thanks to proposals. I built a 9800GT system based on the Asus P5KPL-AM SE, 1Gb old RAM, old CPU and new 600W (instead of 450 and original 350W) PSU. Works perfectly from restart.

Might be that even new 450W PSU (was a cheap EZ Cool which worked so cannot really blame it) or the old Foxconn. The Foxconn MB was BIOs updated so that doesn't say much of the Foxconn.

In any case the issue of PCIe - 2 is thus not relevant but may be with old boards like my original MB.

So still a mystery but MB my main suspect.

Once again thanks