Horrible Graphics & Resolution

[Shula 7]

I know next to nothing about graphics cards. In a machine I recently acquired is a GeForce GTX 550 TI card that when booted with Windows 7 shows a very greenish screen with horrible resolution including the Windows animated throbber. Then the throbber disappears and the screen is suddenly totally black (blank). I have no problem when I connect the same monitor using a VGA connection to a different machine with integrated graphics. I tried both connections at the card and both connections at the monitor.

 

[King_V]

Did you stick the GTX 550Ti into an existing system? Was the existing system running integrated graphics, or used to have a different video card?

I suspect driver conflict might be at issue, as my initial guess.

 

[Shula 7]

No, I purchased the machine with the card installed and with the understanding that all was well and set to go at time of shipment. I suspect that there is an issue with cabling from the card to the monitor. The board is an ASUS Sabertooth X79 but I don't see any rear panel or internal connectors that are VGA. As stated, there is no issue with the monitor connected VGA to a different machine. The only other cabling I've tried is apparently HDMI at both card and monitor wherein I think lies the problem as to what the correct cable is. Perhaps someone could show the item to me at Newegg.

 

[King_V]

Well, here's a link to what various connector types look like. I think different models of 550Ti came with different combinations of 2 or 3 of these ports.

Now, if you actually do need an HDMI cable, you'd get something like this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882021128&cm_re=hdmi_cable-_-82-021-128-_-Product


But, I don't know which ports are on the back of your video card, and what ports your monitor has.

 

[Shula 7]

Well, here's a link to what various connector types look like. I think different models of 550Ti came with different combinations of 2 or 3 of these ports.

Now, if you actually do need an HDMI cable, you'd get something like this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882021128&cm_re=hdmi_cable-_-82-021-128-_-Product


But, I don't know which ports are on the back of your video card, and what ports your monitor has.

This is very helpful; thanks much. I see now that the ports I have at the card are called Dual-Link DVI-I. Now hopefully this type of cable will connect to my monitor and give me good graphics. My monitor is ported HDMI. Is there a part at Newegg that you see with that spec? Again, thanks.

 

[King_V]

Well, here's a link to what various connector types look like. I think different models of 550Ti came with different combinations of 2 or 3 of these ports.

Now, if you actually do need an HDMI cable, you'd get something like this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882021128&cm_re=hdmi_cable-_-82-021-128-_-Product


But, I don't know which ports are on the back of your video card, and what ports your monitor has.

This is very helpful; thanks much. I see now that the ports I have at the card are called Dual-Link DVI-I. Now hopefully this type of cable will connect to my monitor and give me good graphics. My monitor is ported HDMI. Is there a part at Newegg that you see with that spec? Again, thanks.

If your monitor is 1920x1080 and maximum of 60Hz, then you can use single-link DVI.

If your monitor is 2560x1536 and maxiumum refresh of 60Hz, or 1920x1080 and up to 80Hz, then you need dual-link to support those resolutions.


I don't know if the HDMI-to-DVI cables necessarily support dual-link correctly or not, so it might require some digging to find out, IF your monitor supports the higher refresh rates.

Here's a page with some of them. Some are actually cables with HDMI on one end and DVI on the other, and others are just adapters, and you'd need to provide your own normal cable that has HDMI on both ends.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=hdmi+to+dvi+adapter&ignorear=0&N=100161577&isNodeId=1

Some explicitly state that they only support 1920x1080@60Hz (not sure if your monitor can do faster refresh or not), and others just state what resolutions they support, but aren't clear if they'd support 1920x1080 up to 80Hz. That's the frustrating part about this.

On the other hand, if your monitor resolution is 1920x1080 and max refresh is 60Hz, then any one of adapters/cables on the page I linked should do the job.